09/18/2026
MEADOWS FOR MARION
BUDGET UPDATE
September 10, 2026 — FY 2026–27 Budget Public Hearing (1 of 2)
Last Thursday evening I attended Marion County’s first formal public hearing on the proposed FY 2026–27 budget and property-tax millage rates.
This was the next step following the summer budget workshops. The numbers are getting closer to final, but the process is not complete. A second public hearing is scheduled for September 24 at 6:00 p.m., when the Commission will consider final adoption.
My goal with these updates is to take a very large budget and make the pieces that directly affect taxpayers a little easier to understand.
THE BIG NUMBER — $1.735 BILLION
The tentative overall budget is approximately $1.735 billion. That includes roughly $1.173 billion in countywide funds and another $561.5 million in non-countywide funds, special districts, utilities, MSTUs and other entities.
It is important to understand that a $1.735 billion budget does not mean Marion County is collecting $1.735 billion in property taxes.
Within the $1.173 billion countywide budget, estimated revenues include:
• $179.2 million — Property taxes
• $143.8 million — Charges for services
• $121.2 million — Special assessments
• $107.4 million — Intergovernmental revenue
• $102.6 million — Other taxes
• $70 million — Debt proceeds
• $421.6 million — Balances carried forward
There are additional revenues from permits, fines, transfers and other sources.
WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE PROPERTY-TAX RATE?
The proposed countywide millage rate increases from 4.02 mills to 4.28 mills.
The increase is in the General Fund rate, which moves from 3.09 to 3.35 mills. The Fine & Forfeiture rate remains 0.83, the Health Unit rate remains 0.10 and Transportation Maintenance remains at zero.
In simple terms, the 0.26-mill increase equals $26 for every $100,000 of taxable property value, before accounting for any increase in the taxable value of the property itself.
That last part is important.
A homeowner can experience a higher tax bill because the millage rate increases, the property's taxable value increases, or both.
WHAT DOES “13.18% ABOVE THE ROLLED-BACK RATE” MEAN?
You may also hear that the General Fund rate is 13.18% above the rolled-back rate.
That does not mean the County millage increased 13.18% from last year.
Florida requires taxing authorities to calculate a rolled-back rate — essentially the rate that would generate approximately the same property-tax revenue from existing property as the prior year, excluding new construction.
The General Fund rolled-back rate is 2.9598 mills, compared with the proposed 3.3500 mills, producing the statutory 13.18% figure.
WHERE IS SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL MONEY GOING?
The County identifies several substantial increases in the proposed budget.
Within the General Fund, the budget documents identify approximately $12.04 million more for Ambulance Services personnel and $6.77 million more for Sheriff jail personnel and operating expenses.
Fine & Forfeiture includes increases of approximately $1.53 million for Sheriff's regular operations, $736,338 for bailiff operations and $331,293 for Florida Department of Juvenile Justice payments.
The Health Unit budget also includes approximately $948,000 in additional capital funding for construction of a new Health Department facility.
LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE RESCUE
For residents in applicable unincorporated areas, the Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue millage rates remain unchanged at 3.72 mills and 1.11 mills, respectively.
But an unchanged tax rate does not necessarily mean unchanged tax revenue.
As Marion County property values increase, the same millage rate can generate more tax dollars. The County's budget materials identify an increase of approximately $11.86 million in the Sheriff's MSTU operating budget and approximately $19.14 million in additional Fire Rescue personnel expenditures.
WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR A HOMEOWNER?
The County provided its own examples.
For the average homesteaded single-family property, the combined Countywide, Law Enforcement and Fire Rescue levy is estimated to rise from approximately $1,163 to $1,256 — about $93 for the year.
For all single-family properties, the County's average example rises from approximately $1,374 to $1,487 — about $113 more.
Those are averages. An individual property owner's tax will depend on taxable value, exemptions, assessment limitations and which taxing districts apply.
THE TRIM NOTICE MAKES THIS MUCH MORE PERSONAL
By the time we reached this hearing, property owners had already received their TRIM — Truth in Millage — notices.
A TRIM notice is not the final tax bill. It shows the property's estimated taxable value, last year's rates, the rolled-back rates, the proposed maximum rates and the estimated taxes under those proposed rates. The final bill comes later, after the taxing authorities adopt their final rates.
For taxpayers looking at those notices, the discussion is no longer simply about percentages and mills. They can see an estimated dollar amount.
And for some residents, the concern is the combination of rising assessments and the proposed higher countywide millage rate, particularly at a time when household expenses are already increasing.
It is also worth remembering who controls which part of that equation: the Property Appraiser determines property values and exemptions; the County Commission establishes the County millage rates. The Property Appraiser attended the hearing and had staff available to answer questions about assessments and exemptions.
RURAL RESIDENTS ALSO RAISED THE QUESTION OF SERVICES
One rural resident who spoke during the hearing raised another side of the tax discussion: If residents throughout the county are paying the same applicable tax rate, are they receiving comparable levels of service?
She described significantly longer law-enforcement and EMS response times in her area and questioned why residents in remote portions of Marion County should pay the same rate when emergency services may have much farther to travel.
Commission Chairman Carl Zalak asked Fire Chief James Banta to speak with her after the hearing about the County's mutual-aid arrangement with Lake County.
That is an important part of the broader growth conversation.
As Marion County grows, taxpayers are not only asking what they pay. They are also asking what level of service reaches their neighborhood.
Roads, Fire Rescue, EMS, law enforcement and other services have to cover a very large county, and residents in rural areas can understandably look at the development and investment occurring elsewhere and ask when improvements will reach them.
Those questions deserve to remain part of the budget conversation.
A SEPARATE ISSUE — THE PARKS REFERENDUM
The proposed 4.28-mill countywide rate does not include the separate Parks & Conservation bond referendum voters will consider in November.
That is a different issue.
If approved by voters, that referendum would authorize up to $140 million in bonds and a separate levy of up to 0.35 mill for parks, recreation, conservation, clean-water protection and land acquisition.
I will continue reporting on that separately so the two issues do not become confused.
WHERE THINGS STAND
Reporting from the September 10 hearing indicates commissioners voted 5–0 to move the tentative 4.28-mill countywide rate and approximately $1.73 billion tentative budget forward. The County's Legistar page still shows its formal Action Summary as Draft, so I will continue watching for the finalized County record.
Most importantly, this is not yet the final budget.
The final public hearing is scheduled for:
Thursday, September 24, 2026 — 6:00 p.m.
McPherson Governmental Campus
Under the budget process, commissioners can still lower the tentative rates before final adoption; the rates cannot be increased above the tentative rates established at the first hearing.
There are a lot of numbers involved in a $1.7 billion County budget.
My goal isn't simply to repeat them. It is to help explain where the money comes from, where it is going, what is changing, what residents are saying, and what those decisions may mean when your tax bill arrives.
I will continue following the process through final adoption.
Stay informed. Stay involved. Protect & Preserve.
— Sherri Meadows
