City Hall will be abuzz this week as Lakeland’s staff meet for an overview of the task ahead: setting the city’s next budget before the 2025 fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
The limited agenda includes a financial update and discussions about the operational budget between the City Commission and top city staff.
This workshop is open to all, but public comments won’t be taken just yet. Mark your calendar for the formal budget hearings on Thursday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. to share your thoughts with commissioners. You can also watch the budget workshop live online .
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the Lakeland City Commission participated in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Workshop. The six-hour workshop identified the current budget and outlined fiscal needs for the upcoming year. In preparing for the FY25 budget, Departments were informed to stay within 2% growth in controllable operating expenses. There are 30 budget divisions within the City and 27 of them came in at or below their target. Parks came in $12,505 over target for repair of equipment, Risk Management came in at $4,093 over budget for firefighter physicals and the Lakeland Fire Department came in at $24,795 over target for repair of equipment. The current millage rate is 5.4323 making it one of the lowest in Polk County.
City Commission discussion involved public safety and future personnel needs for both the Lakeland Police Department and the Lakeland Fire Department. There was also a great deal of discussion about available cash on hand to satisfy rating agency scores and the need to have funds available if the community is impacted by a natural disaster.
The City Commission did vote 6-1 to have an advertised property tax rate not to exceed 6.0529 mills per every $1,000 of appraised property value. Commissioner Chad McLeod was the only dissenting vote. This millage rate has not been officially set or adopted. The formal vote will take place during the budget hearings on September 5, 2024, and September 19, 2024. An additional budget workshop will take place on August 12, 2024, at 1 p.m. in Conference Room 1A/B at the Lakeland Electric Building.
Lakeland, like many communities in Florida, has experienced unprecedented population growth and demand for City services in the past few years. Since Fiscal Year 2023, the general fund incurred $9,773,916 in additional recurring charges mostly around public safety without raising property taxes. These charges include body-worn cameras, 25 additional police officers, 36 additional firefighters and over $1 million in transportation road maintenance. The FY25 Budget does assume there will be five new police officers with the need for an additional seven in FY26.
The City Commission will have a Budget Hearing on September 5, 2024, that will take place in the City Commission Chambers at 6 p.m. The FY25 Budget will be finalized at the final Budget Hearing on September 19, 2024. Both hearings are open to the public.
The July 11, 2024 Budget Workshop is available as video on demand by visiting https://vimeo.com/982555998 for the morning session and https://vimeo.com/982710010 for the afternoon session.