The nearly $3 billion Polk County spending plan that passed on Monday will raise property taxes and eliminate curbside recycling while tackling demand for public services for a county that saw an average of 85 people per day move in during 2023.
Tax bills will rise slightly for most homeowners in unincorporated Polk County despite a 1% decrease in the millage rate used to calculate property taxes.
Further, the budget raises fees for fire service, as well as trash collection to pay for new contracts with private solid waste haulers and an expansion of Polk County’s own fleet of garbage trucks, all while eliminating the county’s curbside recycling program.
The commission voted unanimously Monday to pass the fiscal year 2024-25 budget following a second public hearing in the County Commission Boardroom at 330 W. Church St. in Bartow. No one from the public spoke at the hearing.
The total tentative budget for Polk County is $2,984,670,147, according to Christia Johnson, the county’s budget and management services director. The county maintains a 45-day reserve to mitigate against potential revenue shortfalls, such as natural disasters, sudden economic downturns, or other unanticipated events.
The new countywide millage rate is 6.6348, or $663.48 per $100,000 of assessed value.
The reduction of 1% will be taken off the General Fund component of the countywide millage rate only, Johnson said.
The Polk County Solid Waste fee has been nearly $200 since the 2017-18 fiscal year. This year, it will rise to $337.21, and after that, it will rise 5% per year until reaching $393.52 in fiscal year 2028-29.
The fire fee has been increased by 5% per year for the past four years and will increase to $281 for the 2024-25 fiscal year, from $268 in the current year.