Last minute budget fight nearly halts Winter Springs 2025-26 budget vote

A typically procedural vote in Winter Springs to finalize the tax rate and budget for 2025-26 turned contentious Monday night after a Commissioner said she didn’t understand what she voted on at a previous meeting.

The Winter Springs City Commission had already passed an initial vote on keeping the millage rate flat for the coming year. The city had already tentatively approved a $79.6 million budget that included no new staffing. Both of those votes required a second, final vote to officially pass.

At a meeting on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Commission only had two items on the agenda: Finalize its millage rate and adopt the budget. The millage rate passed 4-1, with little discussion. Commissioner Cade Resnick made a motion to adopt the coming budget, and it was seconded. 

As commissioners prepared to vote, Commissioner Victoria Bruce raised concerns. She listed a number of budget items that she objected to, including $35,000 for a building services inspection vehicle, $200,000 to remodel the lobby kiosk in City Hall, and $28,000 for two lawnmowers, among others. 

“I do have lots of questions,” Bruce said. “Those items, I believe, are not needed.”

When the clerk called the vote, Bruce, Paul Diaz and Mark Caruso voted against adopting the 2025-26 budget. 

“OK, so we’re not making it for Rash Hashana,” Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann said. “We legally cannot leave this room until a budget is passed.”

Commissioner says she misunderstood previous budget vote

Florida law spells out the requirements of how to adopt the property tax rate and budget. 

The standard process in local government is that a city manager will put forward a proposed budget; Winter Springs released its proposed budget in July. Commissioners held one-on-one meetings with staff and held a public workshop to go through any budget items on July 14. 

Residents must be provided what’s known as a “TRIM,” or Truth in Millage, notice. That explains what the proposed property tax rate is, when the two public hearings will be to adopt the budget, and what the rate would need to be to keep the same amount of money coming in to the city. 

Winter Springs is proposing a millage rate of 2.62, the same rate as last year.  That translates to $262 per $100,000 of a home’s value. So if a home’s taxable value was $200,000, that homeowner would pay $524 in property taxes annually to the city. 

Property taxes are calculated after exemptions, which include homestead exemptions and special exemptions. Check here for an explainer on how property taxes are calculated, and check here for a list of exemptions. 

You can read through the proposed Winter Springs 2025-26 budget here. At their budget workshop on July 14, Bruce voted for the proposed budget and millage that she took issue with Monday night. 

The items Bruce brought up were:

• Building Services Inspections Vehicle $35,000
• Counter Remodel $125,000
• Lobby Kiosk $200,000
• Trotwood Lacrosse Wall $100,000
• Two 60’’ Mowers: $28,000
• F250 4×4 (rebudget): $70,000
• Parks and Recreation administrative car replacement: $35,000.00
• Two Gators (four-wheelers): $30,000
• F150 rebudget for facilities maintenance: $50,000.00
• F150 rebudget for parks and recreation: $50,000
• Dump Truck: $90,000

“Let me tell you something, OK, Cade – this is a wish list,” Bruce said. “My daughters give me their Christmas wish list. I don’t give them everything on the list, OK? And that’s what this is. This is a wish list. We didn’t cut anything? We’re gonna give them (city administration) everything?”

Other members of the City Commission objected to the timing of the questions. 

“Wouldn’t the wish list have been presented in workshops and budget approval before readings?” Baker asked. 

Resnick listed off the meetings where the Commission looked at the proposed budget in July and August, as well as the previous vote in September. 

“I don’t recall that,” Bruce said. 

Resnick asked why she was bringing up the questions now. Bruce said she didn’t understand what was being voted on at the last meeting.

“My mistake,” Bruce said. “I thought we were just approving amended changes. I was not up to speed that that was for (an) approval for the budget. I thought it was just to change it, the appropriations came in. 

“I feel like I was misled,” Bruce continued. “But maybe that’s my ignorance that I didn’t understand that two weeks ago was the time to discuss it. … I’m so happy that they have two of these meetings for people like me that miss the boat the first time so I can make sure these fluff expenses are looked into more.”

Winter Springs City Manager Kevin Sweet said the city has a five-year plan to replace vehicles because otherwise the city would have to replace a large group of vehicles at once. He said some of the vehicles are well over 10 years old. 

“If we’re not changing out vehicles … well beyond their useful life, then we’re going to be, as the mayor said, in the same position when I walked in, when we got 13 police vehicles that are getting replaced in one year,” Sweet said. “That is no different than expecting our Public Works folks, or, you know, our arbor folks, to be out there doing work in the streets in a vehicle that doesn’t even start. And frankly, in another state, wouldn’t even be on the road because it wouldn’t pass an inspection.”

Bruce also objected to the amount of money being spent from the city’s Arbor Fund. The city is paying $500,000 over two years to replace Live Oak trees that were planted in Tuskawilla Crossings because the roots will eventually do damage to the streets, sidewalks and utility lines. 

“Those items I believe are not needed,” Bruce said. “We can’t tell everybody that, you know, all the residents, that we can’t reduce our spending, but then we spend it on lavish things like cars and lacrosse walls and (the) lobby and, you know, four-wheelers.”

At times, the back-and-forth on the dais got personal. 

“It’s not financially responsible,” Bruce said. “And with all due respect, mayor, I do not take financial advice from you.”

Since adopting its initial budget, the Winter Springs City Commission has rescinded funding for the UCF Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs. Bruce said she wants to see the items she brought up come back for later discussion. 

Ultimately, the Winter Springs Commission held a second vote to approve the 2025-26 budget as presented. On the second vote, Caruso switched his vote and approved the budget. 

McCann later said the two budget votes are so that citizens have a chance to understand what’s in the budget. 

“We read it twice so the residents are aware,” McCann said. “It’s not for the Commission. We’ve had months of opportunities to ask questions. This is her third budget [since first being elected].”