Residents speak out on property tax increase as budget passes

Oviedo residents expressed their opposition at the Sept. 16 City Council meeting to the proposed property tax increase in the 2024-25 budget, which was adopted by a 4-1 vote, with only Mayor Megan Sladek voting no.

In what was scheduled to be the final opportunity for public hearings prior to the adoption of the budget, nearly half a dozen residents stepped forward, and many others sat in the audience, to share their thoughts on both the proposed 18% increase in property taxes and the process Council took to get to this point.

The increase, in addition to delinquent collections, is expected to bring the city an additional $4 million in ad valorem, or property tax, revenues — $23.1 million vs. $19.1 million in 2023-24. 

The city said this will help fund the following items:

• Maintains fiscal year 2023-24 service levels

• Funds a 6% salary increase for general government employees;

• Funds salary increase for police and fire bargaining units employees;

• Funds 0.3 new full-time equivalent (FTE) for the Finance Department to make an existing

part-time position full-time;

• Funds increases in benefits costs;

• Funds a 10% increase in workers compensation rates;

• Funds a 10% increase in general insurance rates;

• Funds increases in fixed costs such as leases, telephone, and utilities;

• Funds the Vehicle Replacement Plan;

• Funds the following capital items:

• Fire – apparatus storage;

• Fire – 800mhz portable radios;

• Police-radios;

• Police – replacement evidence refrigerator/freezer;

• Police – license plate readers;

• Public Information – Strategic Plan management dashboard software;

• Recreation and Parks – holiday tree replacement;

• Recreation and Parks – Public Works fleet floor replacement;

• Recreation and Parks – MUSCO lighting – led upgrade/retrofit;

• Recreation and Parks – Center Lake Park fountain refurbishment;

• Recreation and Parks – Thorguard replacement / addition;

• Recreation and Parks – BARD HVAC replacement (2 units);

• Recreation and Parks – splash pad sequencer;

• Recreation and Parks – steel safety bollards for parks;

• Recreation and Parks – splash pad UV system;

• Recreation and Parks Facilities Maintenance. – clerk’s office door;

• Recreation and Parks Facilities Maintenance – facility interior/exterior light LED Retrofit; 

• Recreation and Parks Facilities Maintenance – fire admin;

• Recreation and Parks Facilities Maintenance – City Hall entrance;

• Recreation and Parks Facilities Maintenance – facility parking lot light LED retrofit;

• Recreation and Parks Maintenance – fence repairs;

• Recreation and Parks Maintenance – hard court resurfacing;

• Recreation and Parks Maintenance. – concession stand refrigerator replace

• Funds debt service costs for FY 2024-25;

• Funds the vehicle replacement plan;

• Funds reallocation of the IT Department to a new Internal Service Fund;

• Funds capital purchases for IT as recommended by the IT Infrastructure & Organizational Assessment Plan;

• Maintains the minimum 15% Reserve Fund balance as per the budget and financial policy of the city

“This budget is different than any budget we’ve ever done in that we are looking at a three-year plan,” City Manager Bryan Cobb said. “That three-year plan is to get us through the three years of the [police and fire] union negotiations we are currently working on.”

The sticker-shock of such a large increase — the previous increases since 2019 were 5.10%, 5.14%, 3.94%, 13.36% and 7.48% — led to residents speaking up at the hearing.

“Floridians, people of Oviedo, are hurting every time we go to the gas pump, Walgreens, CVS, wherever we go to or pay our insurance rate, our pockets are hurting, we’re bleeding,” Oviedo resident Giuliana Kaiser said. “We’re asking the City Council members and our mayor to please listen to your constituents. We’re hurting enough with people that have fixed income, people who are single parents, whatever the case may be.

“When we go to the grocery store and we’re thinking, ‘Can I really afford to buy a $6 gallon of orange juice that used to be $3?’ It’s unconscionable. What we’re asking, please, if you could provide more transparency and provide other options, maybe hybrid options … we’ll really appreciate it.”

The request to consider alternatives to the increase came from multiple residents at the hearing.

“What is alarming is the direction of unaffordability that this city and community is progressing toward, including for teachers, police officers and firefighters, and both for young adults and also for couples and individuals in retirement,” Oviedo resident Brian Tipps said. “This is another [large amount] that is being squeezed out of family budgets.

“I’m asking this council to consider, or reconsider, an alternative budget and lower property tax increase. For every property owner, this increase has to come from somewhere, something else has to give. If you are a renter, this makes purchasing a home in Oviedo 18% harder. If you own a rental property, you are likely going to pass along the rate increase to your tenant. Thus, even if you remain a renter, you end up paying more. Let’s find a win-win.”

Sladek asked for a discussion on a lower rate, but was rebuffed by others on Council. 

“You’ve been involved in every step of the way, Mayor, and you’ve known what this has been until you got into public and started [talking about] the lower rate,” councilmember Keith Britton said. “This is your budget as much as ours. It’s your mileage [rate] as much as ours.”

Despite the objections and requests, the budget was not changed prior to approval.

In addition to concerns over the 18% increase, a number of residents felt the process was not as transparent as it could have been.

“At the first public hearing [on Sept. 5], we were set up to have a presentation and we didn’t get to see it,” Alan Ott, who is running for City Council, said. “I know that was shown in July, and I know [City Council has] seen it probably several times before that, but there’s a lot of people here tonight, and I think we should see it again. The point of a public hearing is so that the public can hear, so we can hear the rationale of what goes into making these decisions.”

Ott wasn’t the only one to express these concerns.

“I was kind of disappointed at the lack of the willingness to go into the details of exactly what the budget includes, and I’m sure those have been discussed ad nauseum in your work sessions, but as a practical matter, some of us weren’t here before at those meetings,” Oviedo resident Joseph Paul Vasquez said. 

Outgoing councilmember Bob Pollack confirmed that the presentation was available on the city’s previous meeting videos on YouTube.

“It wasn’t presented at the last meeting, but it was presented prior to that,” he said. “It was the same presentation they had from prior meetings. They could have gone on YouTube and watched those presentations and got a better understanding of it.”

Despite the previous presentations, council members Natalie Teuchert, Jeff Boddiford and Sladek agreed another showing of it would be beneficial.

“We have a lot of people coming up here saying we’re not being transparent, which I don’t agree with … but if we have the opportunity right now to give a presentation and take some extra time, I think we should do it,” Teuchert said.

This led to Council going into recess to set up an unplanned presentation of the budget by finance director Jerry Boop.

“We’ve made a policy decision to try to fund the budget for the three years of the expected police and fire contracts,” Britton, who has served on city council since 2006, said. “This has been the most transparent process I’ve ever been involved in. There’s no one here trying to hide any of the details.”

Boddiford pointed out that prior to Monday’s meeting, council discussed the budget and rate increase in meetings open to the public on April 15, April 29, July 29, Aug. 26 and Sept. 5.

”All these meetings were public, were announced and were out there,” he said. “There’s nothing that’s being done behind closed doors.”

Following the presentation, Council approved the budget, which will go into effect Oct. 1.

“And now the vote is done and we speak as one,” Sladek said following the vote.

Want to let your elected officials know what you think of this plan? Find contacts for the Oviedo City Council here.