At the budget workshop on July 7th, the Tallahassee City Commission approved a draft budget for the fiscal year 2022 (FY22). The proposed budget includes an operating budget of $ 758 million and a capital budget of $ 273 million.
Public hearings are scheduled for September 8th and September 22nd to prepare for the final adoption of the budget, which will come into effect October 1st, 2021.
Operating budget
The FY22 operating budget is $ 758.4 million for 14 different funds, as shown below.
Positions
The budget for FY22 is 2,914 city-wide FTEs (full-time equivalents). This includes 57 new FTEs being relocated from OPS positions and 1.50 new FTEs in Parks and Recreation to support amphitheater and tennis operations.
General Fund
The General Fund, which is funded in part by property taxes, is $ 171,255,883. That’s about $ 10 million more than the budget approved for FY21.
The proposed FY22 operating budget for the general fund keeps the millage rate at 4.1 million for the sixth consecutive year. which corresponds to an increase of 3.6% compared to the previous year. On that basis, the city’s property tax revenue is estimated at $ 51.7 million, an increase of $ 1.8 million over the previous year. This is a tax increase under state law.
The Tallahassee Police Department, which is supported by the general fund, is estimated at $ 62.2 million in FY22, approximately $ 3 million more than in FY21.
The proposed budget took shape on the basis of a previous instruction from the Commission Employee compensation. The budget includes a 4.5 percent raise for full-time non-union workers, with a guaranteed raise of at least $ 2,500 for employees earning less than $ 55,555.
“The city’s employees work tirelessly, ethically, collaboratively, and with integrity every day to deliver exceptional civic service,” said City Manager Reese Goad. “Investing in them – our greatest asset – and making sure they can grow as part of our organization will enable us to continue delivering the high quality services that residents have come to expect.”
