City Gears Up to Implement New Budget

The City of Orlando had its first public hearing at the City Council meeting earlier this week to adopt the 2011-2012 proposed millage rate, budget, and Capital Improvement Program, for the year beginning October 1, 2011.

With a total budget of $923.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year, the new budget broadly maintains the status quo of the adopted budget last year, taking into account several years of drastically-reduced revenues on account of the national recession.  The proposed 2011-2012 General Fund amounts to $347.2 million, down by 2.6 percent from the previous year.

Orlando’s Mayor Buddy Dyer pointed out Monday that, “the City will be able to craft a balanced budget with no major additional reductions to services or programs. ”  He added that the City will again balance its budget “without raising taxes.”

With the majority of General Fund resources going toward police and fire protection, according to data released by the City, there is a proposed increase of 1.5 percent for the latter, while $2 million is expected to be cut from OPD in the upcoming 2011-2012 budget. Capital and non-operating expenditures, representing a mere 7 percent of the General Fund, are shown to decline by 14 percent in the new proposed budget.  The proposed budget for Capital Improvement Projects is $54.3 million in the upcoming year.

Under the new budget, there is a proposed millage rate of 5.6500, a decrease of 5 percent from the previous year and the lowest amongst Florida cities such as Miami, Tampa and St. Petersburg.

In presenting the budget, Dyer noted that Orlando has been increasing its reserves since 2005, and unlike other large cities in Florida, added just over $8.9 million to General Fund reserves in 2010.

Earlier this year, Fitch Ratings gave Orlando a Triple-A Bond Rating, the highest “credit score” possible.

A second and final public hearing will be held on the City’s budget on September 19, with implementation of the adopted budget to commence on October 1, 2011.

Not a single member of the public offered a comment on the proposed 2011-2012 City of Orlando budget at the public hearing last Monday.