Volusia County's new off-beach parking system will be free for residents who register. The County Council also approved new ECHO spending, advanced the new budget and tax rates and more on Tuesday.
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Volusia County could dedicate millions of dollars it hadn't planned to spend to upgrade its road system in the coming budget year.
The County Council advanced property tax rates and the recommended budget for the next fiscal year which starts on Oct. 1. County staff presented a budget overview at Tuesday's council meeting along with proposed tax rates.
The Council accepted the recommendations except for one item. They increased the General Fund property tax rate by 0.0855 mills because that would bring in $5 million more in tax revenue that could go toward roads. That's worth about a mile of road expansion, County Manager George Recktenwald said.
District 3 Councilman Danny Robins suggested the idea as a starting point for raising money to tackle the county's backlog in road projects. The council plans to discuss the matter further as part of the budget process, including how big that backlog is and how a dedicated millage rate for road infrastructure could be used.
"If not now, when?" Robins asked. "I'd like to start chipping away at this."
The budget and tax rates can still be changed before they're approved at public hearings in September.
The council voted 4-3 to approve the change. Those voting against the tax rate increase for roads were District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey, District 4 Councilman and Vice Chair Troy Kent and Chairman Jeff Brower.
Kent said he would support a workshop to talk about road needs, but he didn't want to raise taxes on people for what he called a minuscule difference in road funding.
"I'm not just a no, I'm a hard no on this," he said.
Here's what the proposed tax rates look like and how they are changing. The rolled-back rate is the tax rate needed to bring in the same tax revenue in the coming year aside from new construction ― that's because increased property values cause the same rate to bring in more revenue.
- General Fund: 3.2862 mills (partial rolled-back rate)
- Law Enforcement Fund: 1.5994 (10% increase)
- Library Fund: 0.3891 mills (rolled-back rate)
- Volusia Forever: 0.2 mills (same)
- Volusia ECHO: 0.2 mills (same)
- MSD Fund: 1.6956 mills (same)
- Fire Fund: 3.8412 (same)
- Port Fund: 0.0692 mills (same)
- Mosquito Control Fund: 0.1647 (rolled-back rate)
- SilverSands Bethune MSD: 0.0106 (rolled-back rate)
The operating budget is over $1.3 billion. The non-operating budget, which is made up mostly of transfers from the operating budget, is over $257.4 million.
The county expects to bring in over $391 million in property tax revenue. The county's budget is also funded by other taxes, charges for services, state and federal funds, funds carried over from the previous budget year and more.
Volusia County residents: Get ready for free off-beach parking, and maybe more
A new parking system will launch at Volusia County's off-beach parking spaces on Jan. 1 that will charge a fee to visitors but won't charge residents who register through the system.
The County Council voted 7-0 both to approve the fees and the contract with the consultant PCI Municipal Services.
The system will use license plate reader technology to track who is using the lots. People will have multiple options for payment, including a mobile app. People will be able to register through the program's website.
An education campaign will be rolled out ahead of time to help residents get familiar with the concept and how to register for free parking.
Visitors will pay $20 for a whole day and $100 for an annual pass. Parking will be available from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.Property owners and full-time college students at certain colleges will also receive free parking.
The county will charge $50 if visitors park without paying and pay the fine within 14 days. The fine will go to $100 if paid after that.
The paid parking system will be in effect at coastal parks and other coastal properties where signage indicates that the paid parking system is in effect.
The county plans to also consider allowing residents to drive and park on Volusia County beaches without paying a fee while increasing the cost for visitors.
Guarding the beach:Volusia County's award-winning lifeguards save lives by seeing things others don't
That issue will come to the council for a vote at the Aug. 6 meeting.
"This is part 1," Kent said. "Part 2 should be at our next meeting where we will get our residents on their beach, driving at no extra charge. And that is in my opinion the most impactful, biggest change ― positive change ― in Volusia County on our beaches in 36 years. So this is extremely exciting to not only me but to hundreds of thousands of our residents."
Volusia ECHO program adds over $10M in expenses to plan
The council approved an update to Volusia ECHO's Direct County Expenditure Plan that adds over $10 million in projects.
The plan covers the years 2024 through 2028.
The rules for ECHO, which is funded through a countywide property tax rate of 0.2 mills a year, allow the county to award grants and make direct expenditures for county projects.
In 2023, the County Council approved a direct expenditure plan to fund 43 projects at 32 sites for $15.3 million through 2027, according to the county. The updated plan adds 18 new projects at 16 sites around the county.
The bigger projects include $1.2 million for improvements to the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve. This is one phase of a project to bring a kayak and canoe launch, a wildlife observation area, new signage, a bat house, a boardwalk, a disc golf course and more to the site.
The big-ticket items also include $1.5 million for upgrades to the Volusia County fairgrounds and $3.5 million for a potential motocross facility.
Small items include new play yards at the DeLand and Pierson libraries, kayak launches at the Lake George Forest and Longleaf Pine Preserve campgrounds, a new floating fishing dock at Longleaf Pine Preserve campground, lighting, sound and power upgrades to help the Ocean Center bring in more entertainment acts; and trail expansion, a handicap-accessible boardwalk, and a new pavilion at Lyonia Preserve.
People can track projects through the Volusia ECHO transparency dashboard at volusia.org.
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