OKEECHOBEE – Property tax rates and assessments for fire and EMS services will be on the agenda for the July 27 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission.

According to the county staff report, the proposed General Fund budget totals $58,856,349, which represents a $3,143,705 increase from the FY 22/23 Adopted Budget or 5.64%. The General Fund is balanced with a millage rate of 8.0000 mills, which is the same as FY 22/23. One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Commissioners will be asked to set the millage rate for the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notices. Once the TRIM notices are sent out, the commission can lower the millage but cannot raise the millage rate for the coming fiscal year.

EMS assessment for residential homes is currently $113.14 per year. According to the staff report, that rate would need to go to $159.69 per residence to recover 100% of the cost for the 2024 fiscal Year. The fire protection assessment is currently $120.48 per residence. That rate would need to up to $127.04 to recover 100% of the cost for the 2024 fiscal year.

According to the staff report, for fiscal years 2020-2022, fire calls were:
• Residential - 37.5%;

• Hotel/motel/RV - 0.3%;
• Commercial/Institutional - 22.9%;
• Vacant - 35.7%.

For that same period, EMS calls were:
• Residential - 66.5%;
• Hotel/motel/RV - 0.9%;

• Commercial/Institutional - 16.8%;
• Industrial/Warehouse - 0.3%;
• Non-specific - 15.5%.

The meeting will be held in the Historic Okeechobee County Courthouse, 304 N.W. Second Street, Okeechobee.