While the cities of St. Cloud and Kissimmee have workshopped their upcoming budget with legislation that could slash the amount of property taxes on the November ballot, Osceola County began proposing actual numbers at a special Commission meeting Monday afternoon.
While Amendment 3—a ballot amendment that will appear during the Nov. 3 general election asking voters to increase the homestead exemption on primary homes and lower those homes taxable value—was a popular topic during the meeting, the county proposed a $2.44 billion budget for the Fiscal 2026-27 year, down from just over $3 billion in 2025-26.
Amendment 3, which needs 60% of the statewide vote to pass, would go into effect for the 2027-28 budget, but the county is like municipal governments across the state working to streamline and tighten budgets in case it does pass.
Despite a possible cut in collections from ad valorem property taxes, the county chose to maintain its base millage rate of 6.7 mills, where it’s been since 2011.
“I know this is my last time voting on the budget,” said Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, who is not running for District 4 reelection this year, during the meeting. “I know you’ll have to look hard at that millage rate in the future.”
Osceola County Office of Management and Budget Director Matt Fuhrer called the 6.2% increase in property valuations “pretty steady and still strong.” He noted that 60% of the tax collections in the proposed budget come from new construction ($2.2 billion).
During his presentation Monday, Fuhrer said the passing of Amendment 3, which would increase the standard homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, would see an impact of a $57.3 million drop in revenue for the 2028 budget and $84.5 million in 2029 at the current millage rate. A mill equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.
The 2027 budget eliminates carried-forward projects, like road expansions on Simpson, Neptune, Partin Settlement, Boggy Creek Roads and Poinciana Boulevard and other major investments that pushed the current budget over $3 billion.
The proposed budget holds the county at 1,829.24 full-time equivalent employees—a de facto hiring freeze. It features $770 million being paid into the general fund, a $64 million increase, and a $3 million decrease in operation expenses through reductions proposed by the county’s departments.
The $2.44 billion figure does not include balances to be carried forward from the current budget; those will be incorporated into figures during later budget meetings as estimated on what will be on hand are finalized. The next budget meeting is set for Thursday, Sept. 3 at 5:30 p.m.
“The proposed FY2027 budget reflects a fundamental principle of responsible government: exercising sound financial stewardship today to protect the County’s future, regardless of the outcome of Amendment 3,” a release from the county read Monday night.
The county’s recommended budget as of Monday can be found at: https://www.osceola.org/Government/County-Budget-and-Financial-Statements/Budget-Documents/FY-2027.
