The Alachua County Commission is pleased to announce the approval of its Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget. This balanced budget, approved at the Sept. 24 commission meeting, reflects the culmination of months of strategic planning, public input, and collaboration with county departments, constitutional officers and partner agencies.
"This budget embodies our commitment to safeguarding the character and well-being of our community," said Commission Chair Mary Alford. "We are lowering the general fund property tax millage rate for the eighth year in a row, while still providing the services necessary to keep Alachua County safe, healthy and sustainable. I am particularly proud that we are investing more funding for roads than at any time in county history. We remain focused on addressing the challenges of inflation and rapid population growth while understanding the financial pressure on our taxpayers."
The FY25 budget is $866 million, covering a wide range of essential services, capital improvements, reserves and state service contracts. Of this, $321.5 million comes from the general fund, primarily driven by countywide property taxes.
The millage rate has been reduced by over 14% since 2017, moving from 8.9290 mills in FY17 to the newly approved rate of 7.6414 mills for FY25. This ongoing reduction reinforces the commission's long-term strategy to mitigate the tax burden on residents.
The Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) for law enforcement remains stable, generating $39.6 million with a millage rate of 3.5678 mills.
Due to an average 9% increase in property values across the county, many property owners will experience an increase in their overall tax bills despite the millage rate reduction.
Key Budget Allocations and Initiatives
- $233 million for Public Safety
This includes funding for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, jail operations, Fire Rescue services, Combined Communications and vital jail diversion programs.- $34.6 million from the Wild Spaces Public Places (WSPP) Surtax
This voter-approved surtax funds $13.8 million in land conservation efforts, $12.1 million for road improvements, $5.2 million for affordable housing projects, and $3.4 million for parks and recreation.- $79 million for Transportation and Stormwater Infrastructure
Approximately $19 million for these projects comes from WSPP funds (this includes the fund balance from the last fiscal year).- $26 million for Housing Initiatives
Focused on addressing housing instability, these funds will support projects, such as motel conversions and a container home pilot program for individuals experiencing homelessness, developments that provide affordable and workplace housing, and home rehabilitation programs.- $49 million for Capital Projects and the Facilities Master Plan
Key projects include constructing a new Animal Resources building, relocating the Fire Rescue headquarters, relocating the Emergency Operations Center to the former National Guard Armory site, and constructing the new civil courthouse/parking garage complex.- Employee Retention and Living Wage Adjustment
To attract and retain a skilled workforce, the county will raise its minimum wage from $17 to $18 per hour and provide a 6% cost of living adjustment for all employees.
Notably, only 64% of Alachua County's Assessed Property Value is on the tax rolls. The state average is 83%. Only four of the 67 counties have more property off the tax rolls. In the state reporting done in FY23, if the county had had the average for property on the tax rolls, the millage rate could have been lowered from the then 7.6414 mills to 5.9237 mills and raised the same amount of revenue.
The FY25 budget is designed to meet the growing demands of a dynamic and evolving community while keeping Alachua County a desirable place to live, work, and play for years to come.
View the FY25 adopted budget summary.
For additional information, please contact Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton at (352) 264-6979.
