Zephyrhills Council Takes Up 6.25 Mills, a $135.9 Million Budget and New Trash Rates Monday

Zephyrhills City Council meets Monday, Aug. 10, for a 4:30 p.m. budget workshop followed by a 6 p.m. public hearing at City Hall, 5335 8th St., and the two meetings together set what most households here pay the city next year. Staff are proposing to hold the property tax rate at 6.25 mills for fiscal 2027, a rate projected to raise about $10,969,795, and the same evening's hearing carries ordinances rewriting the city's sanitation rates and its water, sewer and reclaimed water rates.

The tentative spending plan on the table totals $135.9 million.

Holding the rate flat does not mean holding the tax bill flat. Property values went up, so the same 6.25 mills collects more money. Under state law the city has to measure itself against the rolled-back rate, the rate that would bring in the same dollars as this year. At the July 13 workshop that comparison rate was 6.2375 mills. The difference between the two is small in tax terms, roughly $22,000 across the whole city, but it is enough that the budget must be advertised as a tax increase even though the number 6.25 has not moved.

What 6.25 mills means at the mailbox: $6.25 for every $1,000 of taxable value. A home with $200,000 in taxable value after exemptions owes the city $1,250. That is the city's share only. County, school and other levies come on top of it on the same November bill.

Staff told council in July that the city's aggregate taxable value is around $1.8 billion, and that the budget is built on collecting about 95% of what the rate would generate on paper.

Trash and water rates are the other half of Monday night

Three ordinances are advertised for the 6 p.m. hearing. Two of them hit utility bills directly.

Ordinance	What it does
1528-26	Repeals and replaces Section 50.40 of the city code, resetting rates and charges for the Public Works sanitation division.
1527-26	Replaces the rate schedule for potable water, sewer and reclaimed water, effective on or after Nov. 1, 2026.
1526-26	Amends the Land Development Code sections covering completeness review, review and decision, and final plat approval.

For scale on the utility side: last fall the council adopted a 3% water and sewer increase that added about $2.05 per billing period to a typical residential bill of 4,100 gallons. The city's finance office has favored small annual bumps over one large catch-up increase, arguing the water and sewer funds have to carry roughly $20 million in capital work.

What is pushing the FY2027 numbers

The July workshop spent most of its time on the capital improvement plan: Zephyr Park construction, citywide sidewalks, trails and street resurfacing, paid for out of a mix of bond proceeds, reserves and impact fees. Council members raised concerns about cost overruns at Zephyr Park specifically. They also flagged an expected drop in property tax revenue from new state exemptions coming down the pipe, which is the argument staff are using for prioritizing projects now.

Also folded into next year's plan: a completed employee pay study recommending salary adjustments, a new cost-based building permit fee methodology adopted to comply with recent state legislation, and a phased increase in the stormwater utility assessment.

How to be heard before it is locked in

The workshop at 4:30 is where the line items actually get argued. The 6 p.m. hearing is where residents get the microphone on the three ordinances. Anyone can show up and speak, or mail written comments to City Council, 5335 8th St., Zephyrhills, FL 33542. Full ordinance text is posted at City Hall and can be read there on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Anyone needing an accommodation to attend should call the city clerk at 813-780-0000 at least 48 hours ahead.

The draft budget comes back to council again on Aug. 24, with first reading of the millage ordinance in August and final adoption set for September under the state's TRIM calendar. Agendas and meeting packets are posted at the city's agendas and minutes page, usually the Friday before.

Keep up with local coverage at Zephyrhills Community Website, and tell us what you want the council to hear over in our Community Forum. For more on how City Hall decisions land on your bill, read our government and politics stories and our latest local news.

Header photo: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)