Leesburg commissioners voted to reject a staff recommendation to reduce the property tax rates for the 2026-2027 tax year during the Monday meeting.
Staff had recommended that the commissioners reduce the millage rate from 3.4752 to 3.3783, which would result in a property tax reduction. Commissioner Jimmy Burry made a motion to keep the millage rate unchanged for the coming tax year.  Burry told his fellow commissioners that the rate should remain unchanged as the city could use the money the current rate would raise to hire additional police officers, which had been authorized but not yet hired. Commissioner Mike Pederson also said that he favored keeping the rate unchanged as the city needs the funds that the current rate would provide. The commission voted 4-1 to reject the staff recommendation and 4-1 to approve keeping the current millage rate. Commissioner Jay Connell cast the only no vote to keep the current millage rate.
A millage rate is the rate used to calculate local property taxes. One “mill” represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. For example, under the current  rate, a property owner would pay $3.47 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed, non-exempt property value. Under Florida’s Truth in Millage (TRIM) guidelines, the city must submit this tentative rate to the Lake County Property Appraiser in July. The tentative rate acts as a cap for the rest of the budget cycle. While commissioners can vote to lower the rate further before final budget adoption in September, they are legally barred from raising it above this level.