Maitland City Talk

On Sept. 22, the City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2015 General Fund budget. Below are highlights from this year’s budget.

Where the money comes from:

The city relies upon General Fund Revenue to support all services with the exception of water, sewer, stormwater and solid waste. General Fund revenue projections for 2015 are $23.7 million. General Fund revenue sources include taxes, user fees, licenses and permits, intergovernmental revenues, charges for services, fines and forfeitures, administrative fees, interest, miscellaneous revenues, and fund balance.

How the money is spent:

The 2015 General Fund budgeted expenditures total $23.7 million. Like most cities and other municipal service providers, the largest component of the budget is personnel costs (59 percent).

Public Safety services, including the police and fire/rescue departments, are the largest component of General Fund expenditures at 43.5 percent of the total budget.

Public Works services comprise 23.1 percent of the General Fund budget and include: road, street and facilities maintenance; grounds and parks maintenance; arbor services; and transportation engineering.

General & Administrative services comprise 11.6 percent of the budget and include the Council, City Clerk, Finance, Human Resources, Communications, Information Technology, and Customer Service programs.

Capital projects are outlays approved in the FY 2015 Capital Improvements Program, including $311,000 in road and street improvements, $345,000 for sidewalk improvements, $200,000 for park upgrades and capital maintenance, $167,000 for athletic field lighting upgrades, and $152,000 in city facility upgrades and capital maintenance.

Total tax bill - Maitland resident

Maitland’s taxes are only one component of the total tax bill assessed on properties within the city limits. The graph depicts the “average” tax bill, showing County and School taxes comprise almost 73 percent of the total bill. For example, a homeowner with a home value of $300,000, claiming the homestead exemption will pay $1,135 or just under $95 per month in city taxes, which represents only 25 percent of the total bill.

For additional information on the city’s General Fund budget or FY 2015 Capital Improvements Program, please visit the city’s website at itsmymaitland.com