- December 4, 2025
Ormond Beach City Commissioners defended their vote to move forward with a 10% tax rate increase after the mayor recently advocated to keep the tax rate the same as last year's during a Q+A with the Observer.
The commission voted unanimously on July 23, to set a tentative millage rate of 4.5220 mills — or $4.5220 per $1,000 in taxable property value. This tax rate is 10.2% higher than last year's, and 15.82% above the rollback rate, or the rate that would generate the same amount of tax revenues as last year’s rate.
The tax rate increase is aimed at addressing needs city officials said have been a long time coming, including police salary adjustments, a proactive code enforcement approach, parks and recreation projects and needed vehicles.
During a Q+A, published in the Observer in our July 31 edition, Mayor Jason Leslie said that, although he did vote in line with the commission for the tentative tax rate, he planned to advocate for no rate increase.
At their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 5, where several residents spoke in favor of the tax rate increase due to the city's needs, Commissioners Lori Tolland, Travis Sargent and Kristin Deaton said they wished Leslie had brought up his concerns and ideas for budget cuts at the commission's workshop in late July.
"I think we all want to keep the rates as low as possible in our city, and we're fortunate right now to have such relatively low taxes and fees," Tolland said. "I hope we can still get a chance to do that because the needs we have in our city are real, and so too is our collective desire to make those needs as affordable as possible."
While Tolland said she welcomed all ideas, voicing them in the newspaper and not from the dais "doesn't help the process," she said.
Sargent said he was "blindsided" by the Q+A.
"Please help the community understand why this information was vastly different than that you stated in the budget workshop and the commission meeting," Sargent said. "I agree that this millage rate was a starting point, and I look forward to working with you, the commission and staff to provide relief to the residents regarding their property taxes."
In the Q+A, Leslie spoke about leasing city vehicles, such as police patrol cars, instead of purchasing; wanting to see a "better plan" for code enforcement regarding the $200,000 the city is setting aside for it; and finding alternate ways to enhance security at city hall (the city is budgeting $105,000 for this).
He also said he wished he could have seen what budget requests came from each department to contribute to the tax rate increase.
Sargent asked if Leslie approached city staff with this request.
"This comment undermines the hard work the city manager and department leaders put into this budget," Sargent said.
The city, like everyone else, is experiencing the financial impacts of inflation and recently imposed tariffs, Deaton said, adding that the majority of the increases to the budget are for public safety.
"It would take cutting $2.4 million from the budget to keep the same millage as last year," Deaton said. "Where does that come from? Public safety."
No one wants to raise taxes, she said.
"Anyone can say they're advocating for a lower tax rate, but unless you're bringing solid solutions to the table to actually lower the tax rate, you're just politicking," Deaton said.
Leslie defended his answers in the Observer Q+A, saying that as mayor, people look to him for answers when issues and concerns arise.
"It's a lot of weight on your shoulders to have, so I did have an interview with the Observer, and it wasn't to discredit anyone here on the dais or discredit staff," Leslie said. "It was just to be a little bit more open about what's going on, maybe some of my thoughts and opinions on it."
