- December 4, 2025
The Ormond Beach City Commission has unanimously approved a property tax rate and budget for fiscal year 2025-2026. But the road to approval saw some roadblocks: public misinformation, misinterpretation of financial data and tension — between commissioners, the mayor, city staff and the residents they all serve.
Did the mayor really want to cut youth sports? Did officials need to call on Tallahassee to "DOGE" the city budget? And with $1.64 million needing to be cut to avoid a tax increase, where would those funds come from, if not for public safety — which accounts for 46% of the city's expenditures — and Leisure Services?
At the first budget hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 3, the commission approved a millage rate of 4.4497 mills, or $4.4497 per $1,000 in taxable property value. The millage is less than the tentative millage rate set in July, which would have been a 10% tax rate increase, and also less than the millage discussed by the commission at its Aug. 19 workshop.
Following that workshop, staff reduced the tax rate by another 0.03 mills. Finance Director Kelly McGuire said in an email to the Observer that this reduction came after an update from the city’s brokers that the insurance market would likely provide a flat renewal, reducing the budget by $175,000.
Residents deserve to know how decisions are made, how tax dollars are spent, and how policies affect their neighborhoods. But when misinformation spreads, that clarity becomes clouded. False and incomplete information creates confusion, and confusion often spreads suspicion." —TRAVIS SARGENT, Zone 2 city commissioner
Then, a post on Facebook began circulating claiming Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie — who at the Aug. 19 workshop had voiced a desire to cut the budget further to avoid raising taxes — was going to propose cutting funding from youth sports.
The mayor brought a trophy to the budget hearing, sharing his experience with being in a little league at 8 years old.
"I am the last person that wants to cut youth sports," Leslie said. "And when I heard about this thing, I was outraged, and I wanted to bring this tonight to show everybody."
It was standing-room only at the commission's budget hearing.
A total of 34 people spoke Wednesday night, the majority of whom asked the commission to move forward with a tax rate increase, which is 6.94% above the current rate.
On the heels of the city recognizing the Ormond Beach Soccer Club for recently representing the city at the IberCup in Portugal, citizens, community leaders and city advisory board members spoke about the importance of funding youth sports.
"Ormond is made up of different social and political classes, and as a resident, we may not always agree on everything, but one thing I can guarantee is that despite our financial and political differences, we're on the same page about one thing, and that's our children," citizen Stephanie Watson said. "... We want to do everything in our power to assure that our children do not suffer the consequences of a politician just because he wants to be able to tell residents that he didn't change or raise the taxes in our area."
Budget Advisory Board member Josh Pringle said the tax rate increase was a result of past commissions "kicking this can down the road over and over and over again."
"No millage rate increases is not a solution for the city," Pringle said. "Failure to account for cost increases was not a solution. It was not your problem to fix, but it is your problem to fix tonight. You must rip the band-aid off."
Pringle also admonished Leslie, saying "leadership by the mayor through the media is not leadership at all."
"Creating buzz in the Observer or on Twitter is not leadership of this city," Pringle said. "The community loses when our leadership is
absent."
There were also a few speakers who did not express support for a tax rate increase; they too were not in favor of cutting funding for youth sports.
Ormond Beach resident Anna Hannon said she didn't understand why there were only two options, both of which are "negative to homeowners," as the first option is to increase taxes and the second is to cut funding for public safety and leisure services.
"It seems very unfair to the residents and homeowners to just have only these two options, just reducing the most valued services and pulling at our heartstrings," Hannon said. "It just doesn't seem very fair, and I just cannot even comprehend why youth sports has been put on the chopping block, to have parents become outraged and come here and beg you to increase taxes. It just doesn't feel right."
In attendance were also over 20 police officers and firefighters. The budget includes $1 million to fund police wage increases, $1.8 million for anticipated collective bargaining agreement costs and $100,000 for public safety vehicles and equipment replacement.
Ormond Beach Police Sgt. Ray Llanes, the department's union vice president, said he received a call during the last election from one of the mayoral candidates, alluding to Leslie, asking why the union didn't endorse him. The budget discourse has reinforced their decision, Llanes said.
This year marks the first in the almost nine years Llanes has been with OBPD that the department is nearly fully staffed. He cited instances in previous years where the city only had three officers and one supervisor on the night shift.
"While rising cost of living and wages are genuine concern, politicizing this issue to advance personal agendas reveals a troubling priority, a greater concern for self-interest than that of our community," Llanes said. "If you choose to support a flat budget and prioritize political ambitions over the welfare of our citizens, you're effectively voting to defund the police."
Prior to speaking on the budget, Commissioner Lori Tolland asked the city clerk to read a memo by City Attorney Randy Hayes into the record.
The memo, which was dated Sept. 3 and included in the meeting's agenda packet, explained the two options up for consideration that evening. The first option was a tax rate increase. The second option was to go to rollback, a rate of 3.9672 mills.
“This option is based on the mayor’s withdrawal of support for Option 1 that he agreed to at the August 19 workshop, and his stated intention on social media posts to seek further budget reductions,” Hayes wrote. “Option 2 will require the city commission to make significant reductions to the budget in funding for police, fire, utilities, recreation and leisure services (for children and elderly people), general services, and facilities.”
Hayes encouraged the commission to approve a tax rate increase, citing previous unanimous support, due to “financial risks and liabilities associated with the mayor’s intention to seek deep reductions in the millage rate and the budget, and the uncertainties those reductions would have on the ability of the city to deliver quality services to residents.”
“Sound fiscal management and responsible leadership require it.” Hayes wrote.
By joining together on this and being unanimous on this vote, I ask everybody in the commission here, 'Let's start working together. We work together, to work as a team, and we put all the things aside that we had, whatever it was — it was a little wedge." — JASON LESLIE, mayor
Tolland said she asked the clerk to read the memo because it "provided some historical background as to why we are here tonight, and why so many people came out to speak."
"Let me be perfectly clear from the start: I'm not willing to compromise the quality of life for our residents because of misinformation or any political maneuvering," Tolland said. "The conversation that we're having tonight about cuts is very frustrating, and it really stinks."
Commissioners Harold Briley, Kristin Deaton and Travis Sargent were in agreement: They didn't want to cut public safety, and they didn't want to cut Leisure Services or youth sports.
"I would almost invite a DOGE in this city," Briley said. "Because I think they'd probably be looking at other cities before they look at us, based on our tax rate. I don't think there's a lot of fat in this budget."
Sargent spoke about transparency and how misinformation undermines it.
"Residents deserve to know how decisions are made, how tax dollars are spent, and how policies affect their neighborhoods," Sargent said. "But when misinformation spreads, that clarity becomes clouded. False and incomplete information creates confusion, and confusion often spreads suspicion."
Deaton said she couldn't, in good faith, cut services to save "a few dollars."
"I will not run my term worried about my reelection," she said. "I will do what the people are here begging us to do, which is to retain their services and their quality of life."
When he was first elected, Leslie said, he was told that his first budget process would be challenging. That proved true, said the mayor.
During his remarks, he said he's reviewed the budget line by line and spotted areas where the city can make adjustments in the future.
"This is stuff that is going to take time," Leslie said. "It's not going to be anything that's going to happen tonight."
The mayor said the city could look at its auto-renew contracts, leasing vehicles, utilizing more in-house legal counsel in litigation and clarifying its two assistant city manager positions — which he said would not mean salary decreases or eliminating roles.
He said he would support the millage rate and the budget because this wasn't about politics.
"By joining together on this and being unanimous on this vote, I ask everybody in the commission here, 'Let's start working together,'" Leslie said. "We work together, to work as a team, and we put all the things aside that we had, whatever it was — it was a little wedge."
"But that's okay," he added. "I'm the new guy, right? I'm ready to do this. I wanted to make a difference in this community, and by cutting services that people love and enjoy, is not what I want to do."
As the mayor spoke, a few people in the audience asked for him to "call the vote."
Tolland said she appreciated the mayor's comments.
"I think your role as a leader is to build consensus and to try to bring back the trust up on this dais and serve our residents," she said. "And, forgive me that I'm a little bit skeptical, because I feel like we've been burned a few times when we come to this consensus and then we read in the paper that next day that you've said other things. I sincerely hope that you mean what you say and you stick to what you say."
The final public hearing for the budget and millage rate will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the City Commission chambers at City Hall.
