Haines City sets budget workshops, hearings to shape next year’s tax rate

Haines City is moving into the next stage of its budget process, with a series of commission workshops and public hearings scheduled over the coming months to craft the city’s spending plan and property tax rate for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The meetings will be held at City Hall, 620 E. Main St., and streamed online, according to notices posted on the city’s Public Meetings page at HainesCity.com.

The City Commission, which meets regularly on the first and third Thursday of each month, is expected to use upcoming meetings as budget workshops to review projected revenues, departmental requests and capital projects before setting a proposed millage rate. Those dates are listed on the city’s online calendar and in meeting agendas published through the city’s agenda portal, which serves as the primary record for commission actions and discussions.

In addition to workshops, the commission must hold two formal public hearings before adopting a final budget and millage rate, as required by Florida’s Truth in Millage (TRIM) process. City staff say those hearings will be scheduled to coincide with regular commission meetings early in the fall, after the Polk County Property Appraiser issues final taxable value estimates and TRIM notices are mailed to property owners. Public hearing dates and times will be posted on the city website and social media once the calendar is finalized.

Residents can track the process and participate by reviewing agenda packets, which include the proposed budget book, staff presentations and backup documents. Those materials are made available in advance through the city’s online agenda system linked from the Public Meetings page. Members of the public may offer comments in person during the hearings or submit written remarks to the City Clerk’s Office prior to the meetings, consistent with commission rules.

The annual budget sets funding levels for police, fire, parks and recreation, utilities, streets and other core services, as well as debt payments and long-term infrastructure projects. Commissioners will weigh those needs against projected revenues from property taxes, utility fees, sales taxes and other sources, a balance that determines whether the city holds, raises or lowers its millage rate for Haines City homeowners and businesses.

City officials encourage residents, business owners and neighborhood groups—from areas along U.S. 27 and U.S. 17/92 to downtown and newer subdivisions off Baker Dairy Road—to follow the budget calendar and engage early in the process. Meeting dates, agendas and livestream links are available at HainesCity.com under the “Public Meetings” and “City Commission” sections, which remain the primary official sources for information on the city’s upcoming budget decisions.