Orange budget asking more for safety at same tax rate
Orange County taxpayers likely won’t see an increase in their tax rate next year, but Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ proposed $4.25 billion budget includes millions more for the Sheriff ’s Office, fire safety, the bus service Lynx and two major projects for the Convention Center.
Jacobs’ budget also calls for $20 million more for children’s services for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
The proposed budget, subject to approval by county commissioners who will have public hearings July 16 and 17 on the details, marks the 29th consecutive year without a countywide tax-rate increase. Orange's office of management and budget recommended the county keep its property tax rate at its current mark, roughly $4.43 for each $1,000 of taxable property value.
The budget is Jacobs’ last as county mayor because term limits prevent another run for the top elected post in Orange
County, home to 1.3 million residents and a destination for 72 million visitors last year.
She has qualified as a candidate to become Orange County School Board chair.
“While $4.3 billion sounds like a large number, and it is, it’s important to realize that this budget provides funding for a wide range of countywide programs and services,” Jacobs said in a written message with the budget summary.
Her budget includes $704.3 million for public safety. It calls for 53 new jobs in the Sheriff ’s Office, 21 in Fire/Rescue.
Included in the $14 million budget boost for sheriff’s operations are 26 additional patrol deputies and 27 civilian positions.
Fire/Rescue’s budget includes funding for new fire stations.
Explaining $605 million pledged in the budget for two Convention Center projects, Jacobs called the complex — listed as the nation’s second-largest — “an economic engine that creates significant jobs and visitor spending.”
“In order to protect and grow the convention business in a very competitive industry, it is necessary to continue to invest in maintaining and upgrading the facilities,” the mayor said.
She said conventions drew a record 1.5 million attendees in 2017.
One upgrade calls for adding a new entrance plaza, a large ballroom, meeting rooms and a concourse connecting the north and south buildings. (Projected price tag: $262 million.)
The other will create a 200,000-square-foot column-free multipurpose venue that can accommodate an audience of 20,000 people. (Projected price tag: $343 million.)
Jacobs’ budget also sets aside $130 million to pay for new and expanded roads, intersection upgrades, stormwater work and other infrastructure improvements throughout Orange County.
Her proposed $20 million budget increase for children’s programs could torpedo an effort by the Children’s Trust of Orange County to put a countywide measure on the November ballot to better fund those programs.
The group was pushing for a special property tax that would amount to $8 to $9 a month for the average homeowner for programs and services to aid minors, including kids who are abused, homeless, uninsured or at risk of dropping out of school.
Orange County commissioners have retained an independent consultant to conduct a needs assessment of the current state of children’s services.
The outgoing mayor noted the county was struggling through economic hard times when she took office about 7½ years ago, but she “knew the county’s future was bright because of all that our community has to offer.”
Property values in Orange County jumped 9.3 percent, an $11.2 billion gain from last year. The higher values included $500 million in new construction.
Rising values means the county could expect to see more tax dollars rolling in even if local governments maintain the same tax rates.
Jacobs pointed out the jobless rate is 3.2 percent, and county building permits “are being issued at a pace we have not seen in years — 84,000 last year with a valuation of more than $2.3 billion.”