Tallahassee’s property tax rate could dip slightly in 2026. But that decision is not yet firm.
The number is being used as something of a bargaining chip by a pair of commissioners who say they want to see more negotiation between the city and county over the fire services fee.
During the first of two public hearings on the 2026 budget Wednesday, the majority of the city’s commissioners pushed to keep the city property tax rate at the same level it was last year. But even without raising the rate, that would mean most homeowners would pay more in taxes because the value of their properties has increased and that requires a super majority or unanimous vote.
Commissioner Jeremy Matlow was joined by Commissioner Jack Porter in voting against the proposed tax rate—forcing the commission to adopt a slightly lower rate. Their move is forcing the city to move forward with a 4.4072 rate or about $881 annually on a $200,000 property, instead of a 4.42 rate, or about $884 for a $200,000 property.
Matlow said he’s willing to change his vote at the next budget hearing if the city returns to the bargaining table with the county over the fire service fee.
“The city manager could get the county support to agree to us raising the rates on the city with some sort of negotiation to see where they want to go and the future and bring that deal back to us and close it out before this budget hearing,” Matlow said.
The city and county have been going back and forth over a fire service fee increase to fund a new fire station and salary increases for firefighters. The county has rejected the plan with most commissioners saying they believe the increased fee is overinflated. City Commissioners have pushed back on this. During the budget hearing, Mayor John Dailey said he didn’t want to let a discussion over fire services slow down the budgeting process.
“We are not going to build the new fire station. We are not going to do the expansion of the fire station, and quite frankly, we can't do it without the support of the county, but we are going to fully fund a budget that pays our firefighters the negotiated wages that we spent so long working on. And I will, I will be the first to say, Yes, I support what's being proposed and look forward to working with the county moving forward. But it is time to pass a budget,” he said.
The final millage rate could change at the next budget hearing later this month.
Here’s other news from Wednesday’s City Commission meeting.
Commissioners to wait to decide whether to void 287(g) agreement
Tallahassee commissioners have decided to wait and see the result of a legal standoff between the state and the city of South Miami over 287(g) ICE immigration cooperation agreements before deciding whether to leave theirs.
A recently passed state law requires counties to enter those agreements but does not require cities. Governor Ron DeSantis and attorney general James Uthmeier have maintained that some cities are required to enter into those agreements, saying they are sanctuary cities for not doing so. South Miami is in the courts seeking clarification on that.
Tallahassee entered into an agreement after the law was passed, with city leadership believing it was required. In a 5-0 vote, they decided to stay in the agreement for now, but bring back an agenda item when South Miami’s case brings more clarity. Mayor John Dailey said that decision could shape what Tallahassee does.
“Once we have clarification from the judiciary of exactly what is the role of municipal governments in the 287(g) and quite frankly, whether the governor can remove or not remove, these are big issues that we are all interested in finding out. I think at that point, it would be appropriate to make motions and to lay down the groundwork for the direction of the City of Tallahassee and how we move forward as a community,” he said.
After a publicized ICE raid earlier this year at a construction site in the city, public pressure has mounted to leave the agreement.
No one-time change for new city candidate residency rules
20-year-old Tallahassee Mayoral Candidate Camron Cooper is out of luck. He will not be eligible to run for mayor in 2026 after city commissioners declined to make a one-time exception to a recently passed ordinance.
It requires city candidates to live within city limits for at least a year before the qualifying deadline. Cooper currently lives in the county, meaning he won’t qualify for the ballot.
Commissioner Curtis Richardson says the ordinance was approved earlier this year following the proper processes, and a one-time exception would be a slippery slope.
“A process that that was done according to the books, we didn't hide anything. We gave everybody in the community an opportunity twice to speak on the item if there was some opposition to it. We didn't get that and so I just don't know that it would be right for us to change the requirements,” he said.
Cooper told WFSU he’s weighing his options about what to do next, including possibly running for another local elected position.