by Joe Potter
Truth in Millage (TRIM) tool informs property owners of proposed property tax rates. City Finance Officer Peter Altman told City Commissioners at their July 28 meeting that residents may see a proposed millage rate of 6.6208 listed on TRIM notices expected later this year from the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s office. TRIM, short for Truth in Millage, is the annual tool that informs property owners of proposed property tax rates.
Altman also said commissioners could later consider a rolled-back rate of 6.2333 when the city adopts its fiscal year 2026-2027 budget in September. That fiscal year runs from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, and the rolled-back rate is tied to how property values change from year to year so the city can generate the same level of revenue as the prior year.
Under Florida’s rules, if property values increase, the city must lower the millage to produce revenue comparable to the previous year. Once the proposed rate of 6.6208 was publicly advertised and adopted, the city could not raise it, but it could lower it—hence the discussion of the potential rolled-back figure.
In other business, commissioners approved a pre-annexation agreement for the proposed Maggard Project by a 4-1 vote. Mayor Pro Tem Normita Woodard cast the only dissenting vote after asking questions about the arrangement and its implications for the future annexation. The Maggard family is seeking to voluntarily annex 92.6 acres into Dade City.
The parcel is located at the southwest corner of U.S. Highway 301 and Clinton Avenue and currently lies in an unincorporated area of Pasco County. City commissioners also moved forward with a “School Zone Child Safety Initiative,” approving the ordinance unanimously on its first reading after a public hearing. A second reading and additional public hearing are scheduled before any possible adoption, expected on August 11.
If adopted, the measure would affect four city schools: Rodney B. Cox Elementary, Pasco Elementary, Pasco Middle, and Pasco High School. Among the proposed steps is installing cameras at the schools that could send data to the Dade City Police Department when vehicles are observed moving through school zones at excessive speeds.
According to the proposal, monitoring staff could identify a vehicle owner using the license plate number and provide written notice of the alleged violation. If someone other than the registered owner was driving, that person could be identified to police, and the case would then go before a special magistrate, who would determine whether speeding occurred within a school zone.
The ordinance calls for a $100 fine for those found responsible, with $40 remitted to the state of Florida and $60 retained locally, though $20 of that amount would be paid to the camera vendor. That would leave Dade City with $40 per violation. No timeline was provided for when cameras might be installed at the four schools.♥
