The Okeechobee City council held a special meeting on July 29 to approve a maximum millage rate for the 2026/27 fiscal year.
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OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee City council held a special meeting on July 29 to approve a maximum millage rate for the 2026/27 fiscal year. Staff recommended a millage rate of 5.9602.
The historical millage rate for the city of Okeechobee is as follow:
(Fiscal year) FY 21/22: 7.6018
FY 22/23: 6.8987
FY 23/24: 6.3556
FY 24/25: 6.1602
FY 25/26: 5.9602
The city has aggressively lowered its millage rates over the last several years, sometimes using the rollback rate, and sometimes going below that rate.
A rollback rate is the rate that would result in the property owners paying the same amount of taxes despite a rise in property value.
For the last few years, Councilman Bob Jarriel and Vice-mayor Monica Clark have aggressively fought to lower taxes. Each year, Mayor Dowling Watford reminds the council that they are setting a maximum for the millage rate and do not have to actually use that rate. They just cannot go above it.
During the July 29 meeting, councilman Jarriel did what the community has come to expect of him. He expressed approval for the way the city has been able to cut taxes over the last several years but added, “I think it’s very important that we again do some type of a rollback to let the taxpayers know that we still represent them, and we are gonna stand behind them.” He added that the county is doing a rollback this year. “I would like to see us follow and let the citizens know that we are behind them.”
There was no other discussion, and the council voted 4 to 1 to set the maximum millage rate at 5.9602.
Although this sounds like it is not a tax rate increase, as property values increase, and the property owner is taxed on that new value, his taxes go up.
One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of taxable property value.
This rate will be advertised in the Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices, which will be mailed to property owners. After the TRIM notices go out, the council can lower the tax rate for the coming fiscal year but cannot raise it.
During the meeting, the mayor asked for a moment of silence as the council remembered Former councilman, volunteer firefighter and sheriff, Clayton Williams and his service to the community. Williams passed away on July 29.
