Alachua County's property tax rate will likely see no increase for the coming fiscal year — for only the third time since the 1990s.

During a public hearing Tuesday night, the County Commission voted to roll back the general fund property tax millage rate.

“The last time the County Commission rolled back the general fund millage rate was in 2007, and it was in the mid-1990s before then,” said chairman Ken Cornell.

The commission rolled back the general fund property tax millage rate from 8.9290 mills this fiscal year to 8.4648 for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The change won’t become official until September, when the county adopts what will likely be a $153 million budget.

“This is a major decrease in the millage rate,” Cornell said.

Tommy Crosby, assistant county manager for budget and fiscal services, said some property owners will see a decrease in their property taxes.

“Over half the people we represent will see a reduction in their general fund millage rate property taxes,” Crosby said.

One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 in taxable property value. General fund dollars support most of the county’s departments. The millage rates set by the county are tentative and can change before budget hearings are held on Sept. 12 and 26. Commissioners are expected to adopt the budget Sept. 26.

Also during the meeting, the commission voted to set the law enforcement municipal services taxing unit millage rate for the upcoming fiscal year at 3.7240 mills, slightly down from the proposed tentative rate of 3.7581 County Manager Lee Niblock recommended.

Commissioner Mike Byerly took issue with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office budget.

At the heart of the conversation was $1 million the Sheriff’s Office is expected again to return to the county for unfilled jail positions. The law enforcement MSTU is paid by unincorporated residents plus those living within the city of Hawthorne and city of Archer limits. Newberry is not in the MSTU because it contracts directly with the Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services.

Byerly is concerned the county has over budgeted for the Sheriff’s Office in recent years, and demanded a reduction in the tentative law enforcement MSTU millage rate. State law requires a unanimous vote by the commission to set the rate.

“Year after year we give her (Sheriff Sadie Darnell) a million bucks knowing we are going to get it back and just funnel it to other uses than what it was intended for,” Byerly said. “That is not transparent budgeting, and we’re not doing our jobs.”

Commissioner Chuck Chestnut said the board will have time to ponder the sheriff's funding during upcoming budget talks.

“We should not get in the business of telling the sheriff how to spend her money, and the most important thing we can do tonight is set the millage rate and move forward,” Chestnut said. “As long as we sit here and discuss how we think the sheriff should spend her money or how she should spend the jail funding … is not really relevant to me because the only thing we are supposed to do is set the funding for her.”

The commission also voted 3-2 to adopt a fire services protection assessment ordinance expected to generate $13 million in fiscal year 2018. Fire services used to be funded through property taxes.

Byerly and Chestnut voted against the assessment.

Robert Sullivan, second vice president of the International Firefighters Association of Alachua County, praised the commission's move.

“I just want to thank the commissioners, the fire chief staff and county staff all for preparing this,” Sullivan said. “This is a wonderful endeavor to secure funding for our fire rescue services for our citizens and the future of Alachua County.”