Volusia County won’t increase the General Fund millage rate for roads in the next budget year, but some road safety projects are still getting a funding boost.
District 3 Councilman Danny Robins initially proposed the measure to increase the recommended General Fund property tax rate by 0.0855 mills to bring in about $5 million for roads. It was a starting point to talk about tackling a backlog in infrastructure needs.
This week, Robins floated a new plan that sets the General Fund millage back to the originally proposed 3.2007 mills and puts close to $3.9 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds toward road safety and pedestrian safety projects. The funds were part of ARPA reserves and weren’t pulled from another project, according to county spokesman Clayton Jackson.
The county also plans to put ARPA money left from other projects toward roads.
The county has traffic safety and pedestrian safety projects on tap, including road improvements, intersection upgrades, new sidewalks near schools, new pedestrian signals, and an action plan for pedestrian safety improvements around the county.
It is hoped the safety improvements will save lives in an area known for a high rate of pedestrian fatalities.
The Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area was tied for fifth-worst in the nation for pedestrian deaths in “Dangerous By Design,” a report by Smart Growth America. The report looked at five years of data ending in 2022. The area has been cited before.
At-Large Councilman Jake Johansson said the county still needs to address how to tackle its infrastructure backlog.
“We have to start tackling our infrastructure issues before we end up collapsing,” he said.
The council plans to have a workshop in January to talk about road needs.
