The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners today adopted the county's current millage rate as the tentative millage rate for the upcoming fiscal year 2010-11.

The proposed $214 million county budget reflects no change in the current local property tax rate of 6.4967 mills.

The budget reflects an 11.2 percent decrease from last year’s budget due to falling tax revenues. Much of that deficit of revenue came from a second consecutive year of decreasing property values and falling fees because of a lack of development activity.

There will be two public hearings in September before final adoption.

The balanced budget came at a price: layoffs for a second year in a row, deferring capital projects, giving no raises for a second year in a row, consolidations and reorganization of departments and personnel, creating partnerships with other agencies, using $1 million of reserves, and utilizing space needs money that had been put aside, among other cost reduction measures.

Next year will be even more austere, commissioners predicted today. The 2011-12 budget could require even more cuts, and they noted the need to begin preparing for that eventuality very soon. “We need to be positioned to do what we need to do,” said Commission Chairman Gary Bartell.