How Tavares is run

Who runs Tavares, what it costs, and where your money goes

The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Tavares's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.

Who runs Tavares

A city administrator hired by the council runs the city day to day and prepares the budget. The five-member council sets policy, adopts the tax rate and budget, and elects the mayor and vice mayor from its own members.

You vote forThe city council: 5 membersMayor Lori Pfister. Elected mayor by the council from among its members, as the city charter requires; chosen on a 4-1 vote on Nov. 19, 2025. A voting member of the council.

The council hires and can fireCity AdministratorCity Administrator: John Drury

The city administrator hiresEveryone else: department heads, police and fire chiefs where the city has them, and all staff

City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026

What they are paid

City Administrator John Drury: base pay$265,385FY2026-27. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

A council memberNot confirmedFY2026-27. No ordinance or schedule stating each member's pay was found. The FY2027 budget sets $52,214 in pay for the mayor and council combined. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

The mayorNot confirmedFY2026-27. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Tavares city staff

245 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 46, Fire 40. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalent positions, up from 217.50 in FY2025. Seasonal positions are not counted. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.

Is Tavares in the red?

Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.

General fund, FY2026-27$32.5MOut of $78.6M across all city funds, which includes utilities and other money that can only be spent on one thing. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Savings grew, FY2024-25 (audited)+$1.6MGeneral fund revenue $22.3M, spending $24.8M. General fund spending exceeded revenue by $2.5 million. With $6.2 million in transfers in from other funds and $2.1 million in transfers out, fund balance rose $1.6 million. City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026

The city's own outlook

The budget's five-year forecast shows the general fund balanced each year, with revenue rising from $32.5 million in FY2027 to $40.4 million in FY2032 and $327,116 to $448,303 a year left for reserves from FY2028. It assumes the tax rate falls each year while property tax revenue grows 4% a year after FY2027. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Savings

Unassigned general fund balance: $14.3M (2025-09-30). City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026

Pension promises not yet funded$13.4MNet pension liability of $13.4 million on Sept. 30, 2025: $8.1 million for the city's share of the Florida Retirement System, $3.0 million for the state Health Insurance Subsidy plan and $2.3 million for the police plan, which was 89.95% funded. The firefighters' plan was 102.15% funded, a $305,933 surplus not counted here. (2025-09-30). City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026

Debt owed$55.3M2025-09-30. City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026

Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.

Where the money comes from and goes

The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.

Comes from

Property taxes$14.2M · 44%
Transfers in (fire assessment and utility funds)$4.5M · 14%
Reimbursements from utility funds$3.8M · 12%
Utility and communications taxes$3.2M · 10%
Permits and franchise fees$3.1M · 10%
State and county shared revenue$2.9M · 9%
Other$798,390 · 2%

City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Goes to (FY2026-27)

Police$7.7M · 24%
Fire and rescue$5.6M · 17%
Public works (physical environment)$3.5M · 11%
Council and administration, incl. transfers out$2.7M · 8%
Finance$2.5M · 8%
Recreation$1.7M · 5%
Community development$1.6M · 5%
Information technology$1.6M · 5%
Other$5.7M · 17%

City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Your property tax bill: who gets it

Of each property-tax dollar a Tavares homeowner pays, about 35 cents goes to the city. For FY2026-27 the city raised its operating rate to 6.9610 mills and cut its debt rate to 0.1335.

35¢

of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Tavares

City of TavaresOperating 6.6850 plus debt service 0.14676.8317 · 35%
Lake County School BoardState-required 3.0870 plus local 2.99806.085 · 32%
Lake County5.0254 · 26%
Lake County ambulance district0.4629 · 2%
North Lake Hospital District0.3859 · 2%
Lake County Water Authority0.294 · 2%
St. Johns River Water Management District0.1793 · <1%
Lake County voter-approved debt0.04 · <1%
Total (mills)19.3042

2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Tavares (Lake County). Lake County Property Appraiser · Oct 8, 2025

See what a Tavares home costs each year, line by line →

Who provides your services

Not everything in Tavares is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.

PoliceThe cityTavares Police DepartmentCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
FireThe cityTavares Fire DepartmentCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
EMS (advanced life support)The cityTavares Fire DepartmentAdvanced life support at both fire stationsCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
911 and police dispatchThe countyLake County Sheriff's OfficeTurned over to the Sheriff's Office in FY2013City of Tavares · Jun 30, 2026
Water and reuse waterThe cityCity of Tavares Water DepartmentCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
SewerThe cityCity of Tavares Wastewater DivisionCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
TrashThe cityCity of Tavares Solid Waste DivisionCity crews collect household trash; recycling and commercial collection are contractedCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
StormwaterThe cityCity of Tavares Stormwater DepartmentCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
StreetsThe cityCity of Tavares Streets Management Division79 paved centerline miles of roadsCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
LibraryThe cityTavares Public Library (city)Member of the Lake County Library SystemCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
ParksThe cityCity of Tavares Parks Management DivisionCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
Seaplane base and marinaThe cityCity of Tavares Economic Development DepartmentCity of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Compared with similar cities

The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.

Per city	MinneolaFL	CocoaFL	Fort Walton BeachFL	TavaresFL
Residents	21,201	21,518	21,553	21,869
Top administrator's base pay	Not confirmed	$196,227	$220,000	$265,385
Council member pay	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Not confirmed	Not confirmed
General fund per resident	$1,722	$2,721	$1,578	$1,486
Debt per resident	$405	$4,086	$1,351	$2,531
Unfunded pension per resident	$271	$508	$611	$613
City staff per 1,000 residents	—	20.9	14.7	11.2

Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Minneola and Tavares pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.

What Tavares publishes

What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.

Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2025 audit report is dated June 30, 2026, within the state's nine-month deadline. It is posted on the Florida Auditor General site. Florida Auditor General
Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2027 adopted budget, with line items and a five-year forecast, is posted in the city's Document Center. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment agreement for the City Administrator in council agendas and minutes posted for 2024 to 2026. City of Tavares
Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's yes or no vote, e.g. the 4-1 vote electing the mayor on Nov. 19, 2025. City of Tavares
Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's meetings portal posts agendas, packets, minutes and videos, with live broadcast of council meetings. City of Tavares
Partly: Council pay stated in a public document City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026
No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of Tavares · Sep 24, 2026

Questions to ask your council

The FY2027 budget raises the operating tax rate from 6.6850 to 6.9610 mills, while the five-year forecast assumes the rate falls each year. What would have to happen for that to occur?
In FY2024-25, general fund spending exceeded revenue by $2.5 million before $6.2 million in transfers in. How much does the general fund rely on transfers from the fire assessment and utility funds?
Unassigned general fund reserves were $14.3 million on Sept. 30, 2025, against a 5% minimum. How does the council plan to use the amount above the minimum?
Total debt was $55.3 million on Sept. 30, 2025, mostly state loans for water and sewer. What new borrowing does the capital plan expect?

The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The council sets budget goals in February, holds budget workshops on July 15, Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, 2026, a first public hearing on Sept. 3 and a final hearing on Sept. 16, 2026 to adopt the tax rate and budget. See who is running for council

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