The Orange County Commission on Tuesday voted to move forward with a proposed $3.96 billion budget.

"We've got to be a great place for 20 years from now, 50 years from now," Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said. "That's our focus here."

Commissioners approved more than $400 million for Fire Rescue and the Sheriff's Office. Coupled with other public safety services such as public works and utilities, that comprises about 54 percent of the total budget. The commission also OKed $3.7 million in improvements along the International Drive corridor for widening the roadway to extending transit lanes, as well as about $250,000 for improvements along Orange Blossom Trail and adjacent neighborhoods.

One by one, community redevelopment agencies gave presentations Tuesday, detailing their plans for the funding if approved by commissioners.

"We're focused on one thing, and that is the quality of life in this community," Jacobs said.

But as growth continues in Orange County, Jacobs said that it becomes incumbent upon the County Commission to plan for changes.

"It puts a huge responsibility on us at a local government level to provide the transportation to keep up with it," she said.

The new budget also includes $45 million — or a 3.5 percent increase — for the county's bus line, Lynx.

"When they're excited, we’re excited," Lynx CEO Edward L. Johnson said after the meeting. "We're all working together to solve this problem of transportation. ... We've seen our revenues go down slightly because our ridership has gone down. Times are changing, and we have to figure out how we deliver services with a changing environment."

Lynx officials said they plan to renovate bus seats and also roll out new technology, like real-time apps that track buses. The ultimate goal is to increase ridership.

"It gives them a little more of an assurance of when the vehicle is going to arrive," Johnson said of the app, which will debut in the coming weeks.

The bus line is currently undergoing a route optimization study, which takes a closer look at which of their 77 fixed routes for Lynx and LYMMO are busiest and figuring out ways to better allocate resources.

The agency is also adding Wi-Fi on buses and transitioning to compressed natural gas vehicles. Lynx has 20 buses that currently run on gas.

"You can't build your way out of congestion," Johnson said. "You've got to provide those options. It's about making a better place for all of Central Florida."

The county said the budget does not include a tax rate increase.

Final approval for the fiscal year budget, which runs from October 2017 to October 2018, will come following two public comment sessions in September.