FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Fort Lauderdale commissioners voted 4-1 on Monday to adopt a $1.28 billion budget, while maintaining the same for the 19th year.
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Laura Reece, the director of the city’s office of management and budget, said the 2027 budget included about $12 million in reductions.
“For somebody who has a $640,000 [home,] which is the average single-family value in this city, it was $180 a year or $15 per month,” Reece told commissioners before the vote about the impact on the city’s residents for the upcoming year.
Dean J. Trantalis, the mayor; Ben Sorensen, the vice mayor; and Commissioners Steven Glassman and Pamela Beasley-Pittman voted to pass the proposed budget.
“The increases that we see in our budget are often reflected in the increases that we provide in the salaries and benefits to our employees,“ Trantalis said.
The budget included an increase of about $14 million in salaries and wages. It also included $6.1 million in employee benefits, such as health insurance and pension contributions.
“To maintain and attract good people to serve in public safety, we need to be able to be competitive in what we offer,” Trantalis said.
Commissioner John C. Herbst, who had supported a rollback rate of about 3.9, was the dissenting vote.
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“We can support our public safety personnel,” Herbst said. “We can support our employees, and at the same time, we can also ask, ‘Are we right-sizing our staff? Are we right-sizing our government?’”
Christopher Cooper, the acting city manager, said the remained at 4.11 per $1,000 of taxable value. The fire assessment fee is $444 per residential dwelling.
Fire Chief Stephen W. Gollan said the budget will cover the cost of a new station in the Flagler Village neighborhood. The capital improvement plan also includes a new station at Holiday Park.
In June, Broward County’s property appraiser estimated the city’s increase in property value at 7.16%, or $4.5 billion, including $1.7 billion attributed to new construction.
“The property tax on homestead properties makes up about 45% of our budget. It will definitely have an impact on us if that amendment were to pass,” Trantalis said about constitutional Amendment 3, which is on the ballot in Florida on Nov. 3rd to support an increase in the homestead tax exemption.
More on the budget
Infrastructure projects
Here are some of the projects included in the city’s capital improvement plan (2027-2031):
- $8.1 million for seawall replacements
- $6.5 million for bridge replacements
- $4.1 million for roadways and sidewalks
- $1.5 million for traffic mobility improvements such as bike lanes and flashing beacons
Related story: Fort Lauderdale moves forward with plans for new City Hall; city manager resigns during commission meeting
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Related documents
- Meeting’s agenda
Watch the meeting
Related links
- How to contact commissioners
- How to contact the acting city manager
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