Regular City Commission Meeting - workshop

All right. Good afternoon. Good evening, everyone. The time's 5.02. Today is Wednesday, September 9th, 2026. This is going to be the City Commission budget hearing. Please call the roll.

Commissioner Schwartz? Here. Commissioner Simone? Here. Commissioner Rosano? Here. Vice Mayor Caggiano?

Present. Mayor Serrio? Here. Please stand for a moment of silence, followed by the pledge. All right. Item 1A.

Item 1A is a public hearing on the tentative budget and proposed millage rate.

What is the wish of the commission? Oh, sorry. Opening the public hearing. We have 2A resolutions.

You can do it either way. You have the public hearing specifically called at this time. So that's why it's identified at. Correct.

So I was going to have the commission discuss and make their motions. And then if the public wants to come up and talk, there's more than welcome to.

All right. So you want me to read the millage rate reso first?

OK.

So this is item to a is a resolution of the city of margate florida proving the proposed millage rate for the city of margate fiscal year twenty twenty six twenty twenty seven in the amount of seven point five one five nine mills per thousand dollars assessed valuation which includes zero point three nine eighty four voted debt service at the operating millage rate of seven point one one seven one is five point one five percent higher than the rollback rate of six point seven six eight eight and providing for an effective date this resolution before you for your consideration.

second and I believe city manager from correct this is the seventh or eighth year in a row that the overall millage rate has all right anyone from the public seeing none please call the roll

Commissioner Schwartz? Yes. Commissioner Simone? Yes. Commissioner Rosano? Yes. Vice Mayor Caggiano? Yes. Mayor Serrio?

Yes. 2B.

Item 2B is a resolution of the City of Margate, Florida adopting a tentative budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year and authorizing administration to operate on the tentative budget as amended pursuant to Florida statute until adoption of the final budget for the fiscal year and providing for an effective date. This resolution is before you for your consideration this evening.

What is the wish of the Commission? Second.

Public?

Commissioner Rosano, go ahead.

I just want to say this because they're all here. Most of them are all here. You guys did a great job and appreciate everything you guys do and we run a tight budget. Cale, you do a great job. And the board? Good job. That's it.

Please call the roll.

Commissioner Schwartz? Yes. Commissioner Simone? Yes. Commissioner Rosano? Yes. Vice Mayor Caggiano? Yes. Mayor Serrio? Yes.

First reading, 3A.

Item 3a is an ordinance of the City of Margate, Florida adopting an operating budget for the City of Margate, Florida for the period beginning October 1, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027, providing for a budget for the general fund, special revenue funds, debt service funds, capital project funds, enterprise funds, and internal service fund, providing for a millage rate, providing for repeal, providing for severability, providing for an effective date. This ordinance will be free for first reading at this time.

What is the wish of the commission?

So moved. Second. And I wanted to do it for discussion. Go ahead. OK. Just because this is about the operating budget, I want to read into the record, because it's even higher than I thought, that ad valorem taxes are 42% of our budget, and 72.5% of that goes to personnel services, which in English means that if we have a $90 million budget, which we do, over $65 million is payroll, the people who answer the phones when you dial the fire department, the people who answer the phones when you dial any city service in any department. So while the city can't put out anything about how they feel about Amendment 3, I can. Don't vote against your own best interest. That's all.

Pauline, the exact number you said was for pay?

said uh 42 percent of the budget and right because i have it and 70 72 uh i took the piece out of paper out but i'm sure the city manager can tell you over 70 almost 73 percent 73 percent all right that's all i need thank you okay it is uh 72.53 percent is personnel services 42.07 is ad valorem taxes that helps pay for that out of the budget So the rest of the city is run on $25 million for the year, which is everything else that the city does that isn't personnel, which makes us a very lean budget.

That's all.

Thank you.

Public?

Call the roll. Commissioner Schwartz? Yes. Commissioner Simone? Yes. Commissioner Rosano? Yes. Vice Mayor Caggiano?

I'm going to say this, but really quick, I want to also say thank you to all of you. help make this budget as lean as possible cal larry all you guys all your department heads who who use the money that we have available you know really really well the credit goes to staff that's sitting out there that's why i was adding department heads and it's all that staff that does everything thank you thank you you hear the numbers you know what they are and we think you're worth it um yeah before i vote um

Just wanted to thank staff as well. I think everyone's doing a good job. As mentioned previously, I know with the talk on taxes or potential tax reform, while the city hasn't drastically cut taxes over the last soon to be now eight years, the overall millage rate has gone down a little bit each year, while other cities' millage rates keep going up. So I think it's important to point that out. Also, without mentioning specific names, but some of the neighboring cities have already started proactively raising rates and fees and talking about charging for different places. We haven't done that this budget. That's not to say if Amendment 3 passes that we will have to make cuts, because we probably will. But we're not going to make any knee-jerk reactions at the moment. So while other cities are not only raising taxes, but they're raising fees and rates, we are not this cycle. And I vote yes.

And that's it meeting adjourn.