North Bay Village sets millage at 6.0478 mills and adopts FY2026‑27 budget unanimously

The North Bay Village commission voted unanimously to set the FY2026‑27 millage at 6.0478 mills and to adopt the final general fund and capital outlay budget during its Sept. meeting. Finance director Sandra Sifkin told the commission staff trimmed contingency line items and reallocated reimbursements to lower the proposed rate from earlier workshop levels. "The reason we were able to lower the millage rate to 6.05 is because we had a contingency line item in the general government reserves that we put back in reserves," Sifkin explained, noting the administration also made other minor cuts.

Commissioners debated additional potential reductions — including sponsorship of an external gala and small departmental giveaways — and agreed to cut roughly $8,000 from police merchandise and awards to further reduce the millage. Mayor Rachel Stryfeld framed the vote as a difficult but necessary step: "We knew we had to pass this unanimously," she said after the roll call. The votes on both the millage resolution and the budget resolution were recorded as unanimous. The commission directed staff to continue identifying efficiencies and to report back on interest earnings from restricted village hall funds and other financing matters at an October meeting.