Boca Raton council adopts $772.2 million budget, keeps millage at 3.6786 mills and funds recycling pilot and public art

Mayor Scott Singer led the Boca Raton City Council’s virtual final budget hearing in September 2020 and the council adopted the city’s FY2021 budget on a unanimous 4–0 roll call.

The council approved a total budget of $772,200,000, including an operating budget of $503,200,000 and a general fund (property-tax) portion of $187,300,000. City finance staff said the fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021. As the ordinance language read aloud put it, “the total millage rate shall be 3.6786 mills.” Council members and staff said assessed values increased about 4.75% year over year, and presenters estimated an average $300,000 assessed home would see roughly $113 in city property taxes.

Sharon McGuire, the city’s OMB director, described rebudgets and carry-forwards from the prior year: operating rebudgets included $484,100 for the SHIP program and $715,000 for CDBG (totaling $1,199,100); capital rebudgets included $517,700 for police vehicles/equipment, $500,000 for municipal services design, and $150,000 for recreation dune crossover work (capital rebudgets total $1,167,700). Information-technology rebudgets of $1,242,300 and a motor-pool rebudget of $482,000 were also listed; McGuire summarized the total rebudgets as $2,892,000.

Council discussion focused heavily on nonprofit allocations. The mayor and council members identified two applicants that had not submitted requests (the Children’s Museum and the American Cancer Society) and proposed adjusting columns that had accidentally reflected those amounts. Mayor Singer proposed and moved an amendment listing specific allocations — for example, Boca Helping Hands at $35,000, Boca Raton’s Promise at $5,000, DISC at $7,000 to cover a needed water line for a community garden, Family Promise at $8,000 and modest $1,000 awards to several first-time applicants — and asked staff to include the nonprofit list as part of the final budget. The council adopted that amendment by unanimous consent; City Manager O'Neil confirmed the final nonprofit total would be $459,500, the same total as the previous year.

Deputy Mayor Andrea Levin O’Rourke also proposed a recurring $25,000 line item for art in public places; Council Member Monica Mayotte proposed a $10,000 pilot for a public-place recycling program (a “twin the bin” approach focusing on bottles and cans and testing locations such as the beach and Meisner Park). After discussion about contamination risks and education needs, Mayor Singer moved to include both the $25,000 art item and the $10,000 recycling pilot as exhibits to the amended budget; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The council then took formal votes. Council Member Andy Thompson moved to adopt Ordinance 55-42 (adopting final millage rates) and Miss Monica Mayotte seconded; the roll call vote was 4–0 in favor (Singer, O’Rourke, Mayotte, Thompson). The council likewise adopted Ordinance 55-43 (the amended final budget) by a 4–0 roll call with the recycling exhibit, art line item, rebudgets and nonprofit list incorporated.

The meeting proceeded to other business. Staff presented Resolution 139-2020, the FY2021–2025 capital improvements program; Council Member Mayotte moved to adopt and the resolution passed 4–0. Linda Davidson, financial services director, then presented Resolution 140-2020, the amended and restated municipal facilities and services user-fee schedule effective Oct. 1, 2020. Davidson said water, sewer and stormwater rates would remain unchanged; sanitation fees were adjusted (single-family +$1.99, multifamily +$1.20); other fee changes included CPI-based adjustments for golf, cemetery and mausoleum fees, added administrative review fees in planning and zoning, and new park-shelter and camp program options. The council adopted Resolution 140-2020 on a 4–0 roll call.

The mayor closed the public hearing and, noting the city’s AAA bond rating and unchanged water/sewer rates, adjourned the special budget meeting at 7:07 p.m.; the council was scheduled to reconvene for a regular meeting the following evening.