Mayor Nancy Koretsky presided over the Town Council's Sept. 4 public hearing and approved first readings for the town's fiscal year 2026 proposed operating millage and a five-year Community Investment Program (CIP). The council voted to set a proposed millage rate of 2.3894 and to forward the amended CIP for second reading after debate over project timing and funding.

Finance Director Scott Reynolds told the council staff is proposing to hold the town millage at 2.3894 and that taxable values had risen year over year, producing higher ad valorem revenue. He also outlined assumptions used in the operating budget: a 3% water rate index, a 7% stormwater rate index, 5% across-the-board salary increases for non-union employees and continued a 90/10 employer/employee split on health insurance costs. Reynolds said the budget includes the final year of implementation costs for Jupiter Fire Rescue (JFRD), and he presented an estimated FY2026 fire operating request of $16.8 million plus roughly $2.7 million in capital purchases, for a total near $19.7 million.

Reynolds and staff described General Fund reserve plans and cash flow. They reported the town held what staff called a healthy reserve position going into FY2026 and was targeting an ending fund balance near $35 million after planned uses tied to JFRD implementation.

On capital projects, staff highlighted several items that drew council discussion: Saltfish Bay seawall work restructured to include nature-based living-shoreline armoring; continued funding for Riverwalk projects including gravity-wall mitigation and living-shoreline habitat restoration; and the Paya Place Park CIP, a connector project that staff said would be grant-dependent (staff presented a 50/50 grant assumption for construction in 2028). Staff also noted the Love Street sidewalk project was moved into FY2026 Q3 after property owners requested construction outside of peak event periods and that staff is “a little more than halfway” on required easement acquisitions, working with roughly seven to eight property owners.

Councilors asked about a recently received FDOT refund (staff estimated about $450,000–$500,000) and whether that money could be used immediately to accelerate athletic-field repairs. Mayor Koretsky and other council members urged a more aggressive push to restore multipurpose fields, saying last year’s CIP had programmed more fields than the current draft; other councilors and staff urged caution because construction costs and sequencing remain uncertain. Council agreed to have staff return with options before second reading.

Council members also asked about historic-structure funding at the Acre House (historic interior improvements and air conditioning, budgeted at about $200,000 and currently scheduled for 2028); staff said the deck is under construction and some structural work is underway and that the house had previously been air-conditioned.

Votes at a glance
- Ordinance 14-25 (first reading): Adopt FY2026 millage rate 2.3894 — approved on first reading (unanimous).
- Ordinance 15-25 (first reading): Amend comprehensive plan to adopt FY2026–2030 Community Investment Program — approved on first reading, 4–1 (Mayor Koretsky dissenting).
- Ordinance 16-25: Town ordinance notifying county and property appraiser that the town will not continue participation in the Jupiter Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) for the tax year beginning 10/01/2026 (related to JFRD billing) — approved (unanimous).
- Resolution 108-25: Authorize participation in multi-jurisdictional legal action (class action coordination) — approved (unanimous).
- Resolution 87-25: Award of laboratory services contracts (two-lab approach recommended by staff) — approved 4–1 (Mayor Koretsky dissenting).
- Resolutions 96-25 and 97-25 (site plan approvals for Abacoa workforce and related applications): approved with the Vice Mayor abstaining on each (4 yes, 0 no, 1 abstain).

Why this matters: The first-reading millage vote sets the tax-rate process in motion under Florida's TRIM (Truth in Millage) rules and frames the revenue assumptions that staff will carry into the adopted budget in mid-September. The budget discussion also established funding plans for the final year of JFRD implementation, set priorities for waterfront resiliency work (seawall repair plus a living shoreline), and prompted new council direction on whether to accelerate park and athletic-field investments using a recently received FDOT refund.

What council members said: Councilors expressed differing priorities. Mayor Koretsky pressed for earlier and larger investments in multipurpose fields, saying prior plans had promised more field restorations by 2027. Other members emphasized construction cost uncertainty and the need to sequence projects responsibly. Councilor Geisinger and others praised staff for their CIP and budget work; Councilor Sundstrom and Dr. Choi asked for clarification about Saltfish Bay project scope and grant details. Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning Stephanie Thoburn confirmed the town is more than halfway through easement negotiations for Love Street.

What’s next: Staff will publish revised budget documents and return to the council for a required second public hearing and final adoption on Sept. 18. Council directed staff to return with options on athletic-field timing and costs and with grant updates for Saltfish Bay, and the FDOT refund allocation will be available for council consideration at second reading.

Sources and attribution: Reporting is based on in-meeting presentations and verbatim comments by Scott Reynolds (Finance Director), Stephanie Thoburn (Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning), Amanda Barnes (Director of Utilities), Mayor Nancy Koretsky, Vice Mayor Delaney, Councilors Choi, Geisinger and Sundstrom, Town Manager Kitzaro and Town Attorney Baird during the Sept. 4, 2025 Town Council meeting.