Homestead keeps millage steady, adopts $2025–26 budget and shifts more than $8 million toward water and sewer projects

The City of Homestead on Sept. 24 approved its fiscal year 2025–26 millage rate and adopted the city budget, keeping the operating rate unchanged and moving a series of one-time revenues and fund balances into water-and-sewer projects. The council voted unanimously to set the final operating millage rate at 5.9604 mills and to adopt the budget after brief presentations and a short public hearing.

Why it matters: The council’s motion funnels multiple revenue sources into three prioritized water-and-sewer capital projects — Pump Station 11, the CHROME project and the Flagler water-and-sewer project — accelerating previously scheduled work and reducing the city’s near-term capital reserve for non-utility purposes.

City attorney read the millage numbers into the record before the vote, noting, “The city Of Homestead's final operating millage rate is 5.9604 mills, which is the same as the previous year's millage rate of 5.9604 mills.” The city’s rollback rate was recorded in the hearing materials and the attorney noted the adopted rate is above that threshold as required by statute.

Presentation and reallocations Budget and finance staff summarized the changes from the first hearing and highlighted recommended reallocations of one-time and wind-down revenues. Budget and Finance Director Carlos Perez told the council that about $145,000 in savings from not running a primary election had been identified; the administration recommended…