Advisory board urges more outreach; asks staff to map property-tax contributions by district

Members of the Fort Lauderdale Budget Advisory Board urged staff to broaden outreach to neighborhood leaders and to make meeting information easier to find online, saying many residents do not realize the advisory board exists or when it meets. Several members said better notice to neighborhood associations and sharing YouTube or meeting links would help public participation.

Board members also asked staff to produce a granular property-tax report, breaking the tax roll down by parcel, neighborhood or district so residents can see how much property tax each area contributes. Staff told the board that property-level tax-roll data and GIS resources exist and that the team can produce a district-level map or report; staff cautioned it would take time to compile and promised to return with a manageable deliverable rather than undertake an extensive, time-consuming analysis immediately.

Why it matters: board members said a district-level tax contribution map could make budget tradeoffs more understandable to residents and reduce some of the frustration that arises when people perceive unequal distribution of services or tax burdens. Members also discussed routine barriers to attendance — holidays, school schedules and low YouTube viewership — and asked staff to push outreach materials to board members for local sharing.

Next steps: staff said it would pursue a district-level tax-roll summary in partnership with GIS and would share the audit office’s past reports and other web resources so board members can more easily locate recordings, agendas and minutes. The board did not vote on outreach measures; the discussion was recorded as direction to staff to improve dissemination and to produce a district-level tax summary.