Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Stuart commission tentatively adopts 4.9-mill tax rate as budget debate shifts to transparency concerns
Summary
The Stuart City Commission on Sept. 8 tentatively adopted a fiscal 2026 millage rate of 4.9 mills and a tentative budget that managers said totals about $47 million. Commissioners asked staff for clearer agenda attachments after several recent documents were signed by the mayor with limited circulation to newly seated members.
The Stuart City Commission tentatively adopted a 4.9-mill property tax rate and a tentative fiscal 2026 budget on Sept. 8, advancing the next budget hearing to Sept. 22 while several commissioners pressed staff for clearer disclosure of documents signed on the mayor’s behalf.
City Manager Milton Mortel said the 4.9-mill proposal is a reduction from last year’s 5.0 mills and described the balanced tentative budget as approximately $47,000,009.34 in general-fund appropriations after adjustments to revenue estimates and the addition of four positions. “The city is proposing a millage rate of 4.9 mills, which is a reduction from last year’s millage rate of 5 mills,” Mortel said while reading the advertised rollback and proposal numbers.
The board’s vote to adopt the tentative rate and the tentative budgets occurred during a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
