Fort Lauderdale budget advisory board reviews 2026 proposed operating budget; city manager proposes departmental realignment

Fort Lauderdale's Budget Advisory Board reviewed the 2026 proposed operating budget and a city manager plan to reorganize city departments, with officials emphasizing public safety, capital project delivery and a more centralized approach to economic development, housing and homelessness services.

The proposal projects that the typical single-family taxable value is $641,000 and estimates the combined impact of ad valorem changes and other items would add about $183 per year — about $15.25 per month — for that representative home, staff said. "The Proposed Budget includes a lot of information, but it addresses the Commission's highest priorities. It prioritizes public safety and infrastructure improvements, accelerates the capital project, maintains a healthy fund balance, and is structurally balanced," a budget staff member said.

Why it matters: The reorganization and budget choices affect how the city staffs and delivers police, fire and capital projects, how it deploys federal and settlement money, and how residents can weigh trade-offs ahead of the commission's hearings.

City manager presentation and organizational changes

City Manager Nicole Williams (city manager) told the board she began a deliberate review of the organization after joining the city and proposed consolidating similar functions to improve accountability and delivery. "I really was very deliberate in my approach to evaluating the organization," Williams said.

Key structural changes in the proposal include consolidating roughly 10 existing departments into an organization of six departments through functional realignment rather than creating large numbers of new positions. Notable changes the manager presented:

- A new Community Services Department that would bring homelessness initiatives and related housing/federal-funded programs currently in multiple offices together with economic development, cultural affairs and customer service to create a more outward-facing unit focused on residents and businesses.

- Creation of a Capital Projects department (initial, phased launch) to centralize resources for major projects, including parks bond implementation; staff said the city has more than $2 billion in capital projects in the pipeline.

- Procurement Services and Strategic Communications would be spun out of their current parent units into standalone departments.

- Separating Utility Services from Public Works: utility operations (about 300 employees) would form a distinct Utilities Department; Public Works would retain remaining functions (stormwater, fleet, roadway maintenance and environmental programs).

The manager emphasized the reorganization is largely a redistribution of existing positions rather than a wave of new hires or layoffs; she said the proposed budget does not include layoffs. "We're not proposing any layoffs in this budget and so everyone on the team now has a place here," Williams said.

Staffing, grants and budget drivers

Board members and staff discussed staffing changes: fiscal year comparisons show 64 net new positions in the most recent adopted vs. prior-year view, but staff clarified that 28 of those positions are associated with the SAFER grant for fire staffing and 18 positions relate to obligations tied to the Prospect Lake Clean Water Center. Several IT positions were added, including seven focused on public-safety IT and two additional IT roles, plus cybersecurity consulting services.

Revenue and tax impact

Staff said taxes account for slightly less than half of the city's revenues and highlighted an estimated $755,000 gain to the general fund from updated property valuations received July 1. The board was reminded that the formal property-appraiser values and final tax notices will be reflected for residents in August; staff encouraged public engagement through an online budgeting tool.

Public engagement tool and timeline

Staff reiterated the city’s interactive tool (Balancing Act) for public input on budget decision packages at fortlauderdale.gov/budget and said the tool captures submitted recommendations for consideration before the first public hearing. "We share it with the commission in advance of the first public hearing," a staff member said. The board and staff discussed outreach to neighborhood organizations and homeowner-association leaders to increase participation before the commission’s August hearing and the joint workshop.

Board questions and next steps

Board members pressed for performance metrics tied to the new organizational structure; the city manager said goals for new departments will be established before the start of the fiscal year and that she will review leadership performance appraisal processes. Staff also described a budget amendment anticipated to incorporate a PFAS settlement for the current fiscal year.

Procedural items

The meeting included a motion and second to allow Chair Brown to join the meeting via Zoom; the transcript records the motion and a subsequent welcome but does not include a formal roll-call vote. At the end of the meeting a member moved to adjourn and the meeting concluded.

Ending: The board received the proposed operating budget packet and the organizational realignment plan for review. Staff said they will provide Balancing Act results to the board before the next meeting and that the commission’s joint workshop and the public hearing schedule will determine the next formal actions on the budget.