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Fort Lauderdale staff lays out commission priorities, budget timeline and major investments
Summary
City staff summarized the commission's strategic priorities and the budget development timeline, citing recent accomplishments and listing major funding figures for economic incentives, housing services, infrastructure and parks.
A city staff member told the Fort Lauderdale City Commission that the commission priorities for the next fiscal cycle will guide the budget development process and highlighted major investments made and planned across the city.
The staff member said the commission priorities will be used in a stepwise process: a priority-setting workshop, staff work to fund priorities from March through June, presentation of a proposed budget in July, public hearings and adoption in September, and implementation beginning in October. "As we move toward these goals, accountability is paramount," the staff member said.
The presentation listed recent accomplishments and funding totals. The Community Redevelopment Agency provided nearly $13,000,000 in business incentives and forgivable loans this year, and the staff member said another $16,000,000 is allocated for targeted investments in the coming year. On housing accessibility, the city has expanded its homeless outreach team, continued services through its community court program, and provided funding for new affordable housing downtown; the staff member said more than $13,000,000 in services were focused on those goals this year.
On infrastructure, staff reported the city is breaking ground on the new Prospect Lake Clean Water Center and is investing in stormwater projects to address chronic flooding; the presentation cited "more than $1,000,000,000" dedicated to new and ongoing infrastructure projects. A voter-approved $200,000,000 park bond program continued this year with phase 1 construction and progress toward phase 2; the staff member said $19,000,000 is dedicated this year to maintaining parks and medians.
Public safety items noted in the presentation included breaking ground on a new police headquarters and the addition of 35 police officers and 26 positions in the fire department over the last two years, plus creation of a new community support unit.
Transportation and small-scale transit funding also appeared in the overview: the staff member said $1,700,000 was allocated in the fiscal year 2024 budget to continue the Lottergo micro mover program, which provides free micro-transit service, and that the city had submitted three projects for surtax funding from Broward County for complete streets, capacity increases, and road construction.
Three members of the public offered brief comments during the meeting. One resident urged keeping public safety a top priority and providing resources to police and fire. Another resident urged the commission to strengthen efforts on affordable housing and homeless services. A third resident urged keeping taxes low to support local businesses. Those speakers were not identified by name in the transcript.
The staff member closed the presentation by saying the commission will set the strategic priorities for fiscal year 2025 with the public's input.
Less-critical details in the presentation included the process steps and dates for budget workshops, hearings and adoption; specific project schedules were not provided in detail during the remarks.
