Boca Raton adopts 2025-26 budget, lowers millage rate and approves five-year CIP

The City of Boca Raton City Council adopted final millage rates and the fiscal year 2025-26 budget and approved a five-year capital improvements program on Sept. 25, 2025, voting 5-0 on two ordinances and a resolution.

Council set a total millage rate of 3.6649 mills for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025, which the clerk said represents a 4.42% increase over the rolled-back rate of 3.4931 mills computed pursuant to Florida law. The council then adopted the final budget and approved the capital improvements program (CIP) for fiscal years 2025-26 through 2030-31, including staff-proposed rebudgets and several council-requested adjustments.

City officials said the adopted budget continues a multi-year trend of reduced property tax rates for Boca Raton. “The general fund for the city has increased in total about 3%,” Jim Zervis, the city’s chief financial officer and deputy city manager, told the council, noting staff cut roughly $9.5 million from the general fund to mitigate cost pressures and secure a millage decrease. Zervis told the council the tentative budget showed a $2 million net decrease in operating expenses across the city.

Why it matters: the adopted ordinances and resolution set tax levies and appropriations that fund city services and capital projects for the next fiscal year and authorize carryforward of unspent project funds. The measures also lock in funding…