Pompano Beach commission adopts tentative FY2026 budget, raises fire assessment fee; EMS budget and classification changes approved

The Pompano Beach City Commission on Sept. 15 adopted a tentative fiscal year 2026 budget, approved tentative millage rates (as modified on the dais), and approved a $30-per-unit increase to the residential fire assessment fee. The commission also approved first-reading changes to the position classification plan and adopted tentative millage and a $32.16 million tentative budget for the Pompano Beach Emergency Medical Services (EMS) District. A separate motion to add consideration of termination of the city manager to the agenda failed on a 3-3 vote.

Joshua Waters, the city's budget director, presented the budget and the options the commission asked staff to explore to reduce the operating millage. "Budget development really is a year-round process," Waters said as he walked commissioners through revenue and expenditure highlights and the recommended modifications. Waters said total estimated revenues for all funds are about $463.5 million and that the general fund totals about $244.1 million, with ad valorem (property) tax revenue the largest single source at roughly $136.3 million.

Why it matters: the adopted tentative budget and millage-setting resolutions set the parameters for the city's funding for the coming fiscal year and allow the city to meet state TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice requirements ahead of the final hearing. The fire assessment increase is intended to improve the coverage ratio of assessment revenues to fire-related expenditures.

What the commission approved and how the votes fell

Votes at a glance - Motion to add consideration of termination of the city manager to the agenda: moved from the dais and seconded; roll call vote: Commissioner Fazek 'Yes; Commissioner Perkins 'Yes; Commissioner Seegerson (Eaton) 'No; Commissioner Smith 'No; Vice Mayor Fournier 'Yes; Mayor Harton 'No. Tally: 3 yes, 3 no. Outcome: failed. (s:355.97'437.76)

- Motion to adopt the tentative city millage and to approve the city's tentative budget with the staff modifications presented by Waters (which included reallocations between the general capital fund and CRA-eligible uses, contingency reductions, and other adjustments): moved, seconded and adopted by roll call (unanimous). Roll call recorded all commissioners voting yes. Outcome: approved. (motion/roll call discussion and vote span: s:1903.18'1939.59 and s:1920.83'1939.59)

- Final fire assessment fee resolution (adopting the rates for FY2026 that were preliminarily approved July 22): moved, seconded and adopted by roll call (unanimous). Waters said the recommended residential assessment increase is $30 per unit and that net assessment revenue is projected to grow from about $29.0 million to $32.3 million, with roughly $2.7 million of that increase attributable to the fee change. Outcome: approved. (s:2211.37'2285.56)

- First reading of the position classification plan ordinance (codifying position reclassifications and title changes included in the budget): moved, seconded and adopted on first reading by roll call (unanimous). Waters and the human resources director characterized the item as a housekeeping measure tied to the budget. Outcome: approved (first reading). (s:2286.66'2379.96)

- EMS taxing district tentative millage resolution (tentative EMS millage 0.5 mills) and tentative EMS district budget ($32,164,940): moved, seconded and adopted by roll call (unanimous). Waters stated the EMS millage mirrors the city manager's proposal and had been discussed at earlier workshops. Outcome: approved. (s:2399.25'2528.64)

Key details from the presentation - Aggregate and operating millage: The recommended operating millage remained unchanged from FY25 in the manager's proposed budget, but staff presented options the commission had requested to reduce the operating millage by 0.5 percentage point (approximately $575,087 in general fund reductions). Waters described three primary adjustment categories to achieve the reduction without deeper cuts to public services: recalculating the Northwest and East CRA tax-increment allocations (automatic reductions of $47,209 and $16,830 respectively under the lower millage), shifting $150,000 of a Habitat for Humanity reimbursement project from the General Capital Fund to the Northwest CRA (staff said the expense is an eligible CRA expense and does not require CRA plan modification), and drawing $361,048 from the contingency account.

- Fire assessment fee: Waters said the city historically aims for assessment revenues to cover roughly 90% of fire-related expenditures; that coverage began to decline after 2023 as fire expenditures rose. The FY2026 proposed residential fee increase is $30 per unit; Waters presented a county comparison showing Pompano Beach near the median among Broward municipalities that impose a residential assessment. He estimated net fire-assessment revenues would total about $32.3 million in FY2026.

- Budget composition: Waters summarized that charges for services (including water, wastewater, solid waste, parking and recreation fees) are the second-largest revenue source at about $107.8 million and that the general fund is roughly $244.1 million. He said roughly 53% of all funds are in the general fund and that public safety accounts for more than half of the general fund expenditures, with police services (including the BSO contract) at about $72.9 million and EMS services about $58.0 million.

Public comment and commission questions - Resident Vicente Thoreau asked whether recent commission actions signaled continued support for the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) contract; Mayor Harton confirmed the contract had been renewed on a one-year basis and said further study of police-service options was ongoing. "We renewed our contract for another year," the mayor said, adding that studies remain underway to examine police services.

- Resident Jocelyn Jackson urged that Northwest CRA funds remain dedicated to that area and asked that district-level CRA allocations not be moved outside the district. "We need all our coins, mayor. All of them," Jackson said.

Commission direction and next steps - Waters told commissioners that if they approved the reduction options presented, staff recommended adopting the millage and budget resolutions with the modifications shown on-screen. The commission voted to adopt the tentative millage and tentative city and EMS budgets with the staff-recommended adjustments; commissioners also approved the fire-assessment resolution and the first reading of the position classification ordinance.

- Waters told the commission the second public budget hearing is scheduled for the next Monday, when the commission is expected to adopt final millage rates and budget resolutions and to adopt the FY2026-2030 capital improvement plan. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Administrative note - At the close of the meeting the city manager (Greg Harrison) announced, pursuant to a public-meetings notice, an upcoming closed session to seek advice concerning negotiations with Pompano Beach Professional Firefighters Local 1549. Attendees named for that session included Greg Harrison, Donovan Tracy Lyons (assistant deputy city manager), Lisa Sinego (human resources), Pete McGinnis (fire chief), Joshua Waters (budget director), and Lindsay [last name not specified] (labor counsel). The date announced in the meeting was Sept. 30, 2025.

Ending - The commission closed the hearing after adopting the tentative resolutions and set a second budget hearing to consider final millage and budget adoption in advance of the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.