Plantation council adopts preliminary maximum millage rates; general millage set at 5.8 mills

The City of Plantation City Council voted to adopt preliminary maximum millage rates for fiscal year 2026 and accepted the administration's proposed budget overview on July 23, 2025. The council approved a preliminary general millage rate of 5.8 mills, and approved separate district millage rates for the Gateway and Midtown Development Districts.

Finance Director Anna Antiano told the council the proposed all-funds budget for fiscal 2026 is about $282,000,000, a 0.3% increase ($969,000) over the prior year, and recommended that the council set the maximum millage that Broward County will be notified of so the city may later reduce the rate at the public hearings in September. Antiano said changes from the prior year include sizeable increases in special district and capital project funds and modest increases in utility and enterprise funds; the general fund was proposed to decrease by $2.9 million.

Antiano said the proposed 5.8-mill general millage, combined with a 6.99% property value increase reported by the Broward County Property Appraiser, is projected to produce roughly $82.3 million in ad valorem revenue (estimated at 96% collection). She also identified an "adjusted rollback" rate of 5.7066 mills and a statutory rollback rate of 5.4603 mills.

Why it matters: the preliminary maximum millage is the rate the county must be told the city could charge in fiscal 2026; the council may reduce rates at the two required public hearings in September when it adopts tentative and then final rates and budgets. Changes in millage directly affect property tax bills for Plantation homeowners and renters who live in assessed properties.

Council discussion centered on whether to reduce the proposed rate. Councilmember (first named in the transcript as) Fadgen proposed lowering the general millage to 5.7 mills and asked staff to return with the revenue effects; Council President Reinstein said he was comfortable approving the preliminary maximum tonight but wanted to review a 5.7066 option at the next hearing. Other council members asked clarifying questions about capital projects and timing for procurement on an auditorium and clubhouse work.

During public comment multiple residents urged a rollback of the rate. Speakers including Dennis Conklin, Marsha Johansen, Catherine Rollins, Rico Petrocelli, and Carol Seward urged council to reduce the millage, saying rising property values and the city's reserve balances warrant tax relief. One resident urged the council to use fund balance for pensions and to reduce the proposed maximum rate.

Votes at a glance - Preliminary maximum general millage (City of Plantation) — motion to approve 5.8 mills; second recorded as Council Member Bridal; roll-call votes recorded as: Padgett: No; Horland: Yes; Anderson: Yes; Andrew/Andreu: Yes; Reinstein: Yes. Outcome: approved. Note: Antiano and staff clarified the preliminary maximum may be reduced at the September public hearings and that the 5.8 mills requires four votes to set as a proposed maximum. - Gateway Development District millage — motion to approve 1.7108 mills; roll-call recorded as: (transcript) Fajan/Fadgen: No; Horland: Yes; Anderson: Yes; Andrew Yu: Yes; Reinstein: Yes. Outcome: approved. - Midtown Development District millage — motion to approve 0.9707 mills; roll-call recorded as: Badgien: No; Horland: Yes; Anderson: Yes; Andrew: Yes; Reinstein: Yes. Outcome: approved.

Budget highlights and clarifications - Total proposed all-funds budget: approximately $282,000,000 (0.3% increase over amended FY25). (Anna Antiano) - General Fund ad valorem revenue estimated at approximately $82,300,000 (54.2% of general fund revenue) assuming proposed millage and 96% collection. Of the increase, about $641,000 is from new construction. (Anna Antiano) - Antiano said the administration's capital outlay request in the general fund dropped about 43.9% (to approximately $11.8 million) because available budget funds were insufficient to fund all capital requests; staff will seek grants and use fund balance for some projects. - Antiano reported an approximately $25,000,000 list of projects "in play" (grant awards/appropriations and proposed projects) that would require about $19,500,000 of fund balance after grant matches and appropriations; about $5,400,000 of the $25,000,000 is already grant/appropriation funding. (Anna Antiano) - Stormwater non-ad valorem assessment: staff noted council already approved a CPI increase to the monthly fee; the annual ERU fee is $54.74 (information item; assessment already approved). (Anna Antiano) - Significant capital priorities mentioned: public works road/sidewalk work ($2.6M of $7.4M asset management allocation), park projects and turf fields ($4.6M), police body-worn cameras and tasers ($1.9M total across public safety), new ERP and IT work ($1.5M), and golf course clubhouse work and regrassing ($1.2M capital, noted as a 208.6% increase for the Preserve Golf Course fund). (Anna Antiano)

Council directives and next steps - Staff will file the adopted preliminary maximum millage and related information with the Broward County Property Appraiser on or before August 4, 2025. Antiano recommended and the council set hearing dates: first public budget hearing (tentative millage/budget adoption) on September 10, 2025, at 5:01 p.m. in City Council Chambers; a separate stormwater non-ad valorem assessment hearing on September 12, 2025; and a final public hearing to adopt final millage and budgets on September 17, 2025, at 5:01 p.m.

Ending - After public comment and limited dais discussion, the council moved, seconded, and adopted the preliminary maximum millage rates for the general fund and the two development districts. Final adoption of tentative and then final millage rates and budgets will occur at the scheduled September public hearings.