Hollywood City unveils FY2026 proposed budget; millage drops below 8 mills as taxable value rises

City staff on June 20 presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 operating and capital budget for Hollywood City that would set a total millage of 7.9805 and fund a series of public-safety and service-delivery investments, officials said at a workshop at City Hall.

The presentation, delivered by the city manager and senior staff, put the citywide taxable value at $27.3 billion based on the June 1 report and said that new construction contributed about $310 million to that total. "This truly is one of the more important meetings that we hold throughout the year," the City Manager said during opening remarks.

Why it matters: The proposed budget and millage affect property tax bills for homeowners and set funding priorities for policing, fire prevention and community services. Staff described the proposal as still malleable — the June 1 taxable values are the basis for initial revenue estimates, and July 1 values remain pending.

Key numbers and tax impact - Citywide taxable value (June 1): $27.3 billion. - Proposed total millage: 7.9805 mills (below 8 mills). - Proposed operating millage: 7.4479 mills. - Reduction in debt service millage: 0.0327 mills, which staff said equates to about $14.84 in annual savings on the city portion of the property tax bill for the average single-family homeowner. - Based on June 1 values, staff estimated a gross increase in city tax revenue of $10.8 million. - Taxable-value growth for FY2026 was reported as 7.37%, bolstered by roughly $310 million in new construction; without the new construction, staff said growth would have been about 6.15%.

Public safety and program investments Staff emphasized public safety as a priority in the operating budget. Highlights included funding to open the new police department headquarters, including a dedicated operations/maintenance position; continuation of the body-worn camera program with general-fund dollars after grant funding ends; and technology and equipment upgrades across public-safety departments.

The budget also funds an expansion of the school zone enforcement program from 11 sites to all 34 designated sites, which staff said will require new positions and contractual services to fully implement. In addition, the proposed operating budget includes funding for three new fire prevention officers focused on inspections.

Other service and staffing proposals Staff said the proposal includes additional part-time staffing at community centers to expand programming hours, and new positions intended to improve the city's permit process. Staff noted these were among several requests reviewed by the budget office as it sought to balance departmental needs against available resources.

Economic context and constraints Budget staff framed the proposal against continuing inflation, supply-chain pressures and other cost escalations affecting city contracts. They noted a multi-year trend of declining taxable-value growth since a high of 11.56% in FY2023 and called attention to a 2024 statewide measure that applies compounded CPI growth to the second homestead exemption; staff estimated the measure reduced Hollywood's net revenue by about $140,000 for this fiscal year and said the impact will grow over time.

Process and next steps City staff and commissioners treated the June 20 session as a workshop; no formal votes or decisions were taken. Staff emphasized the proposed figures are not final and remain subject to revision through the summer and into the fall budget process, including awaiting July 1 taxable-value figures and further commission direction. The presentation moved next to the capital-improvement plan segment after the operating-budget discussion.