Boca Raton previews balanced FY 2025–26 budget with slight millage decrease and $282 million next‑year CIP

The City of Boca Raton’s draft fiscal 2025–26 budget, presented July 14 at a council workshop, is balanced and includes a modest millage-rate decrease alongside a multi-year capital program, city Finance officials said.

Jim Zervis, chief financial officer and deputy city manager, told council the proposed total millage rate is 3.6649, down from 3.6734 (a 0.0085‑mill decrease). He said assessed valuation in the city rose 7.51 percent this year and the city’s total assessed value exceeded $40 billion.

“We’re presenting a balanced budget,” Zervis said, adding the proposed plan delivers a slight millage decrease while funding current service levels and targeted strategic investments.

Key numbers and programs

- General fund and operating: Zervis said the proposed general fund budget is balanced without using fund balance; the staff figure shown for total budgeted general-fund expenditures was about $254.8 million. - Assessed valuation: up 7.51 percent; net new construction value shown as about $729 million. - Millage and fees: total millage proposed at 3.6649; residential fire assessment remains $155 annually. - Positions: the budget adds 15 full‑time positions citywide (three in the general fund), including a Planner II to support Live Local monitoring, a recreation superintendent and a traffic/parking customer-service position; water and sewer operational funds add several roles. - Capital program: a five‑year CIP of roughly $1.3 billion, with $282 million budgeted in the coming year. Notable items highlighted in the next-year CIP include funding for the proposed City Services Building ($26 million), a CRA-funded transit‑oriented community redevelopment downtown ($24 million), a municipal fleet garage, police headquarters design funding and various utility upgrades and crossings work.

Zervis said staff carried conservative estimates for some capital work and intends to refine costs during contract and design phases. “We’re being conservative as we go through plans…and walk through with GCs and subcontractors. We’re going to refine that number and hopefully reduce that cost to the city,” CBRE/space‑planning language attributed in the workshop presentation noted for the related City Services Building discussion.

Council questions and next steps

Council members asked about cost-allocation methodology, activity-based accounting and the classification of some prior capital items. Zervis said the city recently updated its cost allocation methodology and will next revisit the user‑fee schedule to align fees with cost data.

Zervis and Director of Budget Management Sharon McGuire said the city trimmed roughly $9.5 million from proposed expenditures through targeted line-item reductions and reclassifications to avoid using fund balance. He described the budget as a tool to align spending with council strategic priorities and said staff will bring the tentative and final budget hearings in September, along with CIP and user‑fee work sessions.

What it means

City staff described the draft as fiscally conservative and aimed at aligning resources with strategic goals — public safety, financial soundness, a vibrant economy, quality of life, world‑class services, transportation and growth management. Several capital projects in the CIP were described as investments to preserve long‑term service levels and utility capacity while advancing the downtown redevelopment effort.