Cooper City leaders outline budget priorities, flag water and parks spending as BSO costs loom

City Manager said Cooper City will present a year-by-year implementation plan for its recently completed water and wastewater master plan at a July workshop and is building park improvements and potential law-enforcement cost increases into the draft budget.

The funding picture presented included two large capital priorities: a water and wastewater implementation schedule that may require borrowing for improvements, and a parks and recreation plan that staff said "we're trying to target about 3 and a half to $4,000,000 of park improvements every year." The manager also said the Broward Sheriff's Office compensation request has been included in the draft as a worst-case budget scenario.

Why it matters: The master plans will guide capital borrowing and annual spending decisions and could affect next year's preliminary millage rate, which commissioners will set at the July meeting. Inclusion of a…