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 higher BSO compensation request in the draft budget increases pressure to find offsets or new revenue.

City Manager said the water and wastewater master plan is finished and that staff will recommend a year-by-year implementation schedule, and when borrowing should occur to fund needed improvements. "That specific plan is going to be available to you at the, during during the workshop," the manager said.

On parks, the manager told the commission staff has a final draft of the parks and recreation master plan and has started to identify work that can be done each year under staff's direct control. "We're trying to target about 3 and a half to $4,000,000 of park improvements every year," the manager said.

Commissioners pressed for budget guidance on a range of issues that could influence spending decisions. Commissioner Velosi urged more up-front investment in water treatment facilities to reduce emergency repair costs later, saying emergency fixes can cost several times more than preventative work. Commissioner Katzmann and others asked that the parks master plan include funding for maintenance and small capital items so projects do not stall after planning.

City Manager also said staff had placed the Broward Sheriff's Office compensation request into the draft budget to reflect a "worst case scenario" while intergovernmental negotiations continue. "For budget purposes, it's better to start, you know, thinking of the worst and hoping for the best," the manager said.

Federal funding potential: The manager told commissioners that U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz had submitted a request for $7 million for Cooper City's headworks project and that, if approved at the federal level, the project would be treated as a 50-50 match. "If that gets approved, it's gonna be a $50/50 match," the manager said, adding the request is only one step in a multi-stage process.

Revenue context and next steps: Commissioners discussed the city's current millage and the overall budget scale during the meeting. One commissioner confirmed a current millage of 5.855 and asked staff to return with options to lower the rate. On the city budget size, a commissioner cited an approximate total budget of $97,000,000 and staff indicated roughly $70,000,000 of those dollars are in more immediately usable categories.

Staff said the heavy discussion and formal choices on millage will take place at the July budget workshop, where commissioners will also set dates for budget hearings and review detailed implementation timelines for both the water and parks plans.

The commission did not take formal votes on budget items during this session; staff will return with detailed options at the July workshop for commissioners to consider.