Greenacres council sets tentative millage at 6.3% after preliminary FY26 budget review

The Greenacres City Council held a preliminary review of the fiscal year 2026 budget on a single substantive agenda item and set the city’s tentative millage rate at 6.3 by voice vote.

City staff presented proposed new positions, projected revenues and expenditures, and planned transfers from reserves for large capital projects. Miss McHugh, a city staff presenter, outlined personnel additions including an assistant city manager budgeted for six months, a digital media specialist for the public information office, a landscape inspector reviewer in development and neighborhood services, three paramedic firefighter positions and a fire inspector in fire prevention.

Miss McHugh said the assistant city manager position was being budgeted for six months to address growing workload, and described the full “burden” cost for the fire positions as including retirement and health insurance. She also reported a 3% proposed addendum for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) law enforcement services agreement, noting the current contract expires Jan. 31, 2026, and citing a total PBSO contract amount of $11,617,423 and an increase of about $302,000 from fiscal year 2025 to 2026.

The staff presentation flagged several line-item adjustments: a planned $340,000 budget adjustment to a fund tied to impact-fee timing, a $15,000 increase to a public works building rehab account for termite remediation at the Martin Avenue Building, and that separate state appropriations discussed earlier — $450,000 for youth programs and $550,000 for Swain Boulevard — were not yet included in the capital improvement program totals.

Staff projected the city would end fiscal year 2025 about $1 million positive, and outlined an $8.8 million net reduction in reserves for FY26 driven largely by a planned transfer to fund a proposed emergency operations center (EOC). Miss McHugh said the overall EOC-related project is a $30 million effort. She reported $9 million would be drawn from general-fund reserves for the EOC in FY26, with $450,000 for youth programs and $1.2 million to the 304 capital fund included in the same transfer total of about $10.65 million.

During a council discussion of development and longer-term strategy, the mayor urged the council to consider targeted land acquisition and public-private partnerships to advance economic development. The mayor asked the council to authorize staff to bring back a comprehensive plan matching proposed projects to available funding; several council members expressed support for exploring land acquisition, public-private partnerships and borrowing options, while one member said they would remain cautious about taking on debt.

After the presentation and discussion, a council member moved to set the tentative millage rate at 6.3. The motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote; individual member votes were not recorded in the transcript.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve the agenda: moved by Council member Dugov, seconded by Council member Noble; outcome: approved (voice vote; transcript does not show a roll-call tally). - Motion to set tentative millage rate at 6.3: moved by a council member (unnamed in the transcript), seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote; individual votes not recorded).

What this means The council’s decision sets a tentative property tax rate that will be used in notices and calculations prior to final budget adoption. Staff flagged that, under Council Policy 18, the council’s unassigned reserve target is 25%; projected reserves drop during the five-year forecast to near or below that threshold in later years if current assumptions hold. Staff also emphasized conservative revenue estimates for state-shared funds and interest income and noted several large capital projects and development proposals that could affect out-year finances.

Council direction and next steps Council members asked staff to return with more detail on items raised during the discussion: the fiscal impact of a proposed increase to a senior homestead exemption, concrete plans for land-acquisition options and public-private partnership structures, and funding strategies for the EOC and other capital projects. Miss McHugh said staff would pursue available external funding sources, including federal and state grant programs and regional planning partnerships, and would bring additional details to future meetings.

The council adjourned following the millage vote.