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Boca Raton council adopts tentative 2025–26 budget and sets millage at 3.6649 mills
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Summary
The Boca Raton City Council on Sept. 8 adopted a tentative FY2025–26 budget and proposed millage rates, keeping the residential fire assessment at $155; council members said line‑item trims and accounting shifts produced a balanced budget without a millage increase (vote 5–0).
The Boca Raton City Council on Monday adopted a tentative budget for fiscal year 2025–26 and approved proposed millage rates that will fund the plan, voting 5–0.
Sharon McGuire, the city’s OMB director, told the council the city trimmed expenditures during budget preparation and that “we were able to reduce some expenditures by about $2,000,000 in the general fund.” She announced the total proposed millage rate of 3.6649 mills, down slightly from 3.6734 mills the prior year.
The council heard that Boca Raton’s taxable assessed value increased about 7.5% to roughly $40,000,000,000, which McGuire said contributed to revenue capacity even as the administration held resident fire assessment fees steady at $155. The presentation showed how Boca Raton’s share of a typical homeowner’s property tax dollar compares with neighboring cities.
Finance staff and the city’s financial presenter explained that an apparent one‑year jump in prior‑year budget figures reflects differences between cash‑based budgeting and full accrual accounting for capital projects, not a sudden surge in spending. Jim Zervas said the city also converted some historically capital items into operating budgets (about $8.2 million) and identified roughly $9.5 million in line‑item reductions to avoid drawing down reserves.
Council members asked for and received detail about the capital improvement program (CIP). McGuire said the six‑year CIP totals about $1.2 billion, with $272 million proposed next year and about 152 distinct projects listed; major next‑year allocations include initial funding for a police department headquarters, a city services building and transit‑oriented redevelopment projects.
After the formal reading of Resolution 130‑2025 (proposed millage rates) and Resolution 131‑2025 (tentative budget), the council opened a public hearing; no members of the public came forward. A motion to adopt the proposed millage rates passed on a roll call vote of 5–0; the tentative budget resolution was then adopted by the same margin.
The council’s action is procedural: adoption of the tentative budget and proposed millage rates enables required public notice and the final budget process. The city announced the final budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, at 6 p.m.