Boca Raton council adopts final budget, sets millage at 3.6649 mills; votes unanimous

Mayor Singer and the Boca Raton City Council adopted two ordinances and a capital improvements resolution at a Sept. 25 final budget hearing, approving the city’s final millage rate and the fiscal year 2025–26 budget.

The clerk read Ordinance 57‑51, which sets ad valorem taxes for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and ending Sept. 30, 2026. The ordinance text states the percentage by which the millage to be levied exceeds the rollback rate (3.4931 mills) is 4.42% and lists a total millage rate of 3.6649 mills. The council then adopted Ordinance 57‑52, the final budget and appropriations for the same fiscal year. Both ordinances passed on roll call, 5–0.

“The millage rate has decreased now. This will be the eighth year in a row,” Mayor Singer said during discussion; CFO and Deputy City Manager Jim Zervis told the council staff undertook an extensive cost‑cutting exercise that removed about $9.5 million from the general fund to reduce the burden on taxpayers. “In total…there’s a $2,000,000 net decrease in operating expenses across the city in total,” Zervis said.

City staff presented a set of exhibitsa summarizing recommended amendments and rebudgets. Senior budget analyst Michael Middleman described four exhibits for council consideration: amendments to the tentative budget, two sets of rebudgets (operating and CIP) and a list of council‑proposed changes. Staff said operating rebudgets total $4,742,300, while CIP rebudgets across funds total $48,679,200; water and sewer multiyear contracts account for roughly $33,831,000 of the CIP rebudgets.

During public comment, resident John Perlman asked for an itemized accounting of any allocations tied to the proposed downtown government campus and requested staff withhold or escrow any campus‑related costs until voter approval. “How much money was allocated to be used towards the downtown government campus redevelopment project in 2025 and 2026, and for what specifically?” Perlman asked in his public record request. CFO Zervis responded to the council and the public that “there are no funds budgeted for the campus redevelopment project in this budget,” saying no final development agreement exists and any fiscal impacts would be added via future budget amendments if and when a development agreement is approved.

Councilors also discussed nonprofit operational grants and agreed to apply majority recommendations on a commonly proposed $1,000 baseline for many small awards, a change the mayor said would reduce overall payouts by approximately $9,000. The council adopted the nonprofit sheet amendments along with Exhibits 1–3 as part of the final budget ordinance.

After adopting the budget ordinances, the council approved Resolution 1‑42‑2025, adopting the five‑year capital improvements program for FY2025–26 through FY2030–31, including the Exhibit 3 modifications presented earlier. The resolution passed on roll call, 5–0.

The council closed the hearing by recognizing outgoing City Manager George S. Brown for his decades of service and adjourned at 7:29 p.m.

What’s next: Staff said it will provide follow‑up information requested by members and by public commenters — including the CIP project lists already posted online — and will route any future budget amendments to council if a campus development agreement materializes.