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Seaford council adopts $73M FY27 budget, raises property tax and utility rates
Summary
The Seaford Mayor and Council on June 9 approved a $73 million fiscal 2027 budget that includes a 5.88% property tax increase (to $0.36 per $100), 2.5% water and sewer rate increases, and fee changes, while seeking to limit reserve draws to roughly $999,000.
Seaford — The Mayor and Council unanimously approved the city's FY27 operating and capital budget at their June 9 meeting, adopting a plan that city staff said totals just over $73 million and includes modest tax and utility increases to reduce reliance on reserves.
City staff described a multi-month budgeting process that reduced an initial deficit through department reviews and fee proposals. The adopted budget includes a proposed property tax rate increase from $0.34 to $0.36 per $100 of assessed value, a 5.88% rise projected to yield about $164,000 in additional revenue. Water and sewer rates will each rise 2.5%, which staff estimated would add roughly $150,000 in revenue.
The plan also contains targeted fee changes to help close the gap: a street charge increase (from $5.50 to $9.50 per month), a rental-license increase to $150, and higher building and plumbing permit fees. Combined with revenue growth and the other adjustments, those measures reduced the projected budget shortfall by about $667,000, leaving a reserve draw of approximately $999,000, according to the presentation.
City staff highlighted capital investments in public safety and utilities. The police department budget and personnel increases are funded to maintain newly filled sworn staffing levels; the budget also funds equipment and vehicles. Major capital work includes phase one of the wastewater treatment plant headworks upgrade (presenters said the total headworks project is expected to cost about $47 million, with phase one at roughly $17 million) and water projects including a relocated nylon well and sewer relocations in the Martin Farms development.
The budget document shown to council treats grants and loan proceeds as revenue. Staff said capital requests for FY27 total about $28.3 million, of which roughly $872,000 is city-funded, $4 million is grant-funded and $23.5 million would be financed through loans.
On personnel, the budget includes two new positions: a part-year information-technology support technician and the funding to create an assistant city manager position at the end of the fiscal year. A 3% general pay-plan adjustment was proposed; negotiations with the sworn officers union are ongoing for a separate contract that expires at the end of this budget year.
Vice Mayor Dan Henderson moved approval of the FY27 budget; Councilman Michael Bradley seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
The council also adopted a separate, related revised fees-and-rates schedule that mirrors the budget and is scheduled to take effect July 1 if implemented (staff noted the water and sewer rate changes would be effective for June consumption billed in July).
