Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coral Springs sets TRIM, keeps millage flat and schedules Sept. hearings as FY2027 trim is adopted
Summary
The Coral Springs City Commission set the tentative FY2027 millage at 6.0232 mills, adopted preliminary assessments for fire, solid‑waste, stormwater and nuisance abatement, and scheduled the required public hearings for Sept. 15 while staff presented a two‑year balanced budget without a millage increase.
The Coral Springs City Commission on July 2 set the city's tentative operating millage rate at 6.0232 mills and took a package of preliminary assessment actions while staff walked commissioners through the proposed FY2027 budget and business plan.
Budget presenter Eliana told the commission the proposed FY2027 budget balances without raising the millage and that staff had tightened department budgets and used a five‑year forecast to preserve services. "This budget process didn't just start yesterday," the presenter said, characterizing the plan as a two‑year balanced budget that advances the city's 10‑year vision and strategic goals.
The commission voted unanimously to adopt preliminary assessments and set required public hearings for Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 5:15 p.m. Those actions include a proposed fire assessment, a revised solid‑waste assessment, a stormwater assessment and a nuisance‑abatement assessment. The presenter said the proposed single‑family fire assessment is $324.92 (below the study maximum of $458.23), and highlighted fire workload data: roughly 17,000 annual calls, including about 11,600 EMS responses and an average response time near five minutes.
Commissioners pressed staff on long‑term sustainability and staffing. "That is not sustainable," one commissioner warned when reviewing a productivity chart showing Coral Springs operates below peer staffing ratios and has kept millage flat for several years. Staff and commissioners emphasized the city's Triple‑A ratings from S&P and Fitch, which staff said support lower borrowing costs and flexibility for large capital needs such as an upcoming water membrane project.
Staff also explained why keeping the millage rate flat can still show up in public notices as a tax increase: taxable values rose (including homestead adjustments under the Save Our Homes cap), so a constant millage on a higher taxable base produces higher bills for some property owners even though the city did not raise its rate.
The commission also approved a FY2027 business plan link and scheduled tentative and final budget hearings (Sept. 15 and Sept. 23). All motions related to the trim package were carried unanimously.
Next steps: the public hearings on Sept. 15 will be the formal opportunity for residents to comment on the proposed assessments and the tentative budget.
