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Resident survey: Palmetto Bay ranks public safety, stormwater and parks as top budget priorities
Summary
A recently closed village survey of 167 respondents—skewed toward long-term, older residents—ranked police/public safety first, stormwater and drainage second, and parks/capital improvements high on residents’ priority list for FY27 budgeting.
Village staff shared findings from a resident survey that closed just hours before the council meeting, reporting 167 responses and noting responses were weighted toward long-term property owners.
Survey profile: the presenter said 98 respondents identified as property owners; about 36% reported living in Palmetto Bay 31 or more years and nearly 70% of respondents were aged 55 or older. The presenter acknowledged the sample skews older and said staff will reopen and re-run the survey ahead of the main September budget hearing to capture younger and family demographics.
Priorities and tradeoffs: when asked to rank services, residents placed public safety first, followed by stormwater/drainage, capital improvements, park maintenance and tree canopy. On how to respond to a proposed increase in homestead exemption, respondents preferred a mix of strategies: about 43.7% would offset with higher millage, roughly 30.5% favored service reductions, and about 35.9% preferred drawing from reserves; only 18.5% supported zoning changes to increase density.
Revenue tradeoffs: staff reminded the council that only about 13 cents of every property-tax dollar remains with the village; the remainder goes to other Miami-Dade County agencies. The presenter said that context did not materially change the survey responses.
Next steps: staff said the survey will be reopened to increase participation and to gather broader demographic participation before the September budget hearing.
