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North Bay Village workshop reviews $18.2M FY25–26 budget as commissioners debate tax and staffing trade-offs
Summary
Village manager Frank Lisonbee presented a proposed $18.24 million FY2025–26 budget with revenues that the administration says would leave roughly $1.33 million for reserves; commissioners argued over whether to hold millage flat, adopt a rollback to keep tax bills level, or pare spending.
Village manager Frank Lisonbee presented the proposed FY2025–26 budget and administration priorities at a June workshop, saying the plan would hold the millage at 5.7062 and leave an estimated $1,332,000 to add to reserves. "The revenues that we are using are higher than the expenses and we have savings of $1,332,000 that would go into the reserves," Lisonbee said during his slide presentation.
The presentation identified four central objectives: balance the budget without raising the millage, eliminate two-tier pay disparities in bargaining agreements, adopt competitive management benefits to recruit and retain staff, and reorganize administration to handle anticipated growth. Lisonbee also described proposed collective-bargaining cost-of-living adjustments (3% in year one, 4% in year two and 3% in year three) and merit increases tied to performance.
Vice Mayor Cook pressed the commission on the tax impact of leaving the millage unchanged, noting that higher assessments mean higher bills for homeowners even when the millage rate is unchanged: "If we're gonna keep the millage rate the same, then that means that people's tax bills are gonna go up," Cook said. Commissioners debated options including moving to the rollback rate (which would reduce tax receipts but force program cuts) and identifying targeted savings; staff provided a draft list of reductions to reach the rollback amount if the commission asked for it.
Commissioners asked staff for more comparative tables and a clearer reconciliation showing FY24–25 actuals against the FY25–26 proposal. The workshop closed with direction for staff to return with more line-by-line detail, a grants inventory and a refined set of options for benefits or program reductions the commission could adopt before first reading.
