Council sets 1.34‑mill maximum to file with state as budget process continues

The town’s assistant finance director, Jeffrey Newman, presented a required filing Aug. 3 asking council to set a proposed maximum millage rate of 1.34 mills for FY2027 so staff can submit the number to the property appraiser by the statutory deadline. Newman repeatedly stressed the number functions as a legal cap used for notice and that the council may adopt a lower final rate at later public budget hearings.

Using a $750,000 median‑price home as an example, Newman said the difference between rollback and the proposed cap is modest in daily terms but materially relevant for the town’s projected budget gap: “If we set 1.34 today, it is a cap on maximum millage. It will not exceed that,” he told council, and he also explained that adopting the cap preserves options while staff continues cost‑containment work and fee updates.

Councilors asked detailed questions about collection rates, use of bridge loan balances, and how the town’s mills compare to peer barrier‑island municipalities. After debate about where to set the cap while staff continues to identify reductions, council voted 4–1 to approve the maximum 1.34 mill filing (Councilor King opposed). Two follow‑up budget hearings were scheduled for Sept. 9 and Sept. 23.