Vero Beach council directs staff to restore three police vacancies, balances budget with one-time funds

The Vero Beach City Council on July 22 directed staff to restore three police officer vacancies and include the hires in the FY 2026–27 final budget, using a portion of the city’s unassigned fund balance rather than increasing the millage rate. City Manager Monte Falls told council the General Fund is $53.9 million with $17.7 million unassigned and recommended using $435,160 to offset an OPEB Trust contribution and fund the three positions so the budget remains balanced at the current millage rate of 2.9816.

Councilmember Linda Moore repeatedly cautioned against using non-recurring funds for recurring staffing costs, saying it risks leaving future councils with unsustainable obligations. “If we are paying a recurring cost out of this year’s fund what will we do next year,” Moore said. Chief David Currey told council that overtime costs associated with special events such as the July 4th celebration can exceed $10,000 and that the operational need that justified the three officers last year remains.

Mayor John Cotugno framed the decision within a broader revenue strategy, urging review of enterprise fund transfers and other fees to share service costs across beneficiaries rather than rely on reserves. Council also directed staff to prepare a capital-offset approach and to bring back required budget amendments after the election if needed. The council concurred with raising parking fines to $40 and agreed to pursue raising the Marina transfer to 10% as part of the revenue package discussed.