Operating rate stays unchanged
Fort Lauderdale’s commission approved a $1.28 billion budget Monday by a 4-1 vote, keeping the operating millage at 4.1193 per $1,000 of taxable value for a 19th consecutive year, according to WPLG Local 10. Mayor Dean J. Trantalis, Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen and Commissioners Steven Glassman and Pamela Beasley-Pittman voted for the plan. Commissioner John C. Herbst opposed it, arguing for the state’s lower rollback rate instead.
The unchanged operating figure does not necessarily hold property-tax receipts flat: rising taxable values can increase collections at the same rate. The budget also includes about $12 million in reductions, according to WPLG Local 10.
Why a flat rate can raise collections
According to the Florida Department of Revenue, property tax owed is calculated by dividing taxable value by 1,000 and multiplying by the millage rate. That means the 19-year operating-rate streak alone does not show how Fort Lauderdale’s taxable values or property-tax receipts changed over that period; higher taxable values can produce higher collections without a millage increase.
Bond levy moves lower
A separate voter-approved levy for municipal debt service will decline from 0.2545 mills to 0.2216 mills in the coming fiscal year, according to Citizen Portal’s reporting. The levy is used to repay municipal bonds. The residential fire assessment, meanwhile, will remain $444 per dwelling, according to WPLG Local 10.
Compensation and fire protection
The spending plan includes $14.4 million for salaries and wages and $6.1 million for higher employee fringe benefits, according to Local10’s account of the budget. It also includes funding for a new fire station in Flagler Village, according to WPLG Local 10.
