BRADENTON BEACH – City officials will maintain the current 2.3329 millage rate as part of the $4.85 million budget being prepared for the 2024-25 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The proposed budget represents a $359,969 increase over the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
The Bradenton Beach mayor, commissioners, department heads and city treasurer held their first 2024-25 fiscal year budget meeting on July 16.
As he does each year, Mayor John Chappie said, “The budget is the single most important document that we act on throughout our year. The budget is a reflection of where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going as a community.”
Chappie then thanked the department heads and city staff for continuously working on the budget throughout the year.
Bradenton Beach’s annual budgeting process begins with each department head preparing a departmental budget that serves as a needs and wish list. The city treasurer then compiles the departmental budgets into a budget worksheet for the mayor and commission to review and tentatively approve department by department. On July 16, the mayor and commission tentatively approved each departmental budget presented and the proposed 2.3329 millage rate.
City Treasurer Shayne Thompson said he previously met with each department head and commission member and the new fiscal year budget is built on two primary assumptions: maintaining the current 2.3329 millage rate and providing the city’s hourly employees with 8% wage increases and a $500 increase to the tiered longevity bonuses that will now range from $1,250 to $2,500 according to length of time employed by the city. It was noted the salaried department heads would also receive pay increases, but the no exact figures were provided.
“With those assumptions, the budget is very sound,” Thompson said.
On July 23, Thompson provided The Sun with additional details. He said the department heads and himself, a salaried non-department head, will receive 8% salary increases. And, in an effort to keep pace with what other cities are paying, the department heads and Thompson will also receive “salary equalization adjustments” to be added to their annual salaries.
City Clerk Terri Sanclemente will receive a $10,000 salary equalization adjustment in addition to an 8% salary increase. An 8% salary increase and a $10,000 salary equalization adjustment will also be added to the future salary of the yet-to-be-hired replacement for recently departed Public Works Director Tom Woodard.
Thompson and Police Chief/Emergency Operations Manager John Cosby will receive $5,000 salary equalization adjustments in addition to their 8% salary increases. Building Official Darin Cushing is contracted through a third-party firm and his salary is determined by his direct employer.
According to Thompson, the city anticipates receiving $2.47 million in ad valorem tax revenues during the coming fiscal year, compared to $2.26 million during the current fiscal year. Due to increased property values, maintaining the current millage rate will subject Bradenton Beach property owners to higher property tax bills.
Factoring in grants, matching funds and various other taxes and revenue sources, the city anticipates receiving $5.05 million in total revenues during the new fiscal year, versus $4.56 million in the current fiscal year, Thompson noted some non-ad valorem revenue projections might change slightly before the final budget is published and adopted in September.
Thompson said the city hopes to add $225,000 to $250,000 to the uncommitted reserve fund.
Cosby said a healthy reserve fund is vital because it can be used to temporarily fund post-disaster recovery and cleanup efforts while awaiting reimbursement from FEMA and other agencies.
The numbers
Sanclemente proposes $833,347 for administrative department expenditures in the coming fiscal year, including wages and employee benefits, a $74,254 departmental increase.
The budget proposes $208,009 in city commission expenditures, including the mayor’s $9,600 annual salary, each commissioner’s $4,800 annual salary and a $16,000 increase for attorney fees, for a $19,140 overall increase.
Cosby proposes $1.92 million in police department expenditures that include slightly more than $1 million for wages and benefits, a $141,043 overall increase. He also proposes spending $92,400 for emergency management operations and $109,455 for code enforcement.
Acting as the interim public works director since former director Tom Woodard’s recent departure, Cosby proposes $503,199 for street and road expenditures, including $366,619 for wages and benefits, a $43,252 overall increase.
Cosby proposes $249,132 for stormwater management expenditures, including $158,566 for wages and benefits, a $15,541 overall increase.
Cushing proposes $498,353 for planning department expenditures, a $31,821 increase. Cushing noted the planning department is the one department that covers most of its own expenses through permitting fees and other development-related fees.
The budget doesn’t propose any new capital or infrastructure improvement projects for the coming fiscal year but does include $119,526 carried over to complete previously planned projects.
CRA budget
The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) fiscal year budget was briefly discussed during a separate budget meeting that day. The CRA operates as a separate but interconnected city entity with its own budget, revenues, expenditures and project pursuits.
According to the CRA budget worksheet Thompson prepared, the CRA anticipates $799,724 in redevelopment shared revenues, for an increase of $164,065.
CRA revenues include a mandatory $145,656 contribution from the city’s general fund and the worksheet anticipates CRA revenues totaling $948,398, a $167,205 increase.
The worksheet anticipates $344,606 for total CRA expenditures. That includes $213,612 for employee wages and salaries, including $119,112 for additional policing in the CRA district and $84,500 for salaries associated with streets and roads.
The CRA budget worksheet lists a projected net balance of $603,792. According to Thompson, most of that net balance will remain unspent and be carried over into the 2025-26 fiscal year for a utility line undergrounding project conducted in unison with the pending replacement of the Cortez Bridge.
