More taxes? Park upgrades? What to know about Broward’s budget plans this year

It’s Broward County’s budget season, when the blueprint is taking shape for the government to fund programs and projects and pay employees to keep it all running.

The county’s current general fund budget is $1.8 billion, funded by sales tax revenue, property taxes and revenue from other items such as parks.

Next year’s budget won’t be readied until July, but here’s an early overview of what Broward County taxpayers can expect to fund in the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

Rising property values

Because property values in Broward are still going up, that means the taxes computed on assessed value on property also will go up, which translates to property owners likely paying more.

Preliminary figures show in Broward County this past year, there was an 8.77% increase in taxable value, and every single city and town saw a bump in its values. The figures are based on sales from Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023.

According to records, county commissioners will consider whether to keep the tax rate the same as last year at $5.66, which means property owners will pay $5.66 for every $1,000 in assessed property. The final vote will come in September.

Even with the rate staying the same, the county is anticipating bringing in an extra $127 million in increased property taxes.

Although the rate may stay the same, county officials say as they pay down debt, such as bonds, they move those former costs to another fund for future projects.

Commissioner Michael Udine says he doesn’t want property owners to pay more in taxes. He told the South Florida Sun Sentinel when voters agree to pay bonds for 20 years “that doesn’t mean they want to pay forever. The fairer thing would be as we pay down the debt service, that savings should go back to taxpayers.”

Items that could be funded

Broward County commissioners need to fund offices that are elected by voters, such as the Property Appraiser’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, Clerk of Courts, the State Attorney’s Office and Public Defender’s Office.

Some things are still being ironed out, including the proposed budget by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, which pledged to county leaders it would trim back its requests. County leaders recently balked at a sheriff’s proposed budget that topped $1 billion. The proposed budget in part aimed to address issues such as new helicopters, detention deputies’ raises, a new 911 answering center, and a “suitable workspace” for the deputies assigned to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Tasked with funding items for everything else such as parks, libraries, and roadways, county leaders have a funding wish list of their own. Among the items that could be funded:

— $7.5 million set aside for a flood study. Commissioner Steve Geller said the study won’t solve the county’s flooding woes — that will take billions to fix and require federal financial assistance. But “we can’t even ask without the study,” he said. He said time is of the essence, because rain events that aren’t even classified as hurricanes have flooded neighborhoods, especially in Fort Lauderdale and Dania Beach. “We’re losing our ability to drain in Broward,” Geller warned. “It’s only going to get worse, not better.”

— The Inspector General has asked for more money to fund three new investigator positions at $459,000. The office investigates county and city officials for alleged fraud, waste and mismanagement and misconduct. Voters will also be asked whether to expand their duties to monitor the School District, but Broward County won’t foot that bill for those investigations. Inspector General Carol “Jodie” Breece said the number of complaints have increased, which means a heavier workload, and “slow investigations won’t really help anyone,” she told county commissioners.

— Hollywood North Beach Park improvements that could total $16.6 million for a parking lot expansion, pathways, picnic area and a restaurant on site. This is “something we’ve been wanting to do for over a decade,” said Dan West, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation Division.

— $750,000 for pallet shelters, tiny transitional, temporary homes with just enough room to sleep and use the bathroom to help get the homeless off the streets. Of that, $500,000 would be an annual recurring expense for the operational fees; $250,000 would be to construct the homes.

What happens next

The final budget will be presented in July, and budget workshops are scheduled for Aug. 22 and Aug. 27.

The budget will be approved Sept. 5, and the final vote comes Sept. 17.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash