Jupiter cuts spending with new $126M budget, but property tax bills to increase slightly

Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post
·3 min read

Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated the way Jupiter pays for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue's services. The story below has been corrected.

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JUPITER — Spending for the town of Jupiter will decrease by 7% in the next fiscal year, which begins Saturday, under the town's new $126.4 million budget.

All of the funding categories increased or stayed the same, except for the capital investment program. The town council chose to decrease its spending by about $22 million for fiscal year 2022-23.

The town is keeping its property tax rate at $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed value for the sixth year in a row. Even though the rate is unchanged, it still will deliver another $3.4 million in revenue because property values in Jupiter rose by an estimated 13%.

The owner of a home valued at $550,000 can expect to pay about $1,200, or about $40 more in town taxes.

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Other taxes a property owner will pay, like those to Palm Beach County and the county School District, are calculated separately. The town estimates its tax bill to property owners makes up just under 14% of their overall bill.

The town council approved the budget Sept. 22. Mayor Jim Kuretski was the only council member to vote against the proposed tax rate and the amount budgeted for the community investment program, which is a five-year capital improvement plan that is partially funded by property taxes.

Kuretski cast votes against these items because he wanted to cut the town tax rate by 3%.

Budget breakdown

The town's General Fund takes up about 50% of the budget, or about $63 million. Here's how it is broken down:

  • The largest portion of the general fund will go to public safety. The cost of the town's police department will total about $27 million. Homeowners pay for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue through their county property taxes.

  • Another $23.8 million will go to general government operations such as administration, finance, planning and zoning, human resources, the town clerk's office and internet technologies.

  • In all, $6.5 million will go to engineering and public works.

  • The culture, recreation and parks departments will get $6.4 million.

In other areas:

  • The town has budgeted about $32 million to operate its water system.

  • The stormwater, Health Insurance, debt service and building funds will cost a collective $20.8 million.

  • The community investment program's budget is decreasing in 2023 by $22.1 million, from $32 million to $9.9 million, driven in part by a reduction in debt payments. It will take the remaining 8% of the total budget.

Lianna Norman covers northern Palm Beach County for the Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Property value spike means small tax increase under Jupiter's $126M budget