Proposed Brevard County budget for 2023-24 exceeds $2 billion, while tax rates decrease

Brevard County's proposed budget for 2023-24 exceeds $2 billion for the first time ever.

Still, County Manager Frank Abbate's budget plan released Friday reduces property tax rates and keeps property tax revenue to a level that does not exceed the so-called "charter cap" provisions contained in the Brevard County Charter.

Under those provisions, the increase in the amount raised through property taxes cannot exceed 3% unless the County Commission declares a "critical need" through a supermajority vote of at least four of the five commissioners.

Helping to keep the tax rates in check are the extensive commercial and residential construction projects that occurred in the county in 2022 and went on the tax rolls this year, since property tax revenue generated by new construction is not counted against the charter cap. Estimates from the Brevard County Property Appraiser's Office show that there was $1.55 billion worth of construction projects added to the tax rolls in 2023, up 21.8% from the $1.27 billion added in 2022.

Abbate's budget proposal includes money for 5% pay raises for county staff, upgrades to the Brevard County's jail complex, seven new or renovated fire stations, more road repairs, improvements at 20 parks facilities, expanded lifeguard coverage along Brevard's beaches and much more.

"Because of fiscally responsible decision-making and careful planning, Brevard County remains well-positioned to make further advances in the areas of public safety, infrastructure, employee compensation, recruitment, retention and environmental resilience," Abbate wrote in his 15-page budget message to county commissioners.

The County Commission will hold budget hearings on Sept. 5 and Sept. 19, before commissioners vote at the second hearing on the 2023-24 budget.

Commission Chair Rita Pritchett said staying under the charter cap tops the board's concerns when approving the budget.

"I think it’s always a milestone to try to hit that point, because the voters have asked us to do that. I’m very confident we can do it," Pritchett said. "Sometimes, we do have to take from somewhere else, but it's good if we don't have to. That’s what our county manager does so elegantly is negotiate those funds," she added.

Here are the details of Abbate's proposed budget:

Size of budget: The proposed budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is $2.03 billion, a 2.22% increase over the current 2022-23 budget of $1.98 billion.

Tax rates: Brevard County is the taxing authority of 25 individual taxing districts, which include 20 operatingdistricts and five voter-approved debt districts.

The proposed 2023-24 general fund tax rate of 3.0486 per $1,000 of taxable value is a 6.54% decrease from the 2022-23 tax rate of 3.2619 per $1,000 of taxable value. The new rate would amount to $609.72 for a single-family home with a taxable value of $200,000. This is the 10th consecutive year that the proposed general countywide property tax rate has been reduced from the prior year.

Homeowners pay the general fund tax and any other applicable taxes for things such as library or special road districts.

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Road projects: The county will continue working to reduce the backlog of county-maintained roads that need to be reconstructed, resurfaced or treated.

This year, 642 miles of county roads were rated good, 328 miles were satisfactory, 122 miles were fair, 31 miles were poor, 15 miles were very poor, and 2 miles were in serious condition.

That is a significant improvement from 2019, when 498 miles of county roads were rated good, 320 miles were satisfactory, 203 miles were fair, 73 miles were poor, 25 miles were very poor, and 5 miles were in serious condition.

Parks and recreation: The proposed budget includes significant capital projects at 20 Parks and Recreation Department facilities, including parks, campgrounds, sports complexes, trails and beach crossovers.

"These initiatives focus on enhancing playgrounds, campsite amenities, renovations of athletic fields, improvements to pavilions and concession stands, dock renovations, parking lot improvements, beach crossovers, continued heating/ventilation/air-conditioning upgrades, restroom improvements and building repairs," Abbate said.

Brevard County Detention Center: The county has set aside initial funding for a multiyear, phased approach to replace cell doors and locks, refurbish plumbing systems, improve the smoke evacuation system, restore kitchen equipment, and upgrade roofing and heating/ventilation/air-conditioning systems at the jail complex in Sharpes.

"Investing in these critical repairs and refurbishments will ensure that our detention facility operates efficiently and effectively, contributing to its overall safety and security," Abbate said in his budget message.

Separately, a $5.5 million state grant will help pay for upgrades to and expansion of the Harry T and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center courthouse complex in Viera.

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Fire stations: The county budget proposal provides funding for replacing or renovating aging fire stations, with seven fire station projects scheduled for commencement or completion during the next 18 months. They include two stations on Merritt Island, and one each in Barefoot Bay, Cocoa, Palm Bay, Titusville and Viera.

Emergency operations center: Abbate noted that construction is progressing as planned on the county's new 44,000-square-foot emergency operations center in Rockledge, with an expected opening in June 2024.

Lifeguard protection: To reduce the risk of ocean drownings, the County Commission agreed to expand Brevard's Ocean Rescue program coverage, with the addition of two full-time towers at the lndialantic Boardwalkand Spessard Holland Beach Park North. This also enabled the county to extend its coverage by opening additional seasonal towers at Spessard Holland Beach Park South and Juan Ponce De Leon Landing.

Lagoon restoration: Abbate said the county budget continues to expand efforts to clean the Indian River Lagoon, largely funded by a half-percent, voter-approved special sales tax. The Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program has completed 76 projects to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Indian River Lagoon.An additional 25 projects are currently under construction, with 45 more in design or permitting.

Utility services: The proposed budget reflects the County Commission's commitment to address long-term utility infrastructure, improving water quality, system reliability and capacity needs, in conjunction with Utility ServicesDepartment's 10-year improvement program.

Solid waste: Under this budget proposal, county staff will continue to move forward with securing bonds to financethe Solid Waste Management Department's capital improvement program designed to ensure long-term disposal capacity at various sites in the county.

Staff pay raises: In an effort to retain and recruit employees, Abbate proposes giving employees a cost-of-living pay adjustment of 5% or $1 an hour, whichever is greater. That would be on top of raises of $5.38% or $1 an hour that took effect last October.

The county currently has 377 vacancies, which is down from 474 in March 2022, but still higher than its long-term typical vacancy rate of 240.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County government watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at  dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard County manager's $2B budget plan reduces property tax rates