Riviera Beach gives initial OK to $176M budget that includes money for 10 new employees
RIVIERA BEACH — Riviera Beach gave preliminary approval to its $176 million budget despite objections from a pair of City Council members who expressed unease about increased spending.
Council Members Tradrick McCoy and Douglas Lawson voted against the proposed 2024 budget, but it was moved forward with support from their colleagues, Shirley Lanier, Julia Botel and KaShamba Miller-Anderson. The council will hold a final vote on the budget Wednesday, Sept. 20.
The proposed $176 million budget is up 8.5% from last year's budget. Staff members said the rising cost of goods and services, debt service and the need for 10 new employees are driving that growth. The city's operational budget, which does not include all the city spends and takes in from all sources, has also risen to a proposed $99.7 million from $93.3 million in 2023.
That rise alarmed McCoy, who frequently questions city expenditures and once filed suit to block a water utility rate increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I remember looking at the city's budget 10, 12 years ago, and we were around 25 to 30 million dollars," McCoy said. "I just don't understand how we get to just the operational budget, how we got to this point here. I don't understand because I don't really see much in terms of a difference between 10-12 years ago and now as far as the level of service and the things that we do."
McCoy added: "There is arguably the inherent inflation, but, outside of that, I certainly don't understand. We haven't had any significant changes that I think really justifies this."
Lawson said he shared those budget concerns.
"We haven't had any major infrastructure change," Lawson said. "We haven't had any major development. It's pretty much been staffing and operations and cost of living. And, even if you factor in cost of living over the last 10 years, I'm not sure how we got to that substantial jump from $30 million to where we are now."
City Manager Jonathan Evans said rising costs and the growing demand for services in a growing city have fed the need for bigger budgets.
"If you look at every municipality's budget across the state of Florida and across the nation, they're not operating at the same budget level that they were operating at 10 years ago," he said.
State law requires local governments to balance their budgets. If Riviera Beach's budget is approved, it would go into effect when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Will Riviera Beach be getting more money from property taxes?
The city's budget does not include a property tax increase, but, because property values have risen, property owners will have a larger bill. The city's property tax or millage rate will cost property owners $823 per every $100,000 in taxable property value. That means the owner of a $400,000 home would have a property tax bill of roughly $3,300 — not including special assessments or reductions tied to whether the homeowner has a homestead exemption.
In a strong economic climate that includes soaring property values, municipalities sometimes try to scale back that property tax rate. Doing so is a political winner for elected officials even if its financial benefits are modest for individual property owners.
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Council member Botel asked about the possibility of reducing the property tax rate in Riviera Beach. Evans said a rate cut would mean reduced services.
"That would have a significant impact on the budget that is provided in front of you this evening, to the point where there would be significant levels of service reductions that would have to be made to facilitate such a reduction," he said. "One of the things that you will hear as part of the budget presentation is that virtually every good, commodity and service that we acquire or utilize for the provision of government services has gone up exponentially."
What positions will Riviera Beach's 10 new employees hold?
Riviera Beach is a growing city. Last year, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 38,344. That's up 15.7% from the bureau's 2012 count of 33,153.
The city's proposed budget includes money for 10 new employees, who will be spread throughout various parts of the government. Only Public Works, which is slated to get three new maintenance workers, is in line to get more than one new employee.
Evans had pitched the idea of hiring a communications director whose salary would be between $95,000 per year to $125,000 per year. That idea did not get much traction from council members, and funding for the position was not included in the budget proposal that was advanced.
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As is typically the case for municipalities with their own law enforcement services, police costs account for the biggest chunk of Riviera Beach's proposed budget, coming in at $26.9 million. The next four largest expenditures would be for general administration, $23.5 million, fire rescue at $18.2 million, Public Works at $6.1 million and Parks and Recreation at $5.5 million.
Wednesday's final budget hearing is scheduled to be held at 6 p.m. at the Marina Events Center, which is located at 190 East 13th Street.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach gives first OK to $176M budget; two members object
