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Proposed Bradenton Beach budgets adopted

Proposed Bradenton Beach budgets adopted

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – The city’s proposed 2024-25 general fund and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) budgets are one step from final adoption.

During the Sept. 5 budget hearings, the Bradenton Beach City Commission and the CRA board that includes all five city commission members separately approved on first reading the proposed 2.3329 millage rate and the anticipated revenues and expenditures for the general fund and CRA budgets. The proposed budgets will be finalized on Sept. 12 and the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

The budgets are based on maintaining the current 2.3329 millage rate. Bradenton Beach property owners will pay $2.33 per every thousand dollars of assessed property value and most property owners will see their property taxes increase due to increased property values.

GENERAL FUND

According to the budget worksheet prepared by City Treasurer Shayne Thompson, the city anticipates receiving $5.1 million in total revenues during the coming fiscal year, including $2.46 million in ad valorem property tax revenues. The city anticipates $4.81 million in total general fund expenditures, which would leave a $289,349 year-end net balance to be carried over into the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The budget includes 6% wage increases for city employees, longevity bonuses for employees who qualify and additional salary adjustments for the city clerk, city treasurer, police chief and the yet-to-be-hired public works director.

The budget anticipates $854,569 in expenditures for the administration department, including $329,750 for employee wages and salaries and an additional $188,507 for overtime pay, longevity bonuses, FICA payroll taxes, retirement contributions and insurance benefits. The administration budget includes $75,000 for city attorney fees.

The budget anticipates $208,009 for city commission expenditures, including $28,800 for the mayor and city commissioners’ salaries and $20,000 for city attorney fees.

Police department revenues are expected to be $253,368. Projected police department revenues total $1.93 million and include $1 million for regular wages and salaries and $655,757 for additional overtime pay, wage incentives, longevity bonuses, taxes, retirement contributions and insurance benefits.

Projected emergency operations expenditures are $92,400 and projected code enforcement expenditures are $108,991.

Including building permit fees, the building and planning department anticipates receiving $525,350 in total revenues. The department anticipates $476,183 for projected expenditures that include $80,125 for wages and salaries, $42,798 for additional wages, taxes and benefits and $285,977 for professional services provided by the contracted building official and city planner.

Pier revenues are projected to be $168,824 and include $46,981 in monthly lease payments received from the Anna Maria Oyster Bar and $110,843 in additional revenue sharing received from the restaurant. Anticipated pier expenditures total $144,018.

The budget anticipates $90,976 for street and road revenues generated primarily by gas taxes. Street and road expenditures are anticipated to be $504,951 and include $233,250 for regular salaries and wages and $146,121 for additional wages, taxes and benefits.

The budget anticipates $267,407 for stormwater management revenues that include the annual stormwater assessments levied on property owners. The $231,652 projected for stormwater management expenditures includes $106,250 for regular wages and salaries and $35,836 for addition wages and benefits.

The capital projects and reserves portion of the budget includes $10,900 for tree trimming, $19,820 for stormwater and drainage expenditures and $31,860 for improving city facilities.

CRA BUDGET

CRA revenues are expected to total $1.01 million. That figure includes $864,714 as a portion of the total ad valorem property tax revenues collected in the CRA district that extends from the Cortez Bridge to the southernmost property lines along Fifth Street South. The CRA revenues also include a state-mandated transfer of $145,656 in ad valorem tax revenues from the city’s general fund to the separate CRA fund.

The CRA budget projects $349,606 in total expenditures and a year-end net balance of $663,764 to be carried over into future fiscal year budgets for future CRA-funded projects.

The CRA budget includes $126,006 for salaries, wages and other expenses associated with the additional policing that takes place in the CRA district, $89,500 for employee salaries and wages associated with the streets and roads in the CRA district, $25,000 for attorney fees, $25,000 for additional professional services and $10,000 for administration staff salaries.

Bradenton Beach officials discuss $4.3 million budget

Bradenton Beach officials discuss $4.3 million budget

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners and department heads met to hold the first of several discussions for the 2023-24 fiscal year budget.

At the June 20 meeting, the proposed budget of $4,332,075 was rolled out with an increase of $356,703 over the previous year. Some of the largest increases came from a rise in insurance premiums and salary increases for cost of living adjustments.

Two public hearings on the budget will be held in September prior to the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

Attending the budget discussion meeting were Mayor John Chappie, Commissioners Ralph Cole, Jake Spooner and Jan Vosburgh, Police Chief John Cosby, Building Official Steve Gilbert, City Clerk Terri Sanclemente, City Treasurer Shayne Thompson and Public Works Director Tom Woodard.

The budget categories for discussion were Administration, Commission, Police, Emergency, Building, Code Enforcement, Streets and Roads, Storm Water, Facilities, Pier, Capital Projects and Library.

“We take each one of these and we have a motion to approve as presented,” Chappie said.

“Our biggest increase, of course, is salary,” Cosby said, “with our new guy hired in place. There is an increase with travel and education. The reason for that is in order to keep up with the culture in law enforcement, training is number one. The state is also requiring us to get that done. It’s not always held in our region so we have to travel to get that done.”

The other increase in the police budget is insurance, Cosby said. The department had the same policy as last year, but it increased in price by 10.1%.

“The city’s liability insurance went up 85%,” Cosby said.

“We took out some street signs and that helped stabilize this increase,” he said. “Just the damage that was done to the north fence from (Hurricane) Ian, that fence replacement was almost $27,000. All those things are going way up in price.  We did take some things out that weren’t worth insuring.”

The proposed budget for police is $1,772,869, an increase of $143,608 from the previous year.

Cosby added overtime to the code enforcement budget, citing the requirement for the code enforcement officer to work on weekends to monitor illegal construction, parking enforcement and to help with Turtle Watch.

The proposed code enforcement budget is $103,555, an increase of $16,084 from the prior year.

Gilbert said there was one increase in building inspection services, which the commission approved on June 18.

“There is an 8% cost of living increase,” Gilbert said. “There were increases in insurance.”

Gilbert, who is on salary, will not receive a salary increase.

“There has been no real change to commission,” Sanclemente said.

“Insurance has increased a little bit,” Woodard said. “Other than that, I think we’re in good shape.”

“Of course, our streets are getting done with Woodruff,” Chappie said, referring to the sewer project on Gulf Drive in which contractors will be repaving the roads. “That will save the taxpayers a lot of money.”

“We’re meeting our budget, you’re all fiscally responsible,” Chappie told the department heads and commissioners.

He said the city should have 25% in reserves and is trying to stay above that at 30%.

“We’re looking at how we can save the city money,” Chappie said.

A millage meeting is set for Tuesday, July 11 at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N. in Bradenton Beach.