Welcome to our first budget hearing um Tuesday, September 9th, 2025. The time is now 6:05. Madam clerk, roll call. Commissioner Bass, I'm here. Commissioner Irvin, here. Vice Mayor Kelly, present. Commissioner Santiago,
here. Mayor Taylor, here. As we stand for our invocation led by our assistant city clerk, Miss Bara Wright. Heavenly Father, we come before you this day with grateful hearts seeking your guidance and wisdom. Father God, we
thank you for the opportunity to gather in service to our community. Bless this commission, its members, and all who are present that our thoughts, words, and actions may reflect fairness, integrity, and respect. Grant us, grant us a liberty, Father God, and grant us a
wisdom and knowledge to do what you have called us to do, Father God. Father God, we ask you to come into this meeting and have your way. In Jesus holy name we pray. Amen. Amen. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America and to the stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That that was a good prayer. Um, good prayer. Okay. As we get ready to go into
uh our first reading ordinances. Madame Attorney, an ordinance of the city commission of the city of Opalaka, Florida, adopting the a final mill rate pursuant to section 200 dash I mean 0.065 065 Florida statutes for fiscal year 2025
through 2026 commencing October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Setting forth public hearing dates, providing for adoption of representations, providing for repeal of all prior ordinances in conflict, providing for severability, providing
for an effective date. This is sponsored by the city manager. All right. Can I get a motion? Move it. Moved by Commissioner Bass and second by Commissioner Irvin. This is a public hearing item. Public hearing is open
hearing. None. Public hearing is closed. Mr. Bob, do you have a presentation on the millage rate or Okay. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Vice Mayor, Commissioner Bobson, budget administrator. Uh before I start with
the military, I need to put a slide up. Well, I was told it was going to work, but it didn't work. Okay, I'll ask you to follow along in your uh the package I left for the uh for this presentation. Uh under this uh
Florida state statute uh the following information is required to be shared at the start of a budget hearing. Uh the taxing authority is the city of Opalok as you might expect. Now that just to keep that in perspective, thank you for that. Uh to keep that in perspective on
the property tax bill, we constitute about onethird of what our residents will see. So just so that's clear. The roll back rate Thank you. The roll back rate is 8.1400 mills. Just in case there's any
confusion about what that means, that says that is the rate which if we apply to next year's tax base would provide the same amount of revenue as we realize this year. In other words, uh it's the diff we are recommending 8.9797.
The difference between the two as you can see is a 10.3% increase. If we use the millage rate, we'd get one $1.5 million less next year than we would have otherwise got. The 1.5 million less would be equivalent to what we got this
year. One of the requirements of this statement is to demonstrate how the extra funds, the 1.5 million in this case is being used. Uh it really is addressed by three different things. One is uh and I'm going to take a slight
detour if I may. uh fund balance has been impacted. When I say fund balance, it's very important that everybody understands exactly what fund balance is. Fund balance is basically the reserves the city has. It's a rainy day fund if they have emergencies. It's
meant to be used for one-time things. And up till now, over the past six years, the city has had surplus fund balance. Consequently, the city's been able to use current year revenue for operating expense and then use fund balance for uh things such primarily
CIP. This year, FY26 for the first time, we've gotten to the point where we've used enough fund balance over the last few years that to fund CIP, we actually have to use subcurrent year revenue. So, we are using for the first time current year revenue, in this case, half a
million dollars to fund CIP. The second item that we're using uh to uh make up the $ 1.5 million of extra revenue uh is due to, as I think you're all familiar at this point, we've had problems with the operation of the red
light cameras. That has caused a real deficit in our revenue plan and 600,000 of the 1.5 million is going to be used for that. The third and final ingredient in the 1.5 million is 400,000 and that's going to be used to fund four additional
general fund employees and also uh contribute to the compensation increases. So are there any questions on this? Any questions for Mr. Anderson or the manager from the first page or do you want him to go through the whole presentation? We'll hold our questions
to the end. I have a question. Okay. Thank you very much. Go ahead. Oh, thank you. Okay. Um and then we'll allow you to keep going and then we'll hold our questions. Yes, sir. Thank you. Yeah. I want to be sure that I understand. Yes, sir.
Okay. That I understand very well. Uh what are we doing? Uh reducing the military [Music] here in Palaka. No. Yes sir. Okay. Um what is the uh the one that we
have right now is a 10.3. Oh no sorry the millage rate right now well I'll take you you can see on this chart the millage rate for the current year is 9.163 mills
we have recommended and you have accepted our recommendation of 8.9797 mills that that's a 2% reduction and if I may just comment on that for those property owners in the city who have homesteaded
property on the city prop portion of the tax bill they should not see any material increase. All right. Um what I try to understand is we're going to reducing it but you say that we're going to be receiving more revenue. Yes sir.
In the future. Uh yes sir. That's because if you'll look at this chart here, you can see for the city portion, when I say the city portion, because we make some contribution to CRA, for the city portion, the tax base has gone up
by 12.3%. So what we're doing is the tax rate is up by 12.3%. We are reducing the millage rate, which is multiplied against the increase, by 2%. So for properties that are not homesteaded, all things being equal,
they'd see a up to a 10% increase on their property tax. For those families that are homesteaded, it'd be somewhere about a 1% increase on the city portion of the tax bill. Yeah. Okay. Because what I see uh today, somebody bringing a statement uh for the
nice of real estate taxes that they have to pay to the state of the day county. And we see a be surprise of amount they pay right now like $5,000 when that reducion reduction that we do
for the middle rich here in Opalaka is supposed to help them to reduce the year. Okay. Um taxes that they pay but what I see they're going to pay $13,000 for this coming year for that property. And that's a that's a single family home.
Commissioner. Yeah. and they have the home sustain if it was homesteaded. As I said before, the city portion of that tax bill is approximately one-third. So, if they seen a large increase in their
homesteaded, in all likelihood, it is the other twothirds of the tax bill, various county uh county uh school board, county uh tax and so forth. I'll be glad to look at it, but if there is an increase like that, I think it's
attributed primarily to the other tax and authorities on the tax bill. Okay, I'm happy for now. Go ahead, Mr. B. Yeah. Very quickly, you've seen this before. Again, what we're looking at tonight is basically what we looked at July 23rd. There's no new news. This is
basically just intended to be a reminder of what you approved uh July 23rd. By way of background, what you approved by uh July 23rd, budget was submitted to the state and the state has returned it uh approved as structured.
This we just discussed a moment ago. This we also discussed. So at this point this is I probably shouldn't have left this just a reminder that of our gross property tax revenue we get two for FY2 thou 2,73,000
will become a tiff contribution to the CRA in essence taking that money out of direct city control CRA controls it the benefit from it is that the county will match that on a 2 to1 basis in other words if we're contributing $2 million
the county will contribute $1 million to RCIA. That basically is the military unless there's any discuss. I'm sorry if there are any questions at this point. Keep going. We have a question at the end. Well, you need to adopt at this point. Well, I can do the
Well, this is I think you're only on the first ordinance. Is this um you're done with the military brief? Yes, sir. This is overhead. So, we open up for questions. I do want to say Mr. Um, but I do want to thank you all for listening to this commission and reducing the millage rate. And I believe that this is the first time in
over 10 years that our military has been under 8%. So, thank you for that. Yes, sir. So, I do want to say thank you for that. Um, do we have any questions? I mean, sorry, under 9%. I'm sorry, under 9%. Do we have any questions for Mr. Bob or the manager at this moment as it relates to
the millage rate before we call the Vice Mayor Kelly? not not so much a question. Um, I certainly want to thank you all for getting it there, too. I think we just have to do as best we can to to share with residents and I I know what my
colleague was saying, but when your bill goes up, it's not necessarily attributable attributed to something happening here, but you got everybody else on that same tax bill. And although we're reducing it, the other factor of course
is property values that you know could play an impact and other additional taxes. So I think we're when we're saying that we got to make sure we let folks know we did reduce it. Um as the mayor saying they have reduced it and we recognize that challenge and for the
first time for the first time we can actually say we're not the highest. We're not we want to be but we're not the highest. So I want to thank you for that. um as well. That's all I have on the property tax. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Hey, no problem. So, thank you for your hard work, you and your staff. Um so, going back to what Commissioner Santiago
was explaining, the uh Madame Manager, the residents are in the house. So, we have one of our budget administrators. Can you go and speak with them to explain to them what they're looking at on their tax bill? They're right here.
M can you and if we need a translator, can we provide one um m manager or someone that can translate? Okay. All right. So, at this moment, we can go ahead and call the question.
Wait, Mr. Bob, you have to read something in the record. I'm sorry. You have to read something in the record. Well, I just did. That was the first slide. Yes, sir. That was the first slide. That's a statuto requirement. Statuto requirement statement. Okay, perfect. All right, we can go ahead and call the question. Commissioner Irvin, yes.
Vice Mayor Kelly, yes. Commissioner Santiago, yes. Commissioner Bass, yes. Mayor Taylor, yes. Motion passes 50, first reading. All right, moving on to item number 52. An ordinance of the city commission of the city of Opalaka, Florida, approving
and adopting the city's general, proprietary, and special funds budget for the fiscal year 2025 through 2026, commencing October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. Providing for the expenditure of funds established by the budget, authorizing the city manager to
take certain actions. Providing for appropriation of all budget expenditures. Providing for fees consistent with appropriation and amendment. Providing for adoption of representations. Providing for conflict and repealer. Providing for severability. Providing for an effective
date. This is sponsored by the city manager. All right. Can I get a motion? Moved by Commissioner Irvin, second by Commissioner Santiago. Um, this is a public hearing item. Public hearing is open. Hearing none. Seeing none, public hearing is closed. Mr. Bob, if you have
a presentation, you can go ahead and start. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, again, very quickly, this is basically what I shared with you on July 23rd. Primary purpose of tonight is just to remind you what we talked about six weeks ago. Uh, I've got two pages of highlights here, which is
really the underpinnings of what the budget's all about. I can go through them or you can look at them quickly and see if there's any question. All right. So, only things that you want to is the highlights, right? Yes, sir. at the moment.
All right. Um, any questions for our budget administrator or again these are the very highlights there additional accomplishments and objectives in each of the divisions in the budget book and nothing has changed since July.
Uh, the second page is additive additional highlights. The second page is add. Yes sir. Which number ads? Which one did you add? What was that? Everything. The entire second page is all additional highlights.
Okay, that's the 2011 bond. Okay, that's all new news. Page 10. Okay, question. Yeah, commissioner. Yeah, thank um to be sure I have one of the items here that say uh do police
academy budget we pay for it? Yeah, for the academy. But when we hiding somebody, that's the one to put two. This is the new program that you sponsor program. Yes, sir. Well, it's been discussed before, but
this is the first year it's been uh fully laid out and funded. That's what I want to be show because I never heard it before. Yes, sir. Okay. But that's a very good idea to helping, you know, u probably, you know, young guys, you know, to be prepared for the police force. Okay. All right.
That's it. Mr. Mayor, Vice Mulli. Oh, you still presenting. Go ahead. No, okay. Um, I I tried to get through it in the briefing. I know he's supposed to be giving me some answers on some things
regarding the budget. Um, some of the questions I asked. Um, I do have some more. So I'm trying to figure out madam manager I can maybe meet with you and your top folks so I won't hold up time because they
don't change the bottom line but they but I am concerned about the structure within um and some of the departments from police to code to public works and building a license and the like um even down to purchasing where I see some
things are uh I'm just give you one example within the um even within the manager's office. I I noticed that you took out the purchasing um officer and so that's going to be somewhere but I don't really know where
it's going to be. It's in finance. It's in finance. Yes. Okay. Um, yeah, things like that because I don't know where where it went. And in some I don't see in some of your um departments
I don't I don't see the highlights from 20 25. I see some of the projections um and I don't see that. So um yeah, I don't want to hold up time going line by line because I have questions and some of all of them and
what some of these folks do and right down to the structure of some of these um places. So um in deference to my colleagues not to hold up time. I will um schedule a meeting and ask you you have all appropriate staff because it covers
about five or six of departments. Some of them may be of mood in other places, but some of them um I'm trying to understand um how they came about and what's the the rationale. So, I'm just going to put that on the record for the moment and
I'll meet with you um on it between now and the second budget um hearing. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. All right. U Mr. B, we'll go ahead and call the question, but I do want the manager to explain one thing. So, um, not really explain, but you know, just to highlight it, which is the 2011 bond
fully paid off in short, so that our residents know what that means to the city. Yes, sir. There uh I think in January of this coming year, there's one final payment of about $600,000 and that will fully pay off that bond. The 2015 bond
was paid off last June and therefore all the debt in the general fund has is now been removed. Okay. So in other words, we're almost debtree. Yes, sir. We still have some debt. We have some debt on the water. Still you to say
we we have greatly improved the balance sheet over the last almost almost. So we cleared two debts off. We So that's we're almost there. So that's that's why I said I wanted to highlight that thanks to yourself, our finance director, and our city manager. We're working diligently. And I know we
we're working on the other one that's coming down the pipe, red light camera, right? Yes. And that's the pretty much the last one and that will be coming to the commission, right? So, okay. That's what I I wanted you to say. So, we're almost there. So, great job. Did we receive anything too for for the
new camera in the school? It goes live on the 15th, I believe, the red light camera, but that has nothing to do with No, not it's not right like speed, but I believe it goes on the 15th. the 21st of 21st of October. Sorry. Oh, good. Yeah. Right now we're in the we're in
the um educational phase to inform the people. Okay. Brought that up. I know we said we're going to call the question, but madam manager, can you look on social media? It's advertising that we're putting it in three schools. Overlock Elementary and they probably the same. Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't corrected.
Oh, I don't know. I I just Yeah, it should have been corrected. I'll double check. All right. Correct. private Catholic school have it too. No, it's just a public school public school. Okay. Public schools. But I think what you're asking is the the the drop in the estimated amount that we're going to receive from it or
Oh, yeah. Yeah, for sure. We're going to we're going to start to receive revenue for it. Do you have a guesstimation of how we No, sir. We're talking about the school zone cameras. I do not at this time. Not at It's not a major contributor to our revenue. Okay.
Go ahead, Commissioner. But are we going to receive some funds from it? As I understand it, the uh service that provides the camera gets the first two violations each day and then we get what uh follows after that. I'll get I'll get a better set of rules for you. That's my
general understanding of it. So then what I'll ask madame manager is tomorrow is a commission meeting. I see we have a lot of questions as it relates to it. Can you do a brief presentation during your report um to be inclusive of to include what the chief is saying when it goes live,
how it goes live, and how it works because everybody doesn't know that it's all day and not just during the school hours and what that actually means. It's all day. Yeah, it's all day and I believe it's 30 minutes 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after. And Mr. Mayor actually a miss
was at meet me Monday. Um they provided a whole fly you with it Monday. So that fly has is broken down as the chief saying when it starts the warning and the whole um breakdown. So madam manager
um you can get everyone a copy of that as well as a part of your presentation and we need to get that out to the public as best we can as well. Yes. Even though I know you had some online but people probably not gonna read and we made sure we took them to the schools as well but we're going to continue to do it.
Yeah. Yeah. because it's for the rest of September leading into October. Right. Okay. So, the fly is from Meekly Monday to putting a report, but just make sure it's a little detail. Okay, Mr. Mayor. Oh, I'm sorry, Vice Mayor.
Thank you, let me see it again if I understand loud and clear. Okay. We're not sure that we going to uh receive anything from this fine that they're going to start in collecting by the 21st. No, sorry, I didn't say that. my understanding.
That's what I understand. I don't say you say that. No. Yeah. But but I want to know. Yeah. I want to know, okay, if it's any reason why we're not going to receive any uh money, okay, for that type of of
fines that they going to have in the two school that we have here in Opalak and in our street. And and I ask him a question myself. Uh uh to the manager, madame manager. Okay. Do you or or the
police chief can answer me that question? Let me let me ask you. It's a good question. when our police department ting you know ticket somebody in the city or passing through the city um when when they collecting the money
in the courthouse uh all that money go to day county or to the police department here or we shade it with them every citation is written we do get a percentage of the citation like for the school speeding zone that's going to be
implemented Octo October 21st There's a percentage. The company's going to get the first two and then it's broken down by percentage. So on an average, we should get about $60 per citation. That's on an average. That's what the uh speeding ticket that we talking about. Yeah. But I was
talking about for as for the regular citations that that are written then yes, we do get a percentage of every citation that is written in the city. Good. Yeah. Because if we if we do that with them, they have to do it with us too. Yes. That's my point. be be sure that we get
revenue for that in the future. Thank you. No, maybe I don't understand well, but I want to be sure that we going to get money for it. Yes, sir. Thank you. All right. If there aren't any other concerns, madam manager, include that as
well in the report, please. All right. Um, we can go ahead and call the question on the budget. Vice Mayor Kelly, yes. Commissioner Santiago, yes. Commissioner Baz, yes. Commissioner Irvin, yes. Mayor Taylor, yes. Motion passes 50. First reading.
Can I get a motion to adjurnn? Move it. Second. Moved by Commissioner Santiago, second by Vice Mayor Kelly. This meeting is adjourned. I'll see you tomorrow at our regularly scheduled commission meeting at 6 PM. This meeting is journ. Yeah, that's her regular sign of the chicken.
I know.