By Steve Plunkett
Forgive the city manager if he sounds almost giddy over Boca Raton’s finances.
“If you live in neighboring Delray — we hear lots of great things and Delray’s a great place — but you’ll pay twice as much in city property taxes in Delray as you would in Boca,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said at the Aug. 26 budget workshop.
“And West Palm Beach ... you would pay city taxes three times what you pay in the city of Boca. So we think we’re doing a good job cost-wise.”
Boca Raton will spend $9.5 million in the coming year to replace the city’s 911 system.
Ahnell also proposes spending $9.3 million to renourish the central beach and $2.6 million on the south beach. The north beach qualified for Hurricane Sandy relief money and will need only $888,000 in city funds, he said.
The proposed budget includes $3.8 million in additional expenses, about a 3 percent increase. Of that, $1.1 million is for police raises, increased benefit and pension costs and to fill five previously unfunded positions. The department will replace 23 police vehicles for $739,000.
The fire department will get almost $1.1 million for salary, benefit and pension increases. It will spend $114,000 to replace two sedans and two SUVs.
Ahnell has recommended a rate of $3.72 per $1,000 of taxable property, the same as this year. But property values rose over the past year, which means property owners on average would pay 3.5 percent more.
Mayor Susan Whelchel’s city tax bill, for example, will rise $65, or 1.8 percent, for a total $3,662. Last year she and her husband paid $3,597 in city taxes. Their property’s taxable value also rose 1.8 percent, to $983,654.
Ahnell said the city’s request for restaurant proposals for the Wildflower property on Palmetto Park Road at the Intracoastal Waterway would be ready in early September.
Ahnell is also looking into having more concessions at city beaches, including chairs, umbrellas, towels and possibly more food.
“As you know, right now we have a hot-dog stand — or cart I should say,” Ahnell said.
Betty Grinnan, who chairs the library advisory board, was not happy with the proposed budget. The Friends of the Library and the advisory board began asking the city last spring to restore $380,000 cut from library personnel over the last four years.
“We are very disappointed that at this point you have not,” Grinnan said.
The new $10 million downtown library has added to demand for more service, Grinnan said, noting a 181 percent increase in applications for library cards.
“The library staff has done a fabulous job, but they are very stressed out,” she said.
Budget hearings will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 and Sept. 24 at City Hall. City Council members can lower the rate, proposed at $3.72 per $1,000 in taxable value, but not raise it.
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