News

By Tim Pallesen
    
Delray Beach commissioners approved a slightly lower property tax rate for this year.
    The rate of $7.16 per $1,000 of assessed value for the city’s $98 million operating budget, is 3 cents below last year’s rate of $7.19. Another 35 cents per $1,000 is added for debt service.
    But the tax rate decrease will be offset by a 6 percent increase in property values across the city.
    Commissioners approved a budget Sept. 17 that gives a 4 percent salary increase to all city employees except police and fire employees, who are in contract negotiations.
    Police and fire costs equal 58 percent of the city’s operating budget. Money was approved for four additional police officers.
    The largest increased expense in this year’s budget is the increase from $8.1 million to $9.7 million that the city must pay to fund the police and fire pension fund.
    To cut costs, the city has only $500,000 to repair and upgrade aging city buildings. “This is really frightening,” Commissioner Angeleta Gray said before commissioners approved the budget.
    New City Manager Louie Chapman Jr. described this year’s spending plan as a “transitional” budget until he has time to evaluate the performance of city employees and departments.