By Sallie James
Ocean Ridge residents could pay a tax rate as high as $6.00 per $1,000 of assessed value under a tentative proposal town commissioners OK’d during a July 1 budget workshop.
But don’t swoon from sticker shock just yet: The town’s final tax rate is expected to be lower. Town officials are required to submit a maximum rate to the county by July 31, explained Town Manager Lynne Ladner. And in this instance, commissioners decided to give themselves some wiggle room in case more tax dollars are needed.
“It’s not our intention to go there but we can’t go back up,” explained Vice Mayor Steve Coz. “It’s our intent to lower it.” The final tax rate won’t be approved until September and residents will have a number of opportunities to weigh in.
Property owners in Ocean Ridge currently pay a town tax rate of $5.40 per $1,000 in taxable value.
The preliminary tax rate is bound to send off alarms, Ocean Ridge resident Roland Steies warned during public comments.
“You are exposing yourself publicly to $6 and that will encourage public discussion on that,” Steies said.
The good news is that the town’s overall taxable value is 10.3% higher than last year, higher than the county’s overall 10% increase, according to preliminary figures released by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. Ocean Ridge’s total taxable value for 2024 is almost $1.7 billion, the property appraiser reported.
Ocean Ridge is expecting an estimated $9.1 million in property taxes if the tax rate remains at its current rate of $5.40 per $1,000 assessed value, Ladner said.
Figuring out what to spend that money on is the next step, said Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr.
The fiscal year 2025 estimated $12.5 million budget includes a range of long- and short-term projects with different levels of urgency and necessity.
“We have to figure out how much of that is left over (after expenses) and what we want to spend it on,” Aijala said.
The town has plenty of choices.
Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy supports hiring a lobbyist for $30,000 to help the town succeed in getting more money from the state.
“There’s a great return on the investment if it works the way we hope it will work,” Cassidy said.
Ocean Ridge recently lost out on an anticipated $250,000 to help fund the cost of a much-needed $500,000 water valve project when Gov. Ron DeSantis unexpectedly used his veto power to cut the money from the state budget last month.
A budget workshop last year revealed that the town had lost track of hundreds of valves that are part of its drinking water distribution system. As a result, the valves have fallen into disrepair and when a water line ruptures, it requires crews to dig along the water line until they can find and then uncover the buried valve.
The proposed project would find, raise, excise and pour a concrete collar for each valve so that all valves are in working order and visible.
Other tentative expenses include:
• $190,000 to hire two police lieutenants
• $75,000 for a water distribution engineering plan
• $750,000 for a water main replacement project
Town commissioners will discuss potential FY 2025 expenditures again at an 11 a.m. workshop on July 25, and during a 2 p.m. workshop on Aug. 5. Both workshops will be held at Town Hall.
The commission is slated to hold two budget hearings, both at 6 p.m., on Sept. 9 and Sept. 23 at Town Hall, before adopting the final budget and tax rate.
Property tax bills also include sums paid to the Palm Beach County School Board, the South Florida Water Management District, park districts and other entities.
Anne Geggis contributed to this story.
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