The Delray Beach City Commission approved its 2026-27 budget during Tuesday’s city commission meeting.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the proposed budget, which will raise the millage rate from 6.16 to 6.35. Mayor Tom Carney was the lone dissenting vote.
Carney highlighted several economic factors that informed his no vote. Among them are rising inflation and rising property values, which will translate to higher property taxes even without a hike in the millage rate. The higher millage rate ensures no drop in city services while keeping reserves healthy. Keeping the millage rate the same would reduce reserves from 20.27 percent to 18.9 percent of expenditures.
“Holding the current 6.1611 millage rate is not a revenue cut,” Carney wrote in an op-ed in the Sun Sentinel. “With a growing tax base, property-tax collections can still rise substantially without increasing the rate.”
The rest of the commission was less comfortable with a dip in reserves. Commissioner Tom Markert cited repairing hurricane damage as an emergency that would require healthy reserves. Commissioner Juli Casale noted that the city’s reserve expenditures have dwindled significantly in recent years.
Next year’s budget includes a 9 percent increase in expenditures, up from $201 million to $220 million, with the increase driven by rising payroll costs and inflation.
Boca Raton approves 2026-27 budget
Boca Raton’s final budget meeting was less dramatic. The City Council approved by a 5-0 vote the 2026-27 budget a slight reduction in the millage rate (from 3.66 to 3.49).
As we wrote before, the biggest expenditures will be for fire-rescue (the council also approved the purchase of a $1.8 million replacement fire truck in the budget), and capital improvement projects. The largest capital improvement expenditure is for water and sewer projects.
Who will take over City Councilmember Yvette Drucker’s seat?
Candidates to serve as interim city councilmember for Yvette Drucker’s vacant seat have until noon on Oct. 30 to apply.
Drucker is vacating the seat to run for Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller. On Nov. 9, the council will interview candidates and make a decision the following day at the Nov. 10 regular city council meeting. The replacement will serve through March 2027. Drucker will be unable to vote on her replacement as her final city council meeting will be on Oct. 27.
The race for county clerk and comptroller
Speaking of Drucker’s run for county clerk and comptroller, currently suspended County Clerk and Comptroller Mike Caruso missed the deadline to take his name off the ballot. Caruso was suspended in August by Gov. Ron DeSantis after he was accused of the sexual abuse and kidnapping of an underage relative. He has denied the allegations and was released on a $160,000 bond.
Drucker and Caruso will be the only candidates on the Nov. 3 clerk and comptroller ballot.
Delray to host community meeting over future of municipal cemetery
Delray Beach residents can take part in a community forum to voice their hopes and concerns for the city’s municipal cemetery on Sept. 30.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at the Delray Beach Community Center Gymnasium, located at 50 N.W. First Ave., and it will be led by Kuehne Cemetery Consulting, the consulting firm that the City selected to assess and improve cemetery operations after residents complained of overgrowth, lack of space, damaged and misplaced graves, and more. The firm will hear and address community concerns ahead of their assessment of the cemetery, which is expected to take several months.
Delray reports major drop in pickpocketing cases
A little more than a week after a now-deleted WPTV story cited 2022-2024 data that revealed Delray Beach led Florida cities in pickpocketing cases, the Delray Beach Police Department (DBPD) has reported a 56 percent decrease in pickpocketing from last year.
The DBPD reported 32 pickpocketing instances from January to September last year, and only 14 for the same period this year. Per a press release, “The decline comes as DBPD continues increased patrols, proactive enforcement and the use of technology to identify individuals in these crimes.”
Per the study cited by WPTV (the original article can be found here), Delray Beach had an average of 31.46 pickpocketing reports per 100,000 residents per year from 2022 to 2024.
