The Delray Beach City Commission will make yet another attempt today to agree on a property tax rate for next year.
Mayor Tom Carney asked for the 1 p.m. session because after two budget hearings, he remains unsatisfied with City Manager Terrence Moore’s proposal for a slightly lower tax rate. Carney wants a rate low enough that revenue would stay roughly the same as for the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30.
At last week’s hearing, Moore presented a scenario under which the city could achieve Carney’s goal by cutting $2 million from the beach renourishment program and $1.4 million from the community redevelopment agency. Carney rejected that scenario, saying, among other things, that the $1.4 million would not be “a cut” because it’s only money that the agency was projected to receive. There was no collective appetite for taking money from beach renourishment.
Commissioner Rob Long noted, correctly, that even the lowest rate would save the average homeowner perhaps $10. Carney pushed back, saying, correctly, that the Save Our Homes cap—which limits the annual increase in taxable value—doesn’t apply to owners of commercial property. If homeowners still would pay more despite the lower rate because of higher values, commercial owners would pay even more.
Carney cited higher costs for auto and property insurance, which are largely under the control of his fellow Republicans in Tallahassee. “I’m trying to freeze the darn taxes.”
This protracted discussion reveals the lack of recent experience among members of the new commission majority that took office in March. Carney was away from city government for 11 years. Commissioner Tom Markert is a newcomer (“I come out of the corporate world”). Commissioner Juli Casale served previously, but she seems mostly to follow Carney’s lead. “I’m with you,” she told the mayor.
At the same time, though, Carney has promised not to drop levels of service. He doesn’t want to touch police and fire, which make up roughly half of the operating budget. The commission could take more from reserves than the $8.3 million Moore proposed, but taking too much could jeopardize Delray Beach’s recent, hard-earned top credit rating.
At one point, a frustrated Carney said he wants the budget process to begin earlier. Next year, he suggested, commissioners might want to start hearing proposals as early as February.
In a June memo, Chief Financial Officer Hugh Dunkley laid out the problem that Delray Beach faces. Over the last 10 years, the operating budget has increased by $87.3 million. During that time, however, revenue from property taxes increased by just $52.8 million.
As with all cities, the main reason for the increase is personnel—salaries and benefits. That category alone accounts for almost $45 million of the increase. That reality mocks gadflies like the one who said at last week’s meeting that he could “cut $5 million in 30 minutes.” More such unhelpful comments may come during today’s town hall meeting that begins at 5 p.m.
Whatever campaign promises Carney might have made, he probably is correct that a detailed look at Delray Beach’s finances may have to wait a year. Rushed decisions don’t turn out well. Delray Beach also is negotiating contracts with the police union and the union that represents non-public safety employees. Those could affect the budget.
I’ll have more after the meeting.
Frieser on her way out
Boca Raton City Attorney Diana Frieser will leave office on Oct. 31; city council members agreed on that compromise date during their Tuesday meeting.
Mayor Scott Singer, who put the issue on the agenda, had proposed a departure date of Aug. 31 for Frieser, who has held the job for 25 years. Frieser had planned to retire Aug. 31, 2025. Councilwoman Fran Nachlas had suggested that Frieser leave on Jan. 31. Moving the date back two months will reduce Frieser’s payout from $548,000 to $437,000.
That payout is based on a 2011 contract that applied only to Frieser and then-City Manager Leif Ahnell. Approved with little discussion, the agreement stated that Frieser would get a year’s worth of salary and benefits if she were “terminated or forced out.” The council approved it two days before a new state law limited such severance payments to 20 weeks’ salary.
As he did Monday, Councilman Andy Thomson asked for an outside legal review of the contract and the payout. As happened Monday, his four colleagues disagreed.
I’ll have much more about this in my Tuesday post.
Palm Beach County Schools back on top
The Palm Beach County School District has regained its A rating from the Florida Department of Education.
After dropping to a B for the first time last year, the district moved back up for the 2023-24 academic year. The state announced the latest rankings on Wednesday. The news comes as two school board seats, including the one that includes Boca Raton and West Boca, are up for election this year.
Overall, 82 county schools got grades of A, 49 got a B, 65 got a C and just five were rated D. I’ll report Tuesday on the school-by-school grades.
Fundraising for School Board election
Speaking of that District 5 school board race, Gloria Branch continues to lead the field of five for the Aug. 20 primary in fundraising.
Branch, the daughter of former county school superintendent and Spanish River High School Principal Art Johnson, has received roughly $41,000. About half of that total is a $20,000 personal loan.
Similarly, Suzanne Page has loaned her campaign $15,500, which is almost all her $17,500 total. As she did during her unsuccessful challenge of four-term incumbent Frank Barbieri four years ago, Page has not responded to any candidate questionnaires and is not participating in interviews.
Charman Postel is next with roughly $12,000. Then come Mike Letsky with about $10,000 and Mindy Koch with $4,300. Koch, the former chair of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, received $1,000 from a committee affiliated with State Senator and fellow Democrat Lori Berman.
Notably, Gov. Ron DeSantis did not include any Palm Beach County candidates among the 23 he has endorsed. Though school board races are non-partisan, the governor has backed Republicans whom he believes agree with him on education policy. DeSantis also did not endorse any county candidates in 2022.
Former Delray Commissioner running for public defender
Speaking of the election, former Delray Beach City Commissioner Adam Frankel is running to become Palm Beach County’s public defender. Frankel left the city commission in March because of term limits.
Frankel is a criminal defense lawyer. His campaign contributions reflect his Delray background. He got $1,000 from former City Commissioner Jordana Jarjura and $1,000 contributions from some city vendors. Other contributors include land-use lawyers who appeared before the commission.
The only candidates are Frankel and Daniel Eisinger. Both are Democrats, so the primary will determine who takes over an office that includes roughly 200 people. Eisinger is chief assistant to Carey Haughwout, who has been the much-respected public defender for 24 years and has endorsed Eisinger. Frankel has the support of outgoing State Attorney Dave Aronberg.
FAU back at the drawing board for president
Florida Atlantic University’s presidential search committee held its first meeting on Wednesday, and members don’t seem in much of a hurry, even though FAU has been without a permanent leader since January 2023.
Chair Sherry Murphy said the committee hopes to send “an unranked list” of finalists to the Board of Governors in early 2025. On the current schedule, however, the search won’t begin in earnest until “listening sessions” on the Boca Raton campus when faculty members return. Classes begin Aug. 17.
Murphy again pledged to hold a “transparent” search to find the person who will continue FAU’s “upward trajectory.” Of course, the lawyer advising the committee reminded members that a 2022 state law keeps the names of all applicants secret unless they become finalists. The committee’s next meeting is Aug. 14.
Coco heads to the Olympics
Delray Beach’s Coco Gauff won the U.S. Open last year, but the world’s No. 2-ranked woman tennis player received possibly a bigger honor this week.
Gauff was chosen to be the female flagbearer for the United States during the opening ceremonies Friday of the Summer Olympics. Gauff called herself “incredibly honored.” The 20-year-old will compete in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
