A few new hires, raises for employees and some $2 million more in spending than the previous year are among the highlights of a proposed spending plan for the village of Islamorada for the upcoming fiscal year.
Council members must not only decide on a millage rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year, but they also face decisions related to counseling services, either from an in-house attorney or continuation with the firm it currently uses in Weiss Serota. Preliminary talks were also heard during a recent budget workshop on the possible hiring of a village resilience officer to deal with sea-level-rise-related projects.
In a two-day span on Aug 2-3, the dais sifted through its first spending proposal since their election victories last November, taking nearly seven hours to learn the budget inner workings, personnel and dollar figures and where certain funds are allocated.
No millage rate was set by the council following the conclusion of budget workshops. A Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice sent to all village property owners will detail a 3.00 rate, or $3 per $1,000 of assessed value. Islamorada could rake in $16.5 million in property taxes with a 3.00 millage rate — that’s due to the village’s taxable value increasing some $7 million to $5.7 billion this year.
The dais was also presented with millage rates of 2.75, which would gather $15.2 million and a rolled-back rate of 2.6634, which brings in the same amount of property tax dollars from last year’s approved budget at around $14 million. Council members could consider a millage rate at an Aug. 17 meeting.
The village is proposing to spend some $21 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which is up from the $18.1 million in projected spending this fiscal year. A majority of Islamorada’s spending is directed toward personnel costs for the 135 employees and 18 members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on patrol in the village. Fire rescue and law enforcement make up almost $9.6 million of the village’s budget.
Council members will mull pay hikes for village staff at anywhere from 3% to 7%. Last year, the dais approved an increase of 6% for anyone making over $100,000 and 7% to anyone who made under $100,000. Evie Engelmeyer, human resources director, told the council at the budget workshop that those increases were “well received” from employees.
A budget proposal before the dais proposed to ax the director of planning and development services position — held by Dan Gulizio before he was fired — that came with a $160,000 salary to provide funds to add an in-house engineer to review plans within the planning department.
The budget also proposed an additional maintenance worker for parks and recreation and a human resources assistant.
The dais also discussed the possibility of adding a resilience officer, either part-time or full-time, to the village. It was supported by Councilwoman Elizabeth Jolin and Councilman Mark Gregg.
“It’s going to be a big deal coming up. Why not jump on it,” Gregg said.
The village’s unrestricted fund balance is projected to total around $14.8 million by the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year. Of that amount, $7.2 million is set aside for hurricane response. A 2023-24 budget with a 3.00 millage rate would increase to $15.7 million, of which $8.7 million would be assigned for response following a hurricane.
The first budget hearing is set for Sept. 12 at Founders Park Community Center.
