2026-09-28 - City Council (Special Budget Hearing)
Summary
Based on manual live captions (a short meeting, about nine minutes); names and figures may be misheard.
- No one signed up for public comment on non-agenda items.
- Second reading of Ordinance 26-84, adopting the millage (property tax) rate for fiscal year October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, was approved by voice vote with no opposition recorded.
- Second reading of Ordinance 26-85, adopting the FY 2026-27 budget, was approved the same way. Staff noted the five-year Capital Improvement Program had already been adopted by resolution two weeks earlier.
- Staff showed a budget video: the City's share is about 21% of a resident's property tax bill (the rest goes to the school district, fire rescue and other agencies); the City's property tax rate has dropped 25% in the period shown, saving the average household about $2,000; the City narrowed its capital needs to 112 critical projects over five years costing $1.1 billion; sidewalk projects cost 140% more than before; and the City has cut its debt by $400 million.
- Mayor Martin said she would vote in favor and noted that the City's bills for the households she analyzed stayed essentially flat while other taxing authorities' portions rose by hundreds of dollars.
Issues discussed
Sources
Video
Transcript
These are manual (live) captions, in capital letters; names and numbers may be misheard.
Transcript
00:24>> GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
00:25WELCOME TO OUR SPECIAL CITY
00:26COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ST.
00:28LUCIE THIS MONDAY SEPTEMBER
00:3028th, 2026 AT 5:30 P.M.
00:34MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE
00:36ROLL.
00:40[ROLL CALLED]
00:43>> WE DID THE PLEDGE OF
00:45ALLEGIANCE AT OUR LAST MEETING.
00:48MOVING ON TO THE PUBLIC TO BE
00:51HEARD.
00:52WITHDREW ANYONE LIKE TO ADDRESS
00:54THE COUNCIL ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS.
00:57SEEING NO ONE.
01:00MOVING TO
01:095. SECOND READING OF ORDINANCES.
01:105.A, ORDINANCE 26-84.
01:11AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE AD
01:11VALOREM MILLAGE RATE FOR THE
01:12FISCAL YEAR (FY) OCTOBER 1,
01:132026, TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2027;
01:15PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
01:16>> THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING.
01:22MADAM MAYOR, STOUNS AND ALL
01:24THATTER PRESENT.
01:26CAROLYN STAR JUSTICE.
01:28YES MADAM MAYOR I DID DO A
01:31PRESENTATION TWO WEEKS AGO.
01:34OF COURSE WE DISCUSSED THE
01:37BUDGET AT LENGTH DURING THE
01:45WORKSHOP.
01:45OR JUST BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER
01:46ANY QUESTIONS.
01:48>> COUNCIL.
01:48>> I DON'T NEED A PRESENTATION.
01:50I DO THINK THAT THE VIDEO IS
01:53ALWAYS HELPFUL.
01:54>> LET'S DO THE VIDEO.
02:04EVERY DAY IN PORT ST. LUCIE
02:08COUNTLESS SERVICES THAT KEEP
02:10LIFE RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
02:13THEY'RE SO DEPENDABLE.
02:16CLEAN RELIABLE WATER FLOWING
02:18FROM YOUR FAUCET.
02:19FEELING SAFE IN OUR HOMES, ON
02:23OUR ROADS.
02:24WELL MAINTAINED STREETS AND
02:26SIDEWALKS.
02:27HOMES AND BUILDINGS BUILT TO
02:29STRONG SAFETY STANDARDS.
02:31ALL OF THESE SERVICES DON'T
02:34HAPPEN ON THEIR OWN.
02:37THIS YEAR'S PROPOSED BUDGET
02:40REMAINS FOCUSED WHILE BEING
02:42RESPONSIBLE WITH TAXPAYER
02:44DOLLARS.
02:45THE CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE MAKES
02:48UP ONE PART OF IT.
02:50ABOUT 21%.
02:51THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, FIRE RESCUE
02:53AND OTHER STATE AND LOCAL
02:56AGENCIES.
02:59LIKE POLICE OFFICERS, PARK
03:02PROGRAMS, FIXING POTHOLES,
03:06MAINTAINING STORMWATER SYSTEMS
03:08AND MORE.
03:09MONEY DEDICATED FOR LEGAL CAN
03:14LEGALLY BE USED FOR THOSE
03:17SERVICES.
03:18WHILE THE OTHERS RELY ON FEES,
03:20SERVICE CHARGES OR GRANTS.
03:23THIS YEAR THE CITY COUNCIL VOTED
03:24ONCE AGAIN TO LOWER THE PROPERTY
03:27TAX RATE.
03:28IN THAT TIME THE CITY'S PROPERTY
03:31TAX RATE HAS DROPPED 25% SAVING
03:35THE ORGE HOUSEHOLD ABOUT $2,000.
03:44INSTEAD OF MAKING BIG CUTS THE
03:45CITY FOLLOWS A STEADY LONG-TERM
03:49PLAN WHILE KEEPING SERVICE
03:54STR
03:55STRONG.
03:55BECAUSE OF COST HAVE GONE UP IN
03:59RECENT YEARS.
04:01SIDEWALK PROJECTS ARE 140% MORE
04:05EXPENSIVE.
04:07POLICE CARS AND EQUIPMENT ARE
04:12UP.
04:14BECAUSE PORT ST. LUCIE IS A
04:15RELATIVELY YOUNG CITY WE DON'T
04:18HAVE THE SAME ESTABLISHED
04:20INFRASTRUCTURE AS OTHER CITIES.
04:25UNFORTUNATELY OUR NEEDS ARE MUCH
04:27BIGGER THAN WHAT OUR CAPITAL
04:31BUDGET CAN KEEP UP.
04:35WE NARROWED THOSE TO 112
04:38CRITICAL PROJECTS OVER THE NEXT
04:41FIVE YEARS COSTING $1.1 BILLION.
04:48TO HANDLE THESE CHALLENGES THE
04:49CITY HAS TAKEN STEPS TO CUT
04:55COSTS.
04:56THE CITY REMAINS COMMITTED TO
04:58PLANNING AHEAD.
04:59SPENDING RESPONSIBLY AND
05:01LISTENING TO OUR RESIDENTS.
05:05ALL WHILE CUTTING OUR DEBT BY
05:08$400 MILLION AND IMPROVING OUR
05:10BOND RATES.
05:13IT KEPT EMPLOYEE RATIO LOW.
05:17ALL THIS HAPPEN WHILE INVESTING
05:19IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC
05:21SAFETY TO HELP KEEP THE CITY
05:24PROTECTED AND MAINTAINED.
05:28ONE THAT IS SAFE, CONNECTED, SAD
05:31BUILT TO LAST.
05:44>> MADAM MAYOR.
05:46SO OUR MOTION FOR TONIGHT IS
05:47JUST ASKING OF TWO ITEMS WHICH
05:49IS THE ADOPTION OF THE MILLAGE
05:52RATE ORDINANCE AS WELL AS THE
05:53BUDGET ORDINANCE.
05:54THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
05:57WAS ALREADY APPROVED ADOPTED
05:59THROUGH A RESOLUTION TWO WEEKS
06:01AFOE.
06:02>> THANK YOU.
06:05THANK YOU.
06:06COUNCIL
06:06>> MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTION
06:1326-84
06:13>> WE HAVE PUBLIC TO BE HEARD.
06:20>> THIS ISN'T A PUBLIC MEETING.
06:23I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP
06:25TO SPEAK.
06:26I'M GOING TO BE VOTING IN FAVOR
06:28OF THIS.
06:29I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALLY
06:32CONSIDER WHAT'S BEEN DONE OVER
06:34THE PAST 11 YEARS.
06:36THERE'S SOME ENTITIES THAT MAY
06:38WANT TO DO A ROLL BACK RATE THIS
06:41YEAR.
06:42IF THEY HAD DONE THE SAME UNDER
06:44CREMENT ACTUAL.
06:50AND SO THESE INCREMENT EL ACTUAL
06:54HAVE RESULTED IN LOWER TAXES.
06:56I'VE ANALYZED A LOT OF BILLS.
07:03A FEW BILLS WERE LOWER.
07:05A FEW BUILDS WERE HIGHER.
07:07AND SO I REALLY SUPPORT THE CITY
07:09OF PORT ST. LUCIE'S APPROACH TO
07:11REDUCING THE PROPERTY TAX RATES.
07:14>> JUST MADAM MAYOR.
07:16I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT.
07:17WHEN YOU SAY THAT THE BILLS YOU
07:20ANALYZED YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE
07:22CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE STAYED
07:25FLAT BUT OTHER AGENCIES DID NOT.
07:30>> WAS ESSENTIALLY FLAT.
07:32BUT OTHER TACXING AUTHORITIES
07:34WENT UP BY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS.
07:36I THINK IT'S A TESTAMENT TO THE
07:39STRATEGY BOTH WHILE I WAS ON THE
07:42COUNCIL AND BREYER TO ME BEING
07:44ON THE COUNCIL.
07:46DEFINITELY APPRECIATE ALL THE
07:48WORK YOU GUYS DO.
07:49>> ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
07:52>> AYE.
07:54MOTION CARRIES.
07:565.B, ORDINANCE 26-85.
08:01AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE BUDGET
08:04FOR THE FISCAL YEAR (FY) OCTOBER
08:061, 2026, TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2027;
08:09PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
08:11>> COUNCIL.
08:12>> MOTION TO APPROVE ORDINANCE
08:1626-85.
08:17>> SAME.
08:17I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
08:20>> ANY DISCUSSION.
08:21ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
08:23ANY OPPOSED.
08:24MOTION CARRIES.
08:25ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE.
08:27WE'RE ADJOURNED UNTIL OUR 6:00
08:30MEETING.