The library. The annual canoe race. Events for seniors. More work with fewer employees.
Just about every line in Wilton Manors’ budget is getting more scrutiny this year. The city needs to cut about $600,000 to balance the budget, and that’s on top of a 12% hike in the city’s millage rate.
How the city got to this point has been a long time coming.
Paying Police Officers
The easiest answer-of-the-moment is to point to the police department. The city is in their third contract negotiation with the union since autumn 2022. Crisis-level staffing problems are driven by other regional departments offering substantially more pay.
Mayor Scott Newton put it bluntly: “To keep our own police department, we’re going to have to pay our officers more money.” Whatever number they settle on, it won’t be cheap.
It will likely be the end of 2025 until the staffing issues will work themselves out. Until then, the city is working to bring in FLPD to help cover gaps.
Building Boom
The city dragged its feet for years on modernizing its zoning rules, and it shows. Wilton Manors’ population has been stagnant for well over a decade, at about 12,000 residents.
Some people resisted growth, but in 2021, officials started overhauling the code (Article 30) and made changes allowing for, among other things, taller buildings. But despite approving projects such as a hotel and new residences on Wilton Drive, no developments have broken ground.
Even the most optimistic estimates suggest the city won’t realize their impact on revenue until 2027.
Neighboring cities like Oakland Park and Fort Lauderdale have been green-lighting projects for years and subsequently turbocharging their tax income.
‘At A Crossroad’
Commissioner Paul Rolli succinctly summed up the situation, saying, “We’re really at a crossroads here.”
So, where will the money come from? Most likely a little from here, a little from there. Parking rates could go up to $2/hour. The library, described as a “luxury” for a city of Wilton’s size, could be outsourced to the county.
Positions and hours budgeted for work are already being frozen, and the people who remain will be doing more work for roughly the same pay.
Commissioner Don D’Arminio said COLAs (cost of living allowances) were 6% last year instead of the normal 5% and suggested returning to that number. He also points out that city budgets employees get merit raises of up to 3%. Not all qualify for the maximum amount, and he suggests that the budget line be adjusted to reflect reality.
One person suggested cutting code officers. However, Commissioner Chris Caputo pointed out that code is one of the departments that actually does bring in revenue. Adjusting the amount brought in would get closer to a budget goal.
Another suggested cut was the city’s financial support of street festivals, such as the Stonewall Parade and Street Festival held every June.
The city will hold a public budget workshop on Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in city hall and will hold a final budget vote in September.
