Excessive local budgets are a growing concern across the U.S., driven by massive increases in spending, wasteful expenditures, and revenue shortfalls that push property taxes and other local taxes higher.

Over the last year, the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has traveled across the state to seek out waste, fraud, and abuse and identify opportunities for improvement. Most government agencies that did not receive a visit from DOGE, tried diligently to reduce costs fearing a future visit.

School board budget: Perhaps most notable, locally, was the Monroe County School Board.  They approved a tentative budget last week BELOW the rollback rate - so they will receive less property tax revenue in the coming year than they received this current year. Great job Monroe County Schools!

Monroe County faced criticism when they approved a tentative budget 7.7% above rollback, promising more cuts would be considered.

Village tentative budget: By contract the Village approved a tentative millage rate of 2.8 mills, more than a 13% increase over the current year!  And remember the increase in the previous 5 years was 58%.  

In four scenarios suggested by staff in the general fund budget agenda this week, the “best” the staff suggested was 7.7% increase over the current year.  None even came close to rollback which would have been a zero increase in property tax. All four scenarios showed identical expenditures - varying only based on the property tax millage rate revenue.

Under the new Senate Bill 4‑F, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 24, 2026, Florida law would set strict approval thresholds for local governments that want to raise property tax millage rates above the “rolled‑back rate” - if approved by voters in November.

Millage rates up to 110% of the rolled‑back rate: Require a two‑thirds vote of the governing body (e.g., city council, county commission)

Millage rates above 110% of the rolled‑back rate: Require unanimous approval of the governing body.

Maybe things will be different next year.

Staggering Numbers: The budget comparison from current year to next for all departments - not just general fund - is projecting a staggering increase from $49 Million to $57.5 Million - 17% increase in just one year.

The Capital Improvement fund shows the Village has planned $8,676,794 of improvements for the fire department, Village Hall, Public Works, Parks, and more.  Lots of grant funding is needed - so the council doubled the amount they will pay a grant contractor to help our staff grant writer, though many of the grants have already been approved to fund much of the work contemplated.

And there is Wastewater. The capital improvements of $12,205,000 including what is hopefully a real fix for the repeated rupturing of the raw sewage pipeline at MM92 that has been ongoing for more than 5 years at an estimated $8 million for the coming year.  

Lack of Public Involvement: The Council appears anxious to minimize public involvement. No committee to review?  Very little time provided for the public to review extremely complex figures, uploading the 93-page budget document for the public just a few days before the first workshop.  

The very format of the budget agenda is extremely difficult to understand.  The bulk of the agenda, the general fund, $24 million, is in Tab 3, 18 items.  Will there be just one 3-minute opportunity for the public to discuss millions of dollars in taxpayer general fund expenses?  Will the public even show up?

For the next year the Council will be asked to pass resolutions to approve many of the expenditures in this proposed budget.  If the budget as presented this week is approved, we will hear repetitively in future approval requests - it is in the budget the council approved.  Every line of the budget is important to assure wise local spending.