Move to item 2.1 on the agenda.

Adopt ordinance 9936.

Adopt ordinance 9936 on second reading, declaring the millage rate to be levied for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027.

For operating purposes, including the funding of pensions, debt service, and road maintenance for capital improvement expenditures at 5.873 Mills, which is zero percent increase from the rollback rate of 5.873 Mills.

Good evening, Mayor and Council, Kayleen Castle Budget Director.

This is the final here public hearing required by Florida statute to finalize the fiscal year 26-27 operating and capital improvement budget.

To quickly recap the budget process, the proposed budget was uh posted on the city's website on available to the public on June 30th.

A formal presentation was given at the city council meeting on July 16th, and that's the meeting where you set the tentative millage rate.

We had a community engagement workshop on August 1st and a special work session for council discussion on August 11th.

And finally, a formal presentation was given last week at our first public hearing on September 15th.

This is for the final approval necessary to adopt a millage rate of 5.873 mills to support the operating and capital improvement budgets for fiscal year 26-27.

The millage rate you are approving tonight is a decrease of 0.13% from the current year, which represents the rollback rate on 2026 taxable property values.

These advalorum tax revenues are necessary to fully fund the operating and capital project costs of general fund departments.

This includes our police and fire departments, road maintenance, parks and recreation, planning, libraries, and city administration.

I'd be happy to answer questions any questions that you have, and I also have the presentation from last week if there's any slides you would like me to bring up and discuss.

Thank you.

This is a Millage Jordan, so I'm gonna read the entire ordinance.

Ordinance number 9936-26, ordinance of the City of Clearwater, Florida, declaring the millage rate to be levied for the fiscal year beginning in October 1, 2026 and ending September 30th, 2027 for operating purposes, including the funding of pensions, debt service, and road maintenance for capital improvement expenditures at 5.8773 mills, provided an effective date.

From advalorium taxes is 1 million, excuse me, 110 million eight hundred and thirty-five thousand six hundred and ninety-five dollars.

And whereas based upon the taxable value provided by Pinellas County property pricer, five point eight seven seven three mills are necessary to generate 110 million eight hundred and thirty-five thousand six hundred ninety-five dollars now, therefore beater by the city council of the city of Clearwater, Florida.

Section one is hereby determined that a tax of five point eight seven seven three mills against a non-exempt real and personal property within the city is necessary to raise the sums to be appropriated for operational purposes, including pensions, debt service, and road capital improvement projects for the fiscal year beginning in October 1, 2026.

Section 2, the levy of 5.873 mills constitutes a 0.0 increase from the rollback rate.

Section 3, this ordinance shall take effect October 1st, 2026.

Is anyone here at the night from the public that desires to be heard regarding agenda item 2.1 is there any council discussion?

Vice Mayor.

Thank you, sir.

First, I'd like to thank all the directors that are in the room for stressing your budgets.

Um I continue to ask you to keep doing that.

Um because I can tell you that as a taxpayer and a city of Clearwater resident, second generation, it means a lot.

So to be able to hit this rollback rate.

Um, thank you to this board for uh agreeing to do that and then looking towards the future of um maybe reducing the millage rate.

Uh I'm excited about and trying to work through those hoops and hurdles.

I know that nobody really wants to hear that, but I think that it's important to try and do for those people that do pay for our services.

Um, and you know, if we did that more often, maybe we wouldn't be looking at a um amendment three ballot initiative.

But um I want to thank you each and every one of you for doing the hard work, putting it in, trying to make the tough decisions.

It does mean a lot uh for me, and we'll see uh what happens going forward, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

So thank you.

Any other discussion?

If not, is there a motion?

Move to approve agenda item 2.1, second.

All those in favor?

Opposed unanimous.

Move the agenda item 2.2.

Uh adopt ordinance 9937-26 on second reading, adopting an operating budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027, authorizing the city manager to issue such instructions that are necessary to achieve and accomplish the service programs so authorized, authorizing the city manager to transfer monies and programs among the departments and activities within any fund as provided by chapter two of the Clearwater Code of Ordinances.

This is the final approval of the ordinance to adopt the operating budget as presented for fiscal year 2627.

Last week I went over the changes that were made from the preliminary budget, um, and this budget will go into effect October 1st.

I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have.

Maybe we have a reading.

Ordinance number 9937-26.

Ordinance of the City of Clearwater, Florida, adopting an operating budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1st, 2026 and ending September 30th, 2027, authorizing the city manager to issue such instructions that are necessary to achieve and accomplish the service program so authorized, authorizing the city manager to transfer monies and programs among the department's activities within any fund as provided by chapter two of the Clearwater Code of Ordinances providing an effective date.

That's good evening, Council Gill Johnson.

Uh last week during the first reading of this ordinance, I suggested a slight change in the budget priorities to more closely aligned with the city's logo, bright and beautiful from the bait to the beach.

Uh, and uh from the city's entrance from the COTREn Park and from Clearwater Beach.

What I didn't do is I didn't highlight the changes that would be needed to resolve this situation, and so I thought I'd come back and point that out to you.

You have a handout which has those in the first slide.

There are three photos along off debate, and in each case, plants have died and not been replaced, just replacing them, or as you have done on several other areas, putting an alternative method of plants, but periodically upgrading and replacing plants.

In Coach and Park, we again have an instance, the first one that mulch area originally was plants, and looked real nice in the second photo.

It's a dead tree in the lake that's been there for quite a while.

And in the bottom, that used to be a grassy knoll, but it for some reason the grass in that area has just died out to Clearwater Beach.

We've talked once before about the shell used as mulch in this case.