Fort Pierce Faces Higher Taxes to Fund Police Raises

📌 TLDR: Fort Pierce is staring down a big decision. City leaders are considering a property-tax increase to cover permanent salary bumps, especially in the police department. Staff warn that even with higher taxes, projected revenue drops in 2027 could still open a budget hole.

📊 The Backdrop: The city’s five-year forecast shows revenue peaking in 2026, then sliding from about sixty-seven point five million dollars to roughly sixty million by 2030. Property taxes, utility taxes, and state transfers all flatten or fall. At the same time, this year’s raises push expenses higher across police, public works, and other departments.

💬 Why It Matters: Twenty police vacancies and rising overtime leave patrol shifts thin. Public Works crews want matching raises and hint at walk-outs if left behind. Homeowners already pay a higher city tax rate than Port St. Lucie. A millage bump now could steady staffing, but it lands on household budgets during a cost-of-living crunch.

📈 By the Numbers:

• Current city millage: 6.9000
• Extra revenue from adding roughly one mill: about two point two million dollars a year
• Police share of the general fund: 30.7 percent
• Cost of this year’s raises across departments: about two million dollars
• Projected revenue decline from 2027 to 2030: about seven million dollars

City finance staff say any millage change is still on the table. One option is adding around one mill; another is holding the rate and trimming elsewhere.

⚖️ The Trade-Off: Raise taxes now and secure money for raises, but risk backlash and still face a dip in three years. Hold the rate, keep bills flat today, and likely cut services, freeze hiring, or drain reserves when revenue slows.

🗓 What’s Next: Commissioners must set a tentative millage in August, followed by two public hearings in September under Florida’s Truth in Millage law. Between now and then they will weigh resident feedback, union pressure, and the looming shortfall before casting a final vote.

👀 What We’re Watching:

• Will leaders reach for a millage bump or carve the budget instead?
• How will Public Works react if police raises move forward without parity?
• Can the city lower police workers-comp costs tied to injuries?
• Does a countywide public-safety sales surtax surface as a long-term fix?

🎥 Watch the full meeting: Budget Workshop Video
📅 Heads-up: The City Commission meets tonight at 5 p.m. If you have opinions on the millage or the raises, this is your chance to speak up.