The Landings & Bay Colony

14

Commissioner’s Message

Bruce G. Roberts

District 1 Commissioner

BE PREPARED:Welcome back from summer break. Hopefully, everyone had a nice
time with family and friends. As residents of South Florida, we are never far from the
possible dangers associated with hurricanes. The most important step everyone can
take to survive a hurricane is to prepare. If you have not completed your hurricane
preparations, the time to do so is now. For hurricane preparedness information and
a handy check list, visit www.fortlauderdale.gov/hurricane. For National Hurricane
Center updates, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov. IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS:

Hurricane Emergency Hotline 954.828.8888
24-Hour Neighbor Call Center 954.828.8000
Police Department Non-Emergency 954.828.5700
Emergency 911

PACE (PROPERTY ASSESSED CLEAN ENERGY) PROGRAM:The City currently
participates in this program, which provides a funding option for retrofitting your home
or business with energy efficiency improvements or hurricane protection. Two
companies, Ygrene Energy Fund and the Florida PACE Funding Agency, provide this
service. Our experience with Ygrene Energy Fund has been: 354 applications
received; 26 projects completed and funded for $485,000 (average project size of
$18,653); 102 projects currently in construction ($1.8 million); average value of
properties: $300,000; and average equity in the property: 52%. Since we just joined
the Florida PACE Funding Agency, we do not have experience to report as of yet.

BUDGET UPDATE:The Preliminary Budget for FY 2017 was presented to the City
Commission on July 12, 2016. At the meeting, the Commission voted unanimously
to pass a resolution proposing no increase to our current millage rate of 4.1193
per $1,000 of taxable value for FY 2017, which begins on October 1. This marks
the 10th consecutive year that Fort Lauderdale has maintained the same millage
rate. Kudos to our Community Builders for improving operations that enable us to
continue to provide outstanding, cost effective, and value-added services to our
neighbors without having to increase the millage rate. The draft budget addresses
numerous neighbor priorities including: beach renourishment; improving traffic flow;
upgrading streets and sidewalks; enhancing public safety and emergency
management; strengthening water and sewer infrastructure; creating safer, more
walkable and bikeable streets; combating flooding and sea level rise; advancing
sustainability; and investing in technology to streamline plan review and permitting.
It provides us with the resources to continue to deliver quality services to our
neighbors while investing in social capital to build community, expand civic
engagement, and enhance quality of life. The proposed budget also moves us
closer to achieving our citywide vision of creating a diverse, active, livable, and
sustainable community. A special thank you goes out to our Budget/CIP and Grants
Division. Under the leadership of Laura Reece, these tireless Community Builders
spend countless hours throughout the year working with every City Department to
put the budget together. As a reminder, the public hearings on the budget are
scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. in the Commission Chambers on Wednesday,
September 7, and Monday, September 12. I encourage you to review the
proposed budget online, and to attend one of the upcoming public meetings. 
fortlauderdale.gov/home/showdocument?id=16399