The Village of Wellington is preparing its budget for fiscal year 2025 based on the development, implementation and evaluation of plans for the provision of services and capital assets. The first phase of the budget process is presenting the overall village budget. The second phase, departmental budgets, will follow in a few weeks.
The total proposed budget is $148 million, as compared to the fiscal year 2024 budget of $137.7 million, including interfund transfers. The $10.3 million increase is primarily due to two major utility capital projects, the Meter Replacement Project and the Membrane Plant Expansion Project.
The proposed budget continues Wellington’s standard of providing high service levels and maintaining infrastructure. It addresses capital projects while maintaining the same millage rate as the last fiscal year.
With a certified 9 percent increase in the village’s 2024 taxable value to $12.54 billion, the strength of Wellington’s residential market provides ad valorem tax revenues of $2.26 million more than last year at the preliminary 2.47 millage rate.
The ad valorem impact for a homesteaded property valued at $400,000 is an increase of about $33 with a 3 percent assessed value increase. The increase is $111 for a $450,000 non-homesteaded property with a 10 percent assessed value increase.
Besides higher ad valorem revenues based on increasing property values, revenue increases are included for permitting revenues, which is driven by activity in the Building Department, and increased investment income, as rates are higher. The proposed budget includes decreased revenue from the anticipated ending of the countywide sales surtax revenue.
The 2025 Acme Improvement District assessment remains unchanged at $255. The utilities user rates are proposed to increase by an average of $7.47 per month, or 10 percent. These increases are driven by continued operations, maintenance and construction project increases, and environmental mandates for lead in water and forever chemicals.
The preliminary budget funds 254 full-time governmental positions, 68,450 part-time hours, six supplemental positions and nine part-time positions. In the enterprise funds, the budget funds 64 full-time positions and eight supplemental positions.
The largest capital and major maintenance projects in focus for fiscal year 2025 include beginning work on the new Wellington Aquatics Complex in Village Park, intersection improvements at Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue South, and funding in utilities for the Meter Replacement and Membrane Expansion projects throughout the village.
The budget process will continue with distribution of capital project and departmental budget information. Public outreach to gain input from residents and stakeholders continues with multiple online engagement options, including the Budget Balancing Act and Taxpayer Receipt, the Budget Challenge online survey, and Flashvote. Learn more at www.wellingtonfl.gov/budget.
