At its Tuesday night meeting, the Safety Harbor City Commission voted unanimously in separate votes to approve keeping the city's millage rate the same at 3.95 and to approve the fiscal year 2024 city budget. Second and final votes on both are scheduled for Sept. 18.
The millage rate of 3.95 will stay the same as it has since 2017 and is the fourth-lowest in Pinellas County. Because Safety Harbor property values are up 9.44 percent this year, keeping the millage rate the same will generate $7,211,800 in revenue, or $609,090 more than last year. Had City Commission approved what is called the "rollback" rate of 3.6380, which the rate that would have generated the same amount of revenue as last year, it would have had to cut that $609,090 out of the fiscal 2024 budget, as health insurance costs rose 6.75 percent and Pinellas County Sheriff's Office rates rose 7.63 percent.
The 2024 general fund budget is $31,711,080, with the overall city budget being $98,080,790.