West Palm Beach City Commission approves final millage rates and nearly $950 million budget for the 2026/2027 fiscal year

West Palm Beach, Florida – The West Palm Beach City Commission has approved the city’s final property tax rates and operating budget for the 2026/2027 fiscal year following a special meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The decisions finalized the city’s millage rates and spending plan for the coming fiscal year. The approved budget covers city operations across multiple funds, while the millage rate applies specifically to the General Fund and voter-approved general obligation debt.

Commissioners approved a resolution setting the final operating millage rate at 8.0803 mills. Another 0.0533 mills will be used for debt service on voter-approved general obligation debt.

Together, those rates produce an aggregate millage rate of 8.1336 mills for the fiscal year.

The approved operating millage rate is 5.05% higher than the city’s rolled-back rate of 7.6915 mills. The rolled-back rate is used as a comparison point when determining whether property tax collections would change from the previous year based on the same taxable property values.

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The commission also approved the city’s Fiscal Year 2026/2027 operating budget.

The total citywide budget for all funds is $949,434,844 for the new fiscal year. That figure does not include the Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, and the Economic Community Development, or ECR.

The General Fund makes up a smaller portion of the overall city budget. It totals $302,725,831 for the 2026/2027 fiscal year.

The General Fund is the portion of the budget directly connected to the operating millage rate approved by the commission. The budget was balanced using the final millage rates adopted during the meeting.

The final action came after the city moved through the required budget process and held the special City Commission meeting to consider the final rates and spending plan.

Millage rates are used to calculate property taxes owed to local governments. In Florida, one mill represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable property value. The actual amount a property owner pays can vary depending on taxable value, exemptions and other factors.

The final budget decision gives the city its approved financial framework for the 2026/2027 fiscal year.

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The city said the Sept. 23 meeting included other approvals and decisions as well, with the complete results available through the meeting’s pass/fail agenda.

With the final millage rates and operating budget now approved, the city’s financial plan for the upcoming fiscal year is set at the levels adopted by the commission.

The $949.4 million citywide figure represents spending across all included funds, while the $302.7 million General Fund provides the central operating budget associated with the approved operating millage.

The special meeting marked the final step in adopting the rates and budget for the new fiscal year.