The Palm Coast City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2025 budget during the final budget hearing on September 25, 2024, with a significant highlight being the reduction of the millage rate from 4.2570 to 4.1893. Despite this decrease, the City will continue to maintain a high level of services, focusing on public safety and quality of life.
The new budget places a strong emphasis on enhancing public safety, which includes the addition of nine new deputies to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and fully funding three new firefighters in the Palm Coast Fire Department, ensuring better emergency response and safety coverage. To protect and maintain the city’s quality of life, the budget allows for a new Code Enforcement Officer, strategically focused on short-term rentals. Additionally, beautification programs for city medians and rights-of-way will be continued, and parks and recreation amenities will be expanded, with increased hours at the Southern Recreation Center and additional grant funding for cultural arts managed by the Flagler County Cultural Council (FC3).
Several key projects and initiatives will be funded in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget. These include a feasibility study to assess the potential for solar energy usage across city assets to achieve cost savings. The budget also allocates funding for new streetlights on major roads such as Sesame Boulevard, Easthampton Drive, Royal Palms Parkway, Rymfire Drive, and Palm Harbor Parkway. Additionally, 22 lane miles of Palm Coast Parkway, from I-95 to US1, will be repaved, and 22 residential lane miles will be microsurfaced, enhancing safe travel throughout the city.
The city is expanding to meet service needs, with the creation of new swale maintenance and culvert cleaning teams to enhance stormwater management. A new in-fill lot plan reviewer and IT programmer position are also being added to support growing operational needs, including the development of the City’s mobile app. Further investments in IT infrastructure, including call center AI enhancements, ADA website compliance, and hardware upgrades, are planned to improve service delivery and technology capabilities.
The budget includes increased funding for the Palm Coast Historical Society and FC3 to support arts and cultural initiatives, as well as funding for marketing industrial sites to attract new businesses and foster economic vitality in the area.
Implementation of the Parks Master Plan will begin, including adding more inclusive programs, expanding recreational activities, and maintaining existing facilities. Public safety and infrastructure will also see advancements with the start of construction on the Maintenance & Operations Complex (MOC) Fleet Facility and groundbreakings on both Fire Station 26 and Fire Station 22, which will improve emergency response times and enhance public safety.
Additionally, the City will develop a strategic utility plan to address critical water resource infrastructure needs, explore opportunities to relieve parking pressure at the Community Center, and evaluate the possibility of repurposing Fire Station 22 to preserve its historical value and increase public awareness.
“This balanced budget is a testament to the incredible team here at the City of Palm Coast, both City Council and staff, whose dedication to serving our community allows us to deliver quality services while reducing the millage rate,” Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said. “I wish everyone in our community could witness the dedication of this team and the commitment each one of us has to enhancing public safety and maintaining the high quality of life our residents expect and deserve.”
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin added, “This budget reflects our city’s vision for the future—investing in public safety, infrastructure, and quality of life, while also being fiscally responsible. The millage rate reduction demonstrates our commitment to easing the tax burden on residents while still moving forward on key projects that will improve Palm Coast for generations to come.”
The adoption of the Fiscal Year 2025 budget emphasizes that Palm Coast will continue to prioritize public safety, maintain vital infrastructure, and enhance the quality of life for its residents, all while reducing the millage rate and remaining financially responsible.