Delray plans to hire more officers

DELRAY BEACH Delray Beach wants to spend more on public safety and the city’s deteriorating streets and seawalls as it considers how to spend taxpayer dollars for the upcoming year.

Among the city’s priorities, Delray Beach wants to add public-safety personnel, repair and replace outdated infrastructure and work with the city’s redevelopment agency to fund improvement projects across the city.

City leaders are considering a $118.1 million budget, an increase of about $6.6 million over last year’s approved budget.

The City Commission will hold a workshop on the budget Tuesday night at City Hall.

Commissioners added the workshop during the first public meeting held Sept. 7, while residents prepped for Hurricane Irma.

The proposed tax rate is $7.09 for every $1,000 of taxable value, a slight decrease from last year.

For the owner of a $350,000 house that’s a primary residence and protected by state homestead laws, the value would increase 2.1 percent, and $50,000 would be exempt from taxation. The increase would be about $16 and the bill $2,179. Three lifeguards and one ocean-rescue captain

It’s the second year Delray has bulked its public safety rosters as part of a three-year commitment, said Mayor Cary Glickstein.

“You can talk about that as a policy but where the rubber hits the pavement is funding personnel and upgrading equipment,” he said.

City staff also is considering purchasing a lot for about $3 million to build a new fire department training center, said Interim City Manager Neal de Jesus, who was formerly the fire chief and intends to eventually return back to the position.