The Flagler Beach City Commission adopted its final millage rate and the fiscal-year 2025–26 budgets on Sept. 25 after a contentious discussion over a proposed utility engineer position. Commissioners approved Resolution 2025–76 (the city budget) as amended to remove the proposed utility engineer line; the measure passed 3–1.

Why it matters: The utility fund pays for water, sewer and drainage infrastructure. The proposed position drew sustained questioning about cost, timing and whether the city should instead use consultants or add field staff. The commission’s decision affects staffing, planned work and future budget amendments.

Key points from the debate
- Commissioner Bellheimer objected to the salary and the speed of adding a higher-paid engineer, noting the city had paid $90,000 three years earlier for engineering work and that the proposed staffing increase would push related costs well higher. He said he would vote no unless the utility engineer expense was removed.
- Commissioner Spradley urged a broader view, stressing the volume of infrastructure and stormwater work the city needs and saying staff expertise is required to execute projects and move planned work forward.
- Commissioner Cunningham argued the city could hire third-party engineers and preferred boots-on-the-ground field staff to address urgent work rather than add an in-house engineer.
- The city manager recommended removing the new utility engineer line from the adopted budget if a majority of commissioners opposed it and said the position could be added later by a budget amendment should a demonstrated need emerge; that amendment would return to the commission for approval.

The vote and outcome
- Resolution 2025–76, the FY2025–26 city budget (as amended to remove the proposed utility engineer), passed 3–1. Commissioner Cunningham voted no; Commissioners Spradley and Chairman Sherman voted yes, and Commissioner Bellhumor recorded a yes vote on the final roll call after earlier remarks.

Next steps and constraints
- The city manager said that if a future need for a utility engineer is demonstrated, any hiring would require a budget amendment and would return to the commission for approval before the city began recruitment or contracting.
- Commissioners also discussed scheduling a city-manager performance evaluation; the commission asked staff to place that item on a future agenda.

Quoted in meeting
"We have an incredible amount of work that needs to be done going forward," Commissioner Spradley said, urging the budget be approved to allow projects to proceed.
"If you want it out, take it out," the city manager said, referring to the utility engineer line.

Context
The commission also adopted the millage resolution (Resolution 2025–75) setting the ad valorem property tax rate unchanged from the tentative rate. The budget adoption completes the city’s formal fiscal process before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.