The Mayor and Council are scheduled to vote in May on the adoption of a city budget that demonstrates a commitment to capital investments, adopted city plans and fiscal sustainability.
The budget covers Fiscal Year 2024, which begins July 1. In February, City Manager Rob DiSpirito proposed an operating budget of $156.4 million, a 5.1% increase over the FY 2023 adopted budget.
The Mayor and Council discussed changes to the proposal during work sessions on March 6, March 20, April 17 and April 24. They recommended advancing several large capital projects, including improvements to the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, renovation of the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center’s outdoor recreation pool, renovation of the new Maintenance and Emergency Operations Facility at 6 Taft Court, and designing new amenities for RedGate Park. The Mayor and Council also prioritized ongoing city plans, including the Comprehensive Plan, the Climate Action Plan and the Vision Zero Action Plan.
The April work sessions included a discussion of options for avoiding a property tax rate increase in future budgets. Under the city manager’s proposal, the city’s current real property tax rate of $0.292 per $100 of assessed valuation would remain the same for FY24. All residential and commercial property owners pay this tax. Rockville has not increased its property tax rate since 1995.
A final budget work session is scheduled for the Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, May 1. The budget is scheduled for adoption on Monday, May 8. Find Mayor and Council agendas, and videos of the city manager’s proposed budget presentation, budget work sessions and public hearings at www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter. Meetings are broadcast on channel 11 on county cable and livestreamed at www.rockvillemd.gov/rockville11.
For more information, including the adopted FY24 budget book, which will be available in July, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/budget.