Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Hollywood public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
27 issues in taxes budget
Amendment 3 Property Tax Reform Impact
Commissioners spent a lot of time on the state's property tax overhaul — about $28 million a year hit to Hollywood by year two. Ideas floated: commissioners rolling back their own raises, set budgets for downtown events, and tightening spending everywhere.
Employees' Retirement Fund Correction
A drafting error in last summer's pension ordinance accidentally cut off seven longtime employees' ability to purchase credited service. The fix passed first reading.
Evaluation Process Reform
Two commissioners said the city needs a structured, written evaluation process with goals set jointly for future reviews of the city manager and city attorney — Commissioner Shuham suggested looking at best practices from other cities.
Citywide Professional Answering Service
City will hire 22nd Century Technologies to replace the notorious phone tree with a 24/7 AI and live-agent service. Contract must come back to commissioners with the price before final approval.
CRA Meeting Time Change
The board moved its regular meetings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on first Wednesdays, which Biederman objected to as unrealistic. The change takes effect going forward and can be revisited.
Employee Health and Insurance Contracts
Three consent items would lock in medical/pharmacy, stop-loss, and vision insurance for city employees from 2027 onward — worth roughly $2.3 million a year combined in administrative and coverage costs.
Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan (FY 2027–2031)
Staff showed costs like medical supplies (up 160%), health insurance (up 65%), and fuel (up nearly 50%) over three years. Commissioner Shuham asked for data on the cost of past deferred maintenance to help explain the budget to residents.
FY 2027 Authorized Positions
The resolution setting how many and what kind of positions each city department may staff in FY 2027 was scheduled for action. It affects city staffing levels and service capacity.
Procurement code modernization and cone of silence
A big update to the city's procurement and finance codes passed 6-1. The fight was over a new power for the commission to vote to waive the 'cone of silence' on procurements — Shuham said it invites lobbying; Biederman said the current rule makes their job harder.
City fee schedule update
The city updated its fee schedule with CPI-based increases (2.15%), updated water/sewer rates and added new parking garage fees. Resident Ann Ralston objected that residents are being squeezed by rising costs.
FY 2027 Budget and Property Tax Rate
The city set its maximum millage rate and estimated fire rescue and fire inspection assessment rates, with public hearings ahead on the tentative budget.
Fire Rescue and Inspection Assessments
The maximum property tax rate for next year was set, along with fire rescue and fire inspection assessment rates — all with public hearings still to come before final adoption.
Local Business Tax Receipt Overhaul
Business license fees are going up 5% — most categories just a few dollars a year, raising about $125,000 total. Passed 4-3 over objections that the city shouldn't pinch businesses and landlords in a high-cost economy.
Boulevard Heights senior program funding
State Rep. Marie Woodson delivered a $170,000 check expanding the Memorial-operated senior program at the Boulevard Heights center — the social lifeline she and Mayor Levy described for isolated seniors.
Attorneys' Fees for Greenspoon Marder
The Commission was scheduled to add up to $175,000 in attorneys' fees to outside counsel Greenspoon Marder for fiscal year 2026, bringing the annual total to $275,000. The specific litigation was not identified on the agenda.
Charter referendum on city property transactions
Charter changes on selling, leasing and buying city property go to voters November 3, 2026, after the 2024 ballot language was pulled.
Commission salary rollback and event funding proposals
If the property tax law passes, a majority of commissioners support giving back their last two salary increases and setting dedicated budget line items for downtown events like St. Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras. Details return as resolutions and in the June 11 budget meeting.
Opt-out window and long-term commitment risk
The only guaranteed exit is December 31, 2027 — if RFP pricing beats the master plan's maximum rates. After that, cities are locked in for decades. A proposal for a 25-year exit failed 8-10 at the governing board, though Chair Ryan signaled willingness to revisit it.
FY 2025 audit results
The city earned a clean audit — no findings, healthy fund balances, and the report came out three weeks earlier than last year, the fastest in a decade.
Charter amendment on city property transactions
Voters will decide in November whether to loosen the charter limits on how the city sells, leases, and buys property.
Police pay plan amendment (FOP contract)
The city signed off on an MOU with the police union adjusting pay charts in the 2025-2028 contract, adding a new step (L-12A).
$5.25 million land purchase at 600 Knights Road
The city is buying this property from Bluevis LLC for up to $5.25 million. Residents spoke with concerns before the vote.
New city manager appointment
Raelin Storey Lohse's employment agreement as the incoming city manager was approved unanimously.
City Manager resignation
Raelin Storey Lohse's employment agreement was approved unanimously. She'll keep the 457 deferred-comp plan instead of a 75th-percentile salary bump, which the Mayor said actually saves the city money.
Fleet management contract increase
The city nearly tripled its fleet management services contract, from $3 million to $7.6 million for the first three years of the five-year agreement.
Possible city seal update
Chair Levy suggested updating the official 'Diamond of the Gold Coast' city seal, which the city never uses, to better match the popular turtle logo; staff will bring options.
Waste Pro rate increase to $26.06/month
Residents will pay 88 cents more per month for trash pickup under the amended Waste Pro contract, which also adds annual cart replacement and a dedicated illegal-dumping truck. Commissioners debated but left in place a $20,000 monthly cap on service-failure penalties that predates the amendment.