An Exceptional Year Here In Wellington
Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Continues Efforts To Keep Wellington A ‘Great Hometown’
Wellington’s commitment to stable budgeting for sustainability is reflected in the village’s spending plan for fiscal year 2025, which began Oct. 1, 2024. The budget continues Wellington’s standard of providing high service levels while maintaining its core infrastructure. It also funds many programs that will continue to enhance the community.
What makes Wellington an exceptional community? First and foremost, it is the people. From our visionary Wellington Village Council and dedicated team members to our engaged residents, hardworking businesses and community partners, and generous volunteers; each individual plays a vital role in making Wellington a community of choice and the best place to call home.
As we reflect on the last fiscal year and start the new fiscal year, I am proud to share that our village is in outstanding shape. We are enthusiastic about accomplishments this past year and look forward to opportunities in the coming year.
The fiscal year 2025 budget continues Wellington’s commitment to stable budgeting for sustainability. The adopted 2025 budget is $148-plus million as compared to the fiscal year 2024 budget of $137.7 million, including interfund transfers. The $10 million increase is primarily due to two major utility capital projects — the Meter Replacement Project and the Membrane Plant Expansion Project.
The 2025 budget continues Wellington’s standard of providing high service levels and maintaining its core infrastructure. It addresses capital projects while still maintaining the same millage rate. Specifically, the budget has no increase in the millage — the rate remains 2.47, which is the same rate as the past five fiscal years. In fact, the rate of 2.47 is also the average millage rate for the past 16 years.
Wellington remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing our community as a safe, family-oriented environment with exceptional parks, schools and a vibrant equestrian culture. As we continue to evolve, we aim to solidify our position as the model for the western communities and the county, enriching the lives of residents and visitors alike through strategic projects and initiatives.
One such initiative is the Wellington Sport Academy, a public-private partnership with Wellington Athletics, an entity founded by Jon Bostic, a Palm beach Central High School and University of Florida graduate, and retired NFL linebacker. The official groundbreaking for this state-of-the-art sports complex took place on Sept. 7. The facility, located at Village Park, will feature amenities and spaces designed for athletes of all ages and skill levels, from youth to professionals. The academy will foster local talent and create new pathways for success. It will also serve as a hub for families, offering a place where they can come together, support each other, and celebrate their shared passion for sports and fitness.
The facility will join our new Wellington Aquatics Complex, also located at Village Park. This project aligns with our objective of providing a modern and inclusive aquatic center to benefit Wellington residents of all ages. It is slated to open in late 2025.
Other capital projects continue our focus on maintaining our critical infrastructure. We have completed major renovations of both our utility water and wastewater plants and will embark on replacing water meters throughout the village in the coming year. We will also continue our water treatment plant improvements, transitioning completely to membrane treatment in order to provide the highest quality water supply to our utility customers.
The coming year and corresponding budget will see us continue our focus on youth engagement, as well as continued investment in education. Our commitment to youth engagement and empowerment remains a top priority for our community. The SWAG (Students Working to Achieve Greatness) Program is a remarkable initiative that offers young students mentoring and workplace opportunities. Since 2019, 100 percent of our high school graduates who participated in the SWAG summer internship program have gone on to college, the trades or the military.
The HYPE program provides academic assistance to our elementary school students in need, while the Tom Atkins Civics 101 program encourages civic engagement and interaction between local elected officials and high school students. We plan to expand these engagement opportunities with a youth council, empowering young leaders to engage in community initiatives. Rounding out our dedication to education, the Keely Spinelli Education Grant remains a key element of our budget, providing our 11 public schools more than $400,000 in funding. Over the life of the program, we have provided in excess of $4.6 million in grant funding to schools.
Sustainability across all of our operations is critical to our success. The village recently advanced a significant expansion to the Wellington Environmental Preserve at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat, demonstrating our continued commitment to sustainability and resiliency. We have been awarded a $1.7 million grant for resiliency infrastructure as part of the Resilient Florida Grant Program administered through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as well as more than $700,000 for tree planting as part of the project. We are in the design and permitting phase of the project with construction scheduled to begin later this year for this multi-year project.
As a result of our unwavering focus on strategic planning, we are confident in our foundation for a prosperous future for our great hometown. None of these achievements, however, would be possible without the village’s remarkable staff — our all-star team — who are driven by excellence, better together and dedicated to service. With these shared beliefs as our foundation, Team Wellington is unified in our promise to serve this exceptional community. I am privileged to collaborate with this talented team and inspired by their diligence, expertise and outstanding achievements.
