Jacksonville Council advances $2.03 billion budget into August hearings

Jacksonville is heading into formal budget review with Mayor Donna Deegan’s proposed $2.03 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2026-27. The proposal emphasizes public safety, road resurfacing, drainage, sidewalks and the phaseout of septic tanks, but it is not yet the city’s final budget.

The proposed general fund totals $2,026,502,015, an increase of 1.1%, or $22,583,868, from the prior year. City documents and News4JAX report that the plan would not draw from reserves for a second consecutive year and would hold non-public-safety staffing steady.

Where the proposed money would go

Public safety remains the largest spending priority. The proposal includes $1,073,743,908 for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, or about 53% of the general fund. The plan also continues proposed investments in first-responder pay, pensions, equipment, training and technology.

Several infrastructure allocations could affect residents’ daily routines over time. The proposal includes approximately:

• $35,947,180 for road resurfacing;
• $25 million for septic-tank phaseout work;
• $25 million for stormwater and drainage projects; and
• $12 million for new and repaired sidewalks.

Those projects would not automatically mean every listed road, drainage improvement or septic-to-sewer conversion is fully designed or immediately scheduled for construction. If funded, however, the categories address practical concerns for commuters, pedestrians and neighborhoods dealing with flooding risk, aging infrastructure or household septic systems.

The proposed fiscal-year capital improvement plan totals $586,110,854. The mayor’s budget address says the plan would prioritize projects considered ready, necessary and valuable rather than treat every potential project as immediately fundable.

How Jacksonville would fund the plan

The proposal projects about 6% growth in property-tax revenue, tied to rising property values and new properties. Budget materials list projected property-tax revenue of $1,291,662,837.

That is a revenue projection, not an automatic change to an individual property-tax bill or a final tax-rate decision. News4JAX reported that the projection could be affected if a separate property-tax cut proposal is approved by voters in November.

Other major revenue sources listed in the budget materials include a $151,481,319 JEA contribution, $225,952,033 in state-shared revenue and $122,854,579 from the utility service tax.

What happens next

The City Council’s Finance Committee is scheduled to begin budget hearings at 9 a.m. Thursday, August 13, in the Council Chamber on the first floor of City Hall. The calendar also lists hearings for August 14, August 20 and August 21.

Those hearings give Council members an opportunity to question the administration’s assumptions, examine department requests and amend or reject parts of the proposal. The plan remains subject to Council review and final adoption.

For Jacksonville residents, the immediate takeaway is that the city is considering a proposed $2.03 billion budget whose largest practical priorities are public safety, roads, drainage, sidewalks and septic-tank phaseout. What ultimately receives funding will be determined through the hearing and adoption process.

Sources

• Mayor Deegan’s 2026 Budget Address and proposed budget documents
• News4JAX budget report
• Jacksonville City Council legislative calendar