Jacksonville Opens Public Review of Proposed $2.03 Billion Budget
Mayor Donna Deegan has opened Jacksonville’s public review of a proposed $2.03 billion budget for the city’s 2026-27 fiscal year, beginning a process that will give residents several opportunities to comment before the Jacksonville City Council adopts a budget.
Deegan presented the proposal to the City Council on July 20, 2026. The administration’s proposed General Fund totals $2,026,502,015. A separate proposed Capital Improvement Plan totals $586,110,854.
The figures are proposals, not final appropriations. The sources do not establish whether the City Council will approve the spending levels or priorities without changes.
What the proposal prioritizes
The administration says the proposed budget focuses on public safety, infrastructure, health, housing, homelessness and economic development. Those categories cover services and investments that can affect Jacksonville neighborhoods, roads, public facilities and the city’s response to community needs during the coming fiscal year.
WJXT News4JAX reported that the proposal includes spending involving roads, sidewalks, a septic-tank phaseout and public safety. The available materials do not provide detailed amounts for each of those areas, so the proposal should not be read as confirmation that every listed service will receive an increase.
The administration also says the balanced proposal uses zero dollars from reserves for the second consecutive year. That means the proposed plan does not rely on a reserve draw, but it does not by itself determine how the City Council will evaluate or revise the budget.
Residents can weigh in at town halls
The first listed budget town hall was scheduled for Aug. 5, 2026, at Jean Ribault High School. Additional meetings are scheduled through Sept. 21 at locations across Jacksonville and nearby Duval County communities.
The town-hall series is part of the public input process around the proposed budget. These meetings are opportunities for residents to comment; they are not votes or binding referendums on the spending plan.
Holding meetings at schools and in different parts of the city gives residents a formal way to raise questions about the proposal before the legislative process is complete. The packet does not identify the full list of meeting locations or describe how public comments will affect individual budget items.
What happens next
Jacksonville City Council will consider the mayor’s proposal before adopting the city budget. The scheduled public meetings continue through Sept. 21, providing a known window for residents to participate while the proposal remains under review.
For Jacksonville residents, the immediate issue is not a final spending decision but the shape of the plan moving toward that decision: more than $2 billion in proposed General Fund spending, nearly $586.1 million in proposed capital improvements, and stated priorities that include public safety, infrastructure, housing and homelessness.
Until the City Council takes final action, those amounts and priorities remain subject to the budget process.
Sources
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