The proposal would increase general-fund spending by $22.58 million, or 1.1%, over the current year. It also includes salary increases for police and fire employees, a substantially larger road-resurfacing allocation and $25 million for aging septic tanks in historically underserved neighborhoods.

The plan is not final. The City Council Finance Committee is scheduled to begin reviewing it Aug. 13, with five additional hearings listed for Aug. 14, 20, 21, 26 and 27.

Road funding would rise sharply

Road resurfacing is one of the clearest changes in the proposed spending plan. The allocation would increase to $35.94 million, up from $13.2 million in the current year.

That is an increase of $22.74 million, meaning the proposed resurfacing allocation would be more than twice the current amount. The proposal does not make that funding final; the City Council’s budget review will determine whether the amount changes before adoption.

For Jacksonville residents, the road allocation is a direct question of how much city money will be available for resurfacing during the next fiscal year. It is also one of the largest individual increases identified in the proposal.

Septic-tank funding targets neighborhoods

The proposed budget includes $25 million to address aging septic tanks in historically underserved city neighborhoods. That puts neighborhood infrastructure alongside roads and public-safety compensation among the plan’s highlighted priorities.

The septic-tank funding is proposed spending, not a completed program or a guarantee that all of the money will be used as outlined. Its inclusion gives council members another major infrastructure commitment to examine during the August hearings.

Police and fire pay included

Deegan’s proposal also calls for salary increases for police and fire employees. The measure would make public-safety compensation part of the budget debate as council members review the city’s broader spending commitments.

The public-safety pay proposal comes within a general fund that would grow by $22.58 million, or 1.1%, compared with the current year. Council members will weigh those proposed increases against road resurfacing, septic-tank work and other city services during the review process.

Six finance hearings are scheduled

The Finance Committee’s listed hearing dates are Aug. 13, 14, 20, 21, 26 and 27, 2026. The committee is the City Council body identified by Jacksonville for reviewing the 2026-27 budget.

Those hearings are the next scheduled step after the mayor’s presentation. The final budget, tax rate and department-level changes will depend on City Council action.

Until that action occurs, Jacksonville’s $2.026 billion plan remains a proposal. The August review will determine whether the higher road-resurfacing allocation, $25 million septic-tank commitment and police and fire salary increases remain in the city’s final spending plan for the next fiscal year.

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.

The presentation occurred July 20, 2026. The proposal had not been adopted as of the city’s official announcement and remains subject to City Council review.

Jacksonville also announced that another round of budget town halls will begin Aug. 5, creating an upcoming opportunity for residents to engage with the proposed plan while it is under review.

A proposal, not a final budget

The plan covers fiscal year 2026-27. It is a proposed budget, meaning its provisions remain before the City Council rather than being final city policy.

The official information provided with the announcement does not specify a total proposed spending amount, a millage rate, department-by-department allocations or a final adoption date. It also does not establish whether taxes, services or staffing would change.

Those distinctions matter because the budget is the city government’s principal annual spending decision. It sets the framework for public services, taxes, staffing and capital priorities, but the specific choices in the 2026-27 proposal were not included in the available announcement.

Town halls begin Aug. 5

The city said the next round of budget town halls starts Aug. 5, 2026. The announcement did not provide the complete schedule or public-comment procedures in the information available for this report.

Residents seeking to weigh in on the proposal will need to consult the city’s budget and town-hall materials for additional meeting details. The town halls come as the proposal proceeds through the City Council’s review process.

Consolidated government process

The budget process is being conducted through Jacksonville’s consolidated Jacksonville-Duval County government, not as a county-only budget proceeding. It involves the City of Jacksonville, Mayor Deegan and the Jacksonville City Council, with Duval County residents among those affected by the municipal government’s annual budget decisions.

The city’s official website and government news archive listed the July 20 budget presentation and the Aug. 5 town-hall announcement as current government news. The next known milestone is the start of the town-hall round; any final budget action remains dependent on the City Council review process.

The proposal is not yet an adopted budget. City Council must review and approve the plan before its figures become final appropriations.

The budget sets the proposed framework for municipal spending in the coming fiscal year, including public safety, roads, reserves, grants and other city services. Reporting on the proposal described its priorities as reserves, roads and public safety.

Proposed spending includes sheriff’s office allocation

The proposed general-fund total is approximately $2.03 billion, according to reporting on Deegan’s presentation. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is listed for a proposed $673.6 million allocation.

Those amounts are part of the mayor’s proposal, rather than final council-approved appropriations. The available information does not establish what amendments, if any, City Council may make during its review or the final budget and millage rate that could emerge from the process.

The full distribution of proposed funding among city departments also is not established by the available reporting. The proposed sheriff’s office amount is one identified departmental allocation.

Finance Committee hearings begin Aug. 13

City Council’s Finance Committee has scheduled six budget hearing dates: Aug. 13, 14, 20, 21, 26 and 27. The hearings are part of the council review process following the mayor’s July 20 presentation.

The schedule gives council members a series of meetings to examine the proposed plan before acting on the budget. No City Council vote total or approval is reflected in the information available as of the proposal and hearing schedule.

The city also has scheduled budget town halls beginning Aug. 5 to discuss the proposal with residents. Those sessions precede the first listed Finance Committee hearing on Aug. 13.

What remains to be decided

The mayor’s submission begins, rather than completes, the municipal budget process. Council review will determine whether the proposed $2.03 billion general-fund plan and identified agency allocations remain unchanged or are amended before approval.

For Jacksonville residents, the process will shape the spending plan used to support city operations and services in 2026-27. The next listed public steps are the town halls beginning Aug. 5 and the Finance Committee’s hearings beginning Aug. 13.

Following a tense July 16 meeting, aviation authority officials did not agree to abandon the litigation threat. Instead, they authorized the mediation period outside court. No lawsuit had been filed in the cited reports.

Dispute centers on budget authority

The authority said it was preparing to sue the city after contending that Jacksonville City Council exceeded its legal authority through changes to the authority’s budget. The authority also alleged that the council sought to divert federal airport funds.

Those are allegations by the aviation authority, not a finding that funds were diverted or that the city acted unlawfully. The legal status of the budget changes remains contested.

According to the authority’s executive director, as reported by News4Jax, City Council approved the budget changes in an 18-0 vote. The city also pursued state legislation that would alter the aviation authority’s charter, another point of conflict between the two public bodies.

What is at stake

The dispute concerns an independent public aviation authority created by a 2004 Florida legislative act. The Jacksonville Aviation Authority oversees four public airports in Duval County: Jacksonville International Airport, Cecil Airport, Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport and Herlong Recreational Airport.

The authority’s challenge raises questions about who has control over spending connected to those airports and funds managed by the authority. It also concerns the relationship between Jacksonville’s city government and the separate public body that operates the airport system.

Jacksonville International Airport is among the facilities affected by the dispute, along with the three other airports overseen by the authority. The reports do not establish that airport operations or specific projects have changed because of the conflict.

Mediation is the next known step

The 30-day mediation authorization is the next known step after the July 16 meeting. The authority’s decision preserved the possibility of litigation rather than resolving the underlying disagreement.

The outcome of mediation was not available in the cited reports. It remains unclear whether the city and the aviation authority will reach an agreement, whether litigation will be filed after the mediation period, or how the contested budget and charter issues will ultimately be resolved.

The proposal is not yet adopted. It now moves through the Council’s budget process, including Finance Committee review, scheduled public town halls, possible Council amendments and later adoption proceedings.

The plan applies to the consolidated City of Jacksonville-Duval County government. Its spending priorities concern public safety, infrastructure and city services for the coming fiscal year.

Proposed spending plan

The proposed general fund totals approximately $2.03 billion, according to reporting on the mayor’s plan. That figure is a proposed total rather than an enacted appropriation.

Under the proposal, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office would receive approximately $673.6 million. The proposed allocation is part of the submitted budget and remains subject to the Council’s review and any amendments made before final action.

The available materials do not establish a final tax rate or final department-level allocations. The city’s spending decisions will not be final until the Council completes its adoption proceedings.

Committee review and public meetings

The Council Finance Committee is scheduled to review the proposal in August. That committee stage is the next identified step after the mayor’s July 20 presentation.

The city also scheduled a series of public budget town halls during August and September to discuss the proposal. One town-hall event is scheduled for Aug. 5, 2026.

The public meetings occur while the budget is still under review, rather than after a final spending plan has been enacted. They are part of the posted review schedule alongside the Council’s committee work.

September Council proceedings expected

Full City Council deliberation and adoption proceedings are expected in September, according to the Council’s budget information. The schedule identifies September as the anticipated stage for the full Council to consider the budget after the August committee review.

No final spending plan has been approved through the mayor’s presentation alone. Council members may consider changes before adoption, meaning the proposed $2.03 billion general-fund total and the proposed Sheriff’s Office allocation are not final city appropriations.

For Jacksonville residents and city departments, the Council process will determine the final budget that directs spending on the services and priorities covered by the proposal. The next known procedural milestone is the Finance Committee’s August review, followed by the scheduled town halls and expected September Council deliberations.

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

Jacksonville utility customers are watching two tracks at once: a JEA workshop on possible water, sewer and electric rate changes, and a City Council investigation into capacity fees and related oversight questions. That overlap matters because it puts near-term bill pressure and public accountability under the same spotlight.

JEA held its April 14 workshop to discuss rate recommendations and capacity fees. The utility has not announced a final rate outcome from that meeting, and customers should not treat workshop discussion as approval. Any actual change still depends on the utility’s formal decision-making process.

Why this matters for households and small businesses

Even a modest utility increase can land differently from one customer to the next. Households with higher water or electric use may feel it first, while landlords, restaurants and other small businesses with larger loads can see the costs add up quickly across multiple accounts or properties.

That is why the timing is important. If JEA moves toward higher rates, the effect would reach monthly bills. If the City Council probe leads to tighter oversight or a different approach to capacity fees, it could also shape how the utility explains future costs to customers.

What the Council is examining

Jacksonville City Council’s special JEA committee remains active and is examining capacity-fee collection and broader compliance and governance questions. The committee’s charge is not a final ruling, but it does show that lawmakers are still following the money while rate discussions continue at the utility.

For residents, that means the public conversation is not only about how much the average bill might change. It is also about whether JEA’s fee structure, spending decisions and internal controls are being explained clearly enough to ratepayers and elected leaders.

What remains unsettled

Nothing in this week’s activity settles the rate question yet. The workshop was a discussion, not the end of the process, and the Council inquiry is still an investigation rather than a completed finding. That leaves customers with uncertainty on both price and oversight.

The practical takeaway is simple: Jacksonville residents should watch for the next JEA board step and the next City Council committee meeting listed on the Jacksonville City Council calendar. Those are the places where the utility’s next moves, and any political reaction to them, are most likely to become clearer.

Sources

• JEA rates and capacity fee workshop notice
• Jacksonville City Council special JEA committee charge
• Jacksonville City Council April 2026 calendar
• News4JAX report on JEA rates and capacity fees
• News4JAX report on the JEA investigation
• Jacksonville Today report on JEA board nominations and investigations