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.