Deegan proposes $2.03B budget preserving reserves, prioritizing roads and public

[thelakelander]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mayor Donna Deegan on Monday proposed a $2.03 billion city budget for fiscal 2026-27 that keeps reserve funds intact, holds non-public-safety staffing steady and boosts spending on roads, sidewalks, septic-tank phaseout and public safety.

The general fund budget is $2,026,502,015, a 1.1% increase from the prior year, or $22,583,868. For the second year in a row, the proposal does not draw from reserves, city documents show.

"The only reason for the rise is because we made a promise to do right by our first responders three years ago and we continue to keep that promise," Deegan said in his budget address. He also said every spending decision is aimed at "making Jacksonville more affordable" and delivering measurable returns for taxpayers.

Full article: https://www.news4jax.com/news/politics/2026/07/20/mayor-deegan-presents-2026-27-budget-to-jacksonville-city-council/

[jaxlongtimer]

Got to love that AI editing.  Donna is now "he" and "his". Wait until DeSantis finds out we have a transgender mayor .

Sad that the media has been stripped down to such a rudimentary level.

[Charles Hunter]

Got to love that AI editing.  Donna is now "he" and "his". Wait until DeSantis finds out we have a transgender mayor .

Sad that the media has been stripped down to such a rudimentary level.

They fixed it before I looked at it.

[Jankelope]

A 1.1% increase in the budget when you have 2.7% CPI from 2025 is effectively a decrease.

[Ken_FSU]

Seems like a solid, fiscally responsible budget, given the uncertainty about the property tax situation. Relatively flat. Doesn't draw from reserves. Happy to see $25 million for septic tank phaseout. Was a little worried to only see $5 million in the budget for Shipyards West or any money for Met Park, until I remembered that the money was already appropriated in this year's budget. Happy to see $6.5 million set aside this Fiscal Year for JWJP, presumably for a redesign, even though I'm not a fan at all of the concept that Hood designed. Happy to see $8 million for the Emerald Trail Hogan's Creek leg.

I'm sure the nerds will find something to complain about.

[Jagsdrew]

Seems like a solid, fiscally responsible budget, given the uncertainty about the property tax situation. Relatively flat. Doesn't draw from reserves. Happy to see $25 million for septic tank phaseout. Was a little worried to only see $5 million in the budget for Shipyards West or any money for Met Park, until I remembered that the money was already appropriated in this year's budget. Happy to see $6.5 million set aside this Fiscal Year for JWJP, presumably for a redesign, even though I'm not a fan at all of the concept that Hood designed. Happy to see $8 million for the Emerald Trail Hogan's Creek leg.

I'm sure the nerds will find something to complain about.

Copilot said:

We'll have to see how the budget discussions unfold during the council meetings.

One item I found particularly interesting is that St. Johns County, with a population of roughly 350,000, is pushing forward with a budget of approximately $1.46 billion (down from $1.8b). By comparison, Jacksonville, with a population exceeding one million residents, operates on a budget that is only slightly above $2 billion. It's an interesting contrast when looking at budget size relative to population. Obviously, SJC has seen significant growth so infrastructure plays a huge role in their budget.

[Ken_FSU]

St. Johns County, with a population of roughly 350,000, is pushing forward with a budget of approximately $1.46 billion (down from $1.8b). By comparison, Jacksonville, with a population exceeding one million residents, operates on a budget that is only slightly above $2 billion. It's an interesting contrast when looking at budget size relative to population. Obviously, SJC has seen significant growth so infrastructure plays a huge role in their budget.

This is where AI models can easily get confused.

Co-pilot is comparing Jacksonville's General Fund (the flexible, day-to-day, spendable money that the mayor has the power to budget) to St. Johns County's overall budget. St. John County's "general fund" equivalent is around $400 million. They're also very different scenarios (consolidated city/county government vs. non), so it can be a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. Big-picture, Jax is about 3x the size of SJC, operates at roughly 3x the budget, and per capita spending per citizen is nearly identical for the two markets.