Wilmington mayor unveils $201 million FY2026 budget, proposes EMS shift to fire department and targeted tax relief

Mayor John Carney presented Wilmington City’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget on March 20, proposing a $201,000,000 general fund that the administration says is revenue-neutral on property tax after a county reassessment and that shifts emergency medical services into the Fire Department.

The proposal, delivered to the Wilmington City Council by Mayor John Carney, would hold property tax revenues flat by lowering the city tax rate to account for newly reassessed values while offering a one-year, one-time tax-assistance program the administration is still designing. "I made it a priority to balance our budget without seeking additional property tax revenues with the recent reassessment," Carney said.

The mayor told the council the budget includes a modest 4% increase in the general fund overall and allocates $4,000,000 to launch an ambulance service under the Fire Department after the city’s third-party provider informed the city it could no longer meet needs. "The new service will cost $4,000,000 to get started," Carney said, adding that future years would be offset in part by ambulance-fee revenue from insurers, Medicare and Medicaid.

Why it matters: The package combines near-term steps to maintain tax neutrality with new operational investments that could change how emergency medical services are delivered and funded in Wilmington. The council received the mayor’s budget documents and the administration introduced several related ordinances for…