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Fort Pierce staff present balanced FY2026 city budget; commission directs city‑clerk salary adjustment for budget hearing
Summary
Finance Director presented a balanced FY2026 city operating and capital budget on Aug. 11. Commissioners agreed to include a proposed city‑clerk salary adjustment in the October 1 budget cycle and scheduled a formal vote at the September budget hearing.
Fort Pierce Finance Director Jonna Morris presented a revised FY2026 city operating and capital budget at the Aug. 11 commission meeting and said the plan is balanced with no use of general‑fund balance.
Morris said the proposed total budget is $67,787,211, with personnel costs totaling $38,703,415. The draft assumes a 5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for city employees, allotments for step increases where applicable, and a reduction of selected non‑personnel line items so the budget would not require drawing on fund balance.
Commission discussion addressed a separate personnel item: several commissioners discussed a proposed salary adjustment for the city clerk. The clerk’s existing salary was discussed in the meeting record as approximately $129,000; commissioners signaled support for moving the position closer to market. The commission directed staff to include a clerk salary adjustment (the commission informally discussed a target near $145,000) in the FY26 budget for the October 1 effective date and to return the item for formal approval at the September 8 budget hearing.
Other budget points presented by Morris included: 29 currently vacant full‑time positions in the city complement; the city’s intention to avoid one‑time fund‑balance uses for ongoing costs; and capital projects funded in the FY26 proposal, excluding one police facility project which staff said will be budgeted separately when due.
Why it matters: The city’s balanced budget preserves operating capacity for municipal services while building a baseline for capital planning and contingencies; the clerk‑salary conversation will be formalized at the budget hearing as a single, identified adjustment to the FY26 appropriation.
What’s next: The commission scheduled a formal public hearing on the FY2026 city budget for Sept. 8. Staff will finalize the budget document with the clerk‑salary adjustment and provide a line‑item packet for review before the hearing.
