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Palm Beach County previews $9.6 billion 2026 budget, weighs cuts and new revenue options
Summary
At a budget retreat, county staff walked commissioners through the adopted $9.6 billion 2026 budget, modeled department cuts and proposed new revenue sources — including school-zone cameras, digital billboards and naming rights — to cover a roughly $36.7 million infrastructure surtax shortfall and other pressures.
Palm Beach County commissioners spent their budget retreat on Tuesday reviewing the county's adopted 2026 budget, options for departmental reductions and a menu of potential revenue enhancements ranging from school-zone cameras to digital billboards and naming-rights deals.
Staff framed the financial picture first. "Our current year 2026 adopted budget is $9.6 billion," Sherry Brown, Director of Financial Management and Budget, told the board, adding that transfers and fund balances inflate the headline total and that the general fund for 2026 is about $2.5 billion. She said when transfers and prior-year fund balance are backed out, the county's net operating budget is substantially smaller.
The presentation outlined department-level scenarios for cuts ranging from 5% to 20% and included concrete examples of impacts. "For Community Services, a 5% cut would be roughly $2 million and eliminate about…
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