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Tallahassee commission accepts first-quarter budget update, approves amendments to add bunker gear, cemetery land purchase and utility projects
Summary
City staff presented a first-quarter FY26 budget update and a set of FY26 amendments — including $542,000 for fire bunker gear, a Southside Cemetery land acquisition, $2 million for electric-system growth, a $2.1 million police training facility contribution and $2.85 million in airport resiliency work — and the commission approved the package unanimously 5–0.
Tallahassee officials voted unanimously to accept the first-quarter budget update and approve a package of FY26 budget amendments after a Feb. 18 budget workshop.
City staff told the commission they are projecting an $8 million to $12 million deficit in the general fund for fiscal year 2027 under current assumptions, and recommended a set of targeted amendments and continued monitoring to limit risk. “We are estimating an 8 to $12,000,000 deficit in fiscal year 27,” Robert, a member of the city budget team, said during the presentation.
The approved amendments added: $542,000 to the fire department for bunker gear to be funded from savings in capital and vehicle accounts; an amendment to acquire land and perform site work for the Southside Cemetery (staff also noted the need to relocate one or two gopher tortoises and that the airport will make the first of a 10‑year repayment to the cemetery fund); $2,000,000 for electric utility growth and a warehouse expansion to support system work and new service installations; $2,100,000 to support an indoor training facility as part of the Public Safety Campus; and $2,850,000 for an airport resiliency project to install utility poles and overhead lines.
Staff emphasized the package relied in part on awarded or incoming funds and reallocated savings. The city’s total budget across 14 operating funds was presented as approximately $1,200,000,000; staff said the general fund’s primary revenue sources are property taxes and multiple state and local revenue streams and that there are more than 70 revenue sources in the general fund.
On revenue assumptions, staff reported the commission’s millage rate is being held at 4.4072 for planning purposes and warned that a February 2025 homestead amendment and recurring sales tax holidays could reduce revenues by $2 million to $3 million. The workshop schedule calls for a follow-up workshop on April 15, preliminary property valuations in June, and final budget adoption in September.
Members of the public spoke during the workshop. Resident Stanley Sims said the online budget materials are “not really user friendly” and urged clearer breakdowns and earlier public notice before cuts are finalized. Patricia Allred, representing Towneys Baptist Church, argued the city’s fire service fee is unconstitutional when bundled with utility bills and cited the Ocala case and federal and state religious-liberty protections, asking the commission to pause the fees while litigation is pending. “This fee violates the voluntariness doctrine established in the city of Ocala case,” Allred said.
Mayor Pro Tem moved to accept the recommended action and Commissioner William Cox seconded the motion. The commission voted by voice, and the motion passed unanimously, 5–0. The workshop adjourned until 3:00 p.m. for the regular city commission meeting.
