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Lake Wales kicks off FY27 budget process as commissioners set priorities for parks, public safety and nonprofits
Summary
City finance staff opened the FY27 budget process and presented audit figures showing improved fund balances; commissioners used the session to identify top priorities including recreation facilities, road resurfacing, employee pay, customer service improvements and a review of city support for nonprofits.
City of Lake Wales finance director Dorothy Abbott told the commission the city is beginning its fiscal year 2027 budget process, sharing audit figures and a calendar for meetings and statutory deadlines.
"The governmental fund balance was $18,253,000," Abbott said, adding that net position for governmental activities increased by about $10,579,000 (roughly 22%) and enterprise activity net position rose about 8%. She said staff will issue a draft budget in July and hold the first budget workshop Aug. 12, with further statutory hearings in September.
The session shifted into a priorities-setting discussion intended to guide staff as they prepare the draft. Deputy Mayor Thompson said recreation, customer service and marketing are top needs. "The master recreation plan is huge," Thompson said, and urged the commission to keep the city’s recreation and parks master plans moving forward while exploring technology to improve permitting and billing for residents.
Commissioner Gillespie expressed support for the hotel project and asked that the commission honor any contract obligations tied to that redevelopment, while also urging continued investment in sidewalk and road resurfacing and efforts to retain valued city employees through competitive compensation.
Commissioner Miller emphasized recreation and community facilities, citing the Family Rec Center and the need for downtown event space, murals upkeep and improved access for seniors and people with mobility limitations.
Several commissioners pressed for clearer return-on-investment reporting from nonprofits that receive city support. "I want to feel good about the money that we spend," Deputy Mayor Thompson said, urging a review of how nonprofits that receive city funds demonstrate public benefit.
Abbott and the city manager said staff would incorporate the commissioners’ priorities into the draft budget and return to the commission with the proposed numbers and the recommended interim millage rate. The commission’s next major step on the calendar is the July distribution of the draft budget and a recommendation on an interim millage to allow the statutory notice process to proceed.
The meeting closed the budget-priority segment with staff prepared to revise departmental submissions based on the guidance given by commissioners.
