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Mayor D.C. Reeves warns $6.5 million property tax cut would affect public safety and city services
Summary
Mayor D.C. Reeves said a proposed $6.5 million cut to Pensacola’s general fund would reduce services including public safety, parks and recreation, and public works, and urged state legislators and voters to study the proposal rather than rush it through in three days.
Mayor D.C. Reeves warned that a proposed $6.5 million reduction to the city’s general fund would have tangible consequences for core services. "A six and a half million dollar cut to a general fund budget of the city. That is not window dressing. That is not trimming," Reeves said, adding that the reduction "will be an impact to public safety service. There will be an impact to parks and rec. There will be an impact to public works."
Reeves said his remarks were not an argument against property tax reform in principle but stressed that reforms that change how municipal governments are funded require time to evaluate and plan. "We need more than three days to figure out how to unwind decades of funding something one way and then deciding to try to attempt to fund it or not fund it another way," he said, urging senators, state representatives and voters to research the consequences of what he described as a "rushed item" with only days for discussion.
The mayor framed his remarks as a caution about rapid state-level changes that could shift the city’s revenue structure and said city services should not be compromised without a fuller assessment. He did not provide a department-by-department budget breakdown, and he did not report any formal vote or action by the city council in this recorded statement.
Reeves closed the discussion by reiterating the need for deliberation and further information before major funding changes proceed.
