Lynn Haven commission asks staff to study service consolidations while residents warn against cutting core public-safety roles

The Lynn Haven City Commission directed the city manager to evaluate opportunities to consolidate services funded through the general fund and to develop associated cost proposals, part of early work on a leaner FY27 budget. City staff framed the review as wide-ranging: options could include cooperation with Bay County, neighboring municipalities or private providers.

Commissioners emphasized this is an exploratory step. “We are just looking at any avenue possible right now to cut costs,” the city manager said, noting the city is facing substantial budget pressure and will examine multiple service-delivery models.

During public comment, resident and volunteer Ryan Scray recounted a visit to Fire Station One and urged commissioners not to include core emergency services in consolidation efforts, citing Lynn Haven Fire and Rescue’s typical five- to ten-minute advantage over county rescue squads. "Core services like police and fire definitely need to be left off the table," Scray said.

Another commenter, Mr. Bashir, warned that Bay County’s millage rate (he cited 6.8) is higher than the city's (about 4.0) and cautioned that shifting services to the county could result in deeper cuts to service levels. Several residents asked for clear estimates of savings and impacts (for example, projected changes in response times) before any consolidation decisions.

Commissioners and staff agreed to study options and report back with proposals; the commission voted to move the discussion forward. No final structural changes or contract awards were approved at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will evaluate potential savings, service impacts and intergovernmental options and return with detailed proposals for the commission’s review.