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St. Pete Beach staff previews $85.4M budget, citizen roadshow and reserve plan
Summary
City staff presented an $85.4 million all‑funds budget overview, a three‑step reserve policy and a series of neighborhood ‘‘budget roadshows’’ to gather resident input ahead of commission votes this fall. Committee members pressed for clearer breakdowns of parking revenues, resiliency funding and the effects of Amendment 3 on homestead exemptions.
City staff presented the proposed FY27 budget and a public engagement plan, telling the Budget & Finance Committee the city's total resources across all funds are roughly $85.4 million and that the general fund is about $32.8 million. The presenter said the city uses a three‑step reserve approach — 25% unassigned fund balance, a hurricane contingency for declared emergencies, and directing anything above those reserves to capital priorities — and plans to publish a short "citizen's budget in brief" for residents.
"So when we're looking at our total, all funds, we have about 85,400,000," the presenter said as he walked the committee through revenue and fund balances. Staff flagged $5.93 million in outstanding FEMA reimbursements as an unknown timing risk and noted the projected $15.9 million in ad valorem revenue reflects rising property values rather than a millage‑rate increase. The committee asked staff to separate one‑time reappropriations from recurring revenues on summary pages so residents can see what is new funding versus carried‑forward projects.
Committee members were briefed on the schedule for community outreach: a series of district roadshows in August (six stations at each stop) followed by presentation of roadshow results to the commission on Sept. 9 and the final millage/budget hearings in mid‑to‑late September. Staff said the roadshow will include mapped capital projects by district, a thermometer exercise for resident appetite on millage changes, and a $10–20 page citizen's budget to translate the full packet for the public.
