2026-27 City Budget
At a glance
- What: the City of Jacksonville's 2026-27 operating budget, Ordinance No. 2026-504, plus its companion budget bills (2026-505 through 2026-514 and 2026-646).
- Where it stands: adopted at the 2026-09-22 council meeting. The Finance Committee substitute passed as twice amended, 18-1. The budget is flat and below prior-year spending; several items are held in an Amendment 3 contingency until after the November 3 election.
- What's next: if Amendment 3 passes, members said the budget could be reopened; held grant money is to be released about 34 days into the fiscal year if it fails.
- Official minutes (2026-09-22, City Council): 2026-0504 (consolidated government budget) passed as a Finance substitute and amended twice, 18-1 (Diamond opposed). Companion votes: capital plan 0505 17-0 with Gaffney and Gay abstaining; indigent health care agreement (56,000,000 dollars) 0506 19-0; information technology plan 0507 18-1; pension surtax growth rate 0508 18-1; public service grants 0509 17-1-1; opioid grants 0510 16-0-3; Kids Hope Alliance budget (50,323,032 dollars) 0511 16-1-2; JEA budget 0512 15-2-1; council salaries 0513 16-1-2; 0514 18-0-1; Eastside grants 0646 16-1-2.
- Official minutes (2026-09-08, City Council): the public hearing on 2026-0504 was recorded as an additional hearing with a 16-1 tally (Diamond opposed).
Main points
- Lahnen chaired the Finance Committee and called it the first budget in 14 years with less spending than the year before. Council President Howland said it fully funds public safety, critical infrastructure and core services, about 100 million dollars of indigent health care and over 60 million for children's and after-school services.
- Finance created a "public safety contingency" of about 23.4 million dollars as the source for floor amendments; Lahnen has a separate bill to backfill it to 26 million.
- Floor amendments that passed: Florida League of Cities Membership Dues, Affordable Housing Trust Fund (as amended by Salem) and Public Service Grants. Those that failed: Cultural Service Grants (9-10), the Eviction Diversion Program (9-10), a community service center in the east side, and a telehealth program.
- Companion votes: 505 17-0-2, 506 19-0, 507 18-1, 508 18-1, 509 17-1-1, 510 16-0-3, 511 16-1-2, 512 15-2-1, 513 16-1-2, 514 18-0-1, 646 16-1-2. Abstentions were conflict disclosures by Gay, Gaffney, Pittman, Carrico, Joe Carlucci and Matt Carlucci.
- Related: 2026-27 Millage Rates and Amendment 3 Budget Contingency.
Sources
- 2026-09-22 - City Council (council meeting of 2026-09-22; auto-captions)
- Council agendas and legislation: https://jaxcityc.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
- City Council minutes, September 22, 2026: https://jaxcityc.legistar1.com/jaxcityc/meetings/2026/9/3731_M_City_Council_26-09-22_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
- 2026-09-22 - City Council
- City Council minutes, September 8, 2026: https://jaxcityc.legistar1.com/jaxcityc/meetings/2026/9/3730_M_City_Council_26-09-08_Meeting_Minutes.pdf
- 2026-09-08 - City Council
Discussion time
About 36 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).
| Meeting | Minutes |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-22 - City Council | 36 |
Log
2026-09-22 - City Council
Budget Ordinance No. 2026-504 adopted 18-1 (Diamond no) after floor amendments; ten companion budget bills passed. Three floor amendments passed and several failed.
Minutes: 0504 passed 18-1 (Diamond opposed) as substituted and amended twice.
2026-09-08 - City Council
Minutes: additional public hearing recorded 16-1 (Diamond opposed).