- City of Tallahassee Commissioners are set to discuss its proposed budget for 2026 during commission meeting Wednesday.
- Most of the budget will go toward improving public safety.
- Read the article a full breakdown of costs.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The City of Tallahassee is planning a $1.22 billion budget for 2026.
Most of that money will go to public safety.
The Tallahassee Police Department will get about $82.6 million dollars for 20 new officers, increased wages to hire and keep staff and investments in equipment like surveillance systems.
Fire services could also see some changes.
The city is proposing a $4.86 per month increase to the fire service fee.
It warns that the current rates won't be enough to continue the same level of service by mid-2026.
Those funds would go toward new salaries for firefighters, cover construction costs for fire stations 15 and 17 and go toward hiring 24 firefighters.
The City also wants to improve its ISO rating, which currently rests at three.
Lower ISO rates can help lower insurance premiums.
But it has to either approve or deny Leon County's new terms, which advocates for a lower rate.
The County discussed the City's request in a special meeting in May.
It would be the second increase to the rate in two years.
Solid waste costs could also go up.
Neighbors could see a 43-cent increase in their monthly trash bill.
It's in response to Leon County increasing its rates to dump trash.
One less cost to worry about is the millage rate; it will stay the same.
The city is planning to make other upgrades next year like investing $100 million into its wastewater systems.
It will increase its capacity as the city grows.
Funding affordable housing programs
And investing about $8 million back in community-action groups that focus on reducing violence among youth.
The city will discuss the budget in detail during a commission meeting Wednesday. The city is hoping to approve two public hearing dates for the budget in September.
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