Fort Myers City Council reviews budget options during an Aug. 10 workshop at City Hall. Council members are considering cuts to vacant positions, programs, grants and other spending as they work to close a projected $9.2 million budget gap for fiscal 2027.
Fort Myers City Council is considering a comprehensive list of cuts to help close next year’s $9.2 million budget gap, from a citywide hiring freeze to eliminating signature programs, such as The Edison Awards and arts and culture grants.
City Council reviewed the options identified by staff at an evening workshop Aug. 10, part of a series of discussions to prepare for final budget hearings in September.
City staff identified about $6.8 million in cuts for fiscal year 2026-27, split among services, programs and vacant positions that could be left unfilled.
They go beyond belt-tightening measures city leaders have already factored into next year’s budget, such as sharply reducing travel and operational expenses, City Manager Marty Lawing said.
That’s part of a larger strategy to fill the shortfall. Council members are set to choose some combination of cutting programs and services, raising the millage, or property tax rate, raising a fire assessment fee and dipping into reserve funds to balance the budget.
“Really take a hard look at them and see where we might be able to save some,” Mayor Kevin Anderson advised Council and staff. “It’s a tough year and we have to make tough decisions.”
The budget gap is due to flat revenue for fiscal 2027, in large part the result of softening real estate values, while expenses rise. Finance Director Christine Tenney said general fund revenue is expected to rise just 0.2% to $183.6 million while expenses climb 5.3% to $192.8 million.
Tenney said Council can use up to $5.8 million in reserves to help close the gap while still keeping reserves at a targeted 20% of the balance.
The millage rate could be raised no higher than 7.3112 mills from last year’s 6.5 mills. Each mill represents a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
Fort Myers City Hall is shown in downtown Fort Myers. City officials are considering $6.8 million in cuts, along with higher taxes and fees and the use of reserves, to close a projected $9.2 million budget gap for fiscal 2027.
Evan Williams
And last year’s fire assessment fee could go up no more than 10%.
The projected budget shortfall comes during a year when Florida voters will decide on Amendment 3, an increase in the homestead exemption that would reduce property taxes but erase millions in ad valorem revenue for local governments across the state.
Amendment 3 will not directly affect next year’s budget, but planners across the state are already bracing for its potential impact if 60% of voters approve the measure.
City staff identified the following cuts for Council to consider for fiscal 2027.
There are 33 staff vacancies worth about $3.4 million that the city could leave unfilled. They include five police and two fire department personnel but no sworn officers. The positions also include a deputy city attorney, internal audit manager, emergency manager, assistant fire chief and senior engineering project manager.
The city could cut or reduce $1.9 million in contributions to a wide variety of local organizations. Those include the Black History Society, Garden Council, Imaginarium, Alliance for the Arts, ArtFest, Florida Rep, The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Holiday House and River District Alliance, known for hosting ArtWalk and MusicWalk. The contributions category also includes an Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other discretionary funds.
The cuts could include more than $453,000 in programs and grants, including Step Up to Work for students, a Citywide Intern Program, Arts & Culture Grants and Special Events Grants.
City staff identified $681,500 in facilities improvements and repairs that could be cut or deferred, from $15,000 for a fire alarm system upgrade to $320,000 for a City Hall air handler replacement.
Another $330,000-plus could be cut from operational expenses and other items, including The Edison Awards funding, a $20,000 paint job for Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center and $100,000 in parks improvements.