The Gulfport City Council held a workshop on August 6, 2026, to review the City Manager's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026/2027. City Manager James E. O'Reilly presented a balanced, zero-growth general fund budget of $21.8 million—$25,000 less than the current year—citing economic uncertainty from proposed Amendment 3 and cooling property value growth (1.17% vs. 3.91% last year). Property tax revenue is projected at $7,015,525, accounting for 32.24% of general fund revenue. The millage rate is set at 4.0258 (the "trim" rate). Reserves are maintained at 22% ($4.7–$4.8 million). The budget includes discretionary spending cuts of $340,000, reduced personnel through attrition, and a 4.5% COLA for employees. Capital improvements, stormwater projects, and ongoing recovery from hurricane damage were also discussed. Council members and the public debated priorities, revenue enhancements, and potential cuts.
Good evening. Oh, I'm so glad to see a few residents are here. So I'm going to say good evening. I'm going to call this meeting to order. This is our um first uh look at a presentation that'll be given by our city manager to us for our twenty twenty-six, twenty twenty-seven fiscal budget. Um after the the agenda isn't on here just exactly right. He will give us a presentation. Oh, no, now I'm seeing it right. Presentation, then there will be a discussion amongst the council, then there will be public comment, and then the council will probably come back and rebuttal any questions that were raised from the public. Okay, so that's what's going to happen. So if you would please start um Amanda with our roll call. Yes, ma'am. Vice Mayor Shaw, present. Council Member Webb. Here. Council Member Early. Present. Council Member Donch. Here. Mayor Love. Here, City Manager O'Reilly. And also during the presentation, um, we'd like to have just one person speaking. The city manager is going to give the opportunity from time to time for the city of council to ask any clarifying questions that they might have as we go. But otherwise, if you need to talk amongst yourself, I just ask that you walk out into the hallway for a few minutes while you do that. And mayor, I will also invite members of staff if there's specific questions and more of their expertise. Okay. Thank you. And and can you hear the city manager when he spoke just now? Okay. Good. Can you put the mic higher for yourself, maybe? I think that might be better. How's that? Is that better? They don't want to hear me. They do want to hear you. I want to hear you, but I think they want to hear you too. Thank you. Um Mayor, to just to begin, it's pure short statement in the fact that and in generalities. Um City B remiss and my staff and I would be remiss if we didn't take in it a base acknowledgement of amendment three. We had to start somewhere. So today you're receiving a balanced budget, zero growth from last present year that we're in right now. What we've done is look at it from the perspective that you know we're we're the city of Gulfport is facing economic cultural uncertainty due to the volatility of the economics of what could happen with amendment three. I'm gonna say that periodically, but that's the focus of why your budget today is within the same amount, actually 25,000 less than the present year, next year's budget is. And the fact that we only had a 1.17% growth coupled with last year's 3.91%. Now, if you look at the property value chart that's in there, you've seen we've been on a you know quite a glide path in the past. And we've gone through that swale, we'll call it, and we've moved ourselves back recovered, and once again, here we are on the verge of another swale, not self-inflicted or economically in fact inflicted by the residents, the city, or anyone else. This is strictly a legislative action. Yes, ma'am. Do you have a question?