Jacksonville mayor begins public review of proposed 2026-27 budget with August town halls

Mayor Donna Deegan has presented Jacksonville’s proposed 2026-27 budget to the Jacksonville City Council, beginning the public-review phase of the city’s annual spending plan.

The presentation occurred July 20, 2026. The proposal had not been adopted as of the city’s official announcement and remains subject to City Council review.

Jacksonville also announced that another round of budget town halls will begin Aug. 5, creating an upcoming opportunity for residents to engage with the proposed plan while it is under review.

A proposal, not a final budget

The plan covers fiscal year 2026-27. It is a proposed budget, meaning its provisions remain before the City Council rather than being final city policy.

The official information provided with the announcement does not specify a total proposed spending amount, a millage rate, department-by-department allocations or a final adoption date. It also does not establish whether taxes, services or staffing would change.

Those distinctions matter because the budget is the city government’s principal annual spending decision. It sets the framework for public services, taxes, staffing and capital priorities, but the specific choices in the 2026-27 proposal were not included in the available announcement.

Town halls begin Aug. 5

The city said the next round of budget town halls starts Aug. 5, 2026. The announcement did not provide the complete schedule or public-comment procedures in the information available for this report.

Residents seeking to weigh in on the proposal will need to consult the city’s budget and town-hall materials for additional meeting details. The town halls come as the proposal proceeds through the City Council’s review process.

Consolidated government process

The budget process is being conducted through Jacksonville’s consolidated Jacksonville-Duval County government, not as a county-only budget proceeding. It involves the City of Jacksonville, Mayor Deegan and the Jacksonville City Council, with Duval County residents among those affected by the municipal government’s annual budget decisions.

The city’s official website and government news archive listed the July 20 budget presentation and the Aug. 5 town-hall announcement as current government news. The next known milestone is the start of the town-hall round; any final budget action remains dependent on the City Council review process.