Mayor previews 2027 budget planning, childcare ribbon cutting and legacy campus RFP

The mayor said the pro forma for the 2027 budget process is typically presented in June or early July and that the administration is modeling scenarios to account for potential statewide property-tax changes. "We're doing the same evaluations that the county is doing about what those impacts would be, what that looks like in year one, what that looks like in year two," the mayor said, adding departments have been asked to constrain spending in light of a slower revenue trajectory.

On personnel costs, the mayor said cost-of-living adjustments are under discussion but no decisions have been finalized.

The mayor also announced community milestones: the Freicker groundbreaking was rescheduled to June 26 at 9:30 a.m. and the Alice S. Williams Childcare Center ribbon cutting is set for July 20; Community Action will offer childcare for children birth to two, supported in part by a $500,000 state African-American culture and historical grant and $550,000 from the Westside CRA.

On the Legacy Campus, the mayor said the CRA approved an RFP Champion put forward by Councilman Wiggins for community engagement and feasibility advising, and that phased, floor-by-floor demolition will begin in sequence to control debris removal and monitoring.

The mayor closed by praising the children's chorus for a Carnegie Hall performance and thanking sanitation and pool staff for holiday service adjustments.