Jackson City Council adopts FY27 budget, holds tax rate steady

Jackson City Council voted 7–1 to approve the fiscal year 2027 budget and maintain the city’s tax rate at 1.6114.

The mayor and staff told the council the general fund shows about $102 million in appropriations against roughly $103.1 million in projected revenue, producing an estimated surplus of about $1.07 million. Staff noted the city is projecting a general‑fund reserve near 19% of appropriations and a total citywide fund balance of about $52.4 million, a figure that includes recent bond proceeds.

The administration highlighted several revenue changes supporting the budget, including the recently proposed increase in vehicle registration fees and a municipal court cost increase. Mr. Street, responding to a council question, said the city expects to end FY26 with a general‑fund balance “at about $18.2 million.”

Council members discussed how to use the increment from the vehicle registration fee increase. Some members pushed to dedicate the additional revenue to street resurfacing; others cautioned that diverting the funds immediately could create a general‑fund shortfall in the next fiscal year. Staff said dedicating revenue by resolution or in next year’s budget would be feasible and noted the current budget includes additional internal paving funds and roughly $1.3 million in state street‑aid maintenance.

The budget also reflects recent staffing and organizational adjustments: the parks and recreation director position was restructured (Christy Davis introduced as parks and recreation executive director during the meeting), neighborhood services staff were reassigned to solid waste to focus on recycling, and code enforcement was moved under public works. Staff said these changes, plus the elimination of a vacant engineering position and other consolidations, reduce FY27 personnel costs by roughly $384,000.

Council reserved action on a line item for nonprofit funding, agreeing to hold a work session before any dollars are released. The administration said those funds would not be spent without further council action.

The council passed the budget on first reading at the special meeting; staff reminded members that while the tax rate must be finalized and certified by state deadlines, the council may amend revenue and expense details through the summer.

What’s next: the adopted FY27 budget takes effect with the fiscal year cycle; the council scheduled a follow‑up work session to consider nonprofit allocations and additional budget details.