DeSoto presents balanced FY2027 budget with $299,831 projected surplus

Finance Director Mary Sutton told the council the city is proposing a balanced FY2027 budget that projects $74.3 million in revenue and $74.0 million in expenditures, leaving a projected surplus of about $299,831.

Sutton traced recent fund balances and one‑time uses of past surpluses, noting that ‘‘we ended the year with a $5,000,000 surplus in the general fund’’ in 2024 and describing prior placements of surplus dollars into capital projects, road repair and equipment. She told council the FY26 revisions included a $1.1 million amendment related to opening and operating the Aquatics and Recreation Center (ARC), which contributed to budget adjustments but did not leave the city in a structural deficit.

She reviewed personnel and departmental highlights included in the proposed budget, including five new firefighter paramedics, two police officers, a GIS analyst, and several reclassifications across departments. City Manager Isom Cameron and department directors pledged to return with more detailed analyses on staffing and vehicle replacement schedules ahead of adoption. The council is scheduled to consider the final proposed budget, tax rates and CIP at public hearings in August and on September 15, when the FY2027 budget is planned to be adopted.