Manatee County presents $1.4B net FY27 budget and 5-year CIP with 698 projects

Claudia Campos presented the countywide FY27 overview including a proposed net budget of about $1.4 billion, a gross budget of approximately $2.697 billion, and a five-year capital improvement plan totaling roughly $2.4 billion. She said the CIP contains 698 projects with 14 added this cycle and about $761 million in new investments identified for FY27.

Campos summarized revenue and reserve changes tied to the July 1 valuation certification and said ad valorem adjustments produced roughly $5.1 million in additional property-tax revenue across funds, with the biggest increase affecting the general fund. She said departments identified $15.2 million in efficiencies and that constitutional officers' budgets showed a net decrease of $6.3 million. Campos also noted vacancy freezes (48 positions representing $5.3M) and pulled CIP items (including $567,000 for Washington Park Library) that altered the plan.

Commissioners asked staff to provide the proposed budget book by the end of August with line-item detail and to supply a breakdown of special-revenue buckets that appear as reserves. Staff agreed and the board discussed potential reserve-policy changes and future reallocations.