Judy Tinder

FY 2026-27 millage rate and budget shortfall

A proposed 12%+ millage increase over the current 4.05 rate, with $2.8 million in annual debt payments and a $405,000 deficit even at 4.35 mills.

City Clerk position structure

Mayor Lowery wants to promote an existing employee to avoid adding a whole new salary.

Compensation section removal (Section 22)

Removing this section gives the city manager more flexibility on pay, tied to whatever the annual budget allows.

Animal shelter funding

Roughly $1,000 per day to operate; the shelter budget is $373,314 in FY 2027.

Transparency and Public Records Requests

Could surface what was and wasn't reimbursed from past hurricane spending — real taxpayer dollars at stake.

Sanitation rate increase

Proposed rates would turn the $487,000 FY 2026 deficit into a $463,000 surplus; a $2 second-can hike adds about $62,000 in revenue.

Community Redevelopment Agency funding level

About $540,000 from the city and $710,000 from Bay County at the 4.35 millage — roughly $1.2 million total.

Consolidation of Services with Bay County

Unknown — no cost or savings figures available because other agencies won't engage until the commission shows unity.

Charter Review Committee changes

No pay change — it's the same money, just described as an annual salary instead of a monthly one.

FY 2027 tentative budget of $54.4 million

City-wide budget drops from about $68.6 million to $55.6 million — a $13 million cut — with a projected $300,000 deficit even at the max millage.

Municipal Legal Services Agreement

The contract runs $275,000 a year on a flat fee.

CRA residential incentive program

$5,000 paid from the CRA's budgeted incentive funds ($47,500 budget line).

Elimination of the Community Redevelopment Agency

Eliminating the CRA returns about $526,000 net to the general fund, plus savings from eliminating the director position.

Cybersecurity policy adoption

Finance department staffing levels

Finance salaries run nearly $500,000 a year — but cutting back risks repeating the $5 million embezzlement that one-person oversight enabled.

Amendment Three's threat to city revenue

Estimated $1.6 million revenue reduction in FY 2028, with 40-45% cuts to ad valorem income projected.

CivicPlus agenda and packet access

Employee benefits renewal

About $178,000 in modeled first-year city savings if half of the mid-tier enrollees switch plans.

Cemetery plot fee increase

A 50% plot price hike to help close a roughly $48,000/year maintenance gap.