Photo by Cathy Salustri
Gulfport residents would keep the same city property tax rate under a proposed $21.8 million budget, but some property owners could still see higher tax bills as taxable values rise. The spending plan also eliminates five vacant full-time positions through attrition and reduces discretionary spending, including some contractual advertising.
City Manager Jim O’Reilly presented the proposal during an Aug. 6 City Council workshop. The Council did not vote on the plan, which remains subject to revisions before Gulfport holds its required public hearings and adopts a final budget by Sept. 30.
Property Values Could Raise Tax Bills
The proposed General Fund budget totals $21,759,347, about $24,700 less than the current year’s $21,784,084 budget. O’Reilly’s budget summary describes the proposal as a “zero-growth baseline budget.”
Although the City would keep the millage rate unchanged, the same rate does not guarantee the same tax bill for every property owner. Gulfport expects property values to increase by 1.17%, generating about $49,000 in additional revenue.
The budget would maintain $4.78 million in General Fund reserves, equal to 22% of spending. It also relies on payments from the City’s enterprise funds and proceeds from a Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Disaster Loan to balance revenues and expenses.
City Cuts Five Vacant Positions
The proposed budget eliminates five full-time positions through attrition rather than layoffs. It funds 158 full-time and 61 part-time employees, including 63 police and fire employees.
Employee costs account for $15.5 million, or 71.2% of General Fund spending. The budget includes a 4.5% cost-of-living adjustment for nonunion employees and council members, while union police and fire wages remain subject to collective bargaining agreements.
The City has limited hiring as it reduces its workforce, but O’Reilly said police hiring and an executive assistant appointment qualify as exceptions because he considers both positions essential. The City hired its former public works director as O’Reilly’s executive assistant; O’Reilly said the appointment did not violate the hiring freeze.
The plan assumes a 1.5% increase in employee health insurance costs and an estimated 12% increase in property, workers’ compensation, general liability, automotive, and public officials’ insurance.
Advertising Cuts Remain Unclear
The budget would reduce contractual advertising after O’Reilly said the City had not seen a sufficient return on the expense. He described the spending as a “want, not a need” and said the City increasingly distributes information through its website and social media.
The City could still purchase individual advertisements for sanitation schedules, major events, and other public information. But O’Reilly did not identify the affected contracts, publications, or total savings, leaving unclear whether the reductions would affect Gulfport Living, The Gabber Newspaper, or both. The workshop did not provide a comparable vendor-by-vendor breakdown of the City’s advertising expenses.
Council also reviewed approximately $70,000 for federal lobbying and $30,000 for state lobbying. Gulfport previously retained Thorn Run Partners for federal work and Shumaker Advisors Florida for state advocacy, but the workshop discussion did not confirm the vendors attached to the proposed amounts.
Public Safety and Camera Questions
The budget maintains funding for 42 Police Department employees and 21 Fire Department employees, along with police and fire equipment, training, and collective bargaining costs.
O’Reilly’s budget summary also calls for expanding security cameras at City facilities, but it does not identify the equipment, vendor, or projected expense.
The Gabber Newspaper submitted a public records request concerning Flock Safety cameras but did not receive the records by press time.
Infrastructure and Storm Recovery
The proposed budget directs funding toward stormwater, water and sewer improvements, road resurfacing, sidewalk replacement, and City building maintenance.
Planned projects include drainage work near 60th Street South and 20th Avenue South, Town Shores water-main replacement and continued sanitary sewer repairs.
Gulfport also plans to continue rebuilding the Casino and the Marina’s south basin following the 2024 hurricanes. Other proposed projects include Casino resiliency planning, a Veterans Park living shoreline, a Tomlinson Park dog run, and engineering and construction work for a mooring field.
Council Can Still Change the Plan
The Aug. 6 workshop was part of the budget process, not a final vote. Council can revise the proposal before holding its required public hearings and adopting the final budget.
Until then, the scope of the advertising reductions, contracts, and individual positions eliminated through attrition remains subject to clarification or change.
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