St. Petersburg City Council members approved the mayoral administration’s tentative fiscal year 2026 budget Thursday evening, but not without some concerns and discontent.
The first of two budget hearings provided an opportunity for residents and the city’s other elected representatives to scrutinize the $1.18 billion spending plan. Mayor Ken Welch did not speak at the meeting.
Funding for youth initiatives, St. Pete Fire Rescue, the city’s Complete Streets program and stormwater infrastructure dominated discourse. While the formula used to calculate property taxes remains unchanged, it represents a 3.93% increase from the rollback rate, which would generate the same amount of revenue as in fiscal year 2025…