To cut or not to cut the High Springs fire and police departments will be the topic of a special, yet-to-be-scheduled workshop after commissioner consensus at a regular meeting on Thursday that the city’s budget needs more than a band-aid.
In August 2025, the commission debated eliminating or downsizing the departments and took salary cuts to temporarily cover a $723,000 budget deficit. Emergency cash funds were drained in November to cover a $900,000 bill for its new wastewater treatment facility, and city commissioners said High Springs is still supplementing its general fund by pulling from the public works budget.
The workshop also comes under the specter of state cuts to how cities levy property taxes…