Boynton Beach is quietly shedding top brass as City Hall scrambles to plug a looming budget hole.
City officials confirmed on March 3, 2026, that four director-level employees have separated from the city while staff work to close a projected gap in next year’s budget. Leaders say the current fiscal year remains balanced, even as remaining managers juggle reassignments and contemplate more personnel moves. The shakeup is sharpening focus on rising public-safety costs and how much the city is willing to lean on reserves.
Four director-level roles out
According to CBS12, the positions are the ITS director, the assistant director of public works, the chief of staff and the city clerk. The city pegs the combined fully burdened annual price tag of those jobs at roughly $900,000, with an estimated $400,000 in severance tied to the exits. Officials are characterizing the cuts as part of a broader effort to bring the FY 2026-2027 budget into balance rather than a one-off purge.
Manager: cuts started in February
The Palm Beach Post reported that City Manager Dan Dugger began the dismissals on Feb. 20 and that City Clerk Maylee De Jesus and IT Director Fred Harris were among those let go. Dugger told the paper he was targeting executive-level payroll, not job performance, and said the initial round of departures is expected to save about $550,000. He also cautioned that more reductions could be on the table as staff continue to refine projections for next year.
The numbers behind the gap
Early projections showed roughly a $4.9 million shortfall for FY 2026-2027, a figure officials say has now been trimmed to between $1 million and $2 million after departmental reviews. CBS12 reports that police received a 5% raise and fire employees a 6.7% raise in the current year, and that the city is planning an estimated 6% cost-of-living adjustment for general employee unions next year. City leaders say labor, pension and benefit obligations are driving much of the pressure.
Budget documents show the adopted FY 2025-2026 plan already counts on using $2.2 million from fund balance, and that commissioners lowered the millage rate for the current fiscal year, according to the City of Boynton Beach budget page. In the coming weeks, commissioners will hold workshops and hearings to weigh whether to lean more on reserves, trim services or find other savings. City officials say no final decisions have been made about additional personnel actions tied to the FY 2026-2027 budget…