City Council adopted a $1.018 billion budget: $185.8 million for police, about $100 million for water and sewer and $15 million for one drainage project.
The St. Petersburg City Council has approved a $1,017,757,894 budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The biggest pieces go to public works, police and storm-proofing the city’s water, sewer and drainage systems.
The council adopted the budget at its second budget public hearing at City Hall, the city said in a release Tuesday. Mayor Kenneth T. Welch said the plan focuses on recovery from the 2024 storms and on “investing in infrastructure built to endure.”
Where the biggest money goes
| Budget line | FY27 amount |
|---|---|
| Public Works Administration (five departments) | $355.8 million |
| Capital Improvement Program | $197 million |
| Police Department | $185.8 million |
| Fire Rescue Department | $55.1 million |
| Emergency Medical Services Fund | $27.2 million |
The capital program pays for building projects. The other lines are departments’ operating budgets.
Water, sewer and flooding projects
Water and sewer projects together come to about $100.9 million in the city’s list. They include:
- water distribution system improvements, $29.9 million
- water treatment and supply, $27.75 million
- water reclamation facility improvements, $22.4 million
- sanitary sewer collection system, $12.45 million
- lift station improvements, $8.4 million
Stormwater and drainage projects named in the release add $30.8 million:
- Connecticut Avenue NE and vicinity storm drainage, $15 million
- Bartlett Lake and Salt Creek pump station, $8 million
- local-scale stormwater projects, $5 million
- Shore Acres Denver storm drainage, $2.8 million
On streets, the budget carries $8.775 million for street and road improvements, $7.834 million for bicycle and pedestrian safety, $2.7 million for sidewalks and $1.55 million for Complete Streets.
Public safety and neighborhoods
Beyond the department budgets, the city listed:
- $6 million for body-worn cameras, in-car video, Tasers and drones
- $1.8 million for the Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program
- $801,451 for six more full-time sworn firefighter positions
- $245,012 for two new fire code inspectors
Housing and grants
The Housing and Community Development Department has a $10.2 million operating budget. The city also set aside $4.5 million in its five-year capital plan to buy land for affordable housing. Smaller grants include $700,000 in social action grants, $400,000 for rapid rehousing and $260,000 for the Childhood Homelessness Project.
Arts and business lines include a $557,000 arts grants program, $250,000 for the Palladium and $220,000 for Main Street business organizations. For young people, the Mayor’s Future Ready Academy gets $500,000 and year-round youth employment programs get $400,000.
What it means for you
- Your city property tax: the release does not give the millage rate. The rate and how your bill is calculated are on our property taxes page and the city’s budget page.
- Flooding in Shore Acres or near Connecticut Avenue NE: both have named drainage projects in this year’s budget.
- Who to ask: questions about a specific project go to the department named in our who to call at City Hall guide.
The budget is organized around the mayor’s five “Pillars for Progress”: housing, environment and infrastructure, equitable development, education and youth, and neighborhood health and safety. A public open house on April 13 fed into the version the mayor sent to the council in July, the city said.
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