The Gainesville City Commission reviewed its police and fire departments on Thursday as it faces a $12 million budget shortfall ahead of forecasted savings coming in June.

The current budget is built with estimates concerning the city’s property tax roll—with tentative state numbers arriving June 1—and anticipates a $1 million increase in general liability insurance at the outset instead of dealing with the balance at the end of the budget year.

City staff also used a placeholder dollar amount for the cost of its fleet of vehicles, which will likely lower when finalized numbers come in the summer.

A final factor for the draft budget is a 5% growth assumption in Gainesville’s taxable assessed value, total property values in the city limits. The current fiscal year had a 9% growth rate compared to the year prior.

Still, commissioners said it’ll be a tight budget tacked onto previous years of trying to tamp down on expenses as revenues fluctuate, particularly with a reduced transfer from Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU).

Commissioner Ed Book said sometimes you have to do less with less, comparing to past years when commissioners said the city kept a high level of service despite less staff and funds. This is Book’s final budget season as he steps down at the end of 2026 after a four-year term.

“It always seems at the beginning of the budget season, there’s some pretty bleak outcomes that are looked at and what we’re going to have to do,” Book said. “And hopefully that’ll get a little better, but it’s not going to get greatly better.”

The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) dominate the city’s current $162 million general fund budget, accounting for 27.7% and 18.2%, respectively. Combined, the two departments are authorized to employ around 598 staff, though some vacancies and frozen positions currently exist.

For next year, GPD’s draft budget is $3.2 million higher for a total of $52.7 million. Chief Nelson Moya said the increase comes from salary raises—set through bargaining agreements with the union—and general inflation in software licenses, maintenance costs and fuel.

The union-set salary increases account for $1 million of the budget increase, and the department anticipates spending $100,000 more than the current year in fuel costs as gas prices stay elevated.

Besides general inflation and salary obligations, Moya said the department really has three main asks for next year.

First, a senior employee is retiring, and GPD wants to hire two entry level positions for roughly the same costs. Moya said one position would help ease the backlog of public records requests—a compliance issue if it gets too far out of hand. The department had two employees handling the requests before one position was frozen in the current budget cycle.

The other position would be a property and evidence specialist to log and store items confiscated in investigations and perhaps needed in court cases—another compliance issue.

The second ask is for a new, $30,000 software program that will allow GPD to switch from paper to electronic scheduling. Moya said his lieutenants spend many hours handling the outdated paper system instead of being in the field and the new software should change that.

The third ask is four network switches the IT department requested to be replaced.

Interim City Manager Andrew Persons noted that the three asks are not all of GPD’s needs. The department also needs more staff to handle midtown and downtown, currently patrolled with officers working overtime. But Persons said a memo went to all departments to keep budgets flat.

“This is not the totality of what GPD needs. It’s just what we think we can do and what is really, right now, most immediate, most at issue for compliance,” Persons said.

A straightforward fire budget included less dialogue.

GFR’s overall budget shows a decrease, but that’s from an $8 million capital project taken off the books. Similar to police, costs for salaries and fringe benefits will increase by just over $1 million, and operating costs will step up by about $800,000 as fuel and other services rise nationwide.

Mayor Harvey Ward noted that government and personal budgets are different, but hikes in gas and general inflation hit both the same, he said. The city anticipates paying $220,000 more in fuel during the next fiscal year based on projections from its fleet department.

The City Commission also voted on increasing the fire assessment and how stormwater billing will be collected following GRU’s decision to stop collected garbage and stormwater payments for the city.

The switch in stormwater billing could cost residents $12 extra a month compared with the current system.

Both of those items will return for continued discussion and a final decision on how to move forward. The next budget workshop is June 2, with a maximum millage rate meeting on July 16 and tentative fire assessment and millage on September 10.