Editorial: The City of Tampa Budget Process is Broken

As I write this the city of Tampa doesn’t have a balanced FY24 budget. They have tentatively passed on first reading the mayor’s proposed budget. They also accepted responsibility for making necessary cuts in expenditures relative to a reduction in revenue associated with the rejected millage increase.

They had a seven hour workshop on the 13th of September where a lot of discussion occurred; a few suggestions were made for cuts and written on a large piece of paper. There may have been some unspoken understanding with the Chief of Staff what they were suggesting and giving the admin the opportunity to return with a balanced budget, but it wasn’t explicit.

On the 19th they will vote on something. We don’t know. The public will not have an opportunity to view a list of proposed cuts that actually balance the budget. I’ve followed this as closely as anyone and I do not have any idea what specific cuts are being suggested to reduce expenditures to match revenue & reserves. I mean, show me a list that adds up to $45M or $37M depending on how you interpret the reserve balance.

Council owns this. The people of Tampa who adamantly opposed the mayor’s budget own this. So when they vote, no one can say “the mayor cut this”.

I believe if we can use San Diego’s Independent Budget Analyst as a model for the position City Council voted to budget for, we as the public will be in a much better position to advocate for the city’s priorities in the budget. I mean, there’s an old saying “show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities.”

But until that position is filled and up to speed, I believe owning the budget and taking responsibility for how it’s spent as the charter outlines is in the benefit of the public. Looking forward and realistically assessing what needs to be done and how to pay for it is how we succeed.