🗓️ Mark Your Calendars, Largo: A Critical Budget Hearing is Coming Up 🗓️
🧾Just got your 2025 "Notice of Proposed Property Taxes" (TRIM notice) in the mail? Remember, it's NOT a bill. It's your guide to how your tax dollars might be spent next year, and it lists a critical date you should add to your calendar now.
Before the hearing, here’s a look at what the city’s own financial plans, reveals about Largo's fiscal future.
What's in the Numbers?
🚨 A Structural Problem: The city's own forecast shows a recurring deficit, meaning our expenses are consistently higher than our income. This gap is set to grow from $4.6 million in FY2026 to a peak of over $10.1 million by FY2028.
✂️ "Expenditure Cannibalization": To cover rapidly rising personnel costs, the budget proposes deep cuts elsewhere. The capital budget, which pays for infrastructure like roads and parks, is set to be slashed by over 77% over the next five years. This is like skipping oil changes to pay your grocery bill, it creates bigger problems down the road.
🏦 Draining the "Rainy Day Fund": The plan relies on using the city's savings (the Unrestricted Fund Balance) to cover the yearly shortfall. This will push our reserves below the 16.7% minimum recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association as early as FY2027, weakening our ability to handle a real emergency like a hurricane.
📢 This Is Your Chance to Speak Up!
This is more than just numbers; it’s about the future of the services you rely on. The first public hearing to discuss the budget and proposed tax rates is your opportunity to make your voice heard.
🗓️ Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Largo City Hall, 201 Highland Ave
Your voice is a crucial part of this process. Mark your calendar and let the commission know what you think the city's priorities should be.
Will you be there? Below is the average residents costs since 2019. Share your thoughts on the city's budget below! 👇
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