Honest budgets
A budget is a list of choices. It should read like one.
If we spend it, we say so. If we cannot afford it, we say so. If it can wait, it waits.
No fog. Homeowners pay the bill. They get a straight answer.
I will not promise numbers I do not have. I will promise this: I will read the budget, I will ask what it buys, and I will say yes only when I can explain it to you.
The city expects about $24,000 in tree mitigation fees this year, but budgets just $500 a year to spend on tree mitigation (FY26 budget packet). Today that money goes into the stormwater fund. When I spoke with city staff, they told me tree mitigation money isn't spent on stormwater work or staff salaries. I appreciate that. But the city's audit doesn't show it as a separate tree reserve, so I want a dedicated tree fund line item with public reporting.
City of Gulf Breeze — Budget in Brief, FY 2027
This is the city’s document, not a campaign document. Opens in a new tab.
I am Jeffrey Bowman, for Gulf Breeze City Council Seat D. Honest books. Honest meetings.