Gainesville City Commission finalizes property tax increase, FY2026 budget
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At a September 24 special meeting, the Gainesville City Commission finalized a property tax increase of 4.67% and approved the City’s FY2026 budget.
After unanimously passing the Schedule of Fees, Rates, and Charges on second reading, with Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut absent, the Commission took a brief break to wait for Chestnut to arrive.
Property tax rate
The final property tax rate of 6.7297 mills for FY2026 is 0.3 mills (4.67%) higher than the current rate and 12.27% higher than the rolled-back rate of 5.9944 mills.
Commissioner Bryan Eastman said, “Our taxes are going up. We did not increase them last year; they increased the year before.” He said people ask him what services they are getting for these increased taxes, “and of course, I just want to reiterate that this is now the third year in a row that we are just simply cutting services, reducing more employees, while also increasing taxes, because we’ve lost about $31.1 million to the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority and GRU over the last — well, over the last, I guess, four to five years, and in these past few years, [there] has been a massive reduction.”
That number includes cuts of about $23 million (from $38.3 million in FY2021 to $15.3 million in FY2024, almost 74% of the amount quoted by Eastman) that were made by the Gainesville City Commission over the FY2022, FY2023, and FY2024 budgets, before the GRU Authority existed. The GRU Authority then cut $6.8 million from the transfer in the FY2025 budget and held that steady for FY2026, along with withholding an estimated $1.3 million in FY2026 to cover expenses that they decided should be borne by the City of Gainesville.
Eastman continued, “This is not a fun vote to take. This is a hard vote to take. This is one of those votes that people will feel. They will feel it in the amount of money that they’re paying, not just in their homestead, but the commercial properties will be paying, residential properties will be paying. And I look forward to a time when every one of the folks that uses our City pays their full fair share of what they are taking from the City, so we can bring these taxes back down.”
Eastman made a motion to approve the property tax rate of 6.7297, and Chestnut seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-1, with Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker in dissent.
Budget
The City’s FY2026 Proposed Budget for All Funds is $466,872,174, 1.7% higher than last year. The FY2026 Proposed General Fund Budget is $162,039,596, 4.3% higher than last year.
Chestnut made a motion to adopt the FY2026 budget, and Commissioner Casey Willits seconded the motion.
Willits said, “Though we cut some positions across the City, there are still new and exciting things that we do. And so there’s still innovation in this budget. There is still progress, there is still protection, there is still public services, public safety – still, to a very large degree, with GPD and GFR and Public Works — and there is still amazing opportunities for all of our staff, all our Community Builders, to serve our public in this budget, although it is tighter than we wish. But also, the public will be pitching in to keep us afloat one more year.”
Willits: “It is not merely holding on. It is still serving our public and making Gainesville, you know, the best city to live in in Florida, but most certainly in Alachua County, but certainly, I would say, in Florida as well.”
Willits continued, “There are — saving union jobs. There are providing services in-house instead of out-of-house. So there is still growth. There is still exciting things for us to accomplish in the year. It is not merely holding on. It is still serving our public and making Gainesville, you know, the best city to live in in Florida, but most certainly in Alachua County, but certainly, I would say, in Florida as well.”
Chestnut asked Willits whether he would say that, “in spite of the millage, the services we render will be the same or above?”
Willits said, “I would say so, except I’m sure in some areas, we may lag a little in the timing of things, like when the grass gets cut… But our staff also took opportunities that we funded to make things more efficient, like with our trash cans downtown.”
Chestnut said, “But overall, the public is not going to see a reduction in service level, and I think that is important.”
City Manager Cynthia Curry said, “If I might comment — I think that the General Fund budget, because it is primarily property-tax-based, is under stress more than other funds. When you take a look at the capital funds that drive Wild Spaces Public Places and Street Stations Strong Foundations,… we do continue to grow. I would venture to say that over the last three years, in spite of the reduction in revenues from the Gainesville Regional Utilities, that we have done the very best that we can… All in all, the City’s budget is clearly balanced, but it is still representative of the priorities that are set by this Commission… We did have to eliminate, as well as freeze, positions in the General Fund-supported programs in the Park/Recreation service space and Public Works space, and even in the public safety space, to balance this budget. But all in all, I think the City is represented well, in terms of the services that are provided to the public.”
Eastman pointed out that over 200 positions have been eliminated or frozen over the past three budget years and added, “We are trying to do our best to really come together as one City and be, as Commissioner Willits said, the best city in the state of Florida to live in. And I really do genuinely believe that. So thank you to everyone who’s done that, and for all the residents that have picked up more of the slack along the way.”
Eastman also pointed out that some bus routes were affected because the University of Florida is paying less money for bus service.
Chestnut said, “I also want to say that during the coming year, it’s going to be very important that we educate the public on what the property tax pays for, as often as we can.”
The budget was approved with a unanimous vote.
Who needs a vacancy sign for the homeless when the voting village idiots keep electing this group of idiots to keep raising property taxes and assessments? Hope the Bottch-ups, the Hutch-ups, and all the other idiots are happy with what their infestation is causing.
Good thing the State appointed the GRU Authority to administer GRU financial interests instead of allowing the Gainesville Commission of Fiscally Incompetent Idiots to keep mismanaging funds. No telling how high they would have raised utility rates this year.
Since we know Eastman reads this particular medium and he likely tells his butt buddies Ward & Willets, I hope he knows what a POS they all are. Look in the mirror and say that when you wake up each morning. You’re creating financial hardships on city residents and you’re not even man enough or you don’t have the balls to admit it. People get desperate when they don’t have financial stability so you’re also the cause of crime. Stop blaming the State for your failures.
Sleep on that.
“Eastman continued, “This is not a fun vote to take. This is a hard vote to take. This is one of those votes that people will feel. They will feel it in the amount of money that they’re paying, not just in their homestead, but the commercial properties will be paying, residential properties will be paying. And I look forward to a time when every one of the folks that uses our City pays their full fair share of what they are taking from the City, so we can bring these taxes back down.”
Hey Eastman, do you think it has been ‘fun’ that I had to work three jobs to keep from going under due to the increasing taxes and utility rates? Get out of our pockets and utilities and fix the damn roads.
This is insane people. Regardless of your party affiliation, you better wake up and pay attention to who has your best interest because this group of individuals have been the black sticky 💩 at the bottom of the barrel. It’s sad that the cost of living in Alachua County/Gainesville is as high as it is with the only decent paying jobs are those in the medical field which not everyone has a career in. This place needs a revamp, and paying the interm city manager almost a quarter of a million dollars is horse 💩.. Like the man in the comment above “You voted for, you got it” smh
$446M budget, State auditor has found $84M of wasteful spending. So, why aren’t we having a tax REDUCTION instead?
More wasteful spending by tax happy politicians. You get what you vote for.
We need more parks, more ribbon cuttings and pictures of the poor souls who think they are running things in a manner that even one person might respect.
Democrats don’t know how to cut expenses, only raise taxes so they can continue to spend money on junk projects.
Fallacies in the Main Article (Quotes from Commissioners and Officials)
False Cause (Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc) and Misleading Attribution
Quote: Commissioner Bryan Eastman: “Our taxes are going up… this is now the third year in a row that we are just simply cutting services, reducing more employees, while also increasing taxes, because we’ve lost about $31.1 million to the Gainesville Regional Utilities Authority and GRU over the last — well, over the last, I guess, four to five years…”
Explanation: Eastman attributes the service cuts and tax increases primarily to losses from the GRU Authority. However, the article’s contextual note clarifies that about $23 million of those cuts (74% of the total) were made by the City Commission itself in prior years (FY2022–FY2024), before the GRU Authority existed. The Authority only contributed $6.8 million in cuts for FY2025 and held steady for FY2026, plus $1.3 million withheld. This implies a causal link where the timeline doesn’t support it (post hoc fallacy) and misattributes the majority of the responsibility to an external entity, potentially to deflect blame.
Appeal to Emotion (Pathos) and Hasty Generalization
Quote: Commissioner Casey Willits: “Though we cut some positions across the City, there are still new and exciting things that we do. And so there’s still innovation in this budget. There is still progress, there is still protection, there is still public services, public safety… It is not merely holding on. It is still serving our public and making Gainesville, you know, the best city to live in in Florida, but most certainly in Alachua County, but certainly, I would say, in Florida as well.”
Explanation: Willits uses emotionally charged language (“exciting,” “innovation,” “progress,” “best city”) to portray the budget positively despite acknowledged cuts. This appeals to feelings of optimism and pride without providing specific evidence or examples of these “new and exciting things.” The claim that Gainesville is “the best city to live in in Florida” is a hasty generalization, extrapolating from vague positives to an unsubstantiated superlative ranking, ignoring comparative data on metrics like cost of living, crime, or services in other cities.
False Dichotomy (Black-and-White Thinking)
Quote: Commissioner Bryan Eastman: “I look forward to a time when every one of the folks that uses our City pays their full fair share of what they are taking from the City, so we can bring these taxes back down.”
Explanation: This implies a binary choice: either everyone (implying entities like non-residents, UF, or users of city services) pays a “full fair share,” or taxes must remain high/continue rising. It oversimplifies complex fiscal issues (e.g., intergovernmental agreements, utility transfers, or economic factors) into an all-or-nothing scenario, ignoring potential middle-ground solutions like efficiency improvements or alternative revenue sources.
Appeal to Authority (or Self-Praise) and Confirmation Bias
Quote: City Manager Cynthia Curry: “I would venture to say that over the last three years, in spite of the reduction in revenues from the Gainesville Regional Utilities, that we have done the very best that we can… All in all, the City’s budget is clearly balanced, but it is still representative of the priorities that are set by this Commission.”
Explanation: Curry positions herself and the Commission as authoritative figures who have “done the very best,” which is a self-serving appeal to their own expertise without external validation. This could reflect confirmation bias, as it selectively emphasizes positives (balanced budget, priorities met) while downplaying negatives (position eliminations, service stresses), potentially to confirm a preconceived narrative of effective management.
Fallacies in the Reader Comments
The comments are highly polemical and contain numerous fallacies, often rooted in personal attacks, overgeneralizations, and unsubstantiated causal claims. They reflect frustration but undermine their arguments through flawed logic.
Ad Hominem (Personal Attack)
Quote: From “You voted for it, you got it.”: “Who needs a vacancy sign for the homeless when the voting village idiots keep electing this group of idiots… the Bottch-ups, the Hutch-ups, and all the other idiots… I hope he knows what a POS they all are… You’re creating financial hardships… and you’re not even man enough or you don’t have the balls to admit it.”
Explanation: Instead of addressing the tax increase or budget merits, the commenter attacks voters (“village idiots”) and commissioners personally (calling them “idiots,” “POS,” questioning their manhood). This diverts from substantive issues to character assassination.
Slippery Slope and False Cause
Quote: From “You voted for it, you got it.”: “You’re creating financial hardships on city residents… People get desperate when they don’t have financial stability so you’re also the cause of crime.”
Explanation: This assumes a direct causal chain from tax increases → financial hardship → desperation → crime, without evidence. It’s a slippery slope, exaggerating a policy’s effects into an extreme outcome (widespread crime) via unproven links.
Appeal to Emotion (Pity/Pathos)
Quote: From “lou”: “Hey Eastman, do you think it has been ‘fun’ that I had to work three jobs to keep from going under due to the increasing taxes and utility rates? Get out of our pockets…”
Explanation: The commenter evokes sympathy for personal hardship (working three jobs) to criticize the tax vote, rather than providing evidence that the specific 4.67% increase directly caused it. This emotional appeal sidesteps logical analysis of the budget’s necessity or alternatives.
Hasty Generalization and Ad Hominem
Quote: From “It is what it is🤷🏻♂️”: “This is insane people… this group of individuals have been the black sticky 💩 at the bottom of the barrel… the cost of living in Alachua County/Gainesville is as high as it is with the only decent paying jobs are those in the medical field which not everyone has a career in.”
Explanation: Generalizes from this single decision to label the entire commission as “💩” (ad hominem). The claim about “only decent paying jobs” in medicine is a hasty generalization, based on anecdote rather than data on local employment sectors (e.g., education via UF, tech, or retail).
Straw Man and Begging the Question
Quote: From “Mo Betta”: “$446M budget, State auditor has found $84M of wasteful spending. So, why aren’t we having a tax REDUCTION instead?”
Explanation: This misrepresents the budget process as if identifying waste automatically means taxes should decrease (straw man of fiscal policy). It begs the question by assuming the $84M “waste” (not detailed or sourced here) is easily eliminable and directly offsets the need for revenue, ignoring potential complexities like ongoing obligations or reinvestments.
Ad Hominem and Hasty Generalization
Quote: From “Bradford Bumpkin”: “More wasteful spending by tax happy politicians. You get what you vote for.”
Explanation: Labels politicians “tax happy” as a personal slur (ad hominem) and generalizes this single increase to imply habitual wastefulness, without evidence of patterns or alternatives considered.
Sarcasm as Red Herring (Distraction)
Quote: From “Mary”: “We need more parks, more ribbon cuttings and pictures of the poor souls who think they are running things in a manner that even one person might respect.”
Explanation: Uses sarcasm to distract from the actual budget details (e.g., service cuts) by focusing on irrelevant stereotypes (parks, photo ops), redirecting attention without engaging the core issues.
Hasty Generalization and Ad Hominem (Against a Group)
Quote: From “DLH”: “Democrats don’t know how to cut expenses, only raise taxes so they can continue to spend money on junk projects.”
Explanation: Overgeneralizes the actions of this local commission to all “Democrats” (hasty generalization based on party affiliation), while attacking their competence without specifics on “junk projects” or evidence of party-wide behavior.