ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council approved a tentative budget for fiscal year 2024.
City Council held its first public hearing on Thursday.
Mayor Ken Welch proposed a $823.2 million budget for the City of St. Petersburg.
Under the proposed budget, $191.6 million is allocated for public safety, which includes fire and police departments. The funding includes six additional full-time Firefighter/Paramedic positions as part of a three-year plan.
The budget also includes $500,000 for the city's Arts Grants Program, a $45,000 increase over the budget for fiscal year 2023.
The budget also includes $8.0 million for affordable housing and increased funding to access and use of mass transit. Recently, the city has been working with PSTA on a new initiative. The initiative would buy down bus fares on all routes for transportation for riders who are disadvantaged at a cost of $175,000.
Under the budget, the millage rate would slightly decrease from 6.5250 to 6.4675 mills.
City Council will hold a second public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m. If approved, the budget would take effect on Oct. 1.
