Union concessions approved; county cost figures due in October
HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs City Commission on Sept. 21 adopted a final property tax rate of 7.24 mills and a $20.85 million budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year (FY27) that keeps the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) fully funded, at least until commissioners receive cost figures from Alachua County next month.
Mayor Andrew Miller opened the budget hearing by reminding commissioners that the fate of the police and fire departments was not on the agenda. “Before we start tonight, I want to remind the commission that tonight we are not making a decision on fire and police services,” Miller said.
Miller said the information the commission requested from the county on police and fire service would be presented at the commission’s first October meeting. Commissioners later agreed to Interim City Manager Jennifer Applebee’s request to move the October meetings to Oct. 15 and Oct. 29.
The final millage rate, 8.94 percent above the rolled-back rate of 6.6458 mills, passed 4-1, with Commissioner Katherine Weitz again casting the lone dissenting vote. The commission then adopted Ordinance 2026-07, the FY27 budget, on second reading by a 5-0 vote.
Commissioners also unanimously approved a new contract with the Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the union representing the city’s officers and sergeants, under which officers give up any raise for the coming year.
Police Union Forgoes Raises
The PBA agreement runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2029. According to the agenda packet, union members agreed to take no general wage increase or cost-of-living adjustment in FY27 and to waive the automatic 2 percent step increase in their pay plan. The contract also cuts an attendance incentive from up to 20 hours of paid time off a year to 12.
HSPD Chief Antoine Sheppard, who served as the city’s chief labor negotiator, estimated the savings from waiving the step increase. “I think that’s savings about 15 to 20,000 from the contract,” Sheppard said. Union members ratified the agreement 8-0 on Sept. 10, according to the packet.
Howell: “These Are Not Real Numbers”
After the votes, Commissioner Chad Howell delivered a slide presentation that he said was meant to explain to residents why the commission has discussed eliminating the police department.
“And please don’t take this saying that I want to get rid of the police department or I think the county can provide a better service because I don’t,” Howell said.
“So, last year’s budget was $2.9 million for High Springs Police Department. It raised to 3.2 this year, which is a 10.3% increase,” he said.
Howell said state law bars the commission from cutting the police budget by more than 5 percent, which he put at about $168,000. “It’s $168,000, roughly, which is two spots,” he said.
Howell then showed hypothetical savings from contracting with the county, with a caveat. “These are not numbers that we have. These are not real numbers,” he said. He said a contract similar to Newberry’s, which he believed cost $1.1 million over a five-year span, would save High Springs $11 million.
Howell acknowledged that county service would not match what the city now receives. “The reality is, we will not get the same service. But how can we sustain this financial instability if we don’t make drastic cuts more than 5%,” he said.
He also disputed claims by several speakers that crime would rise without a local department. “Newberry’s crime rate is not higher than High Springs,” Howell said.
Up 10 Percent or Down 4.35 Percent?
Weitz then questioned Howell’s figure. “Commissioner Howell said that the police budget had gone up 10% when you and I had our one-on-one recently. You said it had dropped four and a half percent. Did I misunderstand you?” she asked High Springs Finance Director Leslie Moyer.
“He took gross numbers that included grant revenue and some donation money that was in the budget,” Moyer said. She said the 5 percent limit in Chapter 166, Florida Statutes, applies to the operating budget, which she said dropped 4.35 percent.
“So there’s precious little more that we could even drop it than it is right now,” Weitz said. “Correct,” Moyer replied.
Weitz said the confusion showed why she had wanted a budget workshop the week before. Applebee said workshops were not held because staff was working against state budget deadlines, and said staff hopes to return in November with revenue options and changes to the FY27 budget.
Commissioners Defend Their Motives
Commissioner Tristan Grunder, who seconded the failed Sept. 10 motion to dissolve HSPD, said the decision has not been easy. “If you’d asked me if I would have ever considered getting rid of police, my answer would have been hell no, not no, but hell no,” he said.
“Every time they call, I get nervous now because I ain’t got good news in a while, and they find stuff every other day,” Grunder said of the city’s finances.
Vice Mayor Wayne Bloodsworth Jr., who made the Sept. 10 motion, responded to a resident who suggested a commissioner held a personal grudge against the department. “I’ve never attacked a city employee up here. It’s all about the raw numbers that we’re dealing with,” he said.
Residents Speak for HSPD
More than a dozen residents addressed the commission, most urging it to keep the police department.
Carl Spain, a resident and developer, told the commission the department represents 40 percent of the city’s budget by design. “The entire High Springs police force must not be fired or cut in mass to paper over the city’s financial mess,” Spain said.
Eva Werner, who submitted a list of residents supporting the department, asked, “Why should the citizens who did not create this financial crisis be the ones who lose protection because of it?”
Not every speaker opposed cuts. Gigi Buigas said the city should shrink the department rather than lose it. “The best scenario that we have at this point is to reduce our police department and still have a police department,” she said.
Ross Ambrose thanked commissioners for slowing down on Sept. 10 but said the 5 percent police cut they directed that night did not appear in the budget. “That wasn’t reflected in the budget you just passed,” Ambrose said. “I didn’t see it in there, and I could have missed it.” No commissioner or staff member responded to the comment.
What the Budget Holds
According to the agenda packet, the police department’s General Fund budget is $3,261,343, about 40 percent of the city’s $8.08 million General Fund. The fire department’s budget totals $2,597,916, including a $980,252 transfer from the General Fund.
Asked by resident Sue Weller whether the city has a reserve fund, Moyer said, “Correct, we do not at this time.” She said the $149,912 listed as unallocated in the city manager’s budget comes from raising the rate from 6.99 to 7.24 mills.
Other Business
The commission voted 5-0 to keep commissioners’ monthly salary at $695.25 and the mayor’s at $772.50, and 3-2 to renew its $2,800-a-month contract with state lobbyist Sunrise Consulting Group, with Bloodsworth and Weitz voting no.
Applebee said the fiscal year 2025 audit will begin Oct. 1, with projected completion Dec. 1.
Weitz said she will be out of town for the Oct. 15 meeting, when the county’s police and fire figures are expected.
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