City of Gulfport holds public meeting regarding proposed budget

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- A public hearing in Gulfport gave residents the chance to comment on the proposed city budget.

Mayor Hugh Keating says the key parts of this fiscal year’s budget include a two percent pay raise for all city employees, an additional two percent raise for firefighters, and nearly one million dollars for parks and recreation improvements.

We spoke with Mayor Keating, who says he remains optimistic about Gulfport’s future, but he does have concerns about the city’s long-term revenue sources.  “So, we have made a hard decision to raise salaries two percent across the board. I say hard, because funds are scarce. So we’re getting squeezed in two ways: the cost of goods increase, goods and services increasing, and the diversion from our typical traditional over-the-counter purchase is transitioning into picking up the phone or getting on your computer and calling and buying on Amazon. And the net result of that is very convenient. It’s great. It’s easy. A lot of good variety to choose from, but it’s hurting our municipalities. We need help from our legislative delegation and from all legislators for all municipalities because we’re not the only ones. City of Gulfport is one of 302 towns or cities. It’s just that we’re the second largest, and it squeezes us really hard to keep pace.”

Mayor Keating says there is very little appetite for a tax increase, but it could be a last resort.

The 2027 budget still have to be approved by the city council.