Overview
Bartow’s Fiscal Year 2025–2026 budget totals $136,438,995, passed unanimously by the City Commission on September 15, 2025, for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2025. The millage rate of 6.1080 represents no change from the current year. The release highlights $2.9 million for a new Employer of Choice initiative (including a $15-per-hour minimum for all positions and 13 new positions), $2.1 million over five years for police dash and body cameras, and a five-year Capital Improvement Plan funded at $63,457,849, with $22,917,849 of CIP spending across all funds in the coming fiscal year.
Source: City of Bartow press release: FY 2025–2026 Budget passed.
At a glance
Headline budget
As stated in the city’s release. No fund split is printed in the release.
| Total budget, FY2025-26 | $136,438,995 |
| Millage rate | 6.1080 (no change) |
| Fiscal year begins | October 1, 2025 |
| Vote | Unanimous, September 15, 2025 |
Source: City of Bartow press release.
Breakdown
Program highlights stated in the release (not a fund breakdown).
| Employer of Choice initiative | $2,900,000 |
| Police dash and body cameras (5 years) | $2,100,000 |
| Five-year Capital Improvement Plan | $63,457,849 |
| CIP spending, FY2025-26, all funds | $22,917,849 |
| Road resurfacing (FY2025-26 priority) | $1,000,000 |
| Central fire station feasibility study | $1,500,000 |
| New positions funded | 13 |
The release also notes the new Program Budget format adds dedicated funds for Impact Fees, Building, Fleet Management and Capital Replacement, but it prints no dollar split for those funds, so none is shown.
Source: City of Bartow press release.
Elected officials
City Manager Mike Herr is quoted in the release. The release does not print a commission roster or vote roll, so no individual commissioners are listed here.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: City of Bartow, press release “Bartow City Commission Passes FY 2025 – 2026 Budget” (September 24, 2025). City of Bartow press release (ArchiveCenter Item 247). Jurisdiction verified in the document itself: Bartow, FL 33830, CityofBartow.net.
- Sum checks: none available — the release prints a single total and program highlights, not additive components; no total has been assembled from parts.
- What is not claimed: no fund-level budget split, revenue split, or prior-year comparison is shown, because the release does not print them. Re-check route: the city’s budget book on cityofbartow.net would supply the fund split for a future revision.
- Jurisdiction palette: No verified Florida jurisdiction palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a jurisdiction color.