HATTIESBURG, Miss. ( WHLT ) – The Hattiesburg City Council voted 4-0 on Friday to approve a $145.2 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025.

“We are grateful to the Hattiesburg City Council for their work and collaboration in delivering another structurally balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2025,” said Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker. “This budget maximizes the lean growth in revenue toward meeting the infrastructure, public safety, and service needs of our citizens while also continuing to invest in city employees.”

Some of the highlights of the FY 2025 budget include:

• Structural balance in the city’s general fund for the fifth consecutive year. Of the $163.5 million total budget, the general fund comprises $65.3 million.
• No water and sewer fee increases
• No property tax increases; city millage will remain at 53.13 mills
• Continued investment in infrastructure, with $2.9 million allocated for paving
• Sales tax revenue projected at $27.8 million, in line with FY 2023 collections

The FY 2025 budget also includes wage and salary adjustments for city personnel, including:

• Step raises for police and fire sworn officers
• Targeted salary adjustments for various departments, including the Action Center, Streets, Sanitation, and Parks & Recreation
• Service-based raises for water and sewer employees
• Addition of part-time positions in code enforcement, permitting, airport, and animal control
• Targeted salary adjustments for various divisions, including Public Works Health, Streets, Sanitation, and Shop; Parks & Recreation Maintenance and Community Centers; Code Enforcement, Action Center, and Permitting
• Years of service raises for Water & Sewer employees

According to Hattiesburg leaders, the budget accounts for the revised Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) employer contribution rate increase, set to rise from 17.9% to 18.4% on July 1, 2025. The budget also reflects a shift in millage, moving 0.10 mills from the General Fund to the Police & Fire Municipal System.

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