Warner Robins proposes $180 million budget, a big jump in spending. What’s in it?

The city of Warner Robins is set to approve a $179.8 million budget for fiscal year 2026, representing a 12% increase in spending from last year.

According to city documents, the increased spending is largely going towards public safety, an umbrella that includes the Warner Robins police and fire departments. Other areas include investments in maintaining and improving roads and other infrastructure and increases to benefits for city employees.

The city council will vote on the budget Monday evening.

Public safety is a big priority

The proposed budget would devote nearly $40 million to public safety.

About $18 million of this would go towards crime control and investigation in an effort to reduce crime in Warner Robins. This would be a more than $1 million increase over fiscal year 2025’s spending in this area.

These funds will primarily be used to pay for police training, investigative supplies, vehicles and new technology to support the police department’s new real-time crime center, according to city records.

Warner Robins City Administrator James T. Drinkard wrote in his opening message that the emphasis on public safety was influenced by feedback from residents as well as Warner Robins wanting to stay competitive as a desirable community for residents and businesses.

Warner Robins wants to invest in infrastructure

The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget includes a slew of capital projects and about $10 million in enterprise money, which will go towards sanitation, stormwater, natural gas and water and sewer projects.

Like public safety efforts, Drinkard said in his opening message that stormwater and street infrastructure were major concerns for residents who communicated with the city through town halls and advisory boards.

The budget also includes about $25 million for capital projects, which cover a range of improvement projects including upgrades to parks and community spaces, improving public safety buildings and beautification projects.

Why is Warner Robins’ budget increasing?

According to Drinkard, the increase is due in part to improvements, but also due to economic uncertainty and rising prices.

In his opening message, he said rising costs of materials and labor for projects as well as rising interest rates and lower consumer confidence pushed the city to increase spending in order to continue city projects and services.

“In this economic climate, it is more important than ever for governments to be nimble and focused to respond to market conditions,” Drinkard wrote.

While inflation has dropped significantly over the last two years, according to data from the U.S. Inflation Calculator, inflation in May was higher than expected at 2.7%. And while President Donald Trump may have backed off his more intense proposals for tariffs which have caused economic turbulence, the tariff rate is still at its highest level since 1936 at 15.8%, according to Yale University’s Budget Lab.

Where will the additional money come from?

Despite the increase in spending, taxes for Warner Robins residents will remain steady.

The millage rate will stay at 8.953, with the additional revenue coming from a mix of increasing property values, grants and Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds. Other sources of revenue include fees from permits and other city forms, as well as fines and investment revenues.

The proposed budget will spend about $20.1 million more than last year.

Drinkard emphasized financial responsibility, and said the city will implement a mid-year budget assessment to respond to new needs that may come up later, and to identify unused money.

“Proactive fiscal management is positioning the City to approach the challenges of the current economic environment more effectively,” he wrote.

The Warner Robins City Council will vote on the budget on Monday in City Hall. A final hearing for the budget will be held earlier that day in the same location.