Upcoming City Council Budget Meetings
- Wednesday, April 2, 7 p.m. Workshop: General budget review
- Wednesday, April 2, following workshop: Special meeting: Budget adoption
- Wednesday, April 9, 7 p.m. Regular meeting: Fallback budget adoption date
Dover City Manager Presents Proposed FY2026 Budget to City Council
Dover City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget to the City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.
The proposed budget totals $207,557,289 across all funds, reflecting a 4.4% increase over the previous year. This includes a 5.2% increase in school-related expenses and a 3.6% increase in non-school-related expenses, such as solid waste management and public water and sewer utilities.
The proposed budget exceeds the city’s tax cap requirements by $2,274,224. While the estimated local school portion of the property tax levy exceeds the tax cap formula by $2,370,578, the city’s portion is $96,354 below the tax cap. As a result, a two-thirds 
majority vote from the City Council is required to adopt the budget as currently proposed.
The full budget document can be viewed here, and will also be available at the Dover Public Library and City Hall.
The proposed budget's accompanying FY2026 Proposed Schedule of Fees can be viewed here. When the City Council adopts the FY2026 budget, it will also adopt its schedule of fees for the fiscal year.
The City Manager's presentation can be viewed below. This page will be updated throughout the budget process with budget documents, videos, and other budget information.