2027 Municipal Budget

The City of Dover will establish its budget 2027 fiscal year through a series of meetings and workshops. Dover’s 2027 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2026 and ends on June 30, 2027.

The municipal budget funds everything from police and fire protection to road repairs and public education. For residents, this document offers the most direct insight into how tax dollars are prioritized and provides an opportunity to voice concerns during public hearings before its final adoption in April. The budget covers the following core municipal services:

• General Government
• Public Safety
• Public Works
• Culture and Recreation
• Human Services
• Education

For FY2027, the City of Dover is facing financial challenges due to inflation and rising fixed costs, loss of external funding sources, and increases in wages and benefits. The budget process integrates the school district’s needs with the city’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for infrastructure. It aims to support the City’s strategic priorities:

• Public Education
• Public Safety
• Public Infrastructure
• Fiscal Stewardship
• Economic Development

The City is hosting several City Council Regular Meetings and Workshops. Residents, property owners, and/or designated representatives of recognized civic organizations or businesses located in Dover are invited to provide input during public forums. The following are key dates when people can participate. Refer to the City of Dover for more information.

• Wed, April 1, 6 at 7:00 pm: Workshop. General budget review (Meeting info and docs).
• Wed, April 1 at 7:00 pm: Special Meeting for budget adoption (Meeting info and docs).
• Wed, April 8 at 7:00 pm: Regular Meeting. This is a fallback date, in case the budget is not adopted on April 1 (Meeting info and docs).

Watch and read summaries of budget-related meetings and workshops.

If you want to know the nuts and bolts of what goes into the budget, and where cuts come from, you can review it line item by line item the the “detail” PDF:

• • FY2027 Proposed Budget Summary

• • FY2027 Proposed Budget (detail)

• • FY2027 Proposed Schedule of Fees

In recent episodes, the Dover Download podcast has been covering budget topics. Each episode is under 30 minutes:

• Building the Budget: Executive, Finance, Planning, and Welfare in FY2027
• Building the Budget: Dover Schools’ Strategic Approach to FY27
• Building the Budget: Police, Fire, Library and DoverNet in FY2027
• Building the Budget: Community Services and Recreation in FY2027