Avon ParkNot a ballot

How Avon Park is run

Who runs Avon Park, what it costs, and where your money goes

The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Avon Park's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.

Who runs Avon Park

A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The five-member council, including the mayor, sets policy, passes ordinances and adopts the budget.

City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026

What they are paid

City Manager Jason Atkinson: base pay$110,0002026-01-26. City of Avon Park · Jan 26, 2026
In the contract
  • $500 a month in place of city health insurance
  • Take-home city vehicle
  • 200 hours of vacation a year
  • 12 weeks' severance if fired without cause
  • Three-year term, at the council's will
A council memberNot confirmedFY2026-27. No document stating each member's pay was found. The budget shows council costs only as one department total. City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026
The mayorNot confirmedFY2026-27. No document stating the mayor's pay was found. The budget shows council costs only as one department total. City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026

Avon Park city staff

99 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025-10-30. Full-time employees, as stated in the city manager job description for FY2025-26. City of Avon Park · Oct 30, 2025

Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.

Is Avon Park in the red?

Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.

General fund, FY2026-27$11.5MOut of $103M across all city funds, which includes utilities and other money that can only be spent on one thing. City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026
Savings grew, FY2023-24 (audited)+$726,396General fund revenue $7.6M, spending $8.6M. General fund spending exceeded revenue by $1.0 million. A $1.6 million transfer in and $140,473 in insurance proceeds turned that into a $726,396 rise in fund balance. City of Avon Park · Jan 29, 2026

Savings against the city's own target

Unassigned general fund balance: $10.8M (2024-09-30). The city's own target: Keep a general fund balance of at least 20% of budgeted operating spending, and restore it within two years if it falls below. Unassigned reserves were 126% of general fund spending. The city meets this target. City of Avon Park · Jan 29, 2026

Pension promises not yet funded$6.2MThe city's net pension liability was $6.2 million on Sept. 30, 2024 across four plans: the police plan ($1.4 million, 80.13% funded), the firefighters' plan ($2.0 million, 78.48% funded), its share of the Florida Retirement System ($1.7 million) and the FRS retiree health subsidy ($1.1 million). (2024-09-30). City of Avon Park · Jan 29, 2026
Debt owed$23,3572024-09-30. City of Avon Park · Jan 29, 2026

Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.

Where the money comes from and goes

The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.

Comes from

  • Property taxes$3.1M · 27%
  • Transfer from the water and sewer utility (return on investment)$1.9M · 17%
  • State and county shared revenue and grants$1.5M · 13%
  • Utility service taxes (electric, water, gas, communications)$1.4M · 13%
  • Charges for services (mostly the fire assessment)$1.3M · 11%
  • Electric and gas franchise fees$764,000 · 7%
  • Interest, building rents and other$633,710 · 6%
  • Drawn from reserves$413,510 · 4%
  • Other (gas taxes, fines, permits)$525,400 · 5%

City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026

Goes to (FY2026-27)

  • Police (Highlands County Sheriff contract)$3.9M · 34%
  • Fire department$3.2M · 28%
  • Streets and transportation$1.7M · 15%
  • Parks and recreation$808,140 · 7%
  • City manager, clerk, HR and IT$474,190 · 4%
  • Code enforcement$387,890 · 3%
  • Other government services$338,700 · 3%
  • City attorney$257,170 · 2%
  • Other (council, finance, planning)$369,410 · 3%

City of Avon Park · Sep 28, 2026

Who provides your services

Not everything in Avon Park is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.

Compared with similar cities

The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.

Avon ParkFLCocoa BeachFLSatellite BeachFLWilton ManorsFL
Residents9,78611,36111,49311,497
Top administrator's base pay$110,000$189,900Not confirmedNot current (2022)
Council member payNot confirmedNot confirmedNo salaryNot current (2022)
General fund per resident$1,174$3,974$1,653$2,296
Debt per resident$2$3,020$1,193$198
Unfunded pension per resident$636$727$178$1,387
City staff per 1,000 residents10.125.110.411.0

Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Avon Park and Wilton Manors pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.

What Avon Park publishes

What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.

Questions to ask your council

  1. Police service from the Highlands County Sheriff costs $3.9 million in FY2026-27, the largest general fund line. How is the contract's value reviewed before renewal?
  2. Unassigned general fund reserves were $10.8 million on Sept. 30, 2024, far above the 20% policy. What is the plan for the amount above the minimum?
  3. The FY2024 audit was dated Jan. 29, 2026 and listed three material weaknesses. When will the FY2025 audit be filed, and have the weaknesses been fixed?
  4. The general fund relies on a $1.9 million yearly transfer from the water and sewer utility. How does that affect utility rates?

The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. Staff presented a draft budget at a July 11, 2026 special meeting, where the council set a 6.5-mill ceiling for tax notices. The FY2027 budget, dated Sept. 28, 2026, uses a 5.9090-mill rate. See who is running for council

Help decide what comes next

What do you want to know about Avon Park next?

One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.

Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?

See something wrong? Report an error

Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.