FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - The proposed $244.8 million city of Fort Wayne budget for 2026 will be presented to the city council Tuesday night.

City Counci President Russ Jehl says a new state law plays a factor on the city’s budget and finances. At first, he wasn’t sure how it would play out.

Now that he sees it, he calls it “ugly.”

“Now we can actually see the first stage of SB1, and it is ugly. It is really ugly,” Jehl said. “It’s a $10 million drop in revenue this year, which means that the administration has presented to council a $9 million deficit despite holding expenditures flat.”

The new law reduces property taxes while changing the local income tax structure and leaving cities with less money to work with.

Mayor Sharon Tucker outlined her plan for 2026 weeks agoand expresse

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