"I'm fixing City Finances" - Mayor Horhn
Jackson mayor says $25 million budget deficit eliminated without layoffs, tax hikes
Mayor John Horhn told residents at his 2026 State of the City Address that a $25 million budget deficit inherited by his administration has been closed.
Speaking Oct. 14, Horhn said the shortfall, which he said had amounted to roughly $68,000 a day in unfunded spending when he took office, no longer exists. "Today, this deficit has disappeared. We solved it without layoffs, without furloughs, and without raising taxes," Horhn said during the address. He did not detail the specific measures used to close the gap during the portion of the speech captured.
The claim comes as part of the mayor's broader accounting of the city's finances before residents gathered for the annual address. Horhn's remarks framed the deficit's elimination as a central achievement of his administration's management of the city budget, contrasting the outcome with alternatives such as layoffs or furloughs that were avoided.
A deficit of that size closed without tax increases would represent a notable fiscal turnaround for Jackson, though the method of resolution — whether through spending cuts, one-time revenue or other means — was not specified in the address. The mayor's figures were not independently verified against the city's audited financial statements.