Columbia City Council members on Tuesday approved a package of 74 budget amendments to the proposed FY2026 budget and set the revised document for final adoption at the council's Sept. 15 meeting. The council also continued public comment on the budget and heard multiple requests from residents and neighborhood representatives for greater transparency and targeted spending on housing, public safety and parks.

The amendments covered a mix of corrections, encumbrances, personnel changes and new funding requests. Finance and budget staff told the council the changes reduce the general-fund deficit modestly while adding capital and personnel items in other funds.

Why it matters: Council members said the amendments are intended to clarify budget line items, reflect carryover obligations and add discrete projects while preserving a clear path to a balanced long-term financial plan. Finance staff warned that some choices shift capital work and could require future rate or revenue changes if reserves fall.

Council and staff discussion: Finance staff presented an overview of the FY2026 proposed budget showing total revenues of roughly $558 million and total operating expenditures of about $539 million, with capital improvement projects added on top. Finance staff explained that the general fund showed a projected $3.5 million revenue shortfall under the proposed plan but that a lump-sum payment earlier in the year had improved the year-end position, leaving available cash above the reserve target by roughly $18–19 million in the current projection.

Staff explained the amendment categories as:
- Corrections (typos, line-item fixes);
- Encumbrances (projects budgeted in FY2025 but not spent and moved to FY2026);
- Personnel adjustments (position allocations and transfers between funds);
- New funding items (projects or purchases identified after the June budget cutoff).

Notable items added by amendment included: a $1 million additional contribution for the police and fire pension; a transfer to better fund facilities major maintenance (funded from capital improvement sales tax rather than the general fund); and restoration or addition of several capital projects that were missed in the original documents. Staff also reclassified airport safety officers from the general fund to the airport fund, a change that reduced the general fund personnel tally and moved the associated $900,000 cost to the airport budget.

Public comment and concerns: Members of the public asked for simpler, clearer budget documents and urged the council to pay attention to racial economic disparities, homelessness services and transparency. Speakers urged clearer maps and ward-level poverty data, a consolidated list that ties strategic priorities to budget lines, and plain-language summaries for residents.

Outcome and next steps: Council voted, by grouped motions, to adopt the corrections, encumbrances, personnel changes and new items; collectively those 74 amendments will be incorporated into a "clean" budget document for final review. Councilmembers said they prefer to take a formal vote on the final ordinance (Council Bill 1-83-25) at the Sept. 15 meeting after one more public-comment opportunity. Staff agreed to provide supplemental materials requested by council (including a transfers summary and a one-page list tying budget changes to the amendments grouped in the staff presentation).