Freeport council adopts FY2025–26 budget and tax rate, hikes golf fees; approves Veolia extension and opioid settlement

The Freeport City Council on Sept. 15 adopted the city’s fiscal year 2025–26 budget and set the city’s 2025 property tax rate, approved a temporary extension of the city’s water utility contract with Veolia while negotiations continue, and voted to participate in the state-led opioid settlements. Council members also approved a package of golf-course fee increases that city staff said are intended to close an operating shortfall at the course.

Council adopted the budget and related ordinances after public hearings and extended discussion. Finance Director Ashley Hurst told council, “We are still looking at 1.673 in revenue surplus,” a figure staff said allows the council to fund a limited set of capital requests while keeping the general fund balanced. The council then adopted ordinance 2025-2747 (fiscal year 2025–26 budget) and ordinance 2025-2748 (2025 tax rate) in recorded votes.

Why this matters: the budget sets the city’s spending priorities for the next year and the tax-rate vote determines how much property owners will pay. Council members and public commenters framed the vote around infrastructure and basic services; residents urged the council to prioritize pipes, wastewater treatment and other assets. Councilman Pina, arguing for concentrating on time-sensitive items, said the council needed to “squeeze as much in as possible that, in fact, is time sensitive.”

Key actions and votes - Budget: Council adopted the FY2025–26 budget by council vote during the meeting; staff presented revenue and expenditure tables and recommended a balanced package with a projected surplus that staff said can fund chosen capital items. (Ordinance 2025-2747 — adopted.) - Tax rate: Council set the maintenance-and-operations and debt-service rates for the 2025 tax year (Ordinance 2025-2748). Votes on the M&O and debt components were recorded by the clerk as adopted by council vote. - Veolia contract extension: Council approved a temporary contract extension with the city’s water/wastewater contractor, Veolia, to keep services uninterrupted while staff negotiates a longer-term replacement contract (Resolution 2025-2960). The extension preserves current rates and scope through Dec. 31, 2025, while staff and Veolia complete negotiations. - Opioid settlement: Council voted to join the state attorney general’s negotiated settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors and to accept settlement funds allocated to the city (Resolution 2025-2959/295?). Council recorded the vote as unanimous. - Golf fees: Council approved a resolution proposing an across-the-board $10 increase to public green fees and a $15 increase to monthly memberships at the Freeport Golf Club (Resolution 2025-2954); the motion passed 4–1 after extended debate between council members and the golf course manager over price sensitivity and projected revenue. - Alley overlay: Council accepted the staff recommendation and awarded a contract to resurface two alleyways at a quoted price not to exceed $28,800; staff said work will be scheduled to minimize disruption to adjacent property owners.

Items tabled or postponed - Several personnel- and budget-related items were moved to the front of the meeting because council said they were time-sensitive. Several items related to hiring incentives, academy reimbursement and other personnel policies were discussed and either tabled for additional information or failed in separate motions. Most notably, a motion to create a hiring incentive limited to the police department failed 2–3; subsequent attempts to craft separate incentive packages for police and fire were debated and tabled to allow additional staff and department input.

Quotes and context - Finance Director Ashley Hurst: “We are still looking at 1.673 in revenue surplus.” - Councilman Pina (on agenda management): “I want to make sure that we squeeze as much in as possible that, in fact, is time sensitive.”

What’s next - Staff and council will return to remaining budget and personnel items at the next regular meeting or a special meeting if needed. The temporary Veolia extension keeps service continuous while the city finalizes a proposed contract that, staff said, has been drafted to shorten the city’s long-term commitment compared with the current arrangement. Council also set the tax rate and budget ordinance into law, which allows staff to begin implementing the adopted FY2025–26 spending plan.

Votes at a glance (selected) - Ordinance 2025-2747, FY2025–26 budget — adopted (recorded vote during meeting). - Ordinance 2025-2748, 2025 tax rate (M&O and debt) — adopted (recorded votes at meeting). - Resolution 2025-2960, approve temporary Veolia contract extension — approved by council vote. - Resolution 2025-2954, propose golf green-fee and membership increases — approved 4–1. - Resolution to participate in opioid settlement (attorney general settlements) — approved unanimously. - Resolution awarding alley overlay contract (lowest responsible quote) — approved 4–1. - Motion to reassign TIRZ/TERS board governance (see separate article) — council acted; see text below for details.

Ending note: Councilmembers repeatedly returned the conversation to infrastructure and long-term fiscal sustainability. Multiple speakers in public comment asked the council to prioritize pipes, the wastewater plant and other capital needs while finalizing personnel and program-level spending.