La Marque — During the city’s Aug. 12 budget workshop, a parks board representative said the board was allotted $21,700 for FY2025 but that public works had not released the money for approved projects and asked the council to roll the funds into the FY2026 budget.

Why it matters: Small discretionary budgets for park projects are often time‑sensitive. The parks board said they could not obtain bids before September for work already approved, and that unspent council allocations should be rolled forward.

What was said
Mike Bach, speaking "on behalf of the parks board," told the council the board’s FY2025 allocation was $21,700 and that public works had not allowed the board to spend it on projects the parks board had previously approved. He said: “I pulled this information off the city website … Council blessed us with $21,700 for this budget year … So I'm requesting … is to ask council to roll that money over into '26.” Bach asked the council to direct public works to coordinate with the parks board so approved projects can proceed.

How city staff responded
City Manager Holly acknowledged the request and noted the council’s budget process and liaisons. She confirmed there are multiple park‑related accounts — voluntary park donation revenue, council discretionary distributions and larger capital funds — and said staff will work to clarify how those funds are tracked and carried forward. Finance staff indicated voluntary park donations historically total near $7,500 per year and projected about $7,300 for the upcoming year; the council has previously treated those voluntary contributions as a carry‑forward fund for parks projects.

Next steps
Council members asked that public works and parks staff follow up and that staff clarify the carryover rules and current balances for the parks discretionary accounts. The parks board representative said he would remain available for follow‑up conversation but acknowledged council may have to formalize any rollover through the budget amendment process.

Ending
No formal council action on the rollover occurred at the workshop; staff will report back with specific account balances and a recommended approach to carry forward or reallocate unspent park allocations.