Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town presents draft 2026 budget; trustees set public hearing dates
Summary
Town staff presented a draft fiscal-year 2026 budget, described general-fund structural balance and capital priorities, and the Board of Trustees voted to set public hearings on Oct. 28, Nov. 12, Nov. 25 and Dec. 9; trustees discussed capital project prioritization, fund‑balance use and the need for a transportation master plan.
Town finance and administrative staff presented the preliminary 2026 budget to the Board of Trustees on Oct. 14, describing a structurally balanced general fund in the draft and outlining capital priorities across general, street, water, stormwater and airport funds.
The town manager said the draft general fund was “structurally balanced” with a small surplus in the current projection and emphasized that revenue actuals for August and September could change that outlook. Staff identified capital projects prioritized for the coming year, including transportation master plan work and several water‑rights and public‑works projects; the airport fund showed a modest projected deficit staff said they were working to close.
Trustees discussed the capital list, asked for routine written updates on key multi‑year items (for example, purchases of water rights measured in acre‑feet) and requested that smaller public‑support grant allocations be handled late in the process to avoid repeatedly revisiting small line‑item requests during the main budget discussion. Staff replied that department heads and advisory boards had already prioritized most items and that the budget document and capital‑project database (ClearGov) would be made available for trustees to review in detail.
The board voted to set public‑hearing dates for the budget process as outlined in staff’s memo: Oct. 28, Nov. 12, Nov. 25 and Dec. 9. The motion passed with an affirmative vote; the meeting record shows the motion was seconded and approved with no opposed votes recorded. Staff noted that public hearings would include opportunities for public comment and that any organizations seeking awards from the town’s public‑support fund should expect to appear during the hearings.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to return with requested updates and emphasized the transportation master plan as high priority before making some long‑range budget decisions.
