Shelton staff outlines 2026 general fund gap; council signals public-safety priority

City Manager Mark Ziegler told the Shelton City Council on Sept. 23 that staff expects to use the city's unreserved general-fund balance to close a preliminary 2026 budget gap and asked for council guidance on priorities. "This is intended to be an interactive process, really to get guidance from the council on where how the 02/2026 budget is gonna be formulated," Ziegler said at the study session.

The nut graf: The council was presented a high-level 2026 budget framework showing the city has relied on fund balance to balance recent budgets and faces a preliminary shortfall; members repeatedly identified public safety as a top priority while asking staff to return with a preliminary budget and scenarios that protect multiyear sustainability.

Ziegler walked the council through the calendar for finalizing the 2026 budget, including departments' fee changes, an Oct. 1 review of preliminary decisions, and a planned final adoption on Dec. 2. He said the 2025 adopted general fund budget showed about $15.9 million in budgeted revenue and just over $17 million in expenditures, with roughly $1.1 million budgeted from the unreserved fund…