Logansport finance chair previews $15.19 million proposed 2026 general fund; council to advertise, schedule Oct. 20 adoption

Council finance chair Dave Morris gave council members an overview of the proposed 2026 budget, saying the city’s published general fund would total $15,185,009.65 and outlining a timeline to publish, advertise and adopt the budget before the state deadline.

The proposed general fund, Morris said, includes a roughly 3% across‑the‑board wage increase for most departments and an economic development allocation of about $1.1 million. He told members department heads will be sent PDF copies of the draft so they can review and bring any questions to a followup finance meeting.

The budget discussion also touched on the city’s likely share of an upgrade to the 911 combined dispatch system. Morris said the city’s portion could be about $250,000 and that county officials told the city’s leaders they would try to accommodate the city with a phased payment plan if needed. Morris called the system upgrade “expensive but necessary” and said long‑term vendor timelines and equipment obsolescence make the replacement a pressing matter for upcoming budget discussions.

Council members and staff raised several practical next steps. Tyler (city staff) was asked to email the draft budget PDF to department heads and to print copies on request. Morris said the council will advertise the budget, hold any required public hearings and that the council plans a special meeting to adopt the budget; he indicated a second reading and adoption is scheduled for an October 20 special meeting to meet the requirement that a budget be passed before Nov. 1.

On capital funding, staff described a separate but related issue with the Geo‑bond account. City staff told the council they had recently learned some Geo‑bond expenditures this year require a formal appropriation. Judy Robertson (city finance personnel referenced) said the council must pass an ordinance to appropriate funds for amounts already spent out of the Geo‑bond account and recommended doing two actions: (1) an ordinance documenting and appropriating Geo‑bond money already spent this fiscal year, and (2) a second ordinance setting procedure for future Geo‑bond spending. Staff said the ordinances will need public notice and follow the city’s ordinance and public‑hearing process.

Council members discussed timing for followup finance meetings to review department requests, to assess potential capital projects that could use Geo‑bond funds and to adjust revenue estimates. Morris said Andy Mauser (revenue analyst) is working on revenue projections under recent state revenue changes (noted in discussion as “SB 1” revenue review) and expects initial figures by midweek, which would inform whether some proposed items in the draft budget remain in place.

No formal motions or votes were recorded during this budget overview; council members directed staff to publish and advertise the draft budget, distribute copies to department heads for review, and prepare the Geo‑bond ordinances and public‑notice material for forthcoming meetings.

Ending: Staff will circulate the draft budget to department heads and prepare ordinances and public‑notice materials for Geo‑bond appropriations; the council scheduled a special meeting for Oct. 20 to complete required readings and adoption steps ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.