Council schedules public hearings, targets Oct. 28 for 2026 property tax levy adoption

City Council members and staff on Sept. 16 set a schedule for the mid‑biennial budget review and for required public hearings on revenue and property taxes. Staff said it will hold a public hearing on revenue and property taxes on Oct. 21, bring a full mid‑biennial review to the full council at a work study on Oct. 21, and target Oct. 28 to adopt the mid‑biennial amendments and the 2026 property tax levy. “We’ll have a public hearing on revenue sources. So this is required for us to set property taxes,” said a city finance staff member. The staff presentation described the process the city uses to collect department budget change requests, meet with department heads and the mayor, and present recommendations to the finance committee and council. The staff member said notices for required hearings are posted for two consecutive weeks for the budget hearings and that, in general, public notice for hearings is historically five to seven days when statute does not prescribe a different period. Council members asked for clarity about notice to ensure the public has time to comment, with one councilor noting the two‑week notice requirement for budget hearings and another confirming the staff target to advertise the Oct. 21 hearing at least five to seven days in advance. Staff also briefed the council about levy capacity and levy caps; staff said the city typically does not levy the statutory 1 percent maximum because of a local levy cap. Council discussion focused on outreach and timing: several members asked staff to make sure public notice is clear and widely posted and to include the mid‑year “wish list” items previously identified by council and the mayor in the finance committee’s review. Staff said the next steps are finance committee review in early October, a public hearing on Oct. 21, a council work study on Oct. 21 to review the mid‑biennial proposals, and the final adoption of amendments and the property tax levy on Oct. 28. No formal vote on budget amendments or the levy occurred at this work study session.