Council presents $124.69 million 2026 budget; public hearing set for Sept. 29

KOKOMO, Ind. — The Kokomo Common Council introduced and passed on first reading Ordinance 72-11, which fixes the city’s 2026 budget at $124,690,661, with the council scheduling a public hearing on the budget for Sept. 29.

Budget outline: Councilman Miklick presented the ordinance on first reading and summarized the major components: a general fund of approximately $60,000,000; property-tax-backed funds of roughly $25,000,000; non-property-tax-backed funds of about $9,500,000; and tax-increment financing (TIF) funds of about $29,000,000, for a stated total of $124,690,661.

Process and next steps: The council approved the ordinance on first reading and the mayor’s office and staff will continue budget outreach; the council scheduled a public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget (Ordinance 72-11) for Sept. 29, when members of the public will have an opportunity to comment before final readings.

Context: Council members and staff linked the budget discussions and potential supplemental measures—such as the trash-collection fee—to revenue changes following the enactment of Senate Bill 1 and to rising equipment and service costs across city departments. The council did not finalize the budget at this meeting; the first-reading approval keeps the ordinance on the schedule for public comment and eventual final adoption.