The municipal administration introduced amendments to the 2025 municipal budget on Monday and said the changes are state‑mandated and will produce a tax impact of about 0.97% for the year — “approximately $38” on an average assessed value of $480,000, the administration said. The administration said the amendments are being introduced and that a public hearing and adoption are scheduled at upcoming meetings.

At caucus, Councilman Solomon presented an alternate amendment that would shift roughly $1 million from the city council’s line item into the Department of Infrastructure’s traffic and engineering accounts to fund vacant engineering positions and to address a backlog of Vision Zero and traffic requests. Solomon said the proposal also moves $300,000 back out of traffic to fund $100,000 each for the city clerk’s office, quality‑of‑life programming and sanitation.

“The intent was to use the money as it’s currently in the budget versus what the council has been proposing to use it as,” the administration said; Solomon replied that council members should have a say in reallocations from council funds. The administration said both versions of the amendment differ only in how the council line is reallocated and urged the council to choose either the administration’s introduced amendment or Solomon’s alternative so a public hearing can proceed.

Solomon and other council members argued some departments — notably traffic and engineering, recreation, tenant/landlord enforcement and sanitation — need more immediate staffing or program funds. The administration confirmed the chief engineer position appears in the current budget but said filling other vacant engineering positions can take months.

Council members agreed to continue work on the amendments so a public hearing can be scheduled at the formal meeting; the council discussed holding a special meeting the week after the introduction for final action. The state sent a letter urging timely adoption of the budget, the administration said.

No final adoption occurred in caucus; the council set a proposed schedule for introduction and subsequent public hearings and votes.