Independence presents FY 2025–26 budget; public safety fee retained and targeted cuts proposed

City staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget to the Independence Budget Committee on April 23, outlining a plan staff described as balanced but reliant on one‑time funds, new fees and further reductions if new revenue sources are not secured.

The proposed budget continues the city’s public safety fee but with staged reductions: the fee would drop from the current $20 per month to $17 on July 1, 2025, and to $10 on July 1, 2026; staff said the fee would then be indexed annually to the regional inflation measure described in the presentation to preserve long‑term purchasing power. Staff told the committee the fee supports hiring and retention of police officers over the next three years.

To address structural general‑fund shortfalls the staff presentation listed a package of recommended temporary measures that would generate onetime revenue or lower recurring costs if the council adopts them. Those recommendations, presented to the committee as proposals rather than final council decisions, included consolidating the museum and the library into a single community services department housed in the current library building; selling the museum building; selling at least one park property from a designated list; closing the Independence Civic Center on Fridays while keeping police operations open; and reducing public library hours by one day per week. Staff described these as temporary stop‑gaps and said that without new, ongoing revenue sources or deeper cuts the general fund would remain unsustainable.

Staff presented…