Councilmembers used a first reading of the 2026 budget goals to identify priorities staff should reflect in the preliminary budget and at an upcoming August 28 work session.
Staff said the formal preliminary budget presentation will occur at the work session; councilmembers suggested additions and areas of emphasis. Common themes included improved online access to city records (website upgrades and an online portal such as Laserfiche), converting the city code to a search‑able host (examples cited: MuniCode, Rogers, Dayton), and enhanced communications such as short videos highlighting projects and council updates.
Councilmembers also urged using park dedication funding beyond Heritage Park to develop neighborhood parks or upgrade open‑space parks, and discussed potential fire‑service investments including support for on‑duty crews or medical first‑response capabilities. Other suggestions included exploring an enterprise AI or productivity license (examples cited by a councilmember as roughly $50 per user per month in other workplaces) to increase staff efficiency and considering internal project management capacity to reduce third‑party construction oversight costs.
Staff reported some items are already in progress (website updates and the Laserfiche portal), and council set an August 14 work session on economic development and a later budget work session on August 28 to refine proposals.
Why it matters: These priority choices will shape the preliminary budget staff prepares for council deliberation, potentially influencing capital and operating requests in 2026.
Discussion vs. decision: Council provided direction and priorities for staff to incorporate into the preliminary budget; no budget appropriations or formal commitments were made at the meeting.