Fraser council reviews FY2025-26 draft budget, flags water, public-safety and senior-program costs

Fraser — City leaders spent a lengthy April 17 budget workshop poring over a draft fiscal 2025-26 budget that keeps the public-safety millage intact while asking council to approve capital spending on water mains, stormwater repairs, police and fire vehicles and equipment.

City Manager Levin opened the review by noting the administration is recommending holding the public-safety millage at 1.5 mills in the coming year. "We are maintaining, or at least the recommended budget of maintaining, the public safety millage at 1.5 mills," Levin told the council as the meeting moved into department-by-department reviews.

Why it matters: Fraser staff said infrastructure and public-safety equipment deferred for years now require replacement or expanded maintenance budgets. Council members repeatedly asked for more detail and prioritized near-term fixes — notably water-main and stormwater repairs tied to street projects — while flagging community concerns about costs for recreation, fireworks and retiree benefits.

Major items and debate

Water and stormwater: DPW staff told council an engineering inventory found roughly 1,315 stormwater assets in critical condition and recommended pairing targeted storm-sewer repairs with planned water-main projects rather than treating each item separately. DPW staff said the draft budget includes $750,000 for stormwater repairs in 2025-26 and then an estimated $250,000 per year in later years to begin addressing the backlog. Council members pressed on timing and disruption from construction; staff said water-main work would typically precede paving and that some street projects would be followed immediately by resurfacing.

Meters and water loss: Staff proposed a multi-year meter replacement program to address apparent water loss and aging meters. The largest vendor quote staff reported was roughly $3 million to replace all meters over a ten-year schedule (about $300,000 a year). DPW staff said the program would prioritize larger commercial meters and older neighborhoods and include options for residents to monitor usage online.

Public safety and equipment: The police and fire budgets include several high-cost items: an estimated $50,000 for a marked patrol SUV (plus upfitting), a roughly $350,000 estimate for a new full-size…