Kennett City Council approves fiscal year 2026 budget after committee review

Kennett City — The Kennett City Council approved the fiscal year 2026 budget at its council meeting after discussion and a motion from the finance committee.

The finance committee reported it had finalized the FY26 budget and moved for council approval. Council members raised questions about individual line items, including a request to restore the fuel budget to a $7,500 level that the committee said was not granted. A council member asked whether budgets were being reduced across departments to reflect current expense patterns; the finance committee representative said many departments’ budgets were set below projected expenses and that line‑item adjustments could be made rather than across‑the‑board increases.

Committee discussion noted the city could end the fiscal year $5,000 to $10,000 under anticipated funds, and members said they had attempted to balance budget priorities through internal adjustments. A council member said that staff and committee members had spent significant time preparing the budget and recommended keeping the bottom line unchanged.

The council approved the fiscal year 2026 budget by voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion passed with no opposition. Specific budget line adjustments, the final budget document and any follow‑up appropriation ordinances were not read into the record at the meeting.

Questions raised during debate included the detailed treatment of the fuel line item and whether departments would return with requests if shortfalls emerged; the council did not adopt any amendments during the vote.

What happens next: The adopted FY26 budget will govern city appropriations until amended; council members indicated they expect departments to request adjustments if needed, but no timeline for future amendments was provided.