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Hopewell presents FY26 spending plan; council approves split health-insurance increase
Summary
City finance staff presented a high-level FY26 expense forecast including a 3% COLA, 12% health-insurance renewal and capital priorities; council approved option A to share the insurance increase with employees, 6–0.
Finance staff presented the city’s preliminary FY26 expense forecast and capital priorities during a work session on March 26 and outlined administrative recommendations for health insurance renewal.
Miss Jordan (finance staff) described the city’s expense strategy as maintaining current operations, funding capital where possible, and building reserves from leftover revenues. Key assumptions presented included a 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) across most employees, implementation of class-and-compensation changes for public safety, and a health-insurance renewal increase presented as 12 percent for the local-choice program.
Jordan said departmental capital requests are being prioritized and that the city’s capital-improvement program (CIP) includes engineering projects and multi-year items; she noted projected debt-service changes that will free up funds starting in 2028. The presentation showed outside‑agency requests separated by required, recommended and discretionary contributions and identified potential CIP funding sources including general-fund transfers, long-term debt and state and federal grants.
On health insurance, staff presented two options: Option A, in which the city and employees split the roughly $620,000 renewal increase (staff projected the city’s share at about $508,000 and employees’ share at about $112,000), and Option B, in which the city would absorb the full increase. Staff recommended Option A and to preserve the three plan options currently offered. Council moved to approve Option A; the roll call vote was 6–0 in favor.
Ending: Finance staff said the budget document is a working draft and that detailed departmental and capital figures will be refined during April budget sessions; the health-insurance changes will be implemented with the July 1 plan year start.
