Finance department seeks $20.8M for FY2026; council questions indirect costs, new billing system and collections strategy

The Wilmington Department of Finance presented its FY2026 budget request to the Finance Committee, asking for roughly $20.8 million across the general fund and water/sewer fund. Finance Director Brett Taylor and Deputy Director Lois McLaughlin detailed personnel changes, software and licensing needs, and the city’s collections approach while answering council members’ questions about indirect costs, red‑light camera outages and proposed new technology.

Why it matters: Finance functions — billing, collections, permits and transaction processing — underpin the city’s cash flow and the water/sewer fund’s solvency. Council scrutiny focused on the share of indirect costs allocated to the water/sewer fund, the expected returns from a new billing platform, and whether collections and camera programs are managed to prioritize safety and fairness rather than revenue maximization.

Budget totals and personnel OMB’s presentation listed the department’s combined FY2026 request at about $20.8 million. The general fund portion was presented as slightly over $11 million (a roughly 1.3% increase over FY2025), while the water/sewer fund budget request was shown at about $9.7 million (up about 16.8% from FY2025). Personnel changes include a net increase of about 1.0 full‑time equivalent across funds (positions split between funds), two position upgrades from an HR reorganization, and the creation of a new database manager position split 35% general fund / 65% water/sewer fund. The budget narrative said total payroll changes reflect cost‑of‑living and step increases.

Indirect costs and fund allocation Black & Veatch conducted a new…