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Millcreek council adopts midyear budget amendments, tentatively adopts FY2026 plan and updates fee schedule
Summary
On May 12 the Millcreek City Council approved an ordinance amending the current fiscal year budget, adopted a tentative FY2026 budget and approved a revised fee schedule effective May 19. The package funds pavement preservation, contributes funds to Mill Creek Common phase 2 and keeps the city property tax rate unchanged.
The Millcreek City Council on May 12 approved a set of budget adjustments for the current fiscal year, tentatively adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget and updated the city’s fee schedule to align with recent code changes. Council members said the budget preserves core services while increasing wages for staff and setting aside funds for the Mill Creek Common phase 2 project.
Finance Director Lisa Dudley told the council the amendment before them mainly adjusted interdepartmental transfers and administrative fees based on updated tax‑increment receipts from the city’s community reinvestment areas (CRAs) and boosted sponsorship revenue recorded through the community foundation. Dudley said a future meeting will present interfund loans and updated debt service schedules for the CRAs. “The overall budget effect to these is 0 because they are all happening by just moving budget lines,” she said.
The tentative FY2026 budget includes a 1.4% increase over the current year if the large bond transfer is removed; it also reflects a 5% increase in the city’s contract with law enforcement and a combined employee pay adjustment composed of a 3% cost‑of‑living increase plus a 1.5% merit pool. Dudley said the tentative spending plan maintains a pavement‑preservation allocation of $1,000,000 and includes a planned $1,100,000 transfer toward completion of Mill Creek Common phase 2. She reported the city’s fund balance remains near the council’s 35% target and that staff had been asked to model a 10% reduction scenario in case of economic downturn.
Mayor (unnamed) emphasized the budget will not increase the Millcreek portion of property taxes this year and said work to control costs allowed the city to fund wage increases while keeping the tax rate steady. “We will not be asking our residents to pay more in property tax, in November for on the city portion,” the mayor said.
The council adopted ordinance 25‑16, amending the FY2024‑25 budget and approving the updated fee schedule (to take effect May 19) by unanimous roll call. The council also voted unanimously to acknowledge receipt of the tentative FY2026 budget and set a public hearing for June 9, 2025. Dudley and the mayor said several line items — including a reimbursable federal grant change from $2,400,000 to $2,500,000 and interfund transfers tied to CRA tax increment — will be brought back to council on May 27 for final adjustments.
The tentative budget covers routine capital and operating needs, and Dudley noted the city’s health‑insurance renewal was negotiated down to a 7% increase from an initial 7.9% renewal offer; employees will continue to pay 15% of premiums while the city pays 85%. The mayor and council praised staff for holding vacancies where possible and for prioritizing core services.
Also on May 12 the council approved resolutions to accept tentative budgets for the Mill Creek Community Reinvestment Agency and the Mill Creek Community Foundation and scheduled those public hearings for June 9. Council members said those entities’ budgets are “blended” components of the city’s overall financial picture and will be finalized alongside the city budget after public comment.
Next steps: public hearings on the tentative FY2026 budget and related CRA/Foundation budgets are scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 9, 2025, when the council will accept public testimony and may revise the tentative plan before final adoption.
