Auburn manager outlines FY26 budget and five‑year CIP, flags rising debt share and new solid‑waste contract

City Manager Phil Kroll presented the proposed FY26 municipal operating budget and five‑year capital improvement plan to the Auburn City Council on March 17, describing changes in operating and capital drivers and previewing a set of supplemental requests the council will review in upcoming workshops.

Kroll said the citywide increase measured across all expenditures is about 5.96 percent year over year, with the municipal operating budget itself rising roughly 3.1 percent. He told councilors the composition of that increase has shifted: "Last year, debt and TIF accounted for about 25 percent of our total increases; this year it's 62 percent of our overall increases," a change he called “a big shift for us.”

Why it matters: the presentation re‑frames near‑term budget choices by showing how borrowing and intergovernmental costs are driving the bulk of the increase, while also identifying operating priorities that could require new ongoing funding if the council approves supplemental items.

Key budget highlights

- Solid waste and recycling: Kroll confirmed Auburn signed a new trash contract with Casella and included the high‑end cost estimate for converting to automated curbside service (two bins per household,…