Junction City held its first budget session on July 1, 2026, at the Municipal Building as department heads reviewed proposed spending for fiscal 2026 and explained why they want more staff, equipment or capital funding.

The meeting focused on operating‑budget increases, equipment needs and multiagency grants. City staff proposed a 6% across‑the‑board cost‑of‑living adjustment for most nonunion employees and additional, department‑specific salary changes tied to reclassifications and new hires. Department heads described a long list of capital requests and higher contractual costs tied to inflation, legal and compliance work, and large infrastructure projects.

Why it matters: the requests together would raise recurring costs for salaries, benefits and maintenance and push decisions about how to pay for the increases to the city manager’s upcoming revenue presentation. The city manager said he will return with revenue options and a mill‑levy analysis at the next meeting.

Key budget highlights and requests

Legal and municipal court: The legal department and court budget moves a currently contracted prosecutor into a full‑time in‑house assistant city attorney position (estimated compensation discussed in the roughly $100,000 range plus benefits), shifting costs from contract services to salary and benefits. Court staffing was also adjusted so the court administrator can perform supervisory duties while clerks handle transactional and courtroom responsibilities. The department retained a contingency line for outside counsel in conflict or HR matters.

Public works and airport projects: Public Works Director Ray described six public‑works budgets (general fund and enterprise funds). The Airport budget includes two FAA/KDOT grants: an FAA obstruction‑removal grant with an FAA share reported as $739,130 and a city share of $38,902; and a KDOT beacon replacement listed as a $210,000 project with a city share of $21,000. Street‑department requests include adding a city electrician ($48,800 estimated salary cited), raising regular wages to reflect the proposed COLA and moving some supervisors from hourly to salaried pay. Contracted street maintenance rose from $1.5 million to $2.0 million for 2026. Street materials and asphalt costs were cited as higher (hot‑mix asphalt and concrete prices discussed), and snow‑removal contract funding increased (a contract services line moved from $80,000 to $180,000 to reflect higher use of outside contractors). Ray also described a KDOT carbon‑reduction traffic‑signal project with a city share listed at $76,000 and engineering and construction planning increases for multiple street and utility projects.

Water, sewer, stormwater and sanitation (enterprise funds): Water distribution and sewer collection budgets show higher salary lines (partly for supervisors converted to salaried roles) and large planned engineering services and other‑services allocations to support multi‑year water‑system improvement projects. Water engineering line items were discussed in the hundreds of thousands to multimillion range (engineering figures cited in the presentation). Sanitation planned capital to replace a side‑load truck and a service van; sewer collection added capital for a replacement camera system (camera, cable and related equipment estimated at about $180,000). Stormwater work and bank‑stabilization projects were raised and staff said they are pursuing FEMA cost‑share opportunities for major repairs after a severe storm.

Fire and EMS: The fire department and EMS budgets include contract and staffing changes tied to collective‑bargaining negotiations. EMS leaders reported a negotiated front‑loaded three‑year agreement under discussion with larger increases than the 6% offered to nonunion staff (presentation noted a heavy front end and smaller amounts later in the contract). The department also cited equipment needs — ambulance monitors (~$50,000 each), auto‑pulsors (~$26,000) and other advanced life‑support items — and said the city plans to use reserves to cover a recently ordered pumper engine. The fire reserve balance was reported at about $2.4 million before that purchase. Officials said they are working toward National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 staffing goals (the presentation said a 15‑person minimum was the target for some operations).

Police: The police budget reflected union and nonunion increases (union: 4% cited; nonunion: 6% cited elsewhere) and higher operating costs for fuel and ammunition. Prisoner housing costs increased because contract terms changed to require the city to pay inmate prescription costs; that line was described around $365,000. The department flagged a future capital need: replacement of tasers around 2027 with an estimated planning figure of about $175,000.

Animal shelter: The shelter director described staffing changes (moving one part‑time position to full time), higher consumables and veterinary costs tied to increased intake and crate replacement needs, and plans for an addition to the shelter. The director said Petco grant funding has been a major source for previous years, but noted grant timing and uncertainty for the coming cycle. The shelter requested capital for an industrial washer/dryer and other long‑running operational improvements.

Parks, recreation, pool and golf: Parks presented multiple capital and maintenance requests, including new playground equipment (with ADA considerations), park construction for a growing neighborhood, and equipment purchases such as a multipurpose machine and a remote‑controlled mower to reduce safety risks on steep banks. The pool budget reflected higher chemical costs and staffing constraints tied to lifeguard availability. Golf course and recreation budgets included aging equipment replacements and building repairs.

Building and codes: The department requested more funding for demolition and asbestos testing/removal after the state required asbestos surveys for demolition work; demolition funding rose in the draft. The department also requested a plotter/map printer and inspection tools and increased subscriptions so staff can update to the next code cycle and give inspectors a full set of current code books.

Information technology and security: IT leaders requested an additional staff position (network administrator), and indicated the city’s public‑information function (PIO) will fall under IT. Major proposed recurring software and security costs include a SIEM (security information and event management) renewal, intrusion‑protection services, backup‑and‑storage expansion, and a government‑only AI/search tool to prevent public leakage of sensitive data. IT staff said these are needed to meet compliance and to centralize logging and incident detection.

Administration and other items: The city manager noted an unbudgeted tax/insurance exposure for the ACT property the city owns; the manager also said he will return with a revenue plan and a mill‑levy proposal at the next meeting. He gave a per‑mill revenue figure for planning: one mill was estimated at about $228,110 for the upcoming levy calculation.

Actions and next steps: No formal policy decisions or adopted budget figures were taken at this session. Department heads presented spending requests and answered commissioner questions; the city manager will present revenue projections and mill‑levy options at the next meeting. The commission adjourned the budget session by voice vote at the close of the meeting.