Ogden City Council adopts FY‑26 budget, approves CIP and utility transfers and OKs pay increases

Ogden City Council adopted the final fiscal 2026 budget on June 17, approving the city’s five‑year capital improvement plan, retaining planned utility‑to‑general‑fund transfers and approving employee pay adjustments that combine a 2.97% cost‑of‑living adjustment with a 2% merit pool.

The council’s final vote approved the ordinance establishing the FY‑26 budget, the capital improvement plan and the staffing and salary schedules; it also amended Schedule A‑1 to move $8,000,000 of ARPA‑designated capital funds into an “allocated future projects” account rather than the specific CIP line items proposed by administration.

The action matters because it sets Ogden’s spending and capital priorities for the next fiscal year and keeps in place the city’s longstanding practice of transferring a portion of utility revenues to the general fund, a practice that residents and council members debated at length during the public hearing.

Council and staff said the budget preserves ongoing projects and new capital work while also funding compensation adjustments. Coralie (staff member) opened the council’s budget items with a year‑end budget opening that recognized roughly $4,689,300 in additional revenues and grants for FY‑25, including donations for Marshall White Center swim lessons and several grants for park and playground projects.

Steve Burton, the administration presenter for the capital improvement plan, told the council the CIP lists 92 projects across five years with proposed total project funding of about $249.3 million and…