Danville managers present final FY26 budget revisions; commissioners weigh county-led park projects and staffing gaps

City Manager Earl Coffey presented revised draft numbers for the Danville fiscal year 2026 budget at a special-called meeting, asking commissioners for direction on a handful of outstanding items including a $17,000 utility-fund gap, an unfunded battalion chief position and whether to match county commitments to shared park projects.

Coffey said the city remains about $17,000 “upside down” in the utility fund and that staff plans to trim construction-material line items across four major departments to balance that fund. He also told the commission the battalion chief position the commission previously discussed is not included in the current draft and acknowledged that omission as an oversight.

Staff reviewed several capital items and timing: police-body-camera/video upgrades were reduced from an earlier $100,000 estimate to a known cost of $85,000; bay-door replacements were split into two phases with $35,000 in this budget and additional doors considered mid-year if other items come in under budget; and a replacement public-works dump truck was flagged as a priority with an estimated cost of $250,000.

On noncapital items, Coffey recommended setting aside $50,000 in the current budget to match half of a proposed county contribution to a series of joint celebrations for a 250th anniversary; the county has indicated support of $100,000 spread over two budget cycles and staff asked the commission whether to match the county’s effort this year by budgeting $50,000 and the remainder in FY27.

Coffey and staff also described collaborative capital projects the county proposed and is funding in part: a $300,000 total project cost was cited for skate-park improvements; the county is proposing $600,000 for a proposed multi-court pickleball complex at Whites Park; and commitments toward Millennium Park playground surfacing, furnishings and ball-field improvements were discussed. Coffey recommended the city participate in the planning process rather than immediately appropriating a matching $600,000 until bids and a final design are available.

Commissioners raised concerns about the pickleball proposal’s scale and timing. Coffey said the county’s $600,000 budget is a target and that staff recommended phased planning, surveying and design that could take 90–100 days before construction could be bid in early spring for a summer construction window. He noted parking, potential grading and restroom access are planning considerations and that Whites Park is a county park; any city participation would be decided once firm pricing and scope are known.

On other park priorities, Coffey said the city and county had coordinated to reprioritize projects so that items the county agreed to match appear earlier on the city's capital list. He also reported county interest in an Allen Springs mountain-bike park and Millennium Park improvements to replace mulch with ADA-compliant surfacing.

Coffey asked commissioners to review the draft and provide feedback ahead of the next budget meeting scheduled for May 29; staff plans to present a final draft then and, pending only minor changes, proceed to a first reading at the regular commission meeting on June 9.

No formal budget appropriation or staff-hiring action was taken at the special meeting; commissioners directed staff to return with the refined final draft that incorporated the discussed corrections and priorities.