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Buckeye council adopts $819.7 million tentative FY‑2026 budget, sets June hearings
Summary
City council approved a tentative FY2026 budget of $819,669,500, setting June 3 for truth‑in‑taxation and final‑budget hearings and June 17 for the property‑tax levy; the plan preserves reserves, funds a large five‑year CIP and recommends 67 new positions.
The City of Buckeye on May 20 approved a tentative FY2026 budget of $819,669,500 and set public hearings for June 3 and a property‑tax levy vote for June 17.
The tentative budget, presented to the City Council by Greg Litchi, budget manager, would adopt maximum expenditure authority for FY2026 while allowing the final budget to be reduced but not increased. "I am here to present the tentative budget for FY 2026," Litchi told the council, and staff recommended approval of Resolution 10‑25 to set the hearing dates.
The tentative plan relies on a mix of ongoing revenues and one‑time sources and carries forward large projects from FY2025. The budget includes $256.5 million in carryovers, about $82 million associated with a Harquahala water purchase and roughly $18 million in public‑infrastructure reimbursement agreements. Staff reduced the construction transaction privilege tax (TPT) estimate for FY2026 by $5 million after April revenue results and increased budget authority by $5 million to preserve flexibility if additional revenues materialize.
The city also proposes to maintain a 17% unappropriated reserve for the general, water and wastewater funds and to continue a fully funded five‑year capital improvement plan (CIP). The five‑year CIP totals about $745.4 million (FY2026–2030) including a FY2026 CIP of $277.2 million; capital outlay across all funds is shown at $437.5 million. Major programmed projects include $109 million for streets projects, roughly $104.6 million for water and wastewater projects, a $16.9 million airport program (about $10.9 million of which is land acquisition to extend the runway) and an ARPA‑funded $12 million White Tanks recovery well.
Personnel and compensation proposals in the tentative budget include 67 recommended new positions, a 2.5% cost‑of‑living adjustment for all employees, a 1% city deferred‑compensation contribution, a 4% merit pool for non‑represented staff and a one‑step (about 5%) increase for represented public‑safety staff. Litchi said personnel costs total about $138.5 million — an 11% increase over the prior year.
Litchi told council that the city budgeted conservatively for revenues, continues to use one‑time sources for CIP work, and will present the final budget and the truth‑in‑taxation hearing on June 3 with adoption and the property‑tax levy to follow on June 17. Council approved the tentative budget unanimously.
Next steps: the council will hear public testimony at the June 3 hearings before adopting the final FY2026 budget and taking a separate vote on the property‑tax levy on June 17.
