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Council adopts mid‑biennial budget amendment to fund police hires, equipment and cleanup reserves
Summary
Ordinance 2021 adjusts the 2025–26 biennial budget to reflect council-approved grants and new items: DOJ COPS-funded police hires, equipment purchases (reduced parks requests), and set-asides for environmental cleanup, with some use of fund balance indicated.
The Oak Harbor City Council adopted Ordinance 2021 on May 6, a mid‑biennial amendment that updates the 2025–26 budget to reflect grant awards, council decisions and new spending items.
Finance staff presented the amendment as a package of previously approved items and new requests. Finance manager Chaz Webster said the amendment incorporates grant-funded purchases (for example, Axon body-worn cameras and digital evidence storage), a 10% contingency allocation for the Northeast Seventh Avenue reconstruction project, and new allocations to hire five police officers — partially funded by a U.S. Department of Justice COPS hiring grant.
Webster said parks and development equipment requests originally totaled $271,500 but staff reduced that parks request to $80,000 after reviewing use frequency, sharing, storage and program needs. Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director David Goldman said some vehicle and equipment items under $50,000 were processed outside the main capital process and were added now to the amendment.
The amendment also set aside amounts for anticipated environmental cleanup activities related to Northeast Seventh Avenue and Front Marsh; staff said they are exploring whether opioid-settlement funds can be used to cover some cleanup costs.
Council discussion centered on the parks equipment reductions, the origin of late equipment requests, and the contingency/cleanup line items. Council Member Marshall expressed frustration that a large parks request had been omitted from the original budget process before being presented in this amendment and urged improvements in the budgeting process. Council Member Wiesner asked whether the $31,200 budgeted for biohazard/cleanup activity was anticipatory; staff confirmed it was a budgetary reserve and that use of opioid settlement funds was being explored.
Council moved to adopt Ordinance 2021; the mayor called the roll. The council recorded five votes in favor and two opposed and the motion passed.
