Richmond council adopts FY2026 budget after reallocations; council approves new community services role and hires camp director

The Richmond Town Council adopted a municipal budget for fiscal year 2025–26 at its May 13 meeting after a long public hearing and multiple in-session reallocations to cover contract and wage adjustments.

The council opened its public hearing on the proposed municipal budget and heard extended testimony from community organizations and residents. Lisonbee Croak, president and CEO of Wood River Health, urged the council to increase the town subsidy to the health center and described a life‑saving emergency response performed by the center’s staff. Several residents urged fiscal caution; others supported additional services and staff retention.

Key decisions and changes - Budget adoption with amendments: After public comment and council discussion, members moved funds from several capital and contingency lines to cover an agreed set of wage adjustments and post‑employment benefits tied to a recent police contract. The council reduced a legal/litigation line and reallocated municipal resilience project funds and wage contingency money to cover about $128,500 in combined post‑employment benefit and wage adjustment costs. The council approved the amended budget by roll call (Councilor Dinsmore voted no; other members voted yes).

- Community services restructuring: The council approved adding a community services director line to oversee human services, the senior center and recreation programming. Under the approved plan, the town will retain a part‑time summer camp director and a senior center paid position; the community services director will coordinate those programs and oversee the recreation commission’s events. Councilors said the change will move some duties off the day‑to‑day camp operations and create an operating model combining human services, senior programs and event management.

- Camp director hire: The council approved hiring Caitlin Kressler as summer camp director, with a stipend (posted in job materials at $5,400; motion discussed a $6,000 stipend but the budgeted amount is $5,400 per published materials). Kressler is a classroom teacher with prior camp experience and was recommended by town administrators.

- Grant‑writer pilot: Councilors debated adding a contracted grant writer. Supporters argued an experienced grant contractor could secure new outside revenue and offset taxes; skeptics cited limited grant opportunities, match requirements and the $60,000 proposed line item. The council approved including a contractor‑funded grant writer provision in the budget as a trial allocation, noting it could be reexamined after initial months and that unused funds would roll into unassigned fund balance.

- Other program and staffing decisions: The council clarified that some long‑standing roles (for example, the recreation director role) will be reconfigured rather than immediately eliminated; the council also discussed consolidating the senior center director position into the community services role over time if retirements occur. Councilors requested a transparent description of duties and job descriptions for the new community services director and more public explanation of the budgetary “other” line item.

Numbers and public comment During the public hearing, Wood River Health said it served 10,428 patients in calendar year 2024 and that 20 residents of Richmond are patients of the center (as noted in the speaker’s presentation). Residents asked the council to prioritize roads and questioned the pace of municipal spending; other speakers voiced support for increasing town services without raising the mill rate.

Voting and next steps The council adopted the budget after motions to reallocate specified lines to cover the police contract post‑employment benefit and wage adjustments. The final roll call to approve the budget (as amended) recorded a majority in favor; Councilor Dinsmore voted against the overall budget adoption. Staff were directed to produce clearer line‑item detail for “other” items and to post the job descriptions and ordinance amendments needed to implement the community services director restructure.

What the budget vote does and does not do The council emphasized the approvals are budgetary — not ordinance changes — and said any permanent reorganization of the recreation code of ordinances will be pursued by separate ordinance amendment and public hearing if needed. The council also said the grant‑writer contract will be treated as a pilot that can be modified or discontinued depending on results.