Council hears FY26 budget presentations; communications, IT, public safety and utilities outline costs and priorities

SACO — Saco city leaders heard budget presentations Monday from seven departments as the council continued its review of the fiscal year 2026 operating plan. Department directors summarized expenses, staffing changes and capital needs and answered questions from councilors about service levels and next steps.

Communications and human resources director Emily Roy told the council the Communications Department’s FY26 operating budget is $261,376, financed largely through cable franchise fees. Roy said the city’s franchise agreement with Charter has expired and the municipality continues to seek agreement under Maine’s model franchise framework; staff said a consultant is providing updates and the city will call a cable committee meeting when negotiations advance. Roy also described proposed improvements including expanded wireless microphone capacity, ADA web compliance work ahead of a 2027 deadline, and a potential hybrid‑meeting RFP.

Roy also presented the Human Resources and fringe benefits budgets jointly with Interim Finance Director Judy Belanger. HR requested continuing funding for a part‑time HR generalist (added mid‑year FY25), and emphasized recruitment, succession planning and wellness programming. Fringe benefits include an assumed health‑insurance cost increase — staff noted a 9% FY25 increase and budgeted conservatively for additional pressure — higher unemployment and workers’ compensation funding based on payroll renewal calculations, and increased recruiting and pre‑employment medical/testing costs for public safety hires.

IT Director Ryan Panero outlined a $608,214 IT budget request that funds staffing, enterprise licensing and security operations. He highlighted a 99.8% patch compliance rate, about 652 city devices supported, and ongoing investments in endpoint detection (CrowdStrike), wireless infrastructure (Wi‑Fi 6) and a pilot of community security cameras. Panero identified police CAD/RMS replacement and a citywide VoIP replacement as near‑term projects and said the department is researching appropriate, controlled uses of artificial intelligence to support citizen services.

Planning Director Prescott reviewed the planning department’s work program and asked the council to consider capital funding for neighborhood vulnerability assessments and completion of master plans, including the Portland Road Master Plan. Prescott said planning revenues were conservatively estimated and that last year the department monitored more than 1,500 conditions of approval and reviewed more than 150 new housing units in 2024.

City Clerk staff reported operational details and a FY26 city clerk budget of $495,361, noting a rise in general assistance caseloads (177 applications year‑to‑date; a roughly twofold increase over the prior comparable period) and regular election work. Clerk staff also outlined absentee‑voting procedures and upcoming election dates.

Water Resource Recovery director (Director Carter) described the ongoing wastewater treatment plant replacement project. Carter said construction is roughly 35% complete, with equipment deliveries beginning in the coming months and a target of substantial completion late 2026 and permanent site work finished by spring 2027. The utility’s FY26 budget request is roughly $5.66 million, driven in part by utility costs, biosolids removal and an expanded capital reserve to ensure project completion; Carter said the city is pursuing additional state and federal grant and principal forgiveness options.

Fire Department leadership told the council the department is fully staffed with 42 career firefighter/EMS providers and is requesting two additional positions to increase staffing toward a long‑term goal of 48 career providers. The department reported 4,651 emergency calls in 2024, about 74% of which were EMS‑related, and it proposed a FY26 operating budget of $5.75 million. Chief representatives said most of the requested spending increase reflects negotiated wages and benefits under a recently concluded labor contract.

Council questions focused on a few crosscutting themes: whether cable franchise negotiations could produce grant funding to offset communications equipment costs; how health‑insurance premium inflation would affect fiscal planning; IT security and camera privacy; and the timetable and funding strategy for the wastewater plant. Several councillors praised increased community outreach and department efforts at public engagement.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes of April 7, 2025: Moved by Councilor Edwards; roll call vote recorded as Yes — Councillors Edwards, Dunn, Berman, Hatch, Hewitt, Johnston. Motion passed 6–0.

- Motion to adjourn (end of meeting): Moved by Councilor Hatch; second by Councilor Edwards; roll call vote recorded as Yes — Councillors Edwards, Dunn, Berman, Hatch, Hewitt, Johnston. Motion passed 6–0.