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Council approves FY26 general fund budget, moves warning to voters; staff to return on stormwater enterprise details
Summary
The Essex Junction City Council approved the FY2026 general fund operating and capital budget, approved the annual meeting warning (including a pump-station bond article), and agreed to phase in a stormwater enterprise capital component over time, with staff returning to the council for further details.
The Essex Junction City Council approved the FY 2026 general fund operating and capital budgets on Feb. 26 and approved the annual meeting warning that will place the budget and a pump-station bond question before voters.
Finance and budget staff reported a successful FY24 audit and that the municipal finance operations have been separated from the town’s systems following municipal separation. "We are finally, I'm gonna knock on some wood, post separation," Finance staff member Jess Morris said, noting the department has completed system separation and its first separate tax-filing process.
On the stormwater financing question, staff proposed phasing the enterprise’s capital needs into the new utility. Specifically, staff identified about $125,000 of capital that could be phased into subsequent years rather than being charged in year one. Councilors discussed the transparency implications of phasing capital into the enterprise and staff clarified that the general fund budget presented that night does not include the $125,000 stormwater capital amount; the enterprise budget will be discussed separately and staff will return with further detail.
The packet noted a proposed overall tax-rate increase of roughly 2.6 percent for FY26. Staff also cited county tax changes driven by Chittenden County court and sheriff costs, including health insurance and building security, as drivers of certain increases that affected the municipal levy.
The council approved the budget and warning unanimously and directed staff to publish the warning and accept candidate petitions by the stated deadlines.
Ending: Staff will return with the enterprise stormwater budget and additional details (including the Chapter 21 credit manual discussion) at a future meeting; the council set the warning so the FY26 budget and bond question can be presented to voters.
