Homewood council adopts 2025–26 budget, approves public-safety and capital contracts; fiber franchise and encampment ordinance move to Oct. 13

Homewood City Council voted unanimously Sept. 29 to adopt the city’s 2025–26 budget, approve several contracts for public-safety and infrastructure projects and pass local parking and surplus-property ordinances. Two measures that drew extended debate — a proposed ordinance regulating encampments on public property and a proposed 10-year fiber franchise with Lumos Fiber — failed to gain unanimous consent on first reading and will be carried to the council’s Oct. 13 meeting for a second reading and final vote.

The budget adoption was the night’s most consequential vote. Councilor Smith, chairing the finance committee, summarized the package and the council’s priorities. “We are giving our employees a 4.5% COLA,” Smith said during his presentation, noting the city also will cover a requested 5% merit pool set by the Jefferson County personnel board and absorb an estimated 4.75% increase in employee insurance costs. The budget includes a tiered employee bonus program contingent on an end-of-year surplus, funding for design of Fire Station 2, purchase of three fire trucks and “several new police officers,” and the city’s share of a long‑running divergent-diamond interchange project on I‑65.

Why it matters: the budget sets pay and benefits for city employees, funds new public-safety facilities and vehicles, and allocates money for multi-year capital projects that affect traffic flow and emergency response across Homewood.

Key details and council action - Budget: The council approved the full 2025–26 budget in a single resolution (approved by voice vote, 11–0). Council statements said the package was balanced, includes a 4.5% cost-of-living adjustment and covers merit increases and insurance cost increases for employees. The budget also funds design work for Fire Station 2 and budgets construction in subsequent years.

- Fire-station design: Council authorized the city manager to execute a contract with Burchfield Architects for design services for Fire Station 2. The finance committee recommended approval (committee vote 4–0); the council approved the resolution 11–0.

- Diverging-diamond reimbursement: The council authorized an intergovernmental agreement with Jefferson County that will reimburse part of…