Decatur City presents $101.5 million FY2026 budget with one‑time pay, police raises and capital projects

Kyle Demeester, the city’s chief financial officer, presented a proposed $101,500,000 general fund budget for fiscal year 2026 to the Decatur City Council on Nov. 7, outlining increased personnel spending, targeted capital projects and continued reliance on sales and use tax as the city’s largest revenue source.

The proposal, an increase of $5,400,000 from the prior year, would use $1.8 million from fund balance, prioritize employee pay and retention, and hold most capital requests for separate council consideration, Demeester said. "This year has been the smoothest and most productive cycle yet," he told the council during the presentation.

Demeester said the budget includes a $2,000 one‑time pay bonus for all non‑probationary full‑time employees; the one‑time payment excludes badged police personnel. Badged police officers would receive a 5 percent cost‑of‑living increase or two steps on the pay scale, the presentation said. The budget also includes changes to pay grades for some department heads and upper management to align with market data.

Sales and use tax remains the single…