Westminster reviews proposed 2026 budget that emphasizes repurposing staff, capital work and utility investments

City Manager Jody Andrews and the city’s budget team presented the proposed 2026 city budget during a Sept. 15 Westminster City Council study session, describing a “lean” plan that repurposes staff, adds two positions and increases capital spending while keeping the overall budget balanced.

Andrews said the budget is “a lean budget, for 2026. That acronym stands for lean, efficient, and aligned to our community's needs,” and stressed that staff have prioritized repurposing vacant positions rather than adding new ones. “There are only 2 new staff positions in this budget,” Andrews told council, identifying one for the shared 9‑1‑1/telecommunications team and one traffic technician focused on signal maintenance and performance.

The nut graf: the proposed all‑funds budget is approximately $371 million after internal transfers, staff said, with a capital plan of roughly $76 million for 2026 and a marked increase in the transfer from the general fund to the General Capital Improvement Fund (GCIF). The presentation said the GCIF transfer would rise from $6.9 million in 2025 to $13.5 million in 2026 to support projects including arterial and concrete road repairs, fiber for public safety and downtown infrastructure work.

Policy and budget manager Erin Ferriter walked council through the development process and said the draft aligns with the city’s strategic plan and with council direction given during the 2025 budget debriefs. Assistant City Manager Chris Lindsey provided the high‑level numbers: “The proposed 2026 budget, is balanced and complies with all requirements set forth in the city charter, state requirements, and generally accepted accounting principles,” Lindsey said. He told council the increase over 2025 is driven primarily by capital additions—a 45 percent increase in capital spending—and by personnel cost pressures such as insurance premiums.

On staffing, Andrews and Ferriter explained the repurposing approach in detail: as positions become vacant departments review and reallocate them to meet needs without adding headcount. The budget documents staff cited show 30 positions repurposed in 2025 yielded about $3.0 million in savings; the 2026 plan counts 25 repurposed positions producing about $2.7 million. The budget requests two net new positions: one for the 9‑1‑1/telecom team to match increased call loads, and a traffic technician to support a planned signal infrastructure assessment and future smart intersection investments.

Capital priorities identified in the presentation include maintaining road quality (a cited $9.1 million for arterial roads and $3.0 million for concrete replacements), roughly $39 million in utility projects (about $21 million for water and $15 million for wastewater), and $1.5 million earmarked for downtown streetscape and utility infrastructure. Staff said the capital program also identified an unmet funding need of about $64 million for long‑term infrastructure repair and replacement, and that staff will continue to pursue diversified revenue and phased execution of critical projects.

Lindsey noted general fund revenues remain largely dependent on sales and use tax, which comprise nearly two‑thirds of the general fund, and that the budget includes using about $18 million of available general fund balance alongside projected new revenues. He said fund balance and reserves are projected to be about $28.8 million at the end of 2026.

Councilors pressed staff on a range of details during the discussion. Councilor DeMott asked about fines and fee schedule work; staff said some judicial fine changes are already reflected and that a wholesale fee review is planned. Councilor Azadi asked how the budget addresses multilingual access and culturally inclusive programs; staff said a $50,000 allocation for a language access plan sits in central charges and departments may have additional program funds. Parks, Recreation and Libraries Director Eric Otselberger noted expanded Spanish‑language story time at Irving Street Library and programmatic repurposing to shore up materials and bilingual offerings.

Public safety and traffic technology drew questions. Police Chief Norm Harbor described both an existing deployable speed‑monitoring trailer and ongoing research into automated speed camera systems. Harbor said speed cameras can be cost‑neutral over time and that red‑light cameras typically require more court staffing; he said the department is evaluating implementation and hoped to pursue a speed camera program in 2026, with trailers continuing to gather data.

Several councilors flagged neighborhood traffic calming and asked whether the budget contains design and engineering capacity. Staff said 2026 includes funding for traffic signal and intersection assessments and for engineering consultants to evaluate and cost potential calming projects, with smaller operational responses handled through existing resources.

On utilities and debt, councilors asked about outstanding balances and payment timelines. Staff said recent borrowing for the drinking water facility has long amortizations—one issue forthcoming carried a 30‑year schedule—and that the city maintains a strong credit rating and an active posture on refinancing when market conditions improve.

The presentation closed with next steps: the budget will return for first reading Oct. 13 and anticipated second reading and adoption Oct. 27. Staff emphasized the budget must remain balanced and that any proposed additions would require offsets elsewhere in the spending plan.

Ending: Councilors and staff commended the months‑long public outreach and repeated engagement during the budget process. Andrews and budget staff said they will continue to supply detailed answers to council questions and to post materials for public review as they prepare the ordinance readings in October.