Dickinson council trims budget draft, debates council travel and street project funding

At a special budget workshop, Dickinson city leaders and staff reviewed the fiscal year 2025–26 draft budget and agreed on additional line-item cuts that increased the workshop surplus to about $13,068, while debating whether elected officials’ travel and training should be paid from city funds.

Chase, a city staff member who led the presentation, told the council the goal was to resolve outstanding issues so the council could consider approving the budget at next week’s regular meeting. “It is my goal that we can for this budget workshop that we can work out any issues, concerns, any items that we need to discuss that we can work out so we can approve the budget next Tuesday on the ninth,” Chase said.

The workshop centered on three priorities: accounting for a previously unbudgeted local match for the Hughes Road drainage project, decisions about transferring and using funds from the Dickinson Management District (DMD), and a councilwide review of discretionary items including travel and employee morale funds. Mayor Travis Magliolo and council members pressed staff for line‑by‑line clarity and for follow-up steps before final adoption.

Why it matters: the council must balance the general fund while meeting a roughly $492,000 local match for the Hughes Road drainage project that city staff said had been deferred into this fiscal year. Council members and DMD representatives said millions in infrastructure grants and DMD-set-asides are tied to street work, and whether the city uses DMD funds for contract construction or internal crews will affect how quickly projects proceed.

Key outcomes and details

- Budget adjustments and next steps: After line‑by‑line discussion and several proposed cuts, staff reported “As of with the changes we made tonight, we cut an additional 11,200. So we have a $13,068 surplus.” The council directed staff to update the ordinance and bring the revised budget for first reading at the council’s regular meeting next week.

- Hughes Road local match: Staff said the Hughes Road drainage project carries a local match of about $492,000 that must be paid in this budget. Chase noted the larger project is grant‑funded and thanked the General Land Office support. “That’s $39,000,000 of a project that’s infrastructure being improved in our city,” Chase said when describing the scale of the larger grant project.

- DMD contributions and transfers: Wally Dietz, a DMD board member, and other DMD representatives explained DMD budget items that would transfer to the city and which funds DMD intends to reserve for a street rebuild program. Dietz and staff said roughly $463,000 had been identified for streets in DMD accounts and that an additional DMD balance could be available for a budget amendment later if sales tax receipts hold.

- Council travel and training: Council member Mark Townsend proposed removing council travel and conference line items in the current budget as an easy, visible cut. “So personally, I would like to see more… of a buffer than $1,200,” Townsend said, adding he would prefer council members pay their own way for conferences during a budget crunch. Other council members and staff defended the value of training, noting networking and in‑person access to experts. The TML registration fee cited during the workshop was $465; staff said $8,000 had been budgeted for TML specifically and $11,007.65 for council travel overall.

- Capital and equipment items discussed: Staff and DMD representatives enumerated several planned purchases and project costs that affect the general fund, including a police radio replacement ($245,000, described as police‑only equipment), an EMS vehicle (about $90,000), a metal building for fire ($50,000), cardiac monitors ($50,000), and a proposed $100,000 reserve. Council discussed whether delaying or reducing vehicle purchases would free funds but also noted previous years’ experience in which deferring vehicle purchases increased later costs.

- Demolition, depot repairs and right‑of‑way mowing: The DMD budget increased demolition services from $50,000 to $75,000 and boosted right‑of‑way mowing from $20,000 to $40,000; DMD board members said they anticipate using these line items for substandard structures and cleaning corridors. Council members urged developing a strategy for the Railroad Depot improvements and recommended an administrative service agreement to define responsibilities before adding more money.

- Street maintenance fund and program design: Staff described Fund 8 as the dedicated street maintenance and drainage fund. Council discussed whether to contract street rebuilding work or staff it internally. Staff outlined a phased approach used in prior programs (engineering, bidding, phasing across the fiscal year) and said the DMD funds set aside would remain in DMD until the council agrees on transfer mechanics and uses.

- Disaster and federal reimbursements: Staff said the city is making transfers to restore the disaster contingency fund to the maximum 2% allowed and is awaiting reimbursements tied to debris removal and repairs from the federal process; the timing of these reimbursements affects near‑term cash flow.

What council directed staff to do

- Revise the draft budget to reflect line‑item cuts discussed at the workshop and present the revised ordinance for first reading at the regular council meeting next week. - Provide clearer line‑item detail for DMD transfers and the street rebuild program so the council can decide how and when to move DMD funds into city accounts. - Return with an inventory of surplus equipment and vehicles that could be sold to raise revenue. - Confirm which DMD funds are restricted to specific capital uses and which will become general‑fund revenue once transferred.

Not every council member agreed on each change. Townsend pushed for removing council travel funding during a budget crunch; some council members said they value in‑person training and networking. No formal vote to adopt the budget occurred at the workshop — staff presented the budget as a draft and the council indicated it would consider final action at next week’s meeting.

The council and staff scheduled no additional special meeting if no further changes are required; staff said the ordinance could be discussed at the regular 7 p.m. meeting and that the earlier 6 p.m. special session would not be necessary if no more edits are needed.

The updated budget ordinance and supporting line‑item worksheet will be on the agenda for the council’s regular meeting next week for first reading and possible action.