Dickinson council advances FY2025–26 budget plan, proposes tax rate and schedules public hearing; EMS staffing, response times discussed

City Manager presented a proposed annual budget for fiscal year 2025–26 that maintains the current property tax rate, includes a 6% cost-of-living adjustment for staff and increases funding for public safety and drainage projects.

The council voted to propose a tax rate of $0.3782 per $100 valuation and set a public hearing on the budget and tax rate for Aug. 26, 2025. Finance staff also filed the state-required “no new revenue” and voter-approval rate calculations with the governing body.

Why it matters: The proposed budget prioritizes retaining staff, bolstering emergency services and investing in drainage and street maintenance while seeking to avoid raising the tax rate amid rising property valuations.

City Manager overview and priorities City management described the budget as aiming to preserve service levels, strengthen the fund balance and improve efficiency. The presentation said the plan retains the current tax rate, expands investments in drainage and demolitions (an additional $100,000 for community development demolitions), increases funding for the volunteer fire department by $100,000 and raises police funding by about $800,000 from the prior year. The manager also proposed a citywide energy-management program intended to reduce…