Gunnison City Council adopts final 2025–26 budget; residents urge saving pool

The Gunnison City Council adopted its final 2025–26 budget on a roll-call vote and closed a public hearing that drew more than a dozen residents urging the city to preserve its pool and other community amenities.

Council members approved Resolution 2025-13 to adopt the balanced general fund and related enterprise budgets. Council speakers and staff said the adopted plan restores the city’s property-tax rate to the 2023 level (reversing a tentative change that had prompted widespread concern), reduces several reserve allocations and trims planned spending to lower the city’s property-tax need from an initial $325,000 to about $294,000.

The adopted budget will leave the city’s levy at the 2023 rate, a change city officials described in an early hearing remark as “about $4.50 more per month, or $50 more per year, for a home with a $415,000 taxable value” and “about $10 per month, or $100 per year” for typical businesses. Council members and staff emphasized those figures were examples based on a $415,000 home and noted the actual dollar change for any taxpayer depends on property valuation.

Why it matters: council members said the revisions reflect a multi-year planning approach that keeps several large projects funded through reserves and grants while trying to limit immediate tax increases. City officials listed near-term capital priorities included an $11 million Tar Canyon well project (the city expects a $5 million federal appropriation and said it will reapply after a delay), a roughly $3 million irrigation-pond expansion, a roughly $100,000 sewer-pond reconstruction line item, and a $50,000 power-backup system for city hall required to meet state emergency-location expectations.

Residents at the hearing focused chiefly on the Gunnison pool. Dozens of speakers described the facility as a community asset, citing swim lessons, youth jobs and the high-school swim team’s recent success. “The pool is a place where my children have gone on boring summer days or wintery Saturdays. We love it there. It’s a public service,” said Scott Jackson, a resident and parent. A student speaker said, “It would be so sad if the pool was closed because it was such a fundamental part of my life,” and other residents described the pool as a low-cost family activity and a place that creates jobs and opportunity for teenagers.

Council members and staff said the budget sets aside reserves for the pool roof and for park improvements. Officials and commenters described the pool roof replacement as an expensive, longer-term project; one council speaker cited an $800,000 estimate for a roof replacement. Council members said that amount will need community support, outside grants and multi-year savings to reach.

The council also responded to recent public concerns about a meter-related fee and other user charges. Staff noted a previously implemented $9 monthly meter-related fee (instituted in July) will be reduced to $7 per month and is expected to be formalized on the council agenda at the next meeting; the $7 fee was described as taking effect in September in staff remarks. Officials said that fee change followed citizen feedback and a review of the meter cost model.

The meeting record shows the council trimmed discretionary and reserve spending to reduce the tentative tax message that earlier had been interpreted by some as an 78% tax increase; council members said that earlier figure reflected an initial tentative budget used in county truth-in-taxation notices and not the council’s final proposal. Council members said they held multiple sessions since January, used a multi-year reserve strategy, and sought grants and economic development to broaden the tax base.

Formal motions and votes at the meeting included opening and closing the public hearing, a motion to continue the final budget hearing for follow-up edits, and the final adoption of Resolution 2025-13 to approve the 2025–26 budget. The resolution passed on a roll-call vote.

What’s next: council members said the updated budget documents will be posted on the city website and that staff — including City Administrator Dennis Marker — are available to answer questions. Officials said some capital projects will continue to rely on grant awards and federal appropriations before construction can begin.