Hilliard staff presents balanced 2026 operating budget, flags conservative revenue outlook
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Summary
City staff presented a proposed 2026 operating budget that maintains a balanced plan with a 6% spending increase request, conservative revenue projections amid federal uncertainty, and an anticipated $5 million transfer to the capital fund.
City staff presented the proposed 2026 operating budget to the Hilliard City Council Committee of the Whole on Oct. 13, outlining a balanced plan with a 6% increase in spending proposed for 2026 and conservative revenue estimates in light of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Finance staff emphasized the budget is balanced and uses conservative revenue assumptions, noting differences in reported totals because page 22 of the binder shows general fund-only figures while page 27 reports all income-tax dollars across funds. “This is a balanced budget with very conservative estimated revenues,” Ms. Cawley said during the presentation.
The proposal anticipates continuing an established practice of transferring operating funds to capital: staff told council they are “anticipating doing the $5,000,000 transfer from general fund to the capital fund like we have done over years past to help support our roads and infrastructure.” Staff also proposed moving roughly $160,000 from the operating budget to the law department to support mayor’s court and recovery court operations.
City staff walked council through the operating-book format and an interactive digital budget tool. Jennifer Cawley and other presenters pointed to an interactive online version of the budget that staff said contains additional line-item detail and graphs not shown on the printed document.
Staff outlined the review schedule: a first reading of the annual operating budget was placed on the regular council agenda the same night, and council was told a second reading and a full review of the capital budget will occur at the Oct. 27 Committee of the Whole meeting, with possible adoption after that second reading.
Several smaller but material items were noted in the overview: staff said federal grant funding has declined overall, and the city will continue to rely on a mix of grants and local transfers; the city expects a modest increase in personnel requests across departments; and litigation reserves were estimated but staff said invoice detail for an ongoing project had not yet been received.
Council approved the minutes from the May 27, 2025 Committee of the Whole meeting before the budget presentation. The meeting adjourned after the budget overview and departmental presentations.
Why it matters: The operating budget sets staffing and service levels across Hilliard departments, frames a planned capital transfer to maintain roads and infrastructure, and schedules the capital budget review for later in October.
