Augusta previews Sept. 2 budget hearing, flags 4-mill proposal for four public-safety officers and several infrastructure updates

City Manager Josh told the Augusta City Council on Aug. 18 that the city will hold its 2026 budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and previewed major projects and a proposed 4-mill property-tax increase to fund four public-safety officers.

The 4-mill increase, Josh said, is driven by staffing needs in the city’s combined police-fire model and would fund four officers: "That's 4 officers. That's what it is," he said. He said the change follows growing call volumes, recruitment and retention challenges and a shift away from a long-used dual-trained police-and-fire model.

Why it matters: council members and residents will debate the proposed levy at the Sept. 2 hearing; the additional officers are intended to address longer response times and rising call volumes the city manager described as a roughly 30% increase in recent years.

Josh outlined several capital and operational updates ahead of the hearing. He said the city secured a $400,000 CCLIP (Connecting Links) grant for pavement improvements along U.S. Highway 400; the work is likely to occur in…