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 2027 and will focus on the asphalt sections west of State Street. He also reported completion of repairs to the Mulvane transmission water line — a break beneath the river and railroad that had taken about a year of insurance and railroad coordination to resolve and is now in testing to restore flow.

On the municipal splash pad, Josh said the city received incorrect replacement parts after a storm damaged electrical components; the city is awaiting the correct parts before reopening for the final weeks of the season. He also said the city and the contracted animal clinic are dissolving their arrangement: August will be the last month of payments, the clinic will remove its cremator, and the city will explore alternatives to provide animal-control services.

On electric infrastructure, Josh said the city received notice that a roughly $4 million federal grant for electric improvements is officially closed out; the work is intended to improve grid reliability and provide capacity for future development. He said final high-voltage tie-ins were underway.

Transportation and bridges: Josh provided a status update on the Redbud bridge project’s phase 1 over Highway 54/400 — embankments and retaining walls are in place and the bridge structure is expected to be installed in the next 30 to 40 days. He said phase 1 was about 80% federally funded with local match contributions; phase 2, the river bridge, is fully federally funded for design and construction.

Council preview: Josh emphasized the budget recordkeeping and the difference between the state’s revenue-neutral rate calculation and the council’s actual budget choices. He said the council had published a notice showing a potential 4-mill increase to preserve the council’s option to adjust downward at the hearing.

Votes at a glance: the council took several routine actions during the Aug. 18 meeting. Minutes from the Aug. 4 meeting were approved; Appropriation Ordinance No. 8 dated Aug. 13, 2025, was approved; Resolution No. 2025-13 finding a nuisance at 670 East Frisco Street and ordering abatement within 10 days (referencing KSA 12-16-17(e)) was approved; Resolution No. 2025-15 requesting the State Director of Accounts and Reports waive certain requirements for the city's 2025 financial statements (referencing KSA 75-11-20(a) as stated in the meeting) was approved; and Resolution No. 2025-16 authorizing the use of cemetery endowment funds to purchase a columbarium for Elmwood Cemetery in the amount of $12,458 was approved.

What’s next: the council’s Sept. 2 budget hearing will include discussion of the proposed mill levy change and the formal budget adoption. Josh said he expected significant public attendance and asked council members to be prepared to hear public comment.

Attribution: all substantive project and budget updates were delivered by City Manager Josh during the Aug. 18 meeting; council members asked clarifying questions but did not propose a formal amendment during the meeting.

Ending: The council set the Sept. 2 budget hearing for final consideration of the levy and budget; council members and the public will have the opportunity to comment and adjust the proposal at that meeting.