Brownsburg approves 2026 budget, authorizes levy appeal to staff new fire station

The Town of Brownsburg on a unanimous vote approved its 2026 proposed budget and authorized staff to pursue a levy appeal aimed at funding firefighters for a planned new fire station.

The budget passed at the town's regular meeting and includes a 3% wage increase, a 3% health-insurance increase, a 3% rise in the town's firefighter PERF (pension) contribution and a one-time "27th paycheck" that adds about $400,000 to next year’s payroll costs. Fire department line items for 15 new firefighters and related benefits total roughly $1.7 million in the packet, and the council voted to proceed with a levy appeal that town staff estimated could generate about $1,635,000.

Why it matters: the budget and the levy appeal together are intended to staff Station 4, which officials said has been under discussion and in planning for several years. Council approval starts the administrative work for the levy appeal and finalizes spending assumptions that could change if the appeal or grant requests fail.

Fire Chief (role), who presented the staffing plan, asked the board to grant staff and the town attorney latitude to prepare a levy appeal. "This would be to…