Sunset City Council adopts FY2026 tentative budget, sets public hearing for June 17

Sunset City Council on May 27 voted to adopt Resolution 2025-10, approving the fiscal year 2026 tentative budget and setting a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on June 17, 2025, in the Sunset City Council Chambers at City Hall.

Council members moved into a work session prior to the vote to review changes to the FY2025 closeout and the FY2026 proposed budget. Office Manager Nicole Sutton presented detailed line-item changes, saying she increased a planned transfer to the Public Works Capital Projects Fund to $800,000 and that the FY2025 projected ending general fund balance would be $749,243. "I bumped it to 800,000," Sutton said about the transfer to capital projects.

The council discussed multiple budget matters before the vote. Sutton said FY2026 general fund revenues are projected at $2,569,895 with expenditures of $3,120,125, producing a negative difference of $550,230 in the general fund; the total for all funds showed a positive revenue-over-expenditures of $1,469,245. She also noted the Public Works Capital Project Fund would show a beginning fund balance of $985,593 in FY2026 after the $800,000 contribution.

Councilors debated whether to pursue Truth in Taxation (TNT) procedures to allow consideration of a tax rate increase. Sutton presented a worksheet showing the current tax rate (0.001092) and projected revenues under alternative rates; she said adopting the highest rate shown (0.0013) would raise projected tax revenue to $459,554 and represent a 19.4% increase in revenue, increasing the tax on a $382,300 residence by about $43 a year. Several council members described TNT as a tool for transparency and incremental increases; others expressed concern about administrative workload and impacts on residents. No formal decision to pursue TNT beyond the tentative budget timeline was made during the meeting; Sutton reminded the council that a tentative budget must be filed by June 22 whether TNT is pursued or not.

The council also approved a reallocation for parks funding. A $25,000 allocation originally designated for Central Park was retained but the council voted to move an additional $5,000 from the economic development program into a parks "bucket," bringing the parks allocation to $30,000 to be used at the council's discretion for park improvements. Sutton described the mechanics: reallocation of money designated for a specific park requires notice at the public hearing.

Other budget clarifications and decisions included: - The DARE fund has a beginning balance shown as $5,998 (rounded to $6,000 in the packet) and council agreed to use those funds for remaining program supplies and then close the account. - An allocation of $5,000 remains in emergency preparedness; council discussed whether automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the City Hall facility should be budgeted as building expenditures rather than emergency-preparedness line items. Sutton noted AEDs "are not cheap." - No current FY2026 budget line was funded for the Verkada camera license; Sutton said she expects a license fee will be needed in 2027. - The packet includes an added line of $800,000 transfer from the general fund to public works capital (account 4438500) to support the 1800 North/UDOT-related betterment payments and capital needs.

Council members also discussed personnel requests. Public Works staffing and police staffing were debated: some council members supported additional public works hires and at least one additional police officer, while others urged caution and asked staff to monitor staffing trends after recent hires. Chief of Police (unnamed in the packet) and Public Works Director Jason both participated in the discussion; the chief noted vacancies had affected patrol availability earlier in the year.

The council approved Resolution 2025-10 in a roll-call vote during a special session called after the work session. The motion to approve the 2026 tentative budget was made by Council Member Ricky Carlson and seconded by Council Member Nakisha Wrigley. The roll call was recorded as: Bartling — yes; Carlson — yes; Wrigley — yes; Smalling — yes; Thompson — no. The resolution passed 4–1. The council set the public hearing on the FY2026 tentative budget for June 17, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

The meeting packet also included line-item changes noted by Sutton such as a 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) reflected across multiple departments, an increase in the Class C road allotment, minor increases in nondepartmental subscriptions and IT maintenance, and the inclusion of one of three scheduled betterment payments related to the 1800 North project.

The council adjourned the special session after the vote; no ordinances or final budget adoptions were completed at this meeting, only the adoption of a tentative budget and the scheduling of the public hearing for citizen comment and a final public record.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 2025-10 (Adopt FY2026 tentative budget; set public hearing June 17, 2025): motion by Council Member Ricky Carlson; second by Council Member Nakisha Wrigley; roll-call 4–1 (Bartling, Carlson, Wrigley, Smalling yes; Thompson no).