Utica council adopts 2026 budget, keeps millage at prior-year levels; water, sewer budgets and rates approved

The Utica City Council on Tuesday adopted the city's fiscal year 2026 budget, voted to levy the same millage rates used last year for the July 1, 2025 tax cycle and approved the water and sewer fund budgets and new consumption rates.

Treasurer Joseph Paneraster told the council during a public hearing that the council was recommending continuation of the millage rates levied last year rather than reducing them under the Headlee rollback formula. The four millages proposed are a general operating millage of 16.4024 mills, a public safety millage of 1.6398 mills, a public library millage of 0.8197 mills and a 2016 supplemental library millage of 0.3894 mills, a combined levy of 19.2513 mills to be billed July 1, 2025. Paneraster said a base tax rate fraction of 0.9717 means the proposed levy would collect approximately $5,133,578 compared with $4,988,248 at the base rate'about a $145,000 difference as presented to the council.

The city's general fund budget for the year ending June 30, 2026, projects $7,522,009.84 in revenues and…