Gardiner council approves first reading of FY26 budget; second reading set for June 18, 2026

The Gardiner City Council on June 11, 2025 approved the first reading of the city's fiscal year 2026 budget, covering the general fund, enterprise funds and the tax-increment financing (TIF) fund, and set a second reading for June 18, 2026.

The action followed a public hearing on the FY26 budget during which the council said it had received no public correspondence and no members of the public spoke. Councillor Veronica Babcock moved "I move to approve the first read of the FY 26 general fund, enterprise funds and TIF fund budgets and to hold a second reading on 06/18/2026," and the motion was seconded by Councillor Cohn. Mayor Patricia Hart asked that staff "Please record a unanimous vote of those present." The council recorded the vote as unanimous of those present and took no further discussion.

The first reading moves the budget through the council's ordinance/adoption process; council members emphasized the need for the second reading to finalize the city's FY26 appropriations. The council set the second reading for June 18, 2026, at which a final vote is expected to adopt the budget. No dollar amounts, line-item changes or departmental allocations were included in the discussion on the record at this meeting.

The council meeting record shows the public hearing on the proposed FY26 budget was opened and closed with no speakers and no correspondence; the council proceeded directly to the first-reading motion and scheduled the required follow-up reading.

The council's next regularly scheduled meeting was later noted as July 16; the July 2 meeting was canceled.