Commissioners approve FY2026 budget, multiple contracts and grant applications; authorize SAFER firefighter grant submission

The Bowling Green Board of Commissioners on June 17 approved the city's fiscal 2026 budget and a routine slate of municipal orders covering insurance, contracts, equipment purchases and grant applications, including a federal SAFER grant to request funding for nine additional firefighters.

The actions came during a regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall and passed unanimously where recorded. Commissioners voted to adopt the FY2026 budget on second reading and approved multiple single-item municipal orders that city staff said are included in the FY2026 appropriations.

Votes at a glance - Municipal Order 2025-134: Approved amendments to the Administrative Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual. (Motion: moved/second as recorded; Roll call: 5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-135: Approved a series of career-path promotions in multiple departments effective July 1 (police, fire, parks & rec, HR). (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-136: Approved stop-loss insurance coverage for the city's self-funded health plan with North River Crum & Forrester for FY2026; staff said the change followed a raised specific-deductible to $300,000 and an approximately $152,000 increase budgeted for FY26. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-137: Authorized payment of premiums to Kentucky League of Cities Insurance Services for multiple coverages (general liability, law enforcement liability, property, workers'comp), with staff estimating an overall increase of about $274,000. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-138: Awarded bid #2025-42 to Scott & Ritter, Inc. for demolition and sinkhole repair, not to exceed $230,000. Staff said the contract is unit-cost based and will be the city's on-call vendor for sinkhole responses and demolition work. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-139: Authorized purchase of Titleist golf products for municipal courses through noncompetitive negotiation, not to exceed $100,000. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-140: Authorized performance food service as concession vendor for Russell Sims Aquatic Center, in an amount up to $58,000 for remaining season inventory/delivery. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-141: Authorized cooperative purchases for replacement parts for the Fleet Division from various vendors in a total amount of roughly $220,000 for FY2026. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-142: Authorized sole-source purchases for fire-apparatus parts, warranty work and factory recalls from Atlantic Emergency Solutions in an amount up to $55,000. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-143: Authorized purchase of tires through cooperative state pricing from Best-1 Fleet Service and Ziegler Tire & Supply, not to exceed $70,000. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-144: Authorized submission of a grant application under the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (U.S. Department of Justice) in an amount up to $200,000. Staff said the grant requires no local match and would support peer support/clinician services for officers and dispatchers. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-145: Authorized submission of a SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant application to DHS up to $1,827,304.19 to fund nine additional firefighters over the grant term. Staff explained the request is intended to add a fourth firefighter on three engines (Stations 4, 6 and 7); the grant requires a city match (25% first two years, 65% in year three) if awarded. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-146: Authorized submission of a Fire Prevention & Safety Program grant application (DHS) up to $43,333.33; staff said the grant would buy interactive education equipment and a trailer for community fire-safety outreach. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-147: Authorized submission and acceptance of Federal Transit Administration grants (Section 5307 and 5339) for federal fiscal year 2024, and approved state matching funds; staff described operating and capital allocations for transit and said state and local matches are budgeted. (5-0 yes.) - Ordinance BG2025-9 (first reading, nonbinding): Annexation by consent of approximately 7.09 acres of right-of-way on Freeport Road (contiguous to city limits). (1st reading approved; roll call recorded.) - Ordinance BG2025-10 (first reading, nonbinding): Annexation by consent of approximately 0.5117 acre at Old Barron River Road. (1st reading approved; roll call recorded.) - Municipal Order 2025-148: Approved amendments to the Purchasing Policies and Procedures manual, including proposed higher approval thresholds for certain purchases and changes intended to speed procurement while keeping board oversight for larger items. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-149: Approved appropriations for specified eligible agencies for FY2026 as listed in the budget memorandum; staff said payments are made quarterly. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-150: Allowed the Housing Authority of Bowling Green to retain the city's portion of payments in lieu of taxes for the 2024 tax year in the amount stated on the memo ($33,803.73), to use for after-school programming. (5-0 yes.) - Ordinance BG2025-11 (first reading, nonbinding): Budget amendment number 4 to the FY2025 operating budget (first reading). (1st reading approved.) - Ordinance BG2025-12 (first reading, nonbinding): Street renaming to change Whitecourt to Abraham Avenue to honor Abraham Williams (first reading). (1st reading approved.) - Ordinance amending Chapter 17 (BG2025-13, first reading, nonbinding): Removal of the Workforce Recruitment & Outreach Committee (subchapter 17-4) from city code; staff said the committee will be replaced by semiannual workforce roundtables with broader community participation. (1st reading approved.) - Municipal Order 2025-151: Approved appointments/reappointment to the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (Sasha Mandropa; reappointments Tim Nipp and Leon Volkert). (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-152: Appointments of Ben Bruni and Keenan McConovich to the Code Enforcement & Nuisance Board. (5-0 yes.) - Municipal Order 2025-153: Appointment of Donna Harmon to the Bowling Green Municipal Utilities board. (5-0 yes.) - Ordinance BG2025-7 (second reading, binding): Adopted the city's FY2026 annual operating budget (by roll call; 5-0 yes). Staff and commissioners described the budget as balanced and not reliant on new borrowing. - Ordinance BG2025-8 (second reading, binding): Adopted FY2026 pay-schedule adjustments and authorized pay increases for classified, fire, police, department head/management and part-time unclassified employees. (5-0 yes.) - Motion (at 583s): Commissioners voted to go into closed session pursuant to KRS 61 8 10 1 b for deliberations on the future acquisition of real property; roll call: 5-0 yes.

Discussion highlights - SAFER staff presentation: Fire leadership said four-person staffing on engines follows NFPA guidance and cited studies from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) showing operational and safety benefits. Chief Smith said 4-person staffing '7makes us safer,' and staff outlined the grant's phased local-match requirements if awarded. Chief Michael Delaney described the police mental-health grant proposal as a continuation of a peer-support program and credited an on-call clinician added to that service.

- Sinkhole/demolition contract: Public works staff described the unit-cost contract as the city's on-call arrangement for unpredictable sinkhole responses; staff said the $230,000 maximum begins July 1 and replaces the expiring contract.

- Purchasing thresholds: Procurement staff said the recommended changes increase the threshold for items requiring Board approval to $75,000 and align other approval levels with the state's $40,000 bid requirement to reduce repetitive administrative approvals.

What this means The board's approvals provide staff with budget authority and standing vendor arrangements ahead of FY2026. Major items to watch are the SAFER grant outcome (federal award decisions and the city's future local-match obligations) and any large claims or sinkhole events that would draw on the new demolition/sinkhole contract and stop-loss insurance placements.

Next steps Several of the items will now move to implementation by city departments; the board scheduled its next regular meeting for July 1, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall.