Carson City board approves FY 2026 tentative budget; adds courthouse security and other supplemental items

The Carson City Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the city’s FY 2026 tentative budget and capital improvement plan on May 1 after an all‑day review involving department requests, supplemental proposals and public comment. The board included multiple changes requested on the record and directed staff to bring a final budget and CIP for formal adoption at the May 27 public hearing.

Key actions and additions in the tentative budget included: 1) authorization for staff to pursue a courthouse reconfiguration and court security funding package (board directed a combined allocation in the redevelopment/CIP program, including $5.675 million identified for the courthouse reconfiguration and $200,564 for an intercom/security system); 2) insertion of supplemental public‑safety and court items discussed earlier in the meeting (including a recommendation that the Board keep a line item for “court security” to allow the courts and sheriff to develop the exact security staffing/contract model); 3) approval of multiple departmental reorganization requests that net to zero for the general fund (for example, parks’ shop staffing changes that reallocate seasonal dollars into full‑time positions); and 4) placement of several department personnel requests in a ‘purple’ category—flagged for possible mid‑year augmentation if revenues materialize—(notably certain public‑safety IT/Real‑Time Crime Center and juvenile probation positions).

Finance staff reiterated a conservative revenue forecast for FY 2026, citing continued uncertainty in taxable sales reporting from the state, and advised the board it had budgeted conservatively for consolidated sales taxes and included contractual salary increases and several contingencies. The tentative budget as filed with the state on April 15 still assumes modest revenue growth but protects reserve policy targets across major funds.

Highlights and staff notes: - General fund: Revenue growth budgeted at 2.5% overall, property taxes estimated up 5% and consolidated sales tax growth projected conservatively at 0–1% given state reporting lags. Public safety remained the largest general‑fund expenditure category. - Court security: Judges and court staff asked the board to fund a court security program to provide contract security and courthouse emergency management staff. The board approved placing $263,934 in the courthouse security line for design and initial staffing planning and instructed staff to coordinate with the sheriff on how to structure the staffing (the courts and sheriff were directed to collaborate on a plan and return to the board with specifics). The board also agreed to offset juvenile court needs in part by reallocating two hourly positions within Alternative Sentencing. - Ambulance fund: The board approved two 40‑hour ALS (advanced life support) positions to staff an additional dedicated 40‑hour ambulance, funded from the ambulance enterprise fund. Finance said the ambulance enterprise is currently self‑supporting owing to federal Medicaid/GEMT reimbursements. - Long‑term capital: the board approved the proposed CIP (see separate action on East William St. contract and other line items) and directed staff to incorporate changes read on the record.

The board also enacted several procedural clarifications: department reorgs that net to zero may be implemented, and staff will prepare an updated contract schedule for the final budget that corrects a tentative‑budget table that had year labels in error.

What’s next City finance staff will carry the board’s changes into the final budget presentation May 27. The board left room to revisit several personnel requests mid‑year should sales‑tax revenues come in stronger than the conservative forecasts. Staff said the city will continue monitoring state fiscal forum results and the monthly distributions, and the finance office will update the board as new information becomes available.

Ending: The board’s tentative adoption sets the policy and financial framework this spring; the final budget will return for public hearing May 27 with the technical adjustments and adopted CIP.