Council discusses FY 2025–26 tentative budget; city staff flag Windsor Park funding, land purchase and stormwater shortfall

City staff presented the city’s tentative FY 2025–26 budget and led a broad discussion of revenues, operating costs and capital priorities across multiple funds.

Staff framed the budget as a work plan and said department heads had helped prepare the package. Key items discussed included an anticipated 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment and a modest employee assistance program budget ($3,400) to provide counseling services to full-time employees (staff said it would cost roughly $11.40 per employee per month and could be extended to four permanent part-time employees for about $44 per month).

Windsor Park and assigned ARPA funds Staff described an existing assignment of approximately $1.7 million (from earlier federal ARPA-related money that the council previously set aside) and said the administration proposes using a large portion of those assigned dollars to accelerate Windsor Park construction and hardscaping. The manager and several council members discussed the tradeoffs of spending the assigned funds now versus preserving the assignment for future needs. Staff said using the funds to complete hardscaping and infrastructure could allow the city to more successfully seek grants for amenities such as a pavilion or playground.

Proposed land…