Loudon council hears fiscal-year budget preview as debate opens on staffing, downtown plan funding

Loudon City Council reviewed a draft fiscal-year 2025–26 budget at a lengthy April meeting, focusing discussion on the Courthouse Square fund, a proposed downtown master plan and a slate of new and split staff positions that would add recurring costs to future budgets.

The Courthouse Square fund presented year-to-date results and a proposal for next fiscal year. Kathy Crossett, speaking as a Courthouse Square fund representative, said the fund team is proposing a $300,000 state sales-tax allocation for the coming year and is budgeting $324,000 in total revenue projections: “Total revenues for proposed is $324,000 for next fiscal year.” The proposed expenses include a $90,000 historic-asset survey, $20,000 to update historic guidelines, and an initial $50,000 set-aside for the downtown master plan; staff told council the master-plan cost is likely to be substantially higher once consultant proposals are finalized (staff estimated a future range of roughly $200,000–$250,000 for a full plan).

Why it matters: council members said the downtown master plan will shape long-term investment and private development downtown, and several members expressed concern about committing one-time capital now…