Council approves first reading of budget carry forwards and supplemental appropriations totaling $36.1 million

The Lafayette City Council on April 15 approved on first reading Ordinance No. 8, Series 2025, a budget amendment package that carries forward encumbrances from fiscal year 2024 and adds selected 2025 supplemental appropriations.

Interim CFO Morgan Walton presented the carry forward and supplemental package. Walton said the package totals approximately $36.1 million in net expenditure requests; about 91% of that total are carryforwards and encumbrances from 2024. She said roughly $2.8 million in new supplemental requests are offset by approximately $1.5 million in new revenue, yielding the reported net impact figure.

Key items highlighted by staff: - Sidewalk missing links: a $450,000 CDOT grant with a $50,000 city match to design and construct roughly six sidewalk segments (about 0.75 miles). A design contract was noted on the consent agenda. - ARPA funding: $2.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds previously approved to support a portion of the Starkey Building renovation and a fiber optic backbone connecting multiple city facilities. - Water fund: $1.3 million for final design of a new water treatment plant, to be advanced in conjunction with a siting study. - Fire and emergency equipment: a supplemental request for an urban interface fire engine to replace a retiring brush truck; funding would be drawn from the Fleet Fund, restricted general fund balances, rural fire fund and service expansion fees tied to development. Staff said they will return May 6 to request council authorization to proceed with the purchase if the amendments pass. - Mobile vehicle barriers: a capital request to purchase deployable barriers for large community events to improve safety and reduce reliance on ad hoc measures. - Waste management fund correction: a previously identified forecasting error regarding HOA units in the three-cart program is being corrected in the current amendment cycle.

Walton displayed a fund-by-fund table showing the water fund (34% of adjustments) and the capital projects fund as the largest impacts. She said carryforwards are encumbered funds tied to purchase orders or contracts and emphasized that the city generally seeks to avoid using supplemental appropriations for ongoing budget items outside of the annual budget process.

Councilor Samson asked how the service expansion fee is being used to support the new fire engine; Walton said the fee is assessed on development applications and the department has experienced about a 30% increase in development since the last similar purchase.

The council voted to approve Ordinance No. 8 on first reading; the ordinance will return for second reading at the May 6 council meeting.