Williamsburg council reviews $112.3 million FY26 budget, pauses park borrowing and weighs new excise taxes and utility rate hike

The Williamsburg City Council on April 7 heard public comments and a detailed presentation of the city manager’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, a $112.3 million package that includes major cuts to the capital improvement plan, a proposed utility rate increase to fund roughly $27.6 million in water system upgrades over 10 years, and consideration of a new admissions (ticket) tax along with increases to lodging and meals taxes.

City Manager Drew Trivette told the council that “a budget is a plan. It’s not a … contract. It’s not a guarantee of spending,” and said staff had trimmed $15.3 million from the CIP, identified $725,000 in operating reductions and frozen nine vacant positions to help balance the package. Trivette said the proposed capital program totals $39.6 million and the general fund request is $15.1 million. He said the utility fund upgrades—which include work at the water treatment plant and related distribution improvements—are estimated at about $27.6 million over a decade.

Why it matters: The proposal seeks to address long‑deferred utility maintenance and avoid a larger crisis later, but it would raise recurring costs for residents and businesses. Trivette proposed a one‑year water rate adjustment equal to $1.59 per 1,000 gallons (presented as the per‑thousand increment staff recommends for FY26) and forecast that an average residential bill would rise about $6.36 per month; a median commercial user would see roughly a $28.62 monthly…