Prospect council adopts 2025-26 budget after rejecting amendment to scale back raises and vehicle purchase

The Prospect City Council adopted the city—udget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, on June 23 after rejecting an amendment that would have reduced proposed salary increases to 3% and removed funding for a planned police vehicle.

Mayor Doug Evans said the city pproved a real-property tax rate of 18.3 cents per $100 of assessed value for the 2025-26 fiscal year, a reduction from the 21.5 cents rate set four years earlier. "Whether we consider the rate we pay or the dollars we pay, our property taxes have not gone up. They have gone down," Evans said during his report to the council.

The mayor also noted the city—ontinues to collect a 7% insurance premium tax, a rate set in 2019; Evans said revenue from that source has increased because home values and insurance needs have risen.

The council considered an amendment that would have rolled most proposed salary increases back to about 3% and removed funding for a new police vehicle, a change the maker said would reduce payroll and free roughly $130,000 for capital uses. A councilmember identified in the meeting transcript as Vail argued the change was prompted by senior residents—oncerns about safety in shopping areas and by a desire for more visible patrols instead of some house checks.

Sandra Leonard seconded the amendment. The motion to amend was defeated; the council voted to adopt the proposed budget as presented. The meeting record announced the budget was adopted by a vote of 4 to 2.

Mayor Evans told the council the proposed budget includes raises for the city—hief and assistant chief, and he compared the chief—urrent and proposed pay to that of nearby Indian Hills. Evans said Prospect currently pays its police chief $99,500 and the proposed salary would be $104,800, compared with $108,500 in nearby Indian Hills.

The council—ormally moved to give the ordinance a second reading and adopt it as Ordinance 6 54, Series 2025, described in the meeting as "an ordinance establishing the budget for the general fund, municipal road aid and capital project fund of the City of Prospect for the fiscal year beginning 07/01/2025 and ending 06/30/2026." The mayor made the motion to give the second reading and Councilmember David Holmes seconded.

No further amendments or conditions were recorded during the meeting. The council concluded its consideration of the budget item and announced adoption for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The meeting also included public-safety concerns raised by a Smithfield HOA resident referenced during debate; council discussion focused on salary comparators and the balance between fiscal prudence and maintaining a small-city police force.