Bexley — City officials on Tuesday presented a revised budget book and answered council questions during the second reading of the 2026 budget, highlighting a softer revenue picture, targeted new positions and moved capital costs across funds.

Finance staff said revised income tax projections show 2025 collections higher than originally budgeted but that growth softens into 2026, prompting a working assumption of roughly 3% annual growth for planning purposes. Staff also proposed moving portions of senior-center build-out costs into recreation and pool funds and cutting an interfund capital transfer to the capital fund to $1,400,000 to reflect the adjusted revenue outlook.

Department heads summarized key operating and capital requests. The police department reported a total sworn staffing level of 33 officers and requested equipment and limited vehicle purchases tied to recruiting and retention. Building and planning asked for increased, year-round code enforcement capacity by bringing a part-time abatement officer back into the budget. IT requested an additional full-time support analyst and shifted several software maintenance items into a centralized IT line to improve transparency and contracting.

Administration and development staff described a placeholder for a scientifically-weighted community survey (budgeted at about $25,000) and explained a new income-tax reimbursement incentive that can return up to 50% of qualifying net new payroll tax over a time-limited term to encourage targeted business recruitment. Grants staff said the city expects about $1.3 million in grant revenue next year tied to capital projects, including state capital funds and transit-support infrastructure for school-area safety projects.

Councilors sought clarifications on reserve balances and transfers. Finance staff said the city expects roughly $7.5 million in unencumbered reserves for 2025 (including some restricted amounts), with a general fund balance near $5.5 million, and walked members through how development and capital transfers feed into those totals.

No final vote was taken on the budget at the meeting; council adopted the consent agenda earlier in the evening and left the budget materials available in the second-reads folder for additional review before the scheduled third reading and adoption vote.