Auburn council approves FY26–27 budget, funds Boykin Community Center expansion and major road work

Mayor Ron Anders said the Auburn City Council approved the fiscal year 2026–27 budget last month and outlined a string of capital projects the city will fund with that plan. The mayor said the budget supports an expansion of the Boykin Community Center campus—including Auburn's first public library branch, the city's first splash pad, a cultural center, walking trails and a reimagined recycling drop-off—scheduled to open in late summer 2026.

The mayor framed the budget as a tool to make Auburn "an excellent place to live, work, and play for years to come," noting that the city will also move forward with Richland Park, a 125-acre multi-phase project at Richland Road and Will Bickner Parkway that will include new baseball and softball fields, trails and a pond.

Transportation projects financed or advanced under the budget include turn-lane additions at North College Street and Drake Avenue and at North College and Shelton Mill Road, a plan to widen North Donahue Drive to five lanes from Shug Jordan Parkway to Saugahatchee Creek with a 10-foot multiuse path and sidewalks, and design work for improvements to the Opelika Road and Dean Road intersection with construction expected in 2027. Anders said the city will put $6,000,000 into its resurfacing plan in 2026 and launch a citywide high-tech street assessment to prioritize resurfacing needs.

The mayor stressed that these projects are part of an effort to manage growth and congestion as Auburn and Auburn University expand. "Our new budget includes exciting projects that will ensure Auburn remains an excellent place to live, work, and play for years to come," Anders said.

What happens next: Anders indicated design and early construction phases will roll into 2026 and 2027; the mayor did not provide a roll call or vote tally for the City Council's budget approval during the address.