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Sumner presents mid-biennial budget amendment; staff outline labor realignments and capital adjustments
Summary
Finance staff presented the 2025-26 mid-biennial budget amendment covering labor reorganizations (creation of a Public Operations Department and added FTEs), reallocations across funds, revenue true-ups, grant adjustments, capital transfers and IT investments; the amendment is scheduled for public hearing next week and ordinance adoption Dec. 1.
Finance staff presented the 2025-26 mid-biennial budget amendment (Ordinance 2945), telling council the mid-biennial review is both a statutory requirement and an opportunity to realign revenues and expenditures across funds for transparency and operations.
Staff outlined major labor and organizational changes: creation of a Public Operations Department (realigning public works and engineering), hiring of an interim public operations director and a deputy, and programming of four additional FTEs effective July 1, 2026 to staff a forthcoming operations facility. The staff presentation also included reallocations of fixed labor costs across the general fund, cemetery, water, sewer, and storm funds and noted some positions will shift cost allocations between funds.
Revenue-side changes included recognition of ~$336,000 to true up property-tax estimates, recognition of roughly $51,000 in a state court grant, and a $320,000 reduction in a Department of Commerce climate planning grant due to legislative timing. Capital and transfers discussed included $275,000 for City Hall restroom remodels, $115,000 for the skate-park demolition, recognition of $560,000 in REET revenues, and transfers related to park projects and the transportation impact fees for design work.
Staff announced selection of OpenGov asset management software (approx. $130,000 over three years) and a corresponding IT assessment allocation; staff also detailed forklift replacement ($50,000 split across multiple funds) and radio/user maintenance fees tied to an 800-megahertz study.
Staff said a public hearing is scheduled for next week and an ordinance would be before the council for adoption on Dec. 1; no formal vote was taken in the study session.
