City of Lebanon officials used the work session to walk through key elements of the 2026 budget package, including the appropriations ordinance on final reading, a tax-levy ordinance introduced for public hearing, and a proposed increase to residential rental-license fees intended to cover enforcement costs.

Appropriations and totals: Chair introduced Bill 21 (appropriations for the fiscal year beginning Jan. 1, 2026). Mayor Sherry Alcopello summarized the budget in broad terms and said overall revenues are proposed to increase to $15,235,353 (presented in the meeting as a 6.2% increase) and expenditures to $18,099,057 (a 5.93% increase). The mayor framed the budget as roughly a 6% increase overall.

Tax levy: The tax-levy ordinance was introduced and a public hearing was scheduled for Dec. 11, 2025, at 4:45 p.m. Mayor Alcopello said the city’s current millage rate is 4.581 mills and proposed no tax increase for the eleventh consecutive year. She provided context, saying the average assessed value in the city is $104,636, which the mayor said corresponds to an average annual city tax bill of $479 (around $1.31 per day) for municipal services.

Rental-license fees: As part of the budget adoption package, the mayor presented an amendment to residential rental licensing and inspections that would increase the annual rental-license fee from $40 to $60 and raise rooming-house unit fees from $20 to $30. The mayor said the change covers enforcement and staffing costs and that new software will allow the city to bill licenses together; the chair clarified bills must be paid within 30 days of billing.

Council did not record a final vote on the appropriations ordinance during this work session; the budget was discussed in broad terms and remains on the council docket for final action.