Lewiston adopts 2026 budget; council certifies $212,769 in foregone taxes after narrow amendment fight

The Lewiston City Council adopted the 2026 annual appropriation ordinance (Ordinance 49.50) Tuesday after extended debate over budget amendments and whether to use reserved foregone taxes to cover operating costs. Councilors voted to certify $212,769 in foregone taxes for fiscal year 2026.

Councilors spent the bulk of discussion on amendment proposals from Councilor Nelson Wright intended to remove $95,490 earmarked for one new police officer and to reduce fleet capital rates across departments by roughly $117,279 to reach a $212,769 reduction target. Wright said the plan would ‘‘remove the amount of money for the foregone taxes’’ while still leaving funding for two police positions. The council voted on Wright’s proposals twice; both amendment attempts failed on procedural and substantive grounds.

Finance Director Amy Gordon explained the foregone-tax figures during a public hearing. She said the amount noticed in the published hearing ($241,295) reflected earlier estimates for new construction, annexation and personal property replacement dollars, but final values reduced that figure to $212,769. Gordon told the council that the state allows reserving or levying foregone taxes and that, because the council adopted the budget as presented, the $212,769 would be levied to fund operations and maintenance.

During public testimony, resident Travis Meeks said he opposed yet another tax increase, arguing Lewiston residents already face a high tax rate per capita. Another resident, Linda Malawi, asked whether the council could find ‘‘slack’’ elsewhere in the budget and said she would prefer options other than cutting police funding.

City Attorney Jennifer Tangano clarified procedural questions about a motion to reconsider and explained the legal prerequisites for bringing a prior vote back for discussion. After amendments failed and the council returned to the main motion, the ordinance’s third reading was approved and later adopted as part of a package of ordinances.

The council followed the budget adoption by approving Resolution 2025-36 (as amended) to certify $212,769 in foregone taxes for maintenance and operations for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026. Clerk Brockie called the roll for the resolution vote, which the council carried.

Next steps: the certified foregone taxes will be included in the city’s tax levy for FY2026. Any future change to the levy would require appropriate public notice and council action.