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Covington council directs staff to include police officer in proposed 2026 budget
Summary
After a detailed review of proposed cuts and revenue options, the Covington City Council gave consensus direction to include funding for an additional police officer in the draft 2026 budget and asked staff to return the full budget for final adoption on Dec. 9.
Covington’s City Council gave staff direction to include funding for one additional police officer in the proposed 2026 budget, even as members debated whether to wait for final B&O (business & occupation) tax reconciliation and the outcome of House Bill 2015.
At a Nov. 25 public hearing, Finance Director Casey presented the council with three options for obtaining the roughly $300,000 needed for one officer: wait and adopt the budget after final B&O collections are measured; hire now and offset the cost with cuts; or hire now using projected reconciliation and excess B&O revenue and revisit items later. “We can do a budget amendment at any point in the year,” Casey said, noting the city typically brings an annual clean-up amendment in December but can amend the budget earlier if necessary.
The debate focused on timing and fiscal risk. Council member Debbie urged caution about cutting community-facing services now and suggested waiting until Q4 revenue numbers are final; she said some cuts would directly affect programs residents expect. Other members, including Council members who cited strong B&O collections year to date, argued the council could use reconciliation and projected B&O to fund the position now and add back services if revenues materialize as projected.
Staff warned that overtime reconciliation and other refunds are uncertain and typically are not received until later in the year; Casey said hiring an officer now would reduce overtime costs over time but much of the savings would not be realized until 2027. Council members also noted an approximate $100,000 increase in court-related costs from prior years that constrains the budget.
After questions and discussion, the mayor asked for council direction and members indicated a thumbs-up consensus to include the officer in the budget returned to council on Dec. 9 for final approval. The mayor’s office and staff will outline the chosen funding approach in the revised budget package.
What happens next: The council directed staff to return the budget with the officer included at the Dec. 9 meeting. Staff said they will also present options tied to HB 2015 adoption at the upcoming council summit so the council can consider longer-term revenue changes.
