Waynesboro staff introduces $5.7 million budget amendment; public hearing set for Dec. 8

City finance staff introduced an amendment to the FY26 budget at the Nov. 24 Waynesboro council meeting to appropriate approximately $5.7 million to roll forward encumbrances and complete delayed projects.

Mr. McCormick said the amendment totaled $5,675,774 and is primarily comprised of roll-forward encumbrances from FY25 into FY26, including about $1.5 million for paving and microsurfacing, $215,000 for remaining comprehensive plan services, $140,000 to upgrade the city's timekeeping system, $697,000 of remaining work on an MS-7 sewer project, and multiple smaller items across general, water, refuse, sewer and stormwater funds. He also listed $1,541,000 of grants, donations and fund-balance uses including $1,131,000 for school board appropriations split between grants and fund balance.

McCormick said the item had not been advertised in time for a public hearing at the Nov. 24 meeting and that an ad is scheduled to run the following Wednesday; the ordinance will receive a public hearing and final consideration at the Dec. 8 meeting.

Notably, the transcript shows a discrepancy between the staff's stated total ($5,675,774) and the number appearing in the motion language later in the exchange ($5,625,774). The transcript does not resolve that variance; the staff presentation and detailed line items cite $5,675,774.

Next steps: the council introduced the ordinance for advertising and set a public hearing and final consideration for Dec. 8; the transcript does not record a final vote on the appropriation language at this meeting.