Members of the Franklin City utility board spent the bulk of a meeting reviewing a proposed 2026 water utility budget, pressing staff for clearer explanations of sizable variance between historical spending and next year’s projections and deferring final approval until the board can review updated numbers.

Staff said the 2026 draft is largely flat on operations with a 2% wage increase and noted several capital projects had been left out pending prioritization. One member asked why transmission and distribution personnel costs appeared to swing by tens of thousands of dollars across recent years and recommended separating personnel and non-personnel figures for transparency. "I would say that the philosophy is what you are explaining," an unidentified board member said, noting the need to align projected amounts with actual historical activity.

Staff committed to returning with updated spreadsheets and clearer accounting lines; the board also noted a finance-committee review of debt planning for 2026 will consider which large-ticket projects might proceed and how borrowing (described in the packet as "geo debt") could be used. The board left the budget unapproved and agreed to revisit it in January so members could see reconciled personnel totals and any proposed borrowing plans before a final vote.