Watertown council approves 2026 budget as amended after public outcry over library cut

Scores of residents urged the Watertown Common Council to reverse a proposed $100,000 reduction to the library’s city subsidy before the council adopted the 2026 budget. After public comment and extended debate, the council adopted the combined budget resolutions as amended to restore $40,000 to the library by reducing the contingency account, while keeping the overall general fund total unchanged.

The library funding fight opened during public comment, when Amanda Crary Gallas of South Washington Street told the council, “I think the library needs to be open 7 days a week.” Erin O’Neil, a library board member since 2010, told the council the building “sees approximately 450 plus patrons per day” and warned of broad fallout if service days are cut. Multiple staff and trustees said the library is a community hub for children, job seekers and residents without home internet access.

Alderman Dana Davis moved to rescind a Nov. 18 council action that reduced the library contribution by $100,000 and reallocated that money to street capital outlay. Davis said rescinding would return the budget to the version unanimously approved by the finance committee and allow the council to incorporate the clear public input received since the November vote. The rescind motion required a two-thirds vote and instead failed on a roll call, 4–5 (Ayes: Davis, Lampe, Bartz, Wetzel; Noes: Berg, Lanke, Smith, Arnett, Moldenhauer).

Mayor Stocks and finance staff repeatedly clarified the mechanics behind the debate. “The city is not taking any money out of the endowment fund,” the mayor said, adding that “the money is coming from fund balance.” Council members and the finance director described how the city used fund balance last year to cover shortfalls and warned against relying on one-time reserves for recurring costs.

After procedural discussion the council voted to consider Exhibits 9807 and 9808 together (the packet resolutions that contain the 2026 budgets). A later amendment moved to increase the city’s library allocation from “7.10” to “7.50” and to decrease the contingency/bond account by $40,000 so the general fund total remained the same. That amendment passed on the record. The combined, amended resolutions were then adopted.

Council debate framed the vote as a choice between protecting a widely used public amenity and correcting what several aldermen described as an unsustainable pattern of using fund balance to cover recurring operating costs. Alderman Berg summarized the finance committee’s approach by noting the committee cut roughly $1.58 million from department and program requests to construct the proposed budget and said the city cannot treat fund balance as ongoing revenue.

The meeting also approved the payroll resolution for 2026, which council members said formalizes a multi-year effort to update the pay table and provide raises for city employees. After a final public comment period, the council adjourned.

The council did not rescind the Nov. 18 reduction; however, by shifting $40,000 from contingency back to the library the adopted budget reduces the net impact of the earlier cut. Additional follow-up items raised during the meeting included requests for clearer fund-balance documentation and for the library and finance staff to meet with council members to review the library’s fiscal projections next year.

What happens next: the adopted budget and any revisions must be published as required and reported to state and county authorities on the timelines cited by the finance director. Council members said the library can request further adjustments in the coming year if its financial statements demonstrate additional need.