Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget 2026 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews 2026 budget first reading, adds $4.4 million for street resurfacing and flags boiler replacements
Summary
City staff presented the first reading of the 2026 budget, adding $4.4 million to the capital budget for street resurfacing, noting a $400,000 sewer-damage reimbursement and that boilers at the fire and police building will need replacement; council deferred final action to allow more review.
At the Dec. 2 meeting the Defiance City Council held a first reading of the 2026 appropriation ordinance and discussed several capital items and follow-up tasks.
City staff (identified in the transcript as Miss Craig) said she added $4,400,000 into the capital budget specifically for street resurfacing and noted that the other paving projects discussed for 2026 total about 1.8 miles, compared with a five-year average of 2.5 miles. "I added $4,400,000 into the capital budget for street resurfacing," she said.
Staff also reported that WARMA will reimburse about $400,000 for ultraviolet (UV) damages to sewer infrastructure; that reimbursement will offset earlier budgeted expenses and allow the city to consider reintroducing some deferred items into the 2026 budget. Councilmembers asked for a written breakdown showing how the $400,000 will be allocated and requested estimates for specific projects: engineering provided an estimate of roughly $250,000 for Hopkins Street work and an approximate $50,000 engineering estimate for Sherwood Forest street reconstruction.
Council discussed engineering workload given the additional funds and projects, and members agreed to let the budget item lie until the next week to allow staff to provide the requested breakdown and to finalize any supplemental requests after quotes are obtained for critical replacements (including boilers at the fire and police building).
