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Council presses staff for revenue and contingency data as package to appropriate contingency and school fund balance is proposed
Summary
Staff proposed a FY26 budget amendment to appropriate $300,513 from contingency to city attorney/public works, transfer $35,000 between capital projects and appropriate $1,064,000 of school operating fund balance (plus a $10,000 opioid abatement match). Council questioned contingency use, legal fee estimates and asked for up‑to‑date revenue data before first reading on Jan. 26.
City staff presented a proposed amendment to the FY26 budget that would reassign contingency and school fund balance across operating and capital needs and add a $10,000 match for an opioid abatement campaign. The amendment was presented as a first‑reading discussion item; staff said the item is scheduled for formal first reading at the council’s Jan. 26 meeting.
Finance staff summarized the package: appropriate contingency into the city attorney and public works departments ($300,513 total), transfer $35,000 between capital projects, appropriate $1,064,000 of school operating fund balance, and add a $10,000 match to participate in a regional opioid abatement public‑awareness campaign. Staff emphasized there is no new external funding request—only a reallocation among existing city funds.
Several councilmembers pressed staff for more information before approving the use of contingency: they asked for the latest (October) revenue data, questioned whether legal fees would be reimbursable from consultants in underperforming contracts, and asked that future CIP entries include explicit legal line items so legal costs are budgeted up front. The school representative (Alicia Prince, joining virtually) said the requested school facility condition assessment is a full, division‑wide review intended to inform capital planning and that past assessments are outdated.
Council did not take final action on the amendment at this meeting; staff will supply more recent revenue figures and respond to questions about legal fees and fund balances ahead of first reading.
Next steps: Staff to circulate October revenue data, provide more detail on the $100K litigation estimate and options for seeking reimbursement from consultants, and bring the amendment for first reading on Jan. 26.
