Bossier City council adopts 2026 budget after $50,000 amendment; staff outlines $13 million debt payoff

At a Bossier City Council meeting, the council voted to remove $50,000 from the draft and then adopted the 2026 budget as amended, and staff described plans to retire roughly $13 million in city debt.

Council members first considered a motion to remove $50,000 from the proposed budget. The council president put Mister Hammond's motion to a voice vote; members responded “Aye,” and the chair declared the motion carried. The clerk then asked for a motion to introduce the 2026 budget as amended. The council moved and seconded the motion, identified in the record as moved by Councilman Hammonds and seconded by Councilman Cliff Smith. The council voted by voice; the chair announced, “Motion carries.” No roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript.

Miss Nottingham, reporting on the finance committee’s work, said the committee reduced revenue projections by $800,000 to account for not rolling millages forward and covered that shortfall with a transfer from the Parkway Capital fund. "We discussed at the finance committee meeting that we reduced revenue to account for not rolling millages forward," she said, and added staff is pursuing paying off the bond and will return to the council with those documents.

An unnamed council member summarized the fiscal impact that the council said the transaction would produce: "So, so we'll be paying off roughly $13,000,000 worth of city debt," the member said, adding the move would free about $908,000 in annual debt service and produce approximately $5,000,000 in interest savings. Council members characterized the change as a near-term and long-term fiscal win, and Nottingham said staff expects to complete the necessary steps before the end of the year.

Finance staffer Angela Williamson presented the monthly financials for the period ending Sept. 30, 2025. Williamson said overall revenue for the month was 18% over budget, driven in part by a transfer from a 2017 LCDA-area fund to close that fund and by stronger sales-tax receipts. "Revenue is 18% over budget," Williamson said, and she reported sales tax was up 9.7% compared with September 2024. She also said expenses were 8% under budget for the month; the water and sewer utility reported mixed results, with net operating income after debt service up substantially for the month but year-to-date and rolling-12 figures lower than the prior year.

Council members thanked the finance staff and other departments for their work. Additional agenda items included announcements about district town-hall meetings and a Representative Dennis Bamberg request to publicize a Veterans Day event at the Bipsey Gymnasium on Nov. 7. With no further business, the chair adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: staff will bring the bond payoff paperwork back to the council for formal consideration and implementation details, and the adopted 2026 budget will proceed as recorded in the meeting minutes.