Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cedar Hills council adopts FY2026 budget, approves year‑end amendments and 3% compensation update
Summary
The Cedar Hills City Council on June 10 approved the city’s fiscal 2026 budget, adopted year‑end adjustments for FY2025 and enacted a 3% compensation update for staff and elected officials. Council also set the property tax levy and left the library reimbursement program intact for now.
The Cedar Hills City Council approved the fiscal year 2026 budget and related year‑end adjustments on Tuesday, voting unanimously to adopt the spending plan that runs July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
Finance staff presented the budget as a balancing act between rising contract costs and steady revenues. The city’s largest revenue source remains sales tax, staff said, while nearly 40% of expenditures are budgeted for public safety. The council approved several year‑end amendments for FY2025, including modest revenue upticks for building permits and passports and increases in maintenance and litigation projections.
“Sales tax trends have improved enough that we can keep our library program and fund priority capital projects,” finance staff said during the presentation. The council approved a package of amendments and moved forward a general fund and capital plan that sets aside money for road treatments and council chambers improvements and maintains a $400,000 line for road work.
The council also adopted a 3% compensation adjustment that staff said reflects routine cost‑of‑living adjustments and parity with neighboring cities. Staff cited state law requirements to disclose compensation changes for executive municipal officers under Senate Bill 91. Councilmember Morgan moved to adopt Ordinance 6‑10‑2025B to update the compensation section of the final budget; the motion passed unanimously.
The meeting included public discussion about the city’s library reimbursement, a program that helps residents pay for membership at nearby libraries because Cedar Hills does not operate its own. Resident Laura Johnson told the council she depends on the reimbursement and urged the city to keep the program rather than switch to a one‑time donation or a different model. Council members said they expect to revisit program details later but left the current budgeted reimbursement in place for now.
The council set the certified property tax levy for the 2025‑26 year by unanimous vote, a separate resolution that staff described in the context of peer city comparisons and the city’s debt obligations.
Next steps: the adopted budget takes effect July 1; council members said adjustments or amendments can be made later if revenue or priorities change.
