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Carrollton council narrows FY2026 budget options, leans toward market raises and funding select projects
Summary
In a work‑session deep dive on the FY2026 proposed budget, council directed staff toward a roughly 2.25%–2.3% employee raise (to remain competitive), agreed to prioritize several one‑time ATBs (library access lockers, part‑time rec staffing, options for a Perry Museum specialist) and held off on a full rollout of in‑cab Samsara cameras pending first‑phase results. Finance staff flagged roughly $228,000 in recurring capacity from recent procurement savings.
Council spent the bulk of its work session refining the FY2026 proposed budget and weighing recurring vs. one‑time spending priorities.
Melissa Everett, director of finance (speaker 12), told council that negotiations on the recently awarded janitorial contract produced about $192,000 in recurring savings and combined with prior adjustments yielded approximately $228,000 of recurring programming capacity. Everett said the budget team offered council options for how to use those funds, including lowering internal allocations, funding targeted recurring ATBs or adding to contingency.
On employee compensation, council discussed a straw‑man increase that would put the city’s proposed raise in the 2.25%–2.3% range to remain competitive with regional benchmarks. Council members raised the importance of the triennial compensation study and its role in avoiding large, disruptive catch‑up adjustments. "We have 2% built into the budget," the chair said when framing the options; several council members favored a market‑matching approach and accepted a modest upward adjustment consistent with council guidance.
Fee changes previewed by finance included raising credit/debit convenience fees from 2% to 3.5% to achieve cost recovery. "It breaks it even," Everett said when asked whether the 3.5% fee covers the city’s merchant costs. Staff also recommended increasing the solid waste fund balance to $500,000 (from $200,000) to cover debris and storm‑related debris removal — funded by a transfer from the general fund, not by a direct rate increase.
On program choices, library Director Jonathan Hsu presented alternative ATB packages (holds pickup lockers, self‑service study rooms, device lending kiosks). Holds lockers were identified as highest‑demand and were estimated at about $30,000 per library recurring for a 35‑bay unit; Hsu noted the lockers would provide after‑hours pickup and added convenience for residents.
Parks & Recreation Director Scott Whitaker reviewed staffing options tied to the Perry Museum/barn project and community events. Council discussed a compromise to fund partial or one‑time support now (contracted or nonrecurring funding) and convert to a recurring FTE later if the barn project schedule and demand justify it.
Safety and data investments such as Samsara in‑cab cameras were discussed; staff reported an updated quantity of 111 vehicles (revising down from 120) and a reduced ATV amount. Several council members preferred waiting for results from the first phase before committing to a full rollout, noting potential insurance premium reductions could change the business case.
Council framed a series of straw‑man allocations (library access tiers, community events seed funding, part‑time rec attendants at $25,000 nonrecurring, half‑year options for the Perry specialist) and instructed staff to refine the spreadsheet for formal adoption at the next council meeting after Labor Day.
Next steps: Staff will update the formal budget document, adjust spreadsheet entries per council direction and return the proposed tax rate and fee ordinance language for formal adoption.
