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Sheridan council approves FY26 budget amendment, strips $1M set aside for Gillespie draw right‑of‑way
Summary
The Sheridan City Council on Jan. 5 approved a fiscal year 2026 budget amendment that restores previously cut items but removes $1,000,000 originally earmarked for Gillespie draw right‑of‑way acquisition pending a feasibility report; staff presented the revision and residents urged greater transparency on unfilled positions and large vehicle purchases.
The Sheridan City Council voted Jan. 5 to approve a FY26 budget amendment while removing $1,000,000 designated for Gillespie draw right‑of‑way acquisitions and placing that sum into the city’s unreserved fund balance until a preliminary feasibility study is complete.
City Administrator Stuart McCray told the council the amendment is the result of staff reconciling surplus funds and reprioritizing deferred items. McCray said the public had “plenty of time to be able to look at” the proposed revision and described the staff recommendation to strike the right‑of‑way allocation until the feasibility findings were known.
The treasurer, Darla Hawkins, outlined the numbers behind the revision, saying the general fund showed excess revenue of about $5.364 million for fiscal 2025 but that much of that had already been encumbered in the original FY26 budget; she said the amount actually available to use was smaller after accounting for prior commitments. Hawkins said staff estimated that completing the list of departmental requests would require about $833,000 of cash reserves and explained how transfers to capital projects and enterprise funds would be handled.
Resident speakers pressed the council on budget transparency and procurement choices. Harry Pollock urged the council to address what he described as a recurring practice of budgeting for “15 to 22 ghost positions” that remain unfilled year after year and questioned agenda items seeking roughly $1.2 million for new vehicles (agenda items 9b–d). Pollock asked for clearer justification before large purchases proceed.
Council discussion focused on fiscal prudence and public safety. After questions about how the removal of the $1,000,000 would affect reserves, a council member moved to approve the budget revision with the Gillespie draw right‑of‑way allocation removed and requested that amount be held in unreserved fund balance until a preliminary report on the feasibility study is received. The motion was seconded and the council voted to approve it.
The amendment as approved restores multiple previously cut items — including snow removal, striping, and pothole repair — and adds funding for public‑safety‑related equipment such as an uninterrupted power supply for police dispatch and a new wildland modular skid unit for the fire department. Hawkins said some enterprise fund requests include a water transmission repair and upgrades to SCADA for the sewer system.
The council also approved a consent agenda that included purchases and appointments, with one recusal recorded during the vote.
Next steps: staff will implement the approved transfers and hold the $1,000,000 in unreserved fund balance pending the Gillespie draw feasibility study, which the city administrator said will inform whether right‑of‑way funds are needed this fiscal year.
