Bluff council adopts amended FY2026 budget, approves fee changes and plot adjustment

The Bluff Town Council unanimously adopted an amended FY2026 budget and approved an amended master fee schedule and a plot-line adjustment during its April 21 regular meeting.

Staff member Erin Nelson presented Resolution No. 100 to amend the FY2026 budget, saying the revision reflects invoices received since the last meeting and adds roughly $10,000 to cover additional asbestos removal where two layers of tile and ceiling were found. Nelson also said the amended budget includes additional funds for a planned fire suppression system and that the general fund is expected to roll over approximately $56,000 into the next fiscal year. Council members were told the town received $4,200 from the Environmental Protection Agency for project close-out costs, which will go toward a project manager salary.

"The budget reflects invoices that have been received since the last meeting," Nelson said. After public comment closed with no additional submissions, Mayor Josh Ewing called the vote; Spencer Wade, Jennifer Davila and Ewing voted aye and the motion passed unanimously.

The council also approved Resolution No. 101 to adopt an amended master fee schedule. Staff recommended a late addition: a $50-per-day off-site rental fee for the Anchor Sound System (owned by local business owners) and asked that staff create a separate contract to cover off-site rental stipulations and damage or loss deposits. The council voted unanimously to adopt the change.

On a separate land matter, the council approved Resolution No. 102 to rescind and replace an earlier resolution after corrected surveys showed different acreage in a transfer from the Podmore family to James Sayers. Sayers acknowledged he previously supplied an older survey and accepted responsibility for the confusion; the corrected paperwork shows the resulting parcel will be 0.55 acres. The council approved the revision by roll call (Wade: aye; Davila: aye; Ewing: aye).

Separately, Nelson reported progress on a larger disconnection petition: when language retaining 6 feet north of Bluff Bench Road was included in the meets-and-bounds description, acreage calculations differed from SITLA’s original submission. SITLA recalculated the acreage in-house and shared updated descriptions and maps; Nelson said the packet will go to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office for final signature and that the disconnection — totaling 5,310.07 acres — should be completed by the end of April to align with a Roads Manifest submission.

The council noted that resolutions approved at the meeting would be signed and posted next week because Mayor Ewing is currently out of town.

The meeting convened at 4 p.m. and adjourned at 5:03 p.m.