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City manager previews FY27 budget, proposes $2 million bathhouse and 3% COLA
Summary
City Manager Carl presented a FY27 budget preview at a Manassas Park work session, proposing a $2 million bathhouse in the CIP, a citywide 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment (about $650,000), and a possible 5% technology fee while recommending use of unassigned fund balance if available.
City Manager Carl presented a draft FY27 budget at a Manassas Park work session and recommended funding a streamlined capital improvement program that includes a $2 million bathhouse project, a proposed 3% cost‑of‑living adjustment for staff and coverage for rising health‑insurance costs.
Carl said a 3% COLA "is gonna cost about $650,000, all told for this citywide," and estimated health‑care cost increases of roughly 7% that would cost the city about $365,000 in FY27. He emphasized that he did not include a last‑minute classification and compensation study in the FY27 assumptions because of timing constraints.
On capital projects, Carl said staff has identified roughly $10 million that the city can reasonably fund in FY27 and that the full proposed CIP list amounts to about $12.2 million because of additions such as the bathhouse. "I almost hesitate to say it out loud in public, but I'm more than 50% sure that I think we're gonna go pull this off, but I won't know until I can have some time with my calculator and spreadsheets," he said.
Carl outlined options for paying for one‑time CIP items and recommended tapping the city's unassigned fund balance if it is available rather than drawing on formal reserves, which he said should be preserved to protect the city's bond position. He also flagged that some transportation projects are funded by outside sources, minimizing direct general‑fund impact for those items.
The presentation included a potential 5% technology fee on permitting services to help pay for enterprise systems and plan‑review software. Carl said staff modeling showed that a 5% fee in FY25 would have produced "about a half million dollars" in revenue, and that further analysis would determine whether the fee should apply to large developments rather than routine residential work.
Carl listed procedural next steps: a not‑to‑exceed rate‑setting meeting on May 5, a public hearing on June 2, and an anticipated budget adoption on June 16. He said the budget books and supporting exhibits will be published online and hard copies can be produced on request.
Council members asked detailed questions about specific CIP lines — including a nearly $1.7 million HVAC/controls project, paving funding sources, and whether library staff under the private LSS contract would receive the proposed COLA. Carl said library salaries are set by the private contract but the contract escalates 3% annually.
No formal votes were taken during the work session; the council will consider rates and budget actions at upcoming public meetings as outlined by staff.
