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Bluff Town Council adopts amended FY2026 budget, updates fee schedule and approves plot adjustment; 5,310-acre disconnection moves toward final sign-off
Summary
At its April 21 meeting the Bluff Town Council unanimously adopted Resolution #100 to amend the FY2026 budget (adding contingency for asbestos and fire-suppression work), approved an amended master fee schedule that adds a $50/day off-site sound-system rental fee, and passed a plot-line correction for a 0.55-acre parcel to James Sayers. Staff reported SITLA has recalculated acreage for a 5,310.07-acre disconnection and documents are pending final state signature.
Mayor Josh Ewing and two councilmembers voted unanimously April 21 to adopt an amended FY2026 budget, update the town’s master fee schedule and approve a corrected plot-line adjustment for a parcel sale.
Erin Nelson, a town staff member, presented the amended budget and said it reflects invoices received since the last regular meeting and anticipates roughly $56,000 in general-fund carryover into the next fiscal year. Malia Collins reported asbestos was found in two layers of tile and ceiling in parts of the Cooperative Cultural Center project; the council added $10,000 to the budget to cover that remediation and included additional funds for a fire-suppression system. Nelson said the town also received $4,200 from the U.S. EPA for close-out costs, which will support project staffing.
The council approved Resolution #100 (amend FY2026 budget) on a 3-0 vote (Councilmembers Spencer Wade and Jennifer Davila and Mayor Ewing). Council discussion did not identify changes to the revenue assumptions; the amendment reflects known invoice and project-cost adjustments.
Council also adopted Resolution #101 to amend the Master Fee Schedule to add an off-site rental fee for the Anchor sound system at $50 per day. Staff recommended Collins draft a separate off-site rental contract covering chairs and the sound system and including a deposit or lost/damaged-equipment fee; the council expressed support for that approach and approved the fee schedule unanimously.
On Resolution #102 the council corrected a prior metes-and-bounds description related to a parcel sale. Jim Sayers acknowledged an earlier filing error (a 2024 survey was submitted instead of a 2025 survey) and the council approved a rescission-and-replace resolution that results in a 0.55-acre parcel for Sayers following the Podmores’ sale of 0.45 acres. The council voted 3-0 to adopt Resolution #102.
Separately, Nelson updated the council on a long-running disconnection: the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) had provided an incorrect meets-and-bounds survey that created an acreage discrepancy; SITLA recalculated the acreage in-house after the State Surveyor’s Office flagged the issue. Nelson said she is awaiting her final approval before documents are forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office for signature; she estimated completion by the end of April and noted the timeline aligns with a Roads Manifest submission deadline.
‘‘Bluff Rural Innovation & Civic Center (BRICC) has been used as another temporary name for fundraising purposes,’’ Mayor Ewing said when asked about the Cooperative Cultural Center naming; he said the council agrees a permanent name should be chosen with community input once the facility is complete.
Votes at a glance: approved (all votes unanimous): approval of five sets of minutes from April 7 and related hearings; Resolution #100 (amended FY2026 budget); Resolution #101 (amended master fee schedule); Resolution #102 (plot-line adjustment for James Sayers).
The council discussed a proposed budget open house for mid-May and logistical details for getting tonight’s resolutions signed and posted. The meeting adjourned at 5:03 p.m.
