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Garden City council removes street-lighting assessment for 2026 after heated debate
Summary
After hours of debate over the budget and reserve use, the Garden City Council voted 5-2 on May 4 to remove the street-lighting special assessment for 2026, shifting $350,200 to fund-balance use; an earlier effort to repeal the assessment permanently failed for lack of the five votes required to pass an ordinance.
The Garden City Council voted 5-2 on May 4 to remove the street-lighting special assessment for 2026, a move councilmembers said will return roughly $350,200 to residents this year while the city pursues spending cuts and grant opportunities.
Councilmember Kara Fotis introduced the amendment to the FY2026'127 general-appropriations and tax-levy ordinance, saying the assessment should be removed "permanently" but acknowledging the council could also vote to limit the change. "I would like to remove it permanently from collection for the remainder of its sentence," Fotis said during the hearing, describing the change as relief for residents who have pressed the council for years.
The motion to repeal the assessment permanently was discussed at length and put to a roll…
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