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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 call that produced a 4-3 vote, short of the five affirmative votes required to pass an ordinance. Council then approved a narrower amendment to remove the assessment for 2026 only; that motion passed on a 5-2 roll call, with Councilmembers King and Witt voting no and Mayor Jacobs and four other councilmembers voting yes.
Opponents argued the one-year removal will further deplete the city's reserves. "Using another $800,000 from our fund balance is only going to depreciate that money more," Councilmember King said, urging caution and asking that expense reductions be identified before removing recurring revenue. Councilmember Dole countered that the amount in question (about $350,000) could be absorbed over one or two years and framed the measure as a modest return to ratepayers.
City Manager Gibbons told the council he would develop a cost-cutting plan in the coming months if the assessment is removed and look for savings to offset the revenue loss. "If council so chooses to remove it, I will endeavor over the next few months to develop a cost-cutting plan to essentially cover that," he said, pledging to pursue efficiencies and report back.
What happens next: The council's amendment removes the street-lighting assessment for 2026 and increases the use of fund balance by $350,200 to balance the fiscal-year budget; the city manager and staff will return with options to reduce expenses and identify savings over the next months. The ordinance-language and budget amendment passed at the meeting will be reflected in the city's FY2026'127 budget and revisited during next year's budget process.
Votes at a glance: The temporary removal passed 5-2 (ayes: Mayor Jacobs; Mayor Pro Tem Dole; Councilmembers Kara Fotis; Hughes; Dold; nays: King; Witt). The council had earlier voted 4-3 on a motion to remove the assessment permanently; because an ordinance requires five votes for adoption, that effort failed.
Budget context and council concerns: City staff said the proposed FY2026'127 budget had options with or without the lighting assessment; staff noted prior Headley rollbacks reduced the city's millage capacity and that the city has taken steps to control spending. Several councilmembers stressed they supported the idea of giving relief to residents but wanted a sustainable path to avoid further reserve depletion.
