Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City of Brandon committee backs 4.75% preliminary levy and delays public works garage project
Summary
The City of Brandon Personnel Finance Committee recommended a preliminary levy of $7,435,323 for 2026 (a 4.75% increase) and voted to move a $784,000 public works garage project to 2028; a public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 and the levy resolution will be presented Dec. 15.
The City of Brandon Personnel Finance Committee voted to present a preliminary 2026 levy of $7,435,323 — a 4.75% increase over 2025 — and agreed to move a proposed $784,000 public works garage project out of the 2026 capital budget and into 2028.
Council members discussed the levy figures and related capital priorities at the committee’s Dec. 1 meeting. Nick Royal, the city administrator, said staff corrected a prior transcription error in the packet and presented the recommended levy amount for the public hearing and the resolution to be presented to the full council on Dec. 15. Royal told the committee the final levy must be set by Dec. 31 and may be lower but not higher than the preliminary levy presented for notices to residents.
Connie Milman, the finance director, told the committee the revised levy reflects several favorable insurance and benefit developments, including workers’ compensation renewal rates and changes in employee health elections. Staff said those changes reduced the preliminary levy by roughly $231,000 compared with an earlier figure and that about 57% of the reduction was attributable to those insurance and benefit adjustments.
Committee members also debated how to treat several capital items. Staff and the council president recommended moving a $200,000 city hall bathroom remodel from 2026 to 2027. The group discussed a $784,000 public works garage line originating from a 2018–19 WSN study that had not been implemented. Staff recommended reinstating the garage item; several members said they preferred deferring the project while the department’s organization and annex planning are clarified.
Kelly Bland, a city council member, moved to present the Dec. 8 budget public hearing using a levy of $7,435,323 (4.75%) and to move the $784,000 public works garage item to 2028; the motion was seconded and carried.
The committee set a public budget hearing for 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, to allow residents to review the proposed budgets and offer comment. The committee directed staff to include the same levy amount in the resolution for the Dec. 15 council meeting, where the council will formally consider setting the 2026 levy.
