Belmont council adopts $33.99M budget; no property tax increase

Belmont — The City Council voted to adopt the fiscal year 2024–25 budget on Wednesday, approving a spending plan of roughly $34 million across the general, water/sewer and stormwater funds while holding the property tax rate at the current $0.455 per $100 valuation.

The city manager presented the budget message and said the budget "invests in staff, provides a high level of operational service and invests in the city's infrastructure." The recommended total budget was stated as about $33,991,183 across the three funds. The general fund highlights include no property‑tax increase, funding for seven new positions (four police officers, two firefighters and one planning technician), a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment and up to a 3% merit pool, and $1.6 million dedicated to the general‑fund capital improvement plan.

Council also approved adjustments to water and sewer fees after staff and a consultant concluded current rates were not adequate to support operating and capital needs. The city manager said recommended changes included restructuring fixed charges by meter size, raising volumetric rate tiers and eliminating a $2,000 fixed charge used for certain nonresidential customers; staff estimated those changes would raise about $1.06 million in annual revenue.

There was a noticed public hearing on the budget; no members of the public signed up to comment. After the public hearing, Council approved the budget ordinance by motion, second and voice vote.

What happens next: Staff will implement the adopted budget and proposed fee changes; some water/sewer rate adjustments will require administrative steps to set new customer billing. Council noted that staff and the finance team will continue reporting on capital projects and rate impacts during the fiscal year.