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City Manager Weir presents proposed budget prioritizing pay, IT upgrades and housing programs
Summary
City Manager Weir presented a proposed budget that emphasizes employee pay (a 3% COLA for nonbargained staff), IT modernization, and targeted housing and vacant-property programs; he noted an estimated 12% rise in health insurance costs and proposed rolling ARPA-funded homelessness positions into the base budget.
City Manager Weir presented the city’s proposed budget, telling the council that “the budget is where the rubber really meets the road” and laying out priorities for baseline municipal services, council-directed initiatives and strategic long-term investments.
Weir said the operating budget proposal includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for nonbargained positions and an estimated 12% rise in health insurance costs, which is subject to confirmation in the fall. He also said a newly mandated paid family medical leave program adds roughly $313,000 to this year’s operating costs.
The proposed budget targets a return to about $18,000,000 in unassigned fund balance while noting the ordinance allows a maximum of $22,000,000. Weir cautioned against using one-time reserves to fund recurring operating costs and said the city uses reserves to pay for most capital outlays.
On capital and new programs, Weir proposed targeted IT infrastructure and security investments and recommended funding additional IT staff to manage a multiyear technology implementation. He outlined a procurement plan that begins with a citywide needs assessment and hiring professional services to draft and evaluate an RFP, plus independent verification and validation during implementation.
Weir also proposed staffing additions that include a second staff accountant in finance to improve separation of duties, a second downtown patrol officer, additional firefighters (with options priced in the budget), a dedicated fire training officer, and two clerks in treasury and records to improve customer service. He described the homeless response coordinator and housing support navigator — both ARPA-funded through the end of 2026 — as showing a measurable return on investment and said their salaries would need to be rolled into the base budget if the council wants them continued beyond the ARPA window.
Other proposed initiatives include a vacant-property program (attorney, legal assistant, code enforcement officer) to accelerate remediation and expand the tax base; an affordable housing fund; a quality housing provider program to help address sprinkler installation in rental housing; and a proposed urban development officer to support large redevelopment projects such as the mall. Weir said some downtown TIF, federal and state grants and ratepayer funds will continue to fund much of the city’s capital program.
Weir closed by presenting five years of historical budget data, noting consistent year-over-year increases in proposed budgets and that departments will present detailed new-program requests in department-level meetings. He encouraged councilors to send questions ahead of upcoming meetings to ensure staff can prepare timely answers.
The council will continue department-level budget reviews in upcoming meetings; the manager said the proposal is intended to start a discussion, not to be a final target.
