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Council presses staff for corrected FY27 budget book and public‑hearing schedule after data inconsistencies found
Summary
Interim finance staff and the city manager said a revised FY27 budget book is being prepared after staff found allocation inconsistencies; the council directed staff to provide corrected documentation and a public webinar and the city attorney advised careful adherence to statutory public‑hearing timelines before any adoption vote.
Interim Finance Director Carrie Cartwright and City Manager Jones told the City Council that staff discovered allocation inconsistencies in the proposed FY27 budget book and paused distribution pending correction.
Cartwright said staff is reconciling figures and would not present the budget book to council until the numbers meet professional accounting standards. "I refuse to ask the council to put their name on a document that contains inaccuracies," she said, adding the budget is a legal contract with taxpayers.
Council members pressed for a schedule and transparency. Several members asked that travel and training line items — which appear heavily reduced in the draft — be restored or clearly justified; others requested line‑by‑line detail for cuts the manager directed departments to make. The city attorney reminded council of the charter and state requirements for public notice and the minimum interval between publication and hearing.
Staff committed to provide a corrected book no later than the next council meeting and to run the required public notices; councilors told staff they will not support adoption until they have reviewed a corrected book and had adequate time for public hearings and amendments. The work session ended without a final vote on the FY27 budget.
