Ogden council reviews roughly $22.9 million year‑end budget amendment; key moves include $2M to CIP and $2M for police wages

Ogden Finance Director Justin Sorenson told the City Council at a May 12 work session that the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 year‑end budget amendment is "a large budget opening" of a little more than $22 million that combines grants, one‑time funding sources and internal accounting transfers.

"This is a large budget opening. It's over $22 million," Sorenson said, adding that roughly $950,000 of the package is tied to grants, about $16 million represents one‑time funding sources, and almost $4.5 million are internal transfers and accounting adjustments that "do not represent additional city‑wide spending." He said the transfers are required by fund accounting when money moves between separate funds.

Why it matters: Sorenson said the changes are intended both to account for revenue the city expects to receive this year — including higher interest income — and to avoid exceeding state fund‑balance limits. He told council members the city had about $27 million in unassigned fund balance at the end of FY25 and that council financial principles have urged keeping that nearer to $20 million.

Major items outlined

- Interest income to CIP: Sorenson proposed recognizing $2 million in additional interest income and transferring it to the capital improvement program (CIP) fund so the money is available for FY27 project allocations and to reduce the risk of exceeding fund‑balance limits.

- Police wages: Sorenson said roughly $2 million of the amendment would cover higher personnel costs in the police department tied to successful recruiting and lateral hires at higher step levels than budgeted. He said those adjustments will also be reflected in the FY27 budget proposal.

- Fleet replacement: The amendment includes plans to replace aging fleet units totaling about $3.8 million (10 pickup trucks, a track hoe and trailer, three internals, multiple mowers and 17 police units among other items). Sorenson said existing replacement budgets provide $1.7 million and that enterprise fund contributions and restricted BNC funds will cover some units, leaving an approximate $800,000 gap that he proposed to fill from general‑fund balance.

- Airport, Mercy Car Box and other CIP items: The South Apron airport project faces a roughly $157,000 shortfall (most of the project is FAA‑funded); Sorenson proposed $7,000 from general‑fund contingency and $150,000 from CIP contingency to cover the city portion. He also requested $150,000 to finish an enclosure for the Mercy car restoration project.

- Community cleanup and contractors: Sorenson said contract cleanup work around homeless encampments was previously funded with ARPA and state homeless mitigation funds; ARPA funds are now exhausted and the FY26 budget did not include replacement funding. He proposed one‑time funding to continue contracted cleanup through the end of the year and identified the contractor as ServePro.

- Grants and smaller adjustments: Sorenson listed roughly $533,000 in grants and donations (police grants, a firefighter support grant, cultural grants including an NEA award, and other state grants) that would be recognized in the respective funds. He also described a correction to downtown promotions/Ogden Downtown Alliance (ODA) contract funding and several equipment purchases in golf and other enterprise funds.

Council questions and next steps

Council members pressed for clarifications on how the $2 million transfer to CIP would be displayed and allocated; Sorenson said the amount would be placed in a separate CIP line item and pointed to a shared chart with project listings and funding sources. When asked which contractor performs community cleanup, Sorenson said the city has a contract with ServePro.

Sorenson told the council that required public‑notice timing would delay formal action, and he proposed June 2 as the date for council consideration of the amendment (the May 26 regular meeting conflicts with a budget open house). The work session concluded after a brief series of unrelated items (fireworks map, a parking petition near the Ogden Rescue Mission, paid parking timeline and drought‑status questions).

Attribution and evidence: Details in this article are taken from Finance Director Justin Sorenson's presentation and subsequent council questions at the May 12 work session. Where Sorenson read figures or described transfers and grants, the text reflects his statements to the council.

What comes next: The council is scheduled to consider the year‑end budget amendment at its June 2 meeting unless members request further revisions or discussion.