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Walled Lake opens public hearing on fiscal-year 2027–28 budget; manager urges review ahead of June deadline
Summary
City manager Dennis presented the proposed FY 2027–28 budget, said materials have been distributed and posted online, and urged council members to submit questions in advance as staff schedules review meetings before the required adoption in mid-June.
WALLED LAKE — City Manager Dennis (S7) opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal-year 2027–28 budget and outlined the review schedule, telling council members that budget documents were available in the office and posted on the city website.
Dennis said the numbers in the packet are the administration’s proposal and that council members have roughly a month to ‘‘massage’’ the proposal, set meetings with staff and prepare questions ahead of final votes. He recommended scheduling meetings Monday through Thursday when staff are available and asked that members give advance notice of topics so finance staff can prepare answers.
On the subject of millage he noted the technical mechanics that can cause confusion for residents: ‘‘the millage rate is down,’’ he said, ‘‘but when you’re talking to your constituents and their taxes went up, it’s hard to tell them you didn’t raise their taxes,’’ explaining that increases from the county, school board and special millages can drive overall tax bills even when the city’s rate falls.
Dennis directed staff to remain available for one-on-one or group meetings and said the administration expects to complete the budget process within the month; he also noted that the formal budget adoption deadline is the third Tuesday in June. Council members asked about public-notice procedures; staff responded that notices are posted in the newspaper, on the city website, in council packets and on the front counter and front door.
