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Council receives enterprise fund budget overview; approves two staff reclassifications
Summary
City staff presented the enterprise funds portion of the preliminary two‑year budget (water, wastewater, solid waste, airport). Council received the report and approved two position reclassifications (water quality technician → water treatment operator; airport operations technician → airport operations & maintenance supervisor) as part of the staffing adjustments.
City staff presented the enterprise funds section of the two‑year preliminary budget for fiscal years 2026–27 and 2027–28 during the May 19 council meeting, highlighting water and wastewater revenues, solid waste fund changes and airport revenue and capital needs.
Administrative Services Director Ryan Cornell said the water enterprise shows appropriations of a little more than $20 million and is being managed to reestablish healthy fund reserves; he said the wastewater fund is roughly $15 million and is debt‑heavy (approximately $35 million in outstanding debt related to treatment facility upgrades and recycled water projects). Cornell also reviewed the newer solid waste fund that consolidates tipping revenues and hauler expenses and offered an airport fund update that shows growing lease revenues but potential capital shortfalls for terminal expansion and other long‑term projects.
Staff proposed two classification changes to anticipate operational needs and turnover: reclassifying a vacant water quality technician position to a water treatment operator role and reclassifying an airport operations technician position to airport operations and maintenance supervisor. Staff said the water reclassification is a modest net personnel cost and that the airport reclassification would add roughly $40,000 annually to provide direct supervision for maintenance and airfield operations.
Council received and filed the report and approved the recommended reclassifications and the revised master pay schedule; the motion passed unanimously. Councilmembers also discussed how enterprise fund capital projects are planned and funded (rate studies, master planning, connection fees) and asked staff to continue aligning master plans and capital improvement programs to future rate studies and grant opportunities.
The presentation outlined upcoming master‑planning and rate‑study tasks — wastewater master planning in progress and a water master plan/rate study expected later in the budget cycle — and flagged airport capital needs that may require external grants for full funding.
The council approved the reclassifications as part of the broader budget receipt and filing and instructed staff to return with final budget adoption items on the publicly noticed schedule.
