Du Bois council votes 5–2 to reopen 2026 consolidated budget; sets timeline for cuts

The Du Bois City Council voted 5–2 to reopen the city’s consolidated 2026 budget, starting a short timetable to consider cuts and amendments ahead of county advertising deadlines.

Staff warned council the merged general fund begins with about $403,000 and a monthly burn rate of roughly $700,000. Those numbers, city manager Lisa Colover said, leave the new city with low cash and a need to borrow internally from encumbered capital funds until tax revenue arrives. Members discussed options for raising or lowering millage and the timing required by the county for tax duplicates and public inspection.

After debate on the scale of potential cuts and the procedural limits for amending a budget, a motion to reopen the budget carried on a roll-call vote recorded as five yes and two no. Councilors set a target to have suggested reductions and relevant figures prepared for the meeting scheduled January 7, and staff was directed to prepare supporting data for that session.

Council also discussed and postponed formal ratification of the tax millage to allow budget adjustments to proceed in the near term. Staff reminded members of advertising and public-inspection windows that make the county’s deadlines binding and said the last practical meeting to complete required steps would be mid-February.

The vote gives newly seated council members an opportunity to propose line-item changes before final ratification; staff emphasized that substantive cuts could require service reductions or personnel changes if significant millage reductions are pursued.