Clarkdale council adopts $48.08 million tentative budget and moves forward with higher property-tax levy

The Clarkdale Town Council unanimously adopted a tentative budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, setting an upper spending limit of about $48,079,590 and initiating the truth-in-taxation process after voting to increase the town’s levy from $728,000 to $800,000.

Finance Director Brittney Earles told the council the tentative figure reflects a 16% increase to the general fund largely driven by a larger contingency reserve and reallocated personnel costs. Earles said about 80% of the town’s capital improvement projects are grant-funded and that the budget includes recently updated state budget forms and April revenue figures.

"When we're setting a budget, we do not have a crystal ball, so we have to kind of do our best," Earles said, summarizing ongoing revenue uncertainty and the council’s plan to closely monitor collections. She noted upward pressure on costs, including a roughly 10.5% increase in health and dental insurance and about a 12% rise in property and liability insurance premiums.

Earles illustrated the levy increase’s local impact with two examples: an older Main Street home would see roughly a $19.79 annual increase and a typical newer home would see a modest increase (figure reported in the presentation as $28.66 per year). She said the levy change triggers the required public‑notice and hearing schedule under Arizona law.

Council members approved a slate of year-end budget transfers after Earles explained that state law allows internal transfers within expenditure limits and that some transfers were needed to reconcile personnel costs and the Third North sewer project. Council Member O'Neal moved to approve the transfers and Council Member Jones seconded; the measure passed unanimously.

During the public-comment period, resident Scott Shoemaker expressed general support for the tentative budget and urged the town to accelerate a transition to electric vehicles, saying the current EV market offers light‑duty trucks with sufficient range and lower operating costs. "There are at least six models that currently get over 300 miles of range and cost under $40,000," Shoemaker said.

The town manager responded that the town has ordered two electric vehicles for the police department as part of a pilot program, has installed charging infrastructure at the police department and town hall, and received a grant to purchase the vehicles.

Adoption of the tentative budget does not finalize spending; it sets the upper limit the town may spend and starts the public-notice and hearing process required before the council adopts a final budget and sets the property-tax rate. The council scheduled the required public-notice period and signaled it will take public comment at the forthcoming hearing in June.