Devils Lake outlines 2027 budget timeline, recommends three-year review cadence

City staff presented the commission with a proposed timeline for the 2027 budget and recommended process priorities and dates. The schedule calls for department memos to be issued immediately, meetings with department heads on June 15 and June 26, seating of the newly elected commission on July 6, external agency presentations on July 20, subsequent enterprise fund and rates-and-fees review, preliminary budget consideration around August 3 (staff also referenced Aug. 7 or 10 as alternatives), and final approval on October 5.

Staff advised the commission to use a baseline of a full 3% plus new growth for the August preliminary figure to preserve flexibility during later refinements. They also recommended maintaining a three-year cadence for focused personnel reviews—administration in one year, public works in another, and public safety in the next—so departments are reviewed regularly and comparably.

On the salary-review recommendation, staff said the city consults comparable municipalities and human-resources input to determine grade adjustments, and that the proposed July and August meeting sequence would keep the commission on a timeline to adopt preliminary figures in August and finalize them in October.

Commissioners were invited to submit suggested revisions; staff said a special July meeting could be used to drill into the general fund and salary plan. The timeline will be used to schedule department presentations and coordinate the budget process through October.