Council advances midyear budget amendment; wastewater head requests part-time admin position

Lancaster City Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 26-03, a midyear operating-budget amendment for fiscal 2025–26 that staff said adjusts several line items and includes a staffing change in the wastewater department.

Wastewater leadership told the council the plant had been understaffed for years and that a recently vacant part-time operator position could be converted into a part-time administrative role at the same pay grade. The presenter said the change would not increase payroll costs but would provide administrative support (roughly 29 hours/week, with flexible scheduling) to address growth-driven administrative demands and lab/sample oversight.

Council members pressed for details on training, vacant positions in the police department and how overtime and on-call pay were budgeted. Staff identified nine current police vacancies (including grant-funded positions such as SROs and a traffic-enforcement position) and noted the city had historically under-budgeted for overtime and the new on-call pay line; staff recommended monitoring events and capturing related overtime in hospitality or event funds where appropriate.

Council also reviewed adjustments in the general fund (about $31,000 rollover for a stormwater repair project), and in the gross-revenue fund staff proposed a $150,000 increase to a credit-card-fee revenue line because more customers are paying by card. Staff said an unexpected vehicle repair in the utilities fleet was handled by using some utility replacement funds that were not fully needed because other meter projects had not yet spent their allocations.

After discussion the council moved and approved the ordinance's first reading on a roll-call vote. Staff said they will flag any changes in the document before the second reading.