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Williston staff outline 2027 budget timeline as commissioners warn of tax volatility, past refund demand
Summary
City staff presented the 2027 budget timeline and revenue projections; commissioners highlighted volatility in gross production and sales taxes and recalled a prior state refund demand of about $5 million.
City Administrator Shawn Wenko on April 28 presented the 2027 budget kickoff timeline, emphasizing efforts to close a projected deficit and noting health-insurance premiums had risen about 15 percent year over year.
Finance Director Hercules Cummings described the revenue assumptions used to build the budget, citing a three-year historical average and current-year tracking. He told the commission the city budgeted $11,000,000 in sales tax for 2026, a gross production tax projection of $20,000,000 and a public-safety sales-tax figure described in the discussion as about $13,500,000.
Commissioner Brad Bekkedahl described how the state’s sales-tax refund process had previously created volatility for the city, saying the state required repayment after a three-year look-back and that the city faced a $5,000,000 demand in a prior instance. He stressed that such demands strain the city’s ability to plan capital projects.
Wenko said staff will continue to prioritize public safety, infrastructure and personnel in the 2027 cycle and aims to present a structurally balanced budget. The commission did not take a formal vote; the discussion sets the staff timeline for upcoming budget hearings and revenue updates.
