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Quartzsite council previews FY2027 budget; $525,000 bridge loan and housing authority allocation moved into plan
Summary
Council staff presented a proposed FY2027 budget with line-item adjustments across departments, a $525,000 Arizona Community Foundation bridge loan moved into the administration budget, and $800,000 allocated to a newly created housing authority from contingency. No final votes were taken; items move to the tentative budget.
Sharon Humphrey, a town staff member, opened the budget workshop with an overview of the proposed FY2027 budget, outlining changes to personnel costs, one-time purchases and several capital outlays. She told the council that annual wage increases in each department are tied to employee evaluations and that the town’s workers’ compensation estimate declined slightly for the coming year.
Humphrey detailed a set of line-item changes: travel for mayor and council at $16,000; reduced utilities for some departments; increases in small tools and equipment for multiple departments; greater allocations for furniture and fixtures for council chambers; and modest increases to code compliance uniforms. She noted library Internet costs and security-camera installation for parks, and listed capital purchases including three workout machines ($21,208), a transit bus ($41,336) and a proposed $40,000 pickleball court installation.
On capital and project spending, staff reported that a $525,000 bridge loan from the Arizona Community Foundation was placed into the administration budget, and $300,000 was added for engineering on the Northwest Quadrant project. Water and wastewater requests included vehicle replacements, security cameras and manhole rehabilitation work; staff said some items will be funded from enterprise funds rather than the general fund.
The council heard that $800,000 previously in contingency for housing was reallocated to the newly created housing authority for outside service providers so the funds can be used directly for housing projects rather than held in contingency.
Several council members asked procedural questions about contingency funds and how transfers must be noted and justified. Staff reiterated that contingency funds must be specifically labeled for intended purposes before being transferred or spent, and said that some legal or specialized costs can be charged to specific funds (for example, water-related legal costs to the water fund). Humphrey said the town will continue to refine revenues before the tentative budget to ensure balanced figures.
No formal action or final vote occurred during the workshop; council directed staff to include the discussed items in the tentative budget and bring back contract documents and more detailed cost estimates before final adoption.
