Selma council approves FY26–27 budget with amendment, adopts conveyance agreement for Richard B. Harrison building and accepts restricted police donation

The Selma Town Council on June 23 adopted the FY26–27 budget package — including the fee schedule, budget ordinance and position-control lists — and approved an amendment to move the town’s meter technician position into the Finance Department effective in July.

The council’s action followed staff reports correcting errors found in the budget packet. Finance staff told the council the summary page in the packet (page 38) had a formula overwritten on the library expenditure line; the packet displayed "252,462" while the library worksheet showed "17,768." Staff corrected the summary-line entry and returned the difference to the governing-body contingency. The transcript records staff saying the line had been "overstated" and a numeric difference, but the arithmetic in the transcript is inconsistent; the corrected math shows a difference of 234,694 between the two line amounts (252,462 − 17,768 = 234,694). The meeting record also notes salary-spreadsheet corrections affecting several electric-department lines and a reduction to that department’s contingency; the transcript’s contingency figure appears garbled (recorded as "$49,83") and the exact corrected amount was not specified during the meeting.

"All those in favor?" the chair asked after the amendment was restated; the council voted in favor and the budget passed on a voice vote. (The meeting transcript records the approval by voice; no roll-call tally with member names was provided.)

Conveyance of Richard B. Harrison building

Councilors spent substantial time on a conveyance agreement proposed with the Richard B. Harrison Alumni Association, a historic-preservation–focused nonprofit that currently holds a deed dating to 2006. Town staff and Mr. Hu explained the 2006 deed contains conditional, fee‑simple language that allows the property to revert to the town if certain conditions are violated. Under the agreement presented to council, the alumni association would transfer the property back to the town under conditions that preserve the building’s historic features, specify approved interior and exterior color schemes and room nomenclature, and set scheduling and maintenance expectations for future users.

Council and staff discussed how existing rental commitments would be handled; the agreement allows previously booked events to proceed, but council emphasized that no new rentals should be scheduled after the last 2026 booking while renovations and upkeep plans are developed. Town staff said conveyance paperwork would be completed in 2026 and renovation work would be planned for 2027. Council approved the conveyance agreement with a small amendment to section seven clarifying that the design language applies to both "exterior and interior" color and design treatments.

Appointment, budget amendment and donation

The council adopted a resolution appointing "Katie" as the town’s finance officer/CFO; the transcript does not record a last name for the appointee, and council noted the appointee will be assigned office space.

Council also approved budget amendment No. 9 for the 2025–26 fiscal year. Staff said the amendment recognizes tax and utility receipts already received and reallocated funds within the general and electric funds to cover current-year shortfalls.

Finally, Chief Voss presented a request to accept a restricted donation to the Selma Police Department. Chief Voss said the donor is Mr. Burton of Advanced Tech, a Clayton-based clean-room manufacturer, who offered a substantial, restricted gift to support the police department and the new police chief. Council moved to accept the donation for police-department use and approved the acceptance on a voice vote.

What happens next

Staff said they will bring highlighted copies of the corrected spreadsheets to council, proceed with conveyance paperwork for the Richard B. Harrison building in 2026, and plan renovations in 2027. Council did not provide detailed vote tallies on the record; all the recorded approvals were taken by voice vote.