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Council hears 2026 budget proposal, staff recommends 2.99% levy increase
Summary
City Administrator Mike Roth presented a proposed 2026 budget with a 2.99% levy increase to $1,145,181, highlighted a $677,000 net revenue contribution from the recreation park and outlined $1.18 million in annual debt payments; council will consider a levy resolution at its Dec. 22 meeting.
City Administrator Mike Roth opened a public hearing on the 2026 budget and said the administration is proposing a 2.99% increase to the property-tax levy, bringing the proposed levy to $1,145,181 for 2026.
Roth told the council the city’s recreation (rec) park is a major revenue source for the budget, noting it is programmed to generate about $677,000 more in revenue than it spends in 2026. "The rec park continues to be an excellent source of revenue," Roth said, adding that the surplus is "slightly more than half of our levy." He said enterprise funds such as liquor, water, sewer and electric are self-supporting and not paid for by the levy.
The packet included a historical levy and spending report and a new debt-service analysis. Roth said debt payments total roughly $1.18 million annually; the city is proposing to levy $332,000 of that amount while utilities and other sources would pay the remainder. He pointed to recent refundings that reduced certain payments — for example, a 2013 refunding payment falls from $89,000 in 2025 to $29,000 in 2026 — and described how some projects (city hall, public works garage, Fifth Avenue reconstruction) are split between levy, enterprise funds and other revenue sources.
Roth emphasized that the effective tax rate is calculated by the county and can move independently of the levy amount. He said the council would not take final action on the levy at the hearing and that a resolution to adopt the levy will be presented at the council’s next meeting. "Tonight, you won't be asked to make any decisions about this," Roth said; the council scheduled the follow-up meeting for Dec. 22 with a 5:00 p.m. start.
What happens next: the council will be presented a formal resolution to adopt the levy at the Dec. 22 meeting. If members want a different levy amount, Roth said now is the time to raise those concerns in council discussion before the resolution vote.
