Alburnett council adopts FY2027 budget, approves a series of infrastructure and equipment purchases

The Alburnett City Council adopted the city’s FY2027 budget during its April 9 meeting and approved a slate of infrastructure and equipment purchases intended to support water, sewer and public‑safety operations.

City staff presented the proposed budget during a public hearing that preceded the vote, showing estimated FY2027 revenues and transfers in of $1,145,776 and estimated expenditures and transfers out of $1,769,065. The budget package includes capital spending — among them work tied to the city park comprehensive plan — and a reported ending fund balance shown as $706,762. The council’s resolution certified a property‑tax rate of $12.30. No written or oral public comments were received during the hearing.

Why it matters: The adopted budget funds near‑term capital projects and equipment replacements the council and staff said are needed to maintain basic water, sewer and public‑safety services. Several of the approved items address aging infrastructure and equipment that city staff described as obsolete or at risk of failure.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 04‑2026‑01 — Adopt FY2027 budget and certify taxes. Outcome: approved by roll call; all councilmembers present voted to adopt the budget. - Resolution 04‑2026‑02 — Approve siding improvements to attached garage bays at City Hall (contractor to complete exterior work to match previous renovation). Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Resolution 04‑2026‑03 — Purchase and install replacement flow meters for wells No. 1 and No. 3 (Central States Group), amount not to exceed $16,697.09. Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Resolution 04‑2026‑04 — Participate in Linn County 911 Service Board group subscription for the I’m Responding alerting service, estimated annual cost $458.75 per agency; agreement effective June 1, 2026. Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Resolution 04‑2026‑05 — Replace transfer switch for backup generator at the main lift station with Hawkeye Electric, amount not to exceed $6,230.23. Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Resolution 04‑2026‑06 — Authorize repair of city 2011 Ford F‑550 (estimate total $5,613.20 from Iowa Diesel Repair for cooling and PTO hydraulic repairs). Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Resolution 04‑2026‑07 — Approve fire apparatus air‑dryer replacement for engine 135 (Sulbado Equipment Repair LLC), amount $551.99. Outcome: approved (motion carried).

Details and context

Council members and staff said many of the purchases respond to equipment failures or long lead times for replacement parts. Staff told the council that the existing well flow meters, which date to about 2010, were no longer recording reliable daily production data. The council approved buying newer meters to restore accurate flow monitoring.

Public‑works staff also described a transfer‑switch failure at the main sewer lift station; an electrician found burned components in the control panel, and staff said replacement is necessary to preserve automatic operation during outages and reduce the risk of sanitary‑sewer overflows.

The council approved replacing aging vehicle and fire department components to preserve operational readiness: a city F‑550 will be repaired to address coolant and hydraulic leaks, and the fire department will replace an air dryer that prevented normal air‑brake operation on an engine.

The I’m Responding alerting service will move to a group subscription model billed back to participating agencies after the Linn County 911 Service Board said it can no longer cover agency subscription costs. The estimated annual share for Alburnett is $458.75.

What’s next

Council members approved the measures and authorized staff to execute agreements and payments as billed. Staff said some purchases will be procured under the council’s existing purchasing policy thresholds and that vendors may be paid before the May meeting where necessary to complete repairs quickly.