Livingston council approves fiscal-year budget amendments after finance staff outlines shortfalls and grant offsets

The Livingston City Council voted to accept amended budget measures for the fiscal year ending June 30, retaining a proposed transfer to the debt service fund, after city finance staff reviewed revenue adjustments and line‑item changes.

Joel, the city finance presenter, told the council the packet contained 11 pages of amendments intended to align the preliminary budget with unaudited receipts and payables ahead of an auditor review. Joel said the unaudited projection shows property tax receipts "appear like it's gonna be 108,000 less than we projected," and he recommended conservative estimates to avoid auditor findings.

Why it matters: the amendments reconcile timing differences between invoices and revenues and add buffers in several funds so the city remains in compliance with accounting rules. Councilmembers pressed for clarity on several large line items and for one member to receive a detailed walkthrough after the meeting.

Joel said delinquent tax collections were stronger than expected (+$75,000), sales tax receipts were about $54,000 higher than budgeted, and grant revenue overall showed a substantial increase (he referenced figures on the order of 2.25–2.5 million). He reported the Courthouse Square project line is roughly $91,000 below its previous estimate and noted several reclassifications: salary and wage amounts were moved between funds (for example, to reflect a new airport position) and certain equipment projections were reduced where money had not been spent.

On utility funds, Joel raised water sales by $700,000 in the amended budget and said he added $3,030,000 to a sewer miscellaneous line because the projected number exceeded the original. He also recognized a previously unbudgeted federal grant of about $152,000 in the Water Fund. For natural gas, Joel increased purchase estimates by $630,000 to reflect higher sales and associated costs; he stressed auditors will finalize receivables and payables in July–August and that those timing issues drive some of the amended totals.

During public comment before the presentation, a resident urged the council to include residents on the committee reviewing 2026–27 plans, criticized staff deployment and suggested truck tracking or logs. The speaker also questioned a $750 monthly car allowance, noting the federal mileage rate for 2026 is 0.725 and saying residents "feel silenced." The comment prompted brief acknowledgment from the chair.

The chair then brought the council to a motion. The motion to "accept the budget as amended and leave in the transfer to the general debt fund services" was recorded in the meeting as moved by Alderman Dale and seconded by Alderman Elder. The clerk called the roll: Alderman Proctor abstained because he said he did not understand the explanation; Vice Mayor Dale voted yes; Alderman Elder voted yes; Alderman Langford voted no; Alderman Linder voted no. The chair announced the motion passed.

Next steps: Joel said he would meet with any councilmember who wanted a line‑by‑line explanation, and the amendments will be subject to the forthcoming audit that may adjust final numbers. The council then heard and approved a motion to adjourn.