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Council amends FY2027 tentative budget for police grants, 14th Avenue overlay, golf‑course carryover and sets phased reclaimed‑water rate
Summary
Council approved multiple tentative-budget amendments: acceptance of a $285,000 Flock camera grant for police, adding a 14th Avenue mill-and-overlay CIP project, carrying $64,000 for golf-course capital, extending some vehicle replacement lives by one year (selected categories), and adopting a $1.50/1,000‑gallon reclaimed‑water rate for city facilities with staff directed to return a full schedule that sets $2.50/1,000 for non‑city users.
The Safford council approved several amendments to the FY2027 tentative budget on June 22, including grant acceptance, CIP adjustments and a new reclaimed-water pricing approach.
Police and public-safety: Staff asked to include a $285,000 grant award that covers years two through four of the Flock camera program, funded through the Arizona Department of Emergency Management. Staff said the grant requires only a budgetary bookkeeping adjustment—moving contingency into a police grant budget line—to accept and spend the award. Council approved that amendment.
Streets: Council approved adding a $500,000 mill-and-overlay project for 14th Avenue into the FY2027 CIP using unrestricted fund balance after staff discovered prior-year accounting left the project without allocated funds. Staff said contractors would begin work once railroad permitting is secured and anticipated the actual mill-and-pave work could be completed in a single day with preparatory work around it.
Golf course and effluent water: Council approved carrying roughly $64,000 of unspent golf-course capital into FY2027 to complete driving-range technology and kitchen items. In a separate but related discussion, council set a $1.50-per-1,000-gallon reclaimed-water rate for city facilities (including the golf course) for FY27 and directed staff to return with a proposed rate schedule that would charge $2.50/1,000 gallons to non-city users; staff must post the proposed rates for 60 days before effect. Council and staff discussed evaporation, seepage and the potential need for major irrigation and effluent‑system investments (a planning/design step was budgeted at $100,000 and a CIP placeholder of $5.1 million appeared in the plan for a larger irrigation project in FY2028).
Fleet and compensation: Council approved extending replacement lives by one year for select vehicle categories (small Kempton/Chevy trucks, large vehicles/equipment and golf-course equipment) to smooth near-term replacement costs, while leaving police, sanitation, fire and landfill schedules unchanged. Council also directed staff to prepare a list of vehicles that were shifted between departments (so-called "ghost vehicles") and return with justifications for review.
Holiday bonuses: After discussion of offsets, council directed staff to include a $500 grossed-up holiday bonus in the tentative budget (estimated FY total across funds roughly $167,240) and to return with the formal authorization at the November meeting when final approval of bonuses occurs.
Staff emphasized many of the budget moves are bookkeeping amendments to preserve program timing; contracts and capital spending will return for formal approvals in later council actions when required.
