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Mead previews 2027 budget, flags multi‑year projects and reserve policy review
Summary
Town staff presented a 2027 budget preview and update on 2026 carryover projects — including roundabouts, the new library, and a police facility — and asked trustees to set budget priorities while staff prepares a draft for a Sept. 28 presentation and Oct. 26 public hearing.
Town staff on June 29 presented a preliminary look at the town of Mead’s finances and major capital projects as they begin planning the 2027 budget.
Mary Strat, administrative services director and town treasurer, told the Board of Trustees that building permit activity has lagged year-to-date (38 permits vs. 91 budgeted), which will affect use‑tax and permit revenue, while sales tax is currently exceeding projections. She said property tax assessments from Weld County will not be available until August and offered a preliminary schedule that aims for an initial budget presentation Sept. 28 and a public hearing Oct. 26. "This was a year of firsts," Strat said, citing the town’s first roundabout and first traffic signal as examples of 2026 work now moving into 2027 carryover funding.
The presentation listed several carryover capital projects staff expects to include in next year’s budget: completion of High Plains Boulevard (Weld County Road 32 to 36), the State Highway 66 pedestrian underpass, the new library and Mountain View Fire station, road pavement work, and the police facility design and funding. Strat said many of these projects have grant funds attached but noted that some will extend into 2027 and that staff will include them as carryover items when preparing numbers.
Trustees used the discussion to signal policy priorities staff should assume when building the draft. Trustee Hagen pressed staff on the town’s reserve policy; Strat said the current reserve target is 30–40% of expenditures but that trustees have discussed raising that percentage and that staff will return with comparative data. Trustees discussed setting clearer board priorities at the July 27 meeting to guide staff’s work on the draft budget.
Next steps: staff will convert 2025 actuals into the 2027 forecast, vet projects, and present the draft budget to the board on Sept. 28, followed by a public hearing Oct. 26. Trustees asked staff to provide comparative per‑capita revenue figures and reserve‑policy options ahead of those discussions.
