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Smithville aldermen agree to advance FY2026 budget; direct staff to correct duplicate line, set first reading for Oct. 7
Summary
The Smithville Board of Aldermen reviewed the proposed FY2026 budget, agreed to correct a duplicated $25,000 'Financial Support' line, and directed staff to bring the budget forward for first reading on Oct. 7; the proposal includes new personnel, equipment purchases, a projected $700,000 in public safety sales-tax revenue and a 1.7% increase in contracted sanitation rates.
The Smithville Board of Aldermen reviewed the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget at a work session on Aug. 19 and directed staff to present the budget for a first reading at the Oct. 7 Board meeting after correcting a duplicated $25,000 general-fund line item.
Finance Director Rick Welch presented the budget and highlighted revenue and expenditure projections, new staffing requests and capital purchases. Welch told the Board that “collection of the Public Safety Sales Tax will begin October 1, 2025,” and that “an estimated $700,000 is anticipated to be collected for FY2026.” He also said interest income is higher than budgeted and will be monitored closely; because of a Senior Property Tax freeze, no increase was added for real-estate tax revenue.
The FY2026 draft includes personnel and equipment requests such as a Buildings and Facilities Manager position in Parks & Recreation ($92,455), a GIS/IT technician split between administration and utilities ($83,458), a proposed mini excavator lease payment ($25,000), and equipment for parks and recreation including a golf cart ($15,000) and a walk-behind saw ($15,000). The draft also includes $50,000 for strategic planning and $20,100 for a wellness stipend. Staff and the Board noted that a $25,000 “Financial Support” line appeared twice in the draft and requested that the duplicate be removed.
Welch reviewed general fund expenditure categories and city priorities for the coming year, including increased compensation and benefits for public-safety officers and development of a full-time animal control program. On the sanitation fund, Welch said the city’s contract with GFL covers roughly 31,228 regular accounts and about 573 senior accounts; he said GFL will increase the regular contracted trash rate by 1.7 percent, from $21.07 to $21.43 per month, with a senior discount reducing the senior rate to $18.21 per month.
On utilities, Welch noted that as of Nov. 1, 2025, no water or wastewater rate increases are proposed and that the City will conduct a rate study in fall 2025 to inform any potential adjustments in early 2026. Welch also presented five-year capital improvement projects across transportation, parks and stormwater, noting the draft plan will be funded in part by certificates of participation (COP) bond issuance shown in the draft at $8,500,000.
After discussion, the Board signaled agreement with the budget “as presented,” asked staff to correct the duplicate $25,000 Financial Support entry, and directed staff to bring the proposed FY2026 budget forward for a first reading at the Oct. 7 Board of Aldermen meeting. The work session adjourned following a motion by Alderman Dan Hartman and a second by Alderman Kelly Kobylski; the vote was 6–0 in favor.
The Board did not adopt the budget at the work session; the next formal step is the first reading scheduled for Oct. 7 unless staff return with modifications prior to that meeting.
