Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dover council adopts 2026 budget, approves appointments, donations and routine business
Summary
The Dover City Council approved its 2026 budget and a slate of routine motions Nov. 6, 2025, including donations to local events, approval of liquor license renewals and appointments to the fire department and emergency management post; the sanitary district also notified the city of a small rate increase effective Jan. 1, 2026.
At its Nov. 6, 2025 regular meeting, the Dover City Council approved the city's 2026 budget and a series of routine motions covering minutes, bills, donations, license renewals, leases and appointments. The bulk of the agenda items were presented as motions and recorded as carried in the minutes.
Key actions approved included: paying bills and accepting the financial statements; approving the prior month's and special meeting minutes; donating $300 to the first annual Winter Fest and $500 plus free Community Center use for the Dover Holiday Party; approving liquor license renewals (the clerk noted utility bills must be paid in full before license applications are sent to the state); approving a lease with Sunflower Photography; confirming 2026 election judges and designating City Hall as the 2026 polling place; appointing Derek Anderson to the Dover Fire Department and appointing Cameron Johnson as Emergency Management Coordinator. The minutes record the mover and seconder for each motion and that the motions carried, but they do not provide roll-call vote tallies.
During the clerk's report, Melanie McGrath said Sand and Gravel completed the final lift on 6th Court, that Jim Kieffer finished tuckpointing on the park pavilion and suggested painting interior beams, and that a new Traffic Logix sign has been installed. The clerk reported the city is allowing Cool-Air Trucking to use a backflow preventer and will ask the mayor whether the company should be charged for water. Council discussed switching banks and asked the clerk to collect quotes from Forsight Bank, Peoples State Bank and Merchants Bank. The clerk raised the prospect of hiring a new full-time employee and offering a stipend or HSA to help with health insurance costs; council members expressed concerns about hiring two people and deferred final decisions until the mayor could be present.
The sanitary district notified the city that its rate will change from $7.15 to $7.36 per 1,000 gallons effective Jan. 1, 2026; the clerk reported the city is not increasing water or sewer rates at this time.
The council set its December meeting for Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., and adjourned at 9:41 p.m.
