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Bolivar aldermen adopt balanced 2026 budget without using indirect funds
Summary
The Bolivar Board of Aldermen approved the city'026 budget after staff removed use of indirect funds and trimmed expenditures; the ordinance passed on a 6 vote. The meeting also included updates on transportation funding and park projects.
The Bolivar Board of Aldermen on Dec. 16 adopted the city'026 budget after staff revisions that eliminated reliance on indirect funds and trimmed spending across departments.
City Administrator Thomas (speaker 5) told the board that staff had produced a revised budget (version 3) that balanced without using any indirect funds and ended "$8,000 to the good." He said cuts included reducing the dangerous-building assistance payouts and deferring certain engineering and building-improvement projects; the administration also did not fund a previously discussed CALEA-related position.
"We've balanced the budget without using any indirect funds and actually $8,000 to the good," the administrator said, summarizing the revisions that staff made in response to board direction.
The board held follow-up questions from aldermen about staffing priorities and which projects were trimmed; staff said department heads had been consulted and that most reductions were across-the-board adjustments rather than the elimination of existing positions. The administrator said one additional civilian position in the police department was retained and some part-time city-hall roles were converted to full-time positions after the adjustments.
By roll call the board approved ordinance (Bill 2025-79 / Ord. No. 4101) adopting the 2026 municipal budget, recorded as 6 ayes and 0 nos.
Votes at a glance: The meeting included multiple other votes. Among them the board approved an ordinance granting code-enforcement citation authority to designated officers, adopted a new R-3 high-density zoning district, approved a rezoning at 209 South Clark Avenue, accepted a Recreational Trails Program grant for Dunigan Memorial Park, and approved an updated employment agreement for the city administrator. The body also voted to go into closed session under RSMo 610.021 for legal and real-estate matters.
The board recessed for five minutes following a motion to enter closed session; the closed session motion was made pursuant to RSMo 610.021 (subparagraphs 1 and 2) and passed on roll call.
