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Kuna presents $201M draft budget, recommends property tax options and COLA to shore up police services
Summary
City treasurer Jared Empey presented the second budget workshop outlining macro drivers (migration, Micron reshoring), a proposed $201 million top-line budget, recommended revenue actions including reclaiming 1% foregone tax and taking the 3% property tax increase, and a 3.54% COLA proposal to support operations and police staffing.
City Treasurer Jared Empey presented the council with an updated budget picture and assumptions the city will use to prepare its tentative budget.
Empey said macro forces—population in‑migration, reshoring of manufacturing (citing Micron’s multibillion‑dollar investment), and demographic trends—are driving demand for housing and municipal services in Ada County and Kuna. On that foundation, staff proposed a top-line budget of $201,000,000 compared with $154,000,000 in the prior period and described cashflow across funds including general fund carryover, capital projects, water and sewer funds and impact fees.
To sustain services—particularly police staffing—staff recommended reclaiming a 1% foregone tax from 2026, taking the statutory 3% property‑tax increase, and collecting construction and annexation revenues. Empey also recommended a 3.54% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for utility rates and labor based on Western states CPI data and proposed a 3.54% COLA for employees to remain competitive in a tight labor market.
The treasurer confirmed a prior Meta mitigation payment of $8.4 million (paid in 2022 and recorded as carryover revenue) and said the Project Gemstone mitigation is currently estimated at $400,000 per year (to be adjusted for inflation) if the project proceeds. Empey also said an in‑house engineer position has been included in department staffing plans and that the engineer may reduce outside consultant costs for plan review.
Councilmembers asked about the COLA basis, health‑care cost projections (staff budgeted a conservative 15% increase for benefits), mitigation timing and whether the budget summary had omitted the engineer line (Empey acknowledged it was included in the detailed budget but missing from one summary slide). Empey said tentative budget adoption is scheduled for July 21, with a public hearing on Aug. 18 and final budget resolutions to follow in September under statutory deadlines.
