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City manager outlines cautious 2027 budget forecast, $35M levy expected
Summary
City manager Joe Moore presented the 2027 budget forecast and five-year capital plan, citing strong audit results and a conservative 0.5% net new construction assumption; staff plan to deliver a balanced budget with a proposed levy around $35 million.
City manager Joe Moore told the Fond du Lac City Council on July 8 that the city will present a cautious, balanced 2027 budget that preserves core services while working within state levy and expenditure-restraint constraints.
Moore said the city’s finance office recently received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate in Excellence in Financial Reporting and that the 2025 external audit produced zero findings. He described a conservative forecast for net new construction at 0.5 percent and said the proposed tax levy to be approved in November would be “a little over $35,000,000.” "That means that we're in great shape for 2027," Moore said, adding that department heads will be funded "as per their request" in both operating and capital plans.
Director of administration Tricia Davey reviewed high-level assumptions in the forecast, including prioritizing public safety, public works and community development in capital spending. Davey said the city will not propose any net new positions for 2027 and directed departments to plan for a 0 percent year-over-year increase in non-personnel requests to help balance the operating budget.
Moore explained the twin constraints that shape the numbers: state levy limits tied to net new construction and the expenditure-restraint program that links allowable spending increases to other statutory measures. He said the administration modeled conservative revenue estimates "so that we didn't find ourselves on the wrong side of a forecast when we actually get the numbers."
Moore and Davey reminded council members that department-level workshops and a detailed budget document will follow: department presentations are scheduled through August and an out-of-cycle special deliberation workshop is planned for mid-September.
Council members asked about utility cost and inflation assumptions; staff said they skewed estimates to the high side to preserve flexibility. Moore recommended that newer council members read last year’s budget memo for background on allocation choices.
The council will see the formal 2027 budget documents in August and vote on the tax levy in November.
