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Public works warns of tight revenue as board plans road, sidewalk and IT investments
Summary
Port Edwards administration told trustees the draft 2026 budget includes planned capital building for heavy equipment and road work, a proposed $60,000 deposit toward future truck purchases, and a 'sidewalk year' push for 2026; staff also flagged server and IT transition costs.
At the village’s 2026 budget work session, public works priorities and looming maintenance costs were front and center.
Ben and public works staff outlined plans to build capital reserves for heavy equipment and to avoid borrowing for imminent replacements. "We're looking at putting $60,000 this year, $60,000 next year" into equipment reserves to prepare for a possible 2027 purchase, one speaker said, and officials noted a leaf-sucker truck is likely a 2027 capital request.
Officials emphasized the high cost of full road rebuilds — estimates ranged from about $300,000 to $500,000 per block depending on water-line depth and services — and described 2026 as a planned sidewalk year to address uprooted and hazardous sidewalks.
Ben also flagged IT and server expenses tied to a website transition and a server upgrade for the office; those lines are still being finalized and could affect the general government budget. The board heard that charges for refuse and recycling contracts are placed on tax bills and offset as revenue rather than general fund expense.
What’s next: Staff will refine the draft as health-care rates and shared-revenue figures arrive and will bring committee-level budget recommendations to the board for further review. Trustees were asked to prioritize roads and to raise committee-specific questions ahead of the November committee-of-the-whole meeting.
