Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fy2027 Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Butte-Silver Bow council hears $167.8 million FY2027 preliminary budget, refers plan to Finance & Budget Committee
Summary
At a June 29 special meeting the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners received a presentation on the FY2027 preliminary budget, which proposes $167.8 million in appropriations (a $114,000 decrease) and several capital and staffing requests; the council voted 10-0 to refer the proposal to the Finance & Budget Committee for review.
The Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners met in a special session on Monday, June 29, 2026, to receive a presentation on the preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget and voted to send the plan to the council’s Finance & Budget Committee for further review.
Karen Hassler, Finance & Budget Director, presented the overview, saying the FY2027 preliminary appropriation is $167.8 million, down $113,999 from the FY2026 adopted total of $167.9 million. Hassler told commissioners that capital outlay requests fall to $42.6 million from $50.5 million in FY2026, reflecting the completion of several large American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects such as Basin Creek Dam rehabilitation and Moulton water projects.
The presentation identified several carryover and grant-funded projects expected to continue into FY2027, including a $4 million EDA project for the Silver Lake water system and a $7.9 million Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) project for Roosevelt Drive that staff said is fully federally funded. Other carryover items listed included ADA para-transit vans, replacements for transit buses, fire station alerting system work, Civic Center sound upgrades, and stormwater infrastructure on Holland Street.
Hassler outlined operating and maintenance increases of about $2.98 million driven by a 21.3% rise in property and liability insurance (roughly $250,436), higher software and IT subscription costs (including Microsoft licensing and video storage), increased utilities, and an increase in professional services largely tied to reclamation/RMAP work and resiliency hub design. The budget shows an overall salaries and benefits increase of about $2.2 million (roughly 4%), with a proposed 3% salary adjustment for union and non‑union employees plus an additional $60 per month in employer health insurance contribution.
The proposal also reallocates and adjusts grants and donations, including a $278,800 line for the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust and reductions in CDBG project funding pending year‑end reconciliation. Staff said interest revenue projections increased by about $2.8 million and anticipated gross‑proceeds taxable value would rise by approximately $1,015,339, but the ultimate tax impact depends on forthcoming property tax rate calculations.
On utility rates, the packet shows Metro Sewer rates budgeted to increase 3% in FY2027; staff estimated that change at about $10.88 per year for a single‑family residence. The budget narrative listed numerous equipment and safety investments — two police vehicles, a new body/car camera and storage system, SCBA replacements for fire, street sweepers, and transit buses — and multiple roofing and building projects including final phases of courthouse window replacement and a proposed courthouse roof.
After the presentation, Councilor John Morgan moved to refer the FY2027 preliminary budget to the Finance & Budget Committee for more detailed review; the motion was seconded and approved on a 10-0 vote. Two members were recorded as absent (Healy and Thatcher). No public comment was taken at the meeting.
The Finance & Budget Committee will review the packet and present recommendations back to the full council; no final appropriations or tax-rate decisions were made at the special session.
