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Mayor: Budget delay cost planned pay increases; urges public committee review of firefighter staffing
Summary
At the council meeting the mayor said a delayed budget has cost employees a month of planned salary increases and urged public, committee-level review before moving three vacant firefighter positions into funded status. A second reading and public hearing is scheduled for July 30 at 5:30 p.m.
The mayor told the council that the city is operating under a provisional budget after failing to pass a full budget in June and that the delay has cost employees, including emergency personnel, a month of planned salary increases.
"Formulating and approving a budget is one of the most, if not the most important process we go through each year," the mayor said, arguing the city must balance its budget in a way that preserves long-term fiscal stability. He said his goal since taking office in 2024 has been to stop the previous practice of balancing budgets by relying on one-time grants and unsteady drawdowns.
The mayor described the current document as a provisional budget — the council must complete two readings and a public hearing before adoption. He announced the second reading and public hearing will be held Thursday, July 30 at 5:30 p.m. and said the delay in June forced a provisional measure that has had real costs: "It's cost our employees, including emergency personnel, a month of salary increases that were included in this budget," he said.
Council discussion focused on a recent administrative decision to move three vacant firefighter positions into the proposed budget. The mayor said the loss of a county fire district reduced the city's service area by roughly 60 percent and that a one-time county grant of $70,000 provided last year is not available this year. He warned that a last-minute funding shift had cut planning and maintenance accounts and could reduce fire-department readiness.
"Hiring firefighters while taking away necessary funding for their resources is not a good solution," the mayor said, urging the public safety and budget-and-finance committees to meet publicly and review options well before the final reading.
Procedurally, the council moved to accept the budget item in first reading and advanced it toward the scheduled second reading and public hearing. The mayor and council members emphasized that committee review and transparent debate should precede any permanent staffing or funding changes.
Next step: the council will hold the second reading and public hearing on Ordinance 2026-13 on Thursday, July 30 at 5:30 p.m.
