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Red River council adopts 2025 comprehensive plan, FY25–26 budget and annexation; accepts clean audit
Summary
At its May meeting the Red River town council adopted the 2025 comprehensive plan and the FY25–26 budget, approved an annexation of the town wastewater site, accepted the FY2024 audit with a clean (unmodified) opinion, ratified committee appointments, and approved several related budget and procurement items.
The Red River town council on a unanimous series of votes adopted a new 2025 comprehensive plan, approved the fiscal-year 2025–26 budget, and voted to begin an annexation that incorporates the town'owned wastewater treatment site and a short segment of adjacent state highway.
Mayor Linda Calhoun read the comprehensive-plan resolution to the council and said the plan reflects about 14 months of public meetings and steering-committee work; after council questions were raised and answered, the council adopted Resolution 2025-11. The resolution formalizes planning priorities developed with the consultant and steering committee and, as Mayor Calhoun said during the meeting, represents "a lot of hard work" by residents and committee members.
The council also moved to adopt the FY25'026 budget (Resolution 2025-13). Staff explained that the adopted budget will now be submitted to the state for review and approval as required; the council recorded its vote to adopt the budget and directed staff to complete the state submittal steps.
Earlier in the meeting auditors presented the FY2024 financial audit. Fernando Medina, the senior auditor who led the engagement, told the council the firm issued an "unmodified opinion, or in other words, a clean opinion," and reported no current-year findings after expanded state testing. "Even with the expanded testing, we didn't have any findings on internal controls," Medina said. The council voted to accept the completed audit under Resolution 2025-12.
On land use, the council opened and closed a public hearing on Ordinance 2025-02 to annex approximately 53.15 acres the town already controls around its wastewater treatment facility. Town counsel explained the annexation includes a short stretch of state highway as required by the statute cited in the hearing but does not transfer ownership of the highway to the town; the annexation was moved forward by council action.
The meeting also included multiple administrative actions: the council ratified committee and commission appointments (Russell Pope; Carolyn Bonoz; Charlie Winger and Manny/Nancy Land; Michael Neal), approved procurement advertisements and project advertising for road construction materials and pump-track surfacing, and adopted a budget-adjustment resolution to correct fund merges and add wildfire/ambulance staffing-related expenses (Resolution 2025-15).
Votes at a glance Resolution 2025-11 (Adopt 2025 Comprehensive Plan): approved by council vote during meeting, recorded by roll call. Resolution 2025-12 (Accept FY2024 audit): approved following auditor presentation. Resolution 2025-13 (Adopt FY25'026 budget): approved; staff to submit adopted budget to state for final processing. Resolution 2025-14 (Update utility/solid-waste rates): approved (details in separate coverage). Resolution 2025-15 (Budget adjustment): approved to correct fund accounting and add funding for wildfire/ambulance staffing. Resolution 2025-16 (Change to project routing/terminal for previously approved funding): approved. Ordinance 2025-02 (Annexation of ~53.15 acres): initial action adopted to begin the annexation process; public hearing held and council moved to adopt initial ordinance. Appointment ratifications: Russell Pope (public-safety committee), Carolyn Bonoz (Parks & Trails), Charlie Winger and Manny/Nancy Land (economic development), Michael Neal (Planning & Zoning): all ratified.
What this means next: staff will submit the adopted budget to the state for review, the comprehensive plan will guide town planning and capital requests, and the annexation ordinance will proceed through required follow-up steps (final readings/filings) before becoming effective. The council asked staff to return with any clarifying paperwork for county recordation and with procurement steps where applicable.
At the meeting's end councilors discussed follow-up work including itinerant vendor permitting and stewardship of community holiday lighting; no further votes were taken and the meeting closed.
