Council reviews tentative FY2026–27 budget, certified tax-rate estimate and utility concerns

City finance staff presented the tentative FY2026–27 budget and a certified-tax-rate estimate (CTR) that is preliminarily about 0.001277. The presentation outlined changes from the earlier tentative package, including an RDA adjustment (about $504,416), a $175,000 rolling to Memorial Park playground with a $200,000 grant contribution, sewer master-plan work, sidewalk-inspection/data-entry support and other adjustments that raised the tentative total to about $126,573,786 from the earlier $122,976,923 figure.

Staff noted they are not planning a truth-in-taxation increase at this time but described areas that may need future attention. "If this is it, this is what it's gonna end up being," the finance presenter said about the CTR estimate, urging the council to consider project priorities. Councilors pressed on user fees and suggested better public education on utility components after multiple residents asked why Payson’s bills can be higher than neighboring cities. The council also discussed equipment lead times and cost for a new ladder truck (estimates cited in the meeting ranged around $2.0–2.2 million and a 3–4 year build lead time), and the option to reserve a price with no immediate down payment.

Council also discussed a proposed recycling fee passthrough of about $0.31 to cover increases from the third-party hauler and directed staff to continue refining the budget before the June 17 adoption hearing.