Finance Committee vets 2026 Service Department budget, warns road funding shortfall

Council Pro‑Tempore Brian Chitester opened the Nov. 18 Finance Committee meeting saying the session was a fact‑finding hearing "for the current members of city council to determine if this is a budget worth voting on by the end of this calendar year." Finance Director Tom Reynolds and Service Director Joe Borczuch then presented the Service Department's proposed 2026 budget.

Reynolds said the engineering wage is budgeted at $38,000 and miscellaneous professional services at $62,000, and the city budgets $865,000 for trash collection under a five‑year contract now in its fourth year. Borczuch summarized fund responsibilities across multiple restricted funds, noting that materials and professional service cost increases and constrained fund balances limit what the department can purchase. "The cost of concrete is $200 per yard," Borczuch said, contrasting it with historical prices of $40–$60, and adding that rising costs reduce the amount of material the city can buy.

The presentation also laid out capital pressure points: capital equipment, phone and HVAC replacements, and fund transfers that may be needed to cover timing gaps for reimbursable projects such as Pineway. Reynolds said the city has prioritized $300,000 in Fund 301 for early design work on the Columbia Road project but cautioned that the project remains subject to federal and ODOT funding timing. The committee did not take a formal vote on the budget at the meeting.