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Board prioritizes staffing, holds $40,000 placeholder for World Cup item; staff lists ~$750,000 in potential 2026 requests
Summary
Staff presented a comprehensive list of departmental budget requests and asked the board to identify priorities; board members emphasized staffing and conservative handling of equipment and software, and staff estimated roughly $750,000 in new requests before refinement.
Staff presented an "all-inclusive" wish list of departmental requests for the 2026 budget and asked board members which items were highest priority. Board members repeatedly emphasized staffing (police, utilities, GIS/IT) and recommended deferring nonessential software purchases while exploring leases for heavy equipment. "Staffing is a priority to the board," a board member summarized, and multiple members said strategic planning should remain funded.
Staff estimated the net addition to the budget at about $750,000 across the general fund and combined wastewater fund before refinements and lease alternatives; they proposed reclassifying some positions to reduce net new personnel cost and exploring lease financing for large equipment (mini-excavator) to spread costs. The board asked staff to return with scenarios and refined numbers at the August work session.
