Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Percival council adopts FY2027 budget with $200,000 reduction to IT personnel
Summary
The council approved the FY2027 appropriation resolution and an amendment reducing the IT personnel line item by $200,000 (described as 1.5 positions). Supporters said savings were needed; opponents warned of cybersecurity and operational risks and said the cut was made without department consultation.
The Percival Town Council voted to adopt the FY2027 appropriations resolution on May 26 and included an amendment to reduce the IT personnel line item by $200,000 for the coming fiscal year. The amendment was added to the appropriation motion and passed on a roll call vote (Vice mayor: yes; Council member Luke: yes; Council member Khalil: yes; Mayor: yes; Council members Rayner, Wright and Stout: no).
Opponents of the reduction said the cut—characterized during debate as eliminating roughly 1.5 positions—was proposed without prior consultation with the town manager or department staff and would hinder projects the town manager described as critical, including enterprise asset management and cybersecurity oversight. Council member Stout said the change was "wildly inappropriate" because it was made at the last minute without input from department heads. Interim Town Manager Tony Sabio told the council removing the positions would "severely hinder" core operations and that staff would return with a budget amendment if necessary.
Supporters, including the council member who proposed the cut, said their analysis compared in‑house costs to outsourcing and argued the town could tolerate a $200,000 reduction while streamlining functions. That council member said she had researched outsourcing rates and used that comparison to justify the reduction. The council debated whether the proposal represented a permanent staffing change or a transition to different service delivery models.
Councilors and staff repeatedly noted the tension between short‑term savings and long‑term operational risk. "If you cut this, it will just be a matter of time before we suffer some sort of cybersecurity breach," council member Stout warned. The town manager said he would evaluate operational impacts and return to council with facts and, if necessary, a request to amend the budget.
