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Council adopts phased public‑safety surcharge to shore up budget; vote 4–1 on amended schedule
Summary
After months of outreach and debate, the Talent City Council voted to raise the monthly public‑safety surcharge in two steps — to $8.00 on Sept. 19, 2026, then to $10.50 on July 1, 2027 — and described the increase as temporary while the city explores a property‑tax levy to address a budget shortfall.
Talent City Councilors approved, by roll call, an ordinance introduction that will raise the monthly public‑safety surcharge in two phases as a temporary measure while staff pursues longer‑term revenue options.
Staff described a multi‑year decline in the city’s general‑fund balance and said a base increase to $10.50 per unit would generate roughly $200,000; using trip‑generation to allocate costs to nonresidential accounts could raise roughly an additional $100,000 but would produce very large increases for some businesses unless a tiered cap is used. Staff proposed several alternatives, including tiered caps and pursuing a May ballot levy to create a permanent property‑tax funding source.
Councilor Coley moved the ordinance to set a $10.50 surcharge. After debate, the council approved an amendment to make the change incremental: $8.00 per unit effective Sept. 19, 2026, with a scheduled increase to $10.50 effective July 1, 2027; the council recorded the final vote on the main motion as 4–1 to introduce the ordinance as amended. Several councilors said they view the increase as a temporary measure pending a referendum or levy in the spring that could supplant fees.
Business owners and residents who spoke during public testimony urged caution. Tammy Sona, a local business owner, warned that a fees model based on trip generation is “neither fair nor equitable” for small businesses that use shared parking and saw minimal public‑safety service calls. School‑district representatives asked for clarity on the SRO (school resource officer) exemption language; staff said the proposed ordinance could exempt the district and that any exemption could be revisited if an IGA and billing practice change.
Staff said the ordinance (as amended) will return for second reading on Aug. 19, and the city will continue public outreach and accept appeals from commercial account holders about trip estimates under existing code procedures.
