Springtown staff present draft FY2025–26 budget with $180,832 projected surplus before supplementals

City staff presented a draft fiscal year 2025–26 budget to the Springtown City Council on July 22 that staff said would leave a projected surplus of about $180,832 before council-authorized supplementals. The presentation assumed a "no new revenue" tax rate and used preliminary certified values that arrived shortly before the meeting.

"It will leave us a surplus of about a $180,000," the city manager said during the presentation. Staff listed total proposed revenues at $6,099,747 and emphasized conservative forecasting for permits, sales taxes and service fees.

Why it matters: staff said certified property values arrived too late for full analysis and that the certified numbers — plus outstanding items such as insurance and the utility rate study — could change the tax-rate calculations and surplus estimates. Staff intends to return with refined numbers at the August 1 "rate not to exceed" meeting, which triggers public-notice obligations if the council sets a ceiling higher than the default.

Council asked for clarifications about the assumptions used in revenue projections, including a 7.5% general-fund revenue increase and how permit revenue was modeled. Staff said permitting had been strong in recent years but is tapering, and clarified that each 0.5¢ on the tax rate represents roughly $25,000 in property-tax revenue (about $50,000 per full penny). The presentation also noted $605,000 in surplus before supplementals would drop to about $180,000 if the proposed supplementals are adopted.

The next step: staff will complete certified-value analysis and the utility rate study before the August 1 meeting, where the council is scheduled to set a tax-rate ceiling and review final options.