The big picture
At a Sept. 15 meeting, City Council unanimously approved $255.63 million in expenses for the FY 2025-26 budget, a 5.2% increase from FY 2024-25.
Additionally, council maintained its $0.570825 per $100 property valuation tax rate for the third consecutive year. The rate is below the no-new-revenue rate of $0.577832, which is the rate that would generate the same property tax revenue as the prior year, according to budget documents.
The details
The FY 2025-26 budget includes a $101.28 million general fund and $42.05 million in capital projects, per budget documents.
Key projects include:
- $25.9 million for roadway improvements
- $11.2 million for streets, sidewalks and infrastructure improvements
- $10.1 million for water and wastewater improvements
- $5.2 million for parks, including Sta-Mo Park
- $4 million for system upgrades to reduce area flooding risks
- $2.9 million in public safety, including seven new firefighting positions
Looking ahead
The FY 2025-26 budget will begin Oct. 1 and run through Sept. 30, 2026, Alexander said.