Finance staff outlines 2026 budget schedule, requests department briefings and road-project updates

Finance staff presented a proposed schedule for the 2026 budget process and outlined milestone dates for committee and council review. The plan calls for a high-level finance discussion in mid-August, department budget briefings shortly thereafter, and a public hearing on the proposed budget at the council meeting in mid-September, with time allocated to incorporate committee feedback before final advertising and adoption.

Staff explained that local income tax estimates from the state typically arrive around Aug. 16 and that scheduling aligns to allow departmental discussions once those figures are available. Committee members asked for a separate engineering/construction update to show which major road projects will extend into 2026 and to help prioritize neighborhood paving funding decisions; staff agreed to return with that information.

Committee members discussed schedule flexibility for August meeting dates due to member travel and agreed to confirm a meeting date that accommodates quorum and member availability. The committee provided informal direction to staff to proceed with the proposed timeline and to return with more detailed fund-level and road-construction scheduling for committee review.