Council approves $1.97 million budget amendment for dispatch pay, records software and bond redemption

Victoria City Council on Jan. 6 approved a budget amendment totaling $1,973,416.45 to cover several municipal priorities, city staff said.

Staff described the allocation as covering three principal items: a dispatch pay program to implement a step pay structure for public-safety dispatchers, a new request‑for‑information (RFI) software tool to manage public records requests, and additional funding for the city’s bond redemption program and future capital improvement projects.

City staff said implementing the dispatch pay changes for the remainder of fiscal 2026 will cost about $157,000 and that the recurring annual cost will be about $209,371 going forward. The new RFI software was estimated at $16,388 for fiscal 2026; staff described expected benefits including built‑in redaction, workflow automation, template responses and a separate workflow for police records requests. The construction fund allocation included $700,000 to add to the bond redemption program, bringing that redemption total to $1,300,000; remaining excess funds were allocated to future CIP projects.

Staff cautioned that these are recurring commitments: combined ongoing costs for these items were estimated around $224,000 for fiscal 2027. The council opened and closed the public hearing with no speakers and approved the amendment by voice vote.