Garner council adopts FY27 budget ordinances, approves FY26 year‑end amendment

The Garner Town Council on June 23 adopted a fiscal year 2026 year‑end budget amendment and approved three FY2027 budget ordinances, including the operating budget, capital project budget and a new fee schedule.

Town Manager Miss Miller told the council the FY2026 amendment (ordinance 20265340N) was a routine closeout step to "align revenues and expenditures to approximated actuals as part of our fiscal year closeout." She said some expenditure lines were being increased so departments would have sufficient funding through the June 30 close and that adjustments to lease and IT subscription liability accounts were made based on auditor recommendations and guidance from the North Carolina Local Government Commission. The council approved the ordinance by voice vote with no opposition.

On FY2027, Miss Miller recapped council direction from a June 16 session that included a proposed tax rate described in the meeting as 53.5 cents, with the transcript listing a breakdown of 44 cents for town operations and 9.5 cents for debt service to fund capital projects. The FY27 proposal also reflected an increase in town staffing; the transcript records "10 new FTEs," bringing the town's total FTE count to 375, as part of the recommended budget.

Council took three separate actions required by statute and parliamentary procedure: adopting the operating budget ordinance (20265386), adopting the project (capital) budget ordinance (20265387), and approving the FY27 fee schedule. Before the roll call on the operating budget, the meeting included a Transparency Act compliance statement noting the recommended FY27 budget includes appropriations to 17 nonprofit organizations and that three council members serve on boards of three of those nonprofits (Dinger on Garner Elite Board, Stallings on the DGA board and Vance on the GEDC board); the speaker stated that because the town manager administers the contracts the Transparency Act did not prohibit those members from voting.

The operating budget was adopted after a roll‑call tally announced in the meeting as three yes and one no (the meeting record states the operating budget "passes"). The project (capital) budget also passed by a 3‑1 roll call; Councilmember Singleton announced he would vote against that ordinance, citing concern about adding recurring staffing costs while some capital one‑time expenditures were reduced. The FY27 fee schedule was adopted unanimously in a separate roll call.

Town Manager Miss Miller and the mayor both thanked staff and council members for an extended budget process that included public input. Miss Miller named members of the budget team who worked on the recommendation: Sarah Warren, David Beck, Celeste Cor Purcell, Josh Feshmire, John Hodgeges and Matt P.

Votes at a glance
- Ordinance 20265340N (FY2026 year‑end budget amendment): adopted by voice vote, no opposing votes recorded.
- Ordinance 20265386 (FY2027 operating budget): adopted by roll call, announced as three yes, one no.
- Ordinance 20265387 (FY2027 project/capital budget): adopted by roll call, announced as three yes, one no (Councilmember Singleton voted no).
- FY27 fee schedule: adopted by roll call, unanimous.

What happens next
The ordinances approved June 23 finalize the town's FY2027 spending plan and fee schedule for the coming year. The town manager and finance staff will proceed with implementation steps associated with the adopted operating and project budgets and the updated fees; the council indicated it may continue work on strategies to limit future tax increases.