Charleston Town Council adopts amended FY2026 budget and approves FY2027 budget, accepts county tax rate

The Charleston Town Council voted on June 4 to adopt an amended fiscal year 2026 budget following a brief public hearing and to adopt the fiscal year 2027 budget while accepting the county's certified tax rate for the 2026 tax season.

Mayor Doug Clements opened the public hearing on the FY2026 amendment. Public commenter Bob Kowallis said he had raised concerns previously about the town's debt-service payments for Winterton Road and argued that, because the town has funds on hand, it would be better to use reserves to pay off the loan. Mayor Doug Clements responded that the town's current interest earnings offset the loan cost and that keeping cash available would be less expensive than seeking new, higher-interest financing for upcoming projects.

After the hearing, Council Member Don Sant moved to adopt the amended FY2026 budget; Jim Brown seconded. The council then voted to adopt the FY2027 budget and to accept the county's proposed certified tax rate; the motions carried.

The council noted that amending the FY2026 budget is a State of Utah requirement to reconcile actual spending and revenue to avoid overspending and to preserve options for financing projects without raising taxes.

Next procedural steps: the council will implement the adopted budget and reconvene July 2 for its next regular meeting.