Revised FY2026/27 budget book lists $613.3 million, up from $493.7 million in the August proposal

What the sources say

• ✓ Verified

  The revised book lists a proposed total rate of $0.4307 ($0.33714 maintenance and operations, $0.09356 interest and sinking), and its Section 102.005 notice says the budget will raise $2,063,963 (2.58%) more in property taxes, $1,295,675 of it from new property. The August book's notice, at the higher $0.44728 rate, listed a smaller increase: $1,596,402 (1.94%), $1,345,553 from new property. Neither book explains why the lower rate shows the larger increase. Between the two books the City recalculated its tax rates after errors were found in figures sent to the tax offices (see evt-tax-2026-recalculation); the books do not mention the recalculation. ^[1][2]

  Revised rate per 100

  $0.43070 per $100

  Revised levy change

  $2,063,963

  Revised levy change

  2.58%

  Aug rate per 100

  $0.44728 per $100

  Aug levy change

  $1,596,402

  Aug levy change

  1.94%

• ✓ Verified

  The revised book's comparison table ("Proposed 08/11/26" vs. "Proposed 09/20/26") lists: General Fund operating $287,984,366 to $295,285,934 (+$7,301,568); Water & Sewer operating $85,311,300 to $85,495,749 (+$184,449); capital improvement projects $47,330,029 to $166,664,513 (+$119,334,484); special revenue operating $36,899,092 to $36,847,114 (-$51,978); Fleet Services operating +$38,300; insurance operating $55,171,383 to $54,671,383 (-$500,000, "Removed transfer to General Fund"); debt service $70,109,859 to $67,079,557 (-$3,030,302); Airport +$37,477; Drainage Utility $6,367,316 to $7,166,839 (+$799,523); Information Technology +$45,000; and interfund transfers deducted $149,954,897 to $154,486,543. The total goes from $493,695,854 to $613,322,729 (+$119,626,875) (PDF p. 9). The August letter described its total as an 11.4% decrease from the $557.0 million FY2025/26 budget; the revised letter describes a 10.3% increase. ^[1][2]

  Aug total

  $493,695,854

  Revised total

  $613,322,729

  Change

  $119,626,875

  Capital aug

  $47,330,029

  Capital revised

  $166,664,513

  General fund change

  $7,301,568

  Debt service change

  -$3,030,302

• ✓ Verified

  The revised book's notes list the capital changes as: "Water & Sewer bonds not included in Capital" $60,000,000; "Street bonds for two projects" $42,500,000; "Drainage bond not included in Capital" $9,500,000; "PPFCO added for Fire Trucks" $6,200,000; a $1,000,000 reduction in fleet capital; and increases of $1,911,816 to water and sewer capital, $86,658 to drainage capital and $136,010 other. Its letter puts the capital program at $166.6 million, including $74.9 million for water and sewer, $42.5 million for streets and $10.3 million for drainage, and says most of the street and drainage money is for planned reconstruction of major streets over two years; the August letter listed $47.3 million, including $13.0 million for water and sewer and $2.4 million for streets. The August book's Water and Sewer and Drainage fund summaries already showed bond proceeds for FY2026/27 ($60,000,000 and $9,638,719) outside the capital total (revised book PDF pp. 9, 14; August book PDF pp. 9, 33, 45). ^[1][2]

  Ws bonds

  $60,000,000

  Street bonds

  $42,500,000

  Drainage bond

  $9,500,000

  Fire truck ppfco

  $6,200,000

• ✓ Verified

  The August letter proposed pay increases of 3% for police and 3% for fire and a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for civilians; the revised letter lists 4% for police, 4% for fire, and a 3% COLA plus 1% merit raises for civilians. The revised book's General Fund change list prices these at $474,001 (police raise to 4%), $365,266 (fire raise to 4%) and $711,961 (civilian raises), plus $305,100 for police certificate pay, $424,169 for "Police 5 Additional Steps," $258,800 for fire certificate pay and $100,000 for fire reclassifications; civilian raises add $209,000 in Water & Sewer, $73,300 at the Airport, $45,000 in IT, $38,300 in Fleet and $21,700 in Drainage. The same list adds $2,536,000 in capital projects, $1,359,861 of "Additional Supplemental Requests added from increased revenue," $1,204,000 of Solid Waste supplemental requests for the tipping fee, and $445,000 of reductions "from secondary analysis" (revised book PDF pp. 9-10, 13; August book PDF p. 9). ^[1][2]

  Police raise cost

  $474,001

  Fire raise cost

  $365,266

  Civilian raise gf cost

  $711,961

  Supplemental requests

  $1,359,861

• ✓ Verified

  The revised book lowers budgeted debt service by $3,030,302, listing a $2,154,025 "Reduction in Fleet Debt Service," a $1,113,218 "Reduction in General Fund debt service requirements," and smaller updates for compensated absences (+$110,905), Water & Sewer (+$37,059), Airport (-$2,500) and Drainage (+$91,477) (PDF p. 10). The book does not state why the fleet and General Fund debt service figures were reduced or tie them to the September 2026 tax-rate recalculation. ^[1]

  Fleet debt service change

  -$2,154,025

  General fund debt service change

  -$1,113,218

• ⚠ Sources differ

  Both books state the FY2026/27 budget has 2,362 permanent and 340 part-time positions, "a net decrease of 18 permanent positions," and print the same staffing table, whose rows (City Manager special advisor -1, three Civic Center positions +3, five Library digital navigators -5, Zoo -13, Police professional staff -9 +2) are totaled as -24.0. The books do not explain the difference.

  Reported value 1[1][2]

  Net permanent change

  -18

  Letter text: 'Permanent positions have a net decrease of 18 permanent positions over the current year.'

  Reported value 2[1][2]

  Net permanent change

  -24

  Printed total of the staffing-changes table.

  Reported value 3[1]

  Net permanent change

  -23

  Sum of the table's listed rows (computed by this site).