Sidney City Council Approves Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget At Special Meeting, Aug. 31

Sidney City Council held a special meeting Monday, Aug. 31, in order pass the budget within 30 days of receiving their taxable valuation. A public hearing held, as well as approval of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget. City officials have been hard at work with capital projects, planning for a water PER, storm sewer utility setup, parks master plan, and police department capital planning. No public comments were presented, but two modifications were made to the preliminary budget that had been previously reviewed. First was that the Water Fund was amended to include engineering costs for the proposed 3rd Street water line replacement, which have a history of frequent breaks. The engineering costs are estimated at $80,000, and due to these additional expenses, the Water Fund is expected to use roughly $37,000 in existing cash reserves. The second modification was the amendment of the Sewer Fund to include approximately $150,000 in miscellaneous engineering costs to support the establishment of the proposed storm sewer utility and engineering for the railroad stormwater project. The decision was made to budget for these expenses now due to the fact that potential FEMA funding requires 90% of the design to be complete prior to applying. The Sewer Fund is projected to use about $430,000 in existing cash during the fiscal year with these additional engineering costs and planned capital expenditures. Capital purchases in the amount of $650,000 are included in the Sewer Fund Budget above normal operations and current sewer rates continue to cover operating expenses, payroll and debt services. It was also noted that some storm water related costs may be transferred from the Sewer Fund to a separate storm water utility once it is established. No opponents or proponents stepped forward, and with no additional public testimony, the public hearing closed. Mayor Rick Norby then read aloud each resolution including: Preliminary Budget, Garbage Assessment, Residential Street Lighting Assessment, Commercial Street Lighting Assessment, Residential Sweeping Assessment, Commercial Sweeping Assessment, Mowing Assessment, South Meadow Village Parks Assessment, Delinquent Utilities Assessment, Dutch Elm Assessment, SID 104 Assessment, Snow Removal Assessment, Street Maintenance Assessment, Mill Levies, and Fund Updates – Large Taxpayer Reserve and CIP Funds Consolidation. All resolutions passed. In conclusion, there were no increases to any of the assessments. The next city council meeting will be held Tuesday, September 8 due to Labor Day, at Sidney City Hall, 115 2nd St. SE. Meetings are open to the public in-person or via Zoom. For upcoming meetings, past meeting minutes and videos, or to attend meetings via Zoom, visit http://www.cityofsidneymt.com.