During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council members will open the floor to public comment before they consider approving the use of $676,117 in unanticipated funds for various city projects.
Finance Director Randy Bailey first presented the budget amendments to the council on Feb. 24, detailing unexpected funds not accounted for in this year’s city budget. The excess is derived from grants, donations and leftover funds from 2025. He also said the 2026 budget mistakenly excluded a full‑time employee’s salary and benefits despite their ongoing employment with the golf course, which must be corrected.
Mayor Rachel Medina asked during the first reading of the budget adjustment ordinance, “You’re saying that we need to increase our expenditures, or our budget – what we plan to spend – by almost $700,000?”
“That’s exactly right,” Bailey replied.
City Manager Drew Sanders said a budget adjustment is routine work for the city.
“We try not to do it but the reality of most years is that we need to do at least one,” Sanders said, adding that during the budget creation process, the city’s finance department could not anticipate future grants, donations or other excess funds and therefore could not incorporate them into the budget.
If approved, the Cortez Public Library will receive $10,000 for technology materials for library programming. A nearly $60,000 grant for the fast‑track housing program, which reviews affordable housing project applications on an accelerated timeline, will support a housing coordinator and an AI pilot to assist with the process.
Several construction projects – halted last year because of a lack of asphalt – as well as the airport’s asbestos abatement initiative, priority equipment purchases and completion of a water‑network master plan, will also commence with the approval of the funds.
The requested amount to be pulled from city reserves is $46,024 for the omitted city employee salary, with the remainder covered by excess golf‑course revenue earned through price increases.
“We just have to appropriate the money so we can spend it,” Sanders said. All funds outlined in the budget adjustment remain unused until the City Council approves them.
Money has been a flash point for some residents who used public‑comment time during recent City Council meetings to lament the deteriorating softball complex and the city’s plan to refund overcollected taxes. Sanders said the hundreds of thousands of dollars in unanticipated funds are already allocated to certain projects, either dictated by the previous budget or stipulated by the providers of grants or donations.
“We can’t just switch over now,” Sanders said. “And even if we wanted to, this doesn’t move the needle. This kind of money is not enough to even touch the problem out there at the ballpark.”
On Tuesday, the council will vote to approve the amendments to the budget. If the ordinance passes, the city can start spending the money the next day.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
