After conducting a public hearing to review its 2026-2027 fiscal year budget on Sept. 15, the Seward City Council has scheduled its final vote on the budget for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 is $70.5 million, but of that amount, only $2.3 million is being requested from property tax assessments.
That property tax request is about $66,000 higher than the 2025-2026 fiscal year’s ask, which City Administrator Greg Butcher said is “not significant, but not insignificant overall.”
Butcher had said earlier that the property tax needed would not likely change the city’s current 29.7803 cents per $100 valuation levy because since last year the overall valuation of property within city limits increased by 5.5%.
Property values rose from $760 million to $793 million, which would provide an estimated 4.4% or $100,121 increase in revenues generated by that levy.
Most of the city’s budget revenues (and expenses) are derived from its sale of electrical power, water and wastewater services, as well as grants and allocations for roads and other public works.
Butcher told those attending the city council’s meeting that the $2.3 million requested from property tax is not enough to cover police, fire and emergency services for the city, unlike the situations for the county and small communities.
Denny Carr addressed the council to encourage them to retain funding now in the budget for repairs and improvements at Dowding Pool. She also asked whether the city pool could have a committee or fundraising group like the library’s foundation to help support its work.
After closing the public hearing for the city’s budget and the public hearing for the actual amount to be requested from taxpayers for the city in FY 2027, the council took no action on either aspect of the budget.
The council did, however, vote to schedule the final public hearing for 7 p.m. Sept. 29, just prior to the deadline for turning in local budgets to the state for tax assessments.
Allocation made for FY27
One of the expenses included in the new year’s budget was approved by the council Sept. 15, knowing the swimming pool work it will allow to be done in September or October would not be paid until the new fiscal year begins.
Butcher said the $105,732 contract with Miller Painting and Decorating Inc. allows the company to perform maintenance on the pool yet this fall.
He said the company has a full calendar but will be scheduling a time in September or October to sandblast the pool, patch broken concrete and spread two coats of epoxy on its floor and walls.
Doing this in the fall will help to avoid delays in opening the pool next spring and help it pass inspections that will now be done by Four Corners Health Department.
