City finance and budget staff presented the proposed 2026 budget to council on Sept. 9, outlining new positions, use of incremental development revenue, one‑time expenditures across funds, and transportation funding priorities.

New positions and headcount

Theresa Malloy, Chief Financial Officer, and Sandra Cifuentes, Budget Manager, said the 2026 proposed budget includes 12 new full‑time equivalent positions spread across enterprise and service funds: watershed ranger II and watershed forest stewardship technician (water fund), two journey line workers and an apprentice line worker plus a line‑crew supervisor (electric and broadband fund), a traffic signal technician (street fund), one natural resources technician split between water and open space funds, and four fixed‑term technology services positions (technical project manager, technical project coordinator, internal communications specialist and product owner). The proposed authorized FTE total for 2026 is 1,168.905.

Incremental development revenue and one‑time spending

Staff said roughly $958,000 in incremental development revenue is forecast for 2026, mostly from building permits, and that roughly $379,000 of that amount is proposed for one‑time development‑related uses. The proposed general‑fund one‑time package totals $7.8 million (capital equipment, IT equipment, small equipment/supplies and one‑time services/expenses). Examples include public‑safety radio replacement (roughly $629,000), recreation vans and financial‑software purchases; offsetting revenues include one‑time property‑tax receipts (about $770,000) and the incremental development revenue noted above.

Other funds and fleet replacement

Across non‑general funds, staff proposed about $18.6 million of one‑time requests; a large portion (roughly $13.6 million) is for fleet replacement. The new technology services fund will receive transfers from multiple funds totaling about $1.1 million in 2026, and staff noted a mix of contractual and capital one‑time items associated with the citywide IT portfolio.

Transportation and transit priorities

Jim Angstatt, Director of Engineering Services, outlined the street fund and transportation community investment fee (TCIF) uses. The street system includes 356 miles of roads, 102 signals and over 600 miles of sidewalk. The 2026 street‑system budget relies mainly on the city’s 0.75% sales tax for streets, plus some grants and fund balance. Street maintenance and the pavement management program are priorities; staff forecast about $15.6 million for broad street maintenance activities and noted a slight reduction in pavement management versus 2025 because of flat sales tax and fewer grant dollars. Transit supports include microtransit (Ride Longmont), the LEHI bus to Fort Collins, Ride Free Longmont (RTD fare buy‑up) and EcoPass for city staff.

Downtown Development Authority budget

Staff also presented the Longmont Downtown Development Authority (LDDA) budget components (parking fund, GID and DDA funds). Kimberly McKee, LDDA executive director, highlighted construction‑fund projects such as the 600 Main Street “town square” and other place‑making and arts investments funded by tax‑increment revenue. Staff noted a reduction in proposed new construction‑fund spending in 2026 because of carryover funds from prior years and a deliberate conservative projection of new projects.

Next steps

Staff said council will receive additional CIP detail in a follow‑up study session and will have opportunities to refine the budget; no final appropriation vote occurred on Sept. 9.