Parks staff told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Sept. 10 that the town has begun internal work on the 2026 operational and capital budget and that a first work session with the Board of Trustees will take place next week.
Billy Coates said staff expects to present a more detailed packet next month once finance supplies updated numbers and audit work for 2024 is complete. He said the town typically aims for budget adoption in November or December, with several review stages (internal review, trustees work sessions, a public "budget bonanza," and a final adoption hearing).
Coates notified the board that the department learned Sept. 10 that it did not receive the T‑Mobile Hometown grant that staff had applied for. He said the grant is a quarterly program and can be re-applied for in a later quarter. Coates asked board members to consider whether the town should include match funding in the upcoming budget or seek trustee discretionary funds to advance community-funded projects tied to the grant idea.
Separately, staff reported grant funding from a Safe Routes program has been approved and that the department has purchased four bike-fix stations under that program (an increase from the three originally planned). Coates said the stations will ship soon and that Public Works or parks staff will coordinate site concrete pads and installation.
Coates urged the board that if members want specific projects considered as part of the budget they should send recommendations in advance of the next meeting. He also said staff will provide the board with the capital and operational budget drafts after the trustees’ initial review so members have time to review before a subsequent meeting.