Councilmember Pye moved, seconded by Councilmember Pepper, to consider Ordinance 25-46-16 to adopt Decatur City's fiscal year 2026 budget beginning Oct. 1, 2025. The motion was taken up during the council meeting; the transcript does not record a roll-call vote on the ordinance.

Why it matters: The proposed budget, described by council members as exceeding $100 million, funds city operations for fiscal year 2026 and includes line-item increases that drew public questions about priorities, transparency and staffing costs.

A resident who identified themselves during the public-comment period asked how citizens can access the budget's P2 list and questioned several line-item increases, saying in part: "How is it that the largest increase in the budget for this year is the mayor and the council line item?" The speaker also asked why youth services appeared reduced and requested occupancy-rate data tied to tourism revenue but said that information had not been provided on the record.

Budget staff responded that Red Sage was added late in the process and that the current proposed allocation for that item is approximately $317,000 for the coming fiscal year; staff said the Red Sage amount was not in the original budget for the prior year but was added from the unassigned balance in December. The transcript records the staff explanation in discussion but does not provide a written contract or ordinance text for the Red Sage allocation in the record.

Council and staff also discussed personnel costs. A speaker noted the police department would receive a 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) rather than a $2,000-per-person payment; whether that COLA is accounted for in the police department's budget line or the centralized personnel line was discussed but not resolved in the transcript: a meeting participant said, "That's in the police budget," while another described negotiations between department leadership and administration.

Councilmembers and staff repeatedly referred residents to the P2 list as the detailed source for line-item requests and changes. Multiple speakers thanked Kyle, the staff member who presented the budget, for his work on the document and for answering follow-up questions after prior meetings. A council member described the multi-month budget process as beginning in early July and said they had received no complaints from their district about the process.

Procedural notes recorded in the meeting: following budget discussion, council announced a special called meeting for canvassing the municipal runoff election scheduled for Sept. 30, 2025, at 12 p.m., and the next regular council meeting on Oct. 6, 2025, at 6 p.m.

What was not recorded or remains unclear in the transcript: a roll-call vote on Ordinance 25-46-16 is not included in the provided excerpts, and specific contract documents or ordinance text for the Red Sage allocation were not attached to the transcript. Staff referenced a P2 list for detailed requests, but that list was not included in the meeting record provided here.

Ending: Councilmembers praised the budget team for producing the lengthy proposed budget and encouraged continuation of the current process into the next administration; public- comment questions and requests for the P2 list remained outstanding in the excerpt provided.