Mayor delivered the Finance Committee's opening overview of the recommended 2026 budget, stressing a focus on core services — public safety, public works and parks — and outlining the trade-offs that drive proposed new borrowing.

"It's no small feat," the mayor said as he thanked department heads and finance staff for the annual package and framed the plan as one that prioritizes essential services while seeking state assistance. He noted increased shared revenue tied to sales-tax growth and floated a local sales-tax option — modeled on the county's half-cent tax — as a possible long-term tool to close funding gaps.

Why it matters: the package includes a proposed 3.4% levy increase (roughly a 3% mill-rate change) and a roughly $2.3 million increase in debt-service payments to cover infrastructure investments the city has prioritized. The mayor said those borrowing costs stem from a multiyear push to invest in the city's aging infrastructure and that staff are seeking ways to limit property-tax pressure through turnover assumptions and efficiency measures.

Key details committee members flagged included the 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, a proposed addition of three community service officer positions earmarked to in-source City Hall security and develop a CSO pipeline into the police department, and a recommendation for a financial/data analyst in fire services to support deployment and performance metrics.

Committee questions focused on mechanics and household impact. Members sought clarity on how the COLA and step increases were reflected in department line items; staff confirmed the 2.5% COLA and cautioned that step increases and staffing reclassifications change the effective cost to departments. The mayor said the county's half-cent sales tax generates about $40 million today and suggested that a city share could produce revenue roughly on the order of what the city will borrow in 2026.

On community outreach, alder members raised constituents' questions from East and West Side listening sessions — including whether consulting and event materials for the "Go Big Green Bay" outreach were covered by ARPA. Staff confirmed ARPA funds were used to pay the consultant and to purchase meeting supplies and swag.

The committee advanced the mayor's recommendations by approving multiple departmental sections on the agenda by voice vote; those approvals move the sections to the full council for final consideration. The mayor and staff said further budget refinement will continue as committee items feed into the council packet.

The committee will forward the recommended budget and recorded committee amendments to the full City Council, which will schedule final votes and any subsequent public hearings or referenda if the council pursues a local sales-tax option.