Columbia City Council set to vote on $606 million budget for 2027 Monday
EDITOR’S NOTE: Changes were made to reflect the cost of capital improvement projects, the increase in public safety funds and to clarify the Columbia Police Department’s proposed budget.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Columbia City Council is set to vote Monday on the proposed $606.7 million city budget for fiscal year 2027 following millions of dollars in cuts to the proposed budget.
According to a city document that includes council-approved amendments, the proposed budget is 0.2% lower than what the council approved for the previous financial year. If the budget is approved, it will start when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
The budget has undergone amendments. Before it went to council, the Columbia Police Department was asked to cut its proposed budget totaling millions of dollars. Public safety is projected to receive about $68.3 million, which is about a tenth of the budget. City spokesperson Christopher Ave said public safety received an increase in funding, compared to $65.8 million the fund was allocated last year.
About half of the budget is allocated to utilities, which is about $304.8 million, an increase of 6.5% for FY 2027.
The budget is also broken down into categories, and under the proposed budget, the city will spend the most on personnel services, about $179.4 million.
The city expects to receive about $581.5 million in revenue, which is about 4% more than last year.
However, the city also anticipates $48.2 million in capital improvement projects that are not covered in operating expenditures, according to the city’s finance director, Matthew Lue. The cost of capital improvement projects is included in total expenditures, which total $606.7 million.
The city’s total operating expenditures are $558.4 million.
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