10 15 26 SPECIAL CALL FINANCE CITY COUNCIL

Elkhart Common Council special budget meeting, held October 15, 2026, considered the city’s 2027 operating budget and salary ordinances. The council approved proposed ordinance 26-O-33, adopting the budget and tax rate, by an 8–1 vote. Amendments included removing $115,400 for an additional Planning Department Planner II position; the motion carried. A proposed cut to a training and community liaison position failed 5–4. The council also approved a $160,000 transfer in the Fire Department budget from specialty and hazard pay to maintenance contracts, described as correcting an error. A separate proposed $76,000 reduction for a Street Department office services position was discussed, but its outcome is unclear in the transcript.

The council approved the 2027 appointed employee salary ordinance unanimously, including a change to the Information Technology director’s pay grade from 4A to 5A, which staff said would not change the budget. Police and fire salary ordinances also passed unanimously; the police ordinance was amended to remove two sections tied to a collective bargaining agreement that had not yet been reached. Members discussed tracking promotional spending and indirect costs, liability insurance, fuel, the transfer of Block by Block program responsibilities, and third-party street patching. No new contract award or procurement approval was identified.