Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Meeting #4 | April 15, 2026

The City of Dubuque Government held a special session on April 15, 2026, focused on presentations and discussions related to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Key procurement-related topics included the Human Resources department's budget request of $361,767 in property tax support, with emphasis on recruitment services such as a $50,000 package for the city manager position search, and a significant $80,000 investment for digitizing city documents and personnel files. The Information Technology department presented a budget of over $2.1 million, highlighting capital improvement projects including a network security risk assessment and computer/printer replacement, as well as ongoing cybersecurity initiatives and AI adoption. The Finance department detailed management of a $265 million budget, vendor oversight of about 5,000 vendors, and implementation of electronic bidding software to streamline procurement processes. Discussions also covered administrative overhead recharge methodologies, utility fee increases, and the use of reserve funds to potentially reduce the tax levy. Public input and council members raised questions about budget transparency, local purchasing preferences, and the efficiency of exit interview processes. No formal votes were recorded during this session, but several action items and improvement packages were proposed for council consideration in future meetings.