After multiple work sessions and discussions over the past few months, the 2026 municipal budget was approved at the Dec. 4 meeting of the Woodland Park City Council. City Manager Aaron Vassalotti made the presentation, which showed that total general fund expenditures are budgeted at $13,361,458 . The budgeted revenue is $13,077,259. “We are budgeting to spend just a bit more than what we have revenues for that year, which would reflect that we would be using some of the fund balance,” Mayor Kellie Case said. “About $300,000.” Vassalotti had previously shown that a general fund balance of 17.2% is expected despite the expenditures. Other budgeted funds (other than the general fund) are:Downtown Development Authority – $1,092,306Culture and Recreation Find – $2,543,849Lodging Tax Fund – $321,770Conservation trust Fund – $75,000Street Capital Improvement Fund – $5,200,244Stormwater Management Fund – $168,075Water Utility Enterprise Fund – $7,144,580Wastewater Utility Enterprise Fund – $2,770,906 A resolution later in the meeting is part of the budget puzzle. The past two years, the council has temporarily reduced the standard mill levy of 15.75 mills by two mills in 2025 and three mills in 2024. The resolution established that, with a challenging budget picture this year, the standard levy, which has been in place since 2020, will be collected. Councilmember Jeffrey Geer made an important clarification. “We’re not raising the mill levy,” he said. “We’re simply removing the temporary reduction.” Charter questions Three ballot questions recommended by the Charter Review Committee were approved to be placed on the ballot for the April 7 election. The first would provide a stipend for the mayor and members of the city council. The proposal would provide $800 per month for the mayor, $700 per month for the mayor pro-tem and $600 per month for council members. An important note is that none of the current council will be eligible for the stipend during their current term. In addition, the two current councilmembers on the Charter Review Committee (Catherin Nakai and Seth Bryant) both abstained from the vote that brought the item before council. “One hope of mine is that this, if it is passed by voters, it’ll make service on the city council more accessible,” Bryant said. “I hope that it will open up the option of service to more of our citizens.” The second ballot question would make what the committee called “substantive edits to and remove outdated language from the city charter.” The ordinance mentions punctuation errors and redundant language that would be corrected. It also corrects outdated language concerning the duties of the city manager. The final change would be concerning a recall effort and would provide additional time for the incumbent to resign before the city is obligated to hold a costly recall election. Currently, the incumbent must make the decision in five days. The ballot question is asking voters to increase that to 14 days. Pines at Tamarac Council approved the final plat for the Pines at Tamarac subdivision, which is across from Shining Mountain Golf Course. The property is a 20.61-acre parcel that will be divided into 39 single-family lots. The targeted price point for homes in the subdivision is in the mid-$800,000s. Several would-be neighbors presented questions about and expressed displeasure with the development during the public comment portion of the hearing. The motion carried 4-2 with councilmembers Geer and Steve Smith voting no. ...read more read less