BROKEN BOW – Broken Bow Mayor Rod Sonnichsen, City Administrator Dave Schmidt, the City Council and numerous city staff and department heads met Thursday to discuss the proposed Broken Bow city budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Several departments are anticipating large purchases in the coming months to replace aging and hard-to-maintain equipment. Among them the Streets Department is budgeting $154,000 to purchase equipment including a roller/packer and automated traffic control equipment for upcoming street work, while Parks is looking for $35,000 to replace failing mowers.
The Police Department is forecasting a need for new radios to replace their current obsolete equipment and two new cruisers, resulting in budget line items of $145,000 and $7,000 respectively. Schmidt noted that among other places to save, a single car may be purchased to meet budget requirements, if needed.
Not all of the discussion was about money going out. The rescue unit is forecasting income of at least $175,000 thanks to a move to provide advanced life support services.
Sonnichsen noted that this change was not meant to be a money-maker, but rather allows Broken Bow crews to transport patients more rapidly to larger hospitals, potentially saving lives.
Health insurance looks to be a major driver of personnel-related budget increases in the next year. Schmidt indicated insurance costs for the city will increase nearly 28%. Union-covered city employees should look for a 3% salary increase tied to cost of living and inflation, with non-union officials seeing a similar pay bump.
The final budget will be set at the budget hearing on September 9 at 5:00 PM, with the regular City Council meeting to follow.
