Budget work sessions conclude with Public Works and Transportation
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- Four days of public budget discussions for fiscal year 2026 wrapped up Tuesday evening with a closer look at the city's Public Works and Transportation Department.
The department is expected to command the largest share of department funding in the upcoming fiscal year with a proposed budget of $94.2 million, more than twice as much as the next closest department.
The proposed Public Works budget for 2026 includes an overall increase of $7.8 million, or 9%, with grant funding playing a key role in the increase. The department oversees a wide variety of areas, including street maintenance, aviation, water protection, mass transit and the landfill.
Capital improvements within the department will see a notable budget increase from $15.8 million in 2025 to $22.7 million for 2026.
Director Abe Forney said one of their key efforts has been finalizing formal guidelines for coordinating with utility companies on projects that impact pavement and other property, the changes -- called utility cut standards -- are designed to make projects less disruptive to residents and property and more efficient overall.
"They understood the expectations and we tried as hard as we could to make them comply with it. But there was no standard that we could point to them and say, 'Hey, this is how we would like it done,'" Forney said. "I know it's an inconvenience for some of those, customers out there. And it's an inconvenience for us ... this should be good for everybody."
Aviation is proposed to see one of the largest year-to-year increases largely due to $3.9 million in additional grant funding, jumping from $794,333 in 2025 to $4.7 million in 2026 for widespread capital improvements to Rosecrans Memorial Airport and the 139th Airlift Wing.
Key projects for fiscal year 2026 include design of the new runway apron, fuel system and continued development of a new air traffic control tower.
A budget for Mass Transit is proposed to increase from $8.6 to $12.9 million, primarily due to a large increase in capital improvements.
Nearly 50% of planned expenditures for Public Works in 2026 are allocated for the Water Protection Division, which is set to continue critical upgrades -- including a multi-million dollar blower replacement project -- in order to replace aging and outdated infrastructure, part of federally mandated improvements.
Those improvements are closely tied to a new long-range Water Quality Integrated plan, which lays out close to $200 million in sewer and stormwater-related projects over the next decade-plus.
The integrated plan is designed to balance critical long-term infrastructure improvements with ways to reduce compliance costs to the city and St. Joseph customers.
"Anything that we do with the Wastewater Treatment Plant, we're upgrading the facility to make sure that we're trying to reduce the rates on the ratepayers," Forney said. "A lot of that infrastructure is very old."
That plan and potential sewer rate adjustments will be the topic of discussion at an upcoming public hearing scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, at City Hall.
With public budget meetings now over, a finalized plan is expected to go before City Council for first reading on May 27 followed by a final vote on June 9.
