The Fayette city council carved out around $350,000 of its 2025-26 fiscal year budget for street overlays. The Board of Aldermen passed the new budget during its most recent meeting held on Tuesday, June 24.

Budgeted expenses total $6,333,814.53, against anticipated revenues of $6,477,029.71, leaving a surplus of $143,215.18 to help cover any unexpected costs or mitigate unanticipated revenue shortfalls.

“There was overage there in the expense department that we didn’t realize was there. So that in itself was a huge, huge help,” said city administrator Deanna Cooper.

Along with the passage of the latest operating budget, council members voted unanimously and without discussion to increase sewer rates by three percent.

For the first time in decades, the city has allocated a significant amount of money for street improvements, meeting a growing demand from citizens. The city will pay to repave sections of four streets, including West Davis and West Morrison streets between downtown and Highway 5, as well as Spring and Lucky streets west of Highway 5, around the public school.

Several intersections are going to see repaving as well, but that work will be primarily, if not totally, paid for by the downtown CID.

The new budget also contains $40,000 budgeted for raises for city employees. Raises will be merit-based, rather than across-the-board cost-of-living adjustments. Supervisors will determine raises for their departments.

In addition, the city earmarked $57,000 for outstanding audits. City Hall is still catching up on audits from years past. Once caught up, the city will be eligible for grant funding for further infrastructure improvements, such as streets.

The city had been working on the 2021 audit for more than a year and a half. Retired CPA John Miller came to the city’s aid to complete the audit. For his volunteerism, Mayor Greg Stidham presented Mr. Miller with a Certificate of Appreciation. 

“He met with auditors on several occasions and was instrumental in getting the audit completed,” Mayor Stidham said.

This year’s budget for the Fayette Police Department totals $656,337.66, not including raises. The fate of the department is unknown. Chief David Ford confirmed to this newspaper he plans to retire on August 1. That same day, Captain Greg Lanham also plans to retire, leaving the department without its two senior-most officers. City government has expressed interest in transitioning from a City Marshal, who is elected by the people’s vote, to a Chief of Police, who is appointed by the city council. Such a change would require voter approval in a simple majority. If voters were to approve the measure in November, the change would go into effect after the  Marshal’s current term expires in April. Although it has not been formally announced, City Hall observers consider it likely that the change will be put before voters in November. In the meantime, the mayor will have to appoint, and the council will have to approve, a new City Marshal to serve the remainder of Mr. Ford’s term.

Elsewhere in the city’s new budget is $72,363 sidelined for the Fayette Fire Department to cover salaries, training, facility maintenance, radio equipment, and other regular department expenses. The Parks department, which includes the Fayette City Pool and splash pad, will have 231,225.34 with which to work. The splash pad, constructed for $321,900, all donated, opened in July 2022. It has not been in operation so far this summer due to ongoing issues with the filter system. The city announced on social media on June 27 that the splash pad will remain closed until further notice, with no estimated reopening date, although repairs continued as of this writing.

The city budgeted $25,000 for economic development, the same amount as last year. Five thousand dollars will go to the Boonslick Economic Development Corporation, and $10,000 will go toward funding for Downtown Fayette, still commonly known as Fayette Main Street.

Council members voted to fund an extra position at the water department to train a new employee in advance of a retiring employee. An additional $58,000 was budgeted to buy a vacuum trailer.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. The next meeting will be held on July 8. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.