The City of Fort Mitchell reported that it is under budget for this fiscal year at this month’s meeting.
The mayor, council members, and department heads discussed the budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year starting July 1, 2026, at the council meeting on May 18, 2026.
Previous Fort Mitchell Mayor Hehman’s top priorities for the 2025-2026 fiscal year ending on June 30 were public safety and infrastructure needs, and these priorities are also emphasized in the the 2027 fiscal budget, which starts July 1.
“We had a clean audit this year,” said City Administrator Edwin King. “Our financials look good. We are financially strong. Our revenue is coming in higher than expected.”
King reported the city did not enact a tax rate increase in last year’s budget, and there not currently plans to increase it in the upcoming fiscal year either.
At the meeting, City Clerk and Treasurer Amy Guenther walked council members line‑by‑line through the proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.
The new fiscal year sets aside dollars for increased salaries for city employees.
“We want to stay as competitive as we can,” Mayor Greg Pohlgeers said.
Pohlgeers said he met with department heads while preparing the budget. The original proposal included 3% salary increases, which he described as the baseline for competitiveness.
The proposed budget funds 18 officers, including the new Blessed Sacrament School resource officer.
Guenther also reported that the city must begin transitioning to new property tax software, saying the current vendor will no longer support tax billing.
The Fire Department budget includes 19 full‑time positions and funding for new fire and EMS reporting software.
“We had pretty high code enforcement fees this year,” Guenther said. The city unexpectedly generated higher code enforcement fees than anticipated.
The Kentucky Public Service Commission’s approval of a 9.61% Duke Energy rate increase raises Fort Mitchell’s street‑light utilities budget from $70,000 to $82,200.
King said the Park Fund is focused on capital improvements, including $65,000 for volleyball court repairs and plans to seal the pickleball courts, among others.
Some road tax expenditures include Royal Drive construction, Sunnymeade/Cornell realignment and reconstruction, Summit Avenue realignment, and Beechwood Road resurfacing. While no engineering has occurred on Beechwood Road yet, there were discussions during tonight’s meeting to possibly eliminate the parking on that road to widen the sidewalks.
Major equipment purchases in the proposed budget include a new SUV for the Fire Department, along with a small dump truck and pickup truck for Public Works.
Council member Jerry Deatherage, who serves on the finance committee, described the proposal as a “well thought‑out budget.”
Mayor Pohlgeers reiterated that once the city begins receiving revenue from the Fort Mitchell Gateway Project, his goal is to reduce property taxes.
The next Fort Mitchell City Council meeting is scheduled for June 1 at 6:30 p.m. at 2355 Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell.