The Fort Thomas City Council on June 15 approved the second reading of its 2026–2027 fiscal year budget, along with a budget amendment for the current fiscal year and updated personnel and pay classifications for the year ahead.
The new budget outlines $19.28 million in general fund revenues, with additional revenues from the health insurance fund ($1.7 million), debt service fund ($694,665), KDOT fund ($1.96 million), CBD fund ($1.1 million) and waste fee fund ($1.83 million).
On the spending side, general administration expenditures total $2.05 million, police $6.08 million, fire $4.33 million, and recreation $1.33 million, which includes the city’s $14,000 contract with CORA. Capital expenditures amount to $3.8 million, and Grow Grants totaling $120,000, bringing overall general fund expenditures to $22.93 million.
Fort Thomas’ special revenue fund expenditures show steady spending levels for the coming year, with the health insurance fund totaling $2.036 million, all attributed to operating expenses. The debt service fund includes $694,665 in expenditures, while the KDOT fund accounts for $1.92 million and the CBD fund totals $1.1 million. The waste fee fund rounds out the budget with $1.83 million in planned expenditures.
The total combined expenditures for fiscal year 2026-2026 total $30.5 million, and the total combined revenues total $26.57 million.
There is a carry-over balance from all funds (general, health insurance, debt service, KDOT, CBD, waste fee) of $12.65 million.
The amendment to the fiscal year 2025–2026 budget reflects an increase in total revenues from $20.69 million to $23.2 million, driven largely by higher license and permit revenues, which rose from $7.64 million to $9.46 million.
During public comment, Caileen Tallant‑Adams, director and founder of Tallant Music Studio, expressed disappointment that the city withheld funding from the Merchants & Music Festival.
“When the financial issues, however you want to define it, came about, the first thing that was called to be cut was the arts,” Tallant-Adams said.
Mayor Andy Ellison also noted that findings from a forensic audit—launched to trace a $322,000 discrepancy and conducted by Dean Dorton for just under $35,000—are expected within the next few weeks. The firm is reviewing three years of financial records and will return to council with a written report.
“I had no reason to believe there was fraud. We just thought it was bad bookkeeping,” Ellison said.
The next Fort Thomas City Council meeting is July 20 at the Fort Thomas City Building, 130 North Fort Thomas Avenue.
