The City of Boise is still completing new park projects and hiring new staff, but Mayor Lauren McLean also wants to tighten the belt as costs climb.
Tuesday, the Boise City Council held its first budget workshop to delve into the details of its plans for the fiscal year 2026 budget set to be approved later this summer. Like during the council’s first budget briefing in March, staff presented a financial picture of threading a needle between maintaining core city services while also keeping costs down as the price of doing day-to-day business continues to rise.
McLean proposed adding more staff, including additional officers to the Boise Police Department, while also investing in new upgrades to city facilities like a new community pool at Whitney Elementary School, restrooms at Liberty Park, upgrades to 8th Street and funds to repair the condemned Union Block. But, at the same time, her administration also proposed lowering the city’s expected contribution to the city’s healthcare coverage, slightly lower raises for city staff members and a 3% property tax hike, the maximum allowed under state code. Plus, the budget packet includes $1.9 million in foregone tax revenue funded by money city council members chose not to take in the past…