Aubrey's City Council will vote Thursday, Nov. 19, on the first budget amendment of the 2026-27 fiscal year, a housekeeping measure that also puts money behind the new firefighter positions the city won through a federal grant.
The fire department received a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant from FEMA, commonly called SAFER, which pays most of the cost of adding firefighters. Fire Chief Eric Schlotter told the council at its Oct. 22 meeting that the award totals $1.7 million, according to draft minutes in the meeting packet.
FEMA pays back three-quarters of the salary cost, and the city pays the remaining quarter. For this fiscal year, the staff report estimates the positions will cost $693,660. FEMA's share would be $520,245, and Aubrey's $173,415 would come out of General Fund reserves and move into a separate fund created to keep the grant's costs and reimbursements apart from regular operations.
The report does not say how many firefighters the grant pays for.
Projects that ran past Sept. 30
Most of the amendment's dollars are carryovers. When the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, a number of projects the council had already approved were not finished, had bills outstanding or were holding retainage, money withheld from contractors until the city signs off on the work.
The amendment moves $27,680,908 in unspent balances into the current budget, covered by bond money and reserves the city already has.
The single largest piece is the wastewater treatment plant expansion, with $9.3 million left on its contracts, including $1.75 million in retainage.
Other carried-over work includes the McNatt Street extension, the Trivedi well, the Faulkner ground storage tank and a delivery point from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District, along with the sports complex, Main Street Phase 2, the fire training tower, an armored personnel carrier and downtown parking work.
