With a $21 million deficit in the 2026 budget addressed, the Greeley City Council turned its attention to other costly projects in an attempt to save a few extra hundred thousand dollars.
Through several methods, including carrying over $11 million from 2024 and realigning work expectations, the city has managed to close the $21 million gap between the overestimated revenue from 2025 and city expenditures. Budget and Policy Director Nathan Mosley said the city will remain on a hiring freeze as it seeks to transition away from temporary staffing for 2027.
“While we were able to close the gap in the 2026 budget, structural issues remain in the 2027 budget process, which will require strategic, disciplined and prioritized decisions to set the organization on a financially sustainable path,” Mosley said.
With the budget in good shape for 2026, council members turned the discussion toward the possibility of adding expenses and removing others to free up more of the city’s finances. Councilwoman Melissa McDonald continued her campaign for additional firefighters, requesting three more firefighters in addition to the three already added in the 2026 budget.
Describing it as a need rather than a want, McDonald suggested the city delay purchasing a new fire truck in favor of hiring additional firefighters. Mosley said the change was possible and that there would be no short-term issues, but it would create problems further down the road.
“It’s something that we can certainly do in the short term. It just makes it more difficult in the later years,” Mosley said. “We’re seeing around 8% year-over-year cost increases to fire apparatus. So a $1.9 million vehicle now would be over $4 million when we have to replace it 10 years from now.”
City council members celebrated the inclusion of year-round funding for the United Way of Weld County Homeless Shelter, with Councilman Tommy Butler referring to it as “the triumph of the budget.” The shelter opened Thursday and is the city’s only low-barrier shelter, meaning it will accept residents who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
For Councilman Johnny Olson, however, this was a sticking point.
“I really struggle when there are people in a shelter that are trying to be clean, and then we put people in there that are high or drunk,” Olson said. “It’s almost to a point where I don’t know if I can vote for the budget, even though I agree with the concept. It puts me in a really bad position.”
Ernest Cienfuegos-Baca, United Way of Weld County’s vice president of community impact, assured Olson that the shelter has the means to keep residents safe while providing help to those in need. Cienfuegos-Baca also emphasized that the shelter’s goal is to keep all residents in the city alive and connect them to services that can help them overcome any addictions they may be struggling with.
Cienfuegos-Baca’s explanation was not enough to sway Ward 4 city council candidate Bill Gillard, who spoke out against the shelter.
“I think we have to look at what we need, not what we want right now,” Gillard said. “I think the homeless shelter is a good idea, but where’s the money coming from? The taxpayers. Don’t you think we’re getting tired of paying for something that doesn’t work?”
The council’s biggest disagreement on Tuesday, however, came from the inclusion of the Poudre River Restoration Project in the budget, even though the council hasn’t approved it yet. The contention revolved around whether the $500,000 allocated in the budget would be used for flood mitigation or for other aspects of the project on which staff are currently seeking input.
Senior urban transportation planner Victoria Leonhardt said the cost can drop to $300,000, all of which would go toward the modeling for flood mitigation, a primary purpose of the project. This modeling will give staff more information to validate which approach to flood mitigation would be most effective.
McDonald and Olson were strongly opposed to including this project in the budget, believing that flood mitigation should be separated from the project. McDonald was primarily displeased with the appearance that the staff was attempting to bypass council approval by gathering opinions from residents about the project. In contrast, Olson said he simply doesn’t trust staff not to abuse the council’s permission.
“The reason why I hate tying it to a project, since I’ve been on council, is that when we tie something to a project that gives staff permission to do all of it, I don’t want to get caught up in that cycle,” Olson said. “I get that we’re going to trust that we’re going to bring these back, but I don’t trust that much. I’m sorry.”
The 2026 budget was approved without any revisions or changes in a 5-2 vote, with McDonald and Olson being the only votes against it.
“I doubt if there is a more massive undertaking in city government than to work on a budget. So to all of you involved in budget preparation, I want to publicly commend you for the massive budget book you put together,” Mayor John Gates said. “I hope that we’ve given you some finality tonight and a way to move forward, and it won’t be long before you’ll be working on the ’27 budget. And guess what? I’ll be watching from home.”
To see the approved budget, go to bit.ly/Greeley2026Budget.
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