Fort Atkinson's 2026 City Budget Cycle Begins

The Fort Atkinson city government has published its planning schedule for the 2026 annual Operating Budget. Also included in this activity is development of the city’s Capital Improvements Budget for the six-year period from 2026 through 2031. These city budgeting processes occur every year.

The Fort Atkinson Independent Reporter will provide additional information and background as it becomes available, so that you can better understand the process and participate accordingly.

What The City Budget Is

The Fort Atkinson city budget is the governing document which spells out how much revenue is expected for the coming calendar year, and how much money will be spent for public services from that revenue.

What The Budget Does

The city budget determines the city’s property tax levy (total tax revenues needed to provide public services) and the mill rate (also known as the property tax rate). The mill rate is important for calculating how much property tax is owed on a property based on that property’s assessed value. One mill is equal to $1 in property tax per $1,000 of a property's assessed value.

Why It's Important to Know

It is important for citizens to know the “who-what-why-when-how” of this process – the heart of city finances. All too often, as funds are disbursed for local public services and capital improvements in the course of business, citizens raise concerns about these expenditures without knowing the process – and particularly that the process is open for public participation.

The time for citizens to get better acquainted with the budget process is during the budget process, and not when disbursed the following year.

Budget In Depth: Two Pieces

There are two parts to Fort Atkinson’s city budget: the operating budget and the capital improvements budget, also known as the capital improvements projects budget, or CIP.

The city’s operating budget is a planned, itemized summary of revenues coming into the city’s treasury, and the expenditures allocated for public services and city maintenance for a period of time. In this upcoming budget planning cycle, the operating budget period will be for calendar year 2026, which is also the city’s fiscal year.

The capital budget or CIP lays out the city’s budgeting for long-term investments such as infrastructure, new equipment, and replacement of existing assets owned by the city. The CIP budget period for this upcoming planning cycle will be for the period 2026 through 2031.

Budget Process by Law

Fort Atkinson’s budgeting process is governed by city ordinance, also known as the municipal code. The ordinance states that, “It shall be the duty of the city manager to submit and recommend to the [city] council an itemized estimate or budget covering the financial needs and requirements of the city for all purposes for the ensuing fiscal year. The budget shall likewise include detailed estimates of all anticipated revenues and shall specify the amount necessary to be raised by taxation to meet the requirements of the recommended fiscal program.”

This ordinance directs the city council to consider the city manager’s recommended budget, make any changes, “and shall, not later than their first regular meeting in December, adopt such budget as so amended.”

The city council will determine “the amount of money to be raised by taxation for all city purposes for the ensuing year and shall specifically appropriate for the operation of each office, department or function the amount as fixed in the budget.”

Upcoming Budget Planning Schedule

Following is the 2026 operating budget and 2026-2031 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) development schedule:

• Wednesday, July 9, 2025: Discussion of the 2026 Budget and the 2026-2031 Capital Improvements Plan with the city’s management team at a regular meeting to be held at 8:30am, via Zoom.

• Wednesday, July 9, 2025: This marks the start of a 30-day period, in which department managers will prepare budget proposals for 2026, together with forecasted or anticipated capital improvements projects for the period 2026-2031.

• Friday, August 8, 2025 at 5:00pm: Two event deadlines occur on this date: (1) departments will submit all 2026 budget and 2026-2031 CIP numbers and supporting narrative documents; and (2) departments will also submit year-end projections for the close of their 2025 budgets.

• Wednesday, August 13, 2025: Internal review of the 2026 operating budget forecast, and the 2026-2031 CIP projects requests from the departments.

• August 14, 25 & 26; and September 4 & 5, 2025: Meetings of department managers, city finance director, and city manager are scheduled on these dates to review proposed budgets and CIP requests.

• Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 5:00pm: The city Finance Committee will meet to discuss 2026 wages and the 2026 Schedule of Fees.

• Wednesday, September 17, 2025: City management team will meet to discuss the operating and CIP budget first drafts.

• Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 4:00-9:00pm: City management team will present the draft 2026 operating budget and 2026-2031 CIP to the city council in council chambers at City Hall, 101 North Main Street. Public attendance needed!

• Tuesday, October 21, 2025: Date for official publication of Notice of Public Hearing and Budget Summary.

• Thursday, November 4, 2025: Regularly scheduled city council meeting to include a public hearing on the 2026 operating budget.

• Tuesday, November 18, 2025: Regularly scheduled city council meeting to include formal adoption of the 2026 operating budget.

The Fort Atkinson Independent Reporter will provide additional information and background on the budget process as it becomes available.

Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman