It’s important to note that most of that money (almost 80%) is used to support wages and benefits of City employees. A large chunk of that are MPD wages – keep that in mind as you read further…Mayor Davis stated, “We have the headwinds of the persistent issue of ongoing expenses exceeding our ongoing revenues.” Most importantly, this matter was addressed PRIOR to the FY26 budget adoption, which occurred August 18, 2025. It wouldn’t be until January 2026 when staff realized something was amiss, that MPD was “eating through” their wage budget quicker than anticipated. Finally, we need to increase fees for certain City services and licensing that can add almost $1,000,000 in revenue from those who use these specific services, rather than taxpayers as a whole.