The Town of Patagonia will hold a regular Town Council meeting Wednesday, June 9 at 6pm in Town Hall Council Chambers at 310 McKeown Avenue. The meeting, which is open to the public, can also be attended via Zoom: meeting I.D. is 957-511-4862, password is 338501.
During the meeting, the Council will conduct a public hearing on the Town’s proposed $6,929,139 budget for fiscal year 2026-7, which begins July 1, 2026. The hearing will include public comments and discussions by Town Council, and will be followed by Council discussion and a possible vote to formally adopt the budget.
Although the proposed budget, prepared by Town Manager Ron Robinson, was previously discussed at Town Council study session on May 6, it has never been made available on the Town’s website. Yesterday, the Town provided the PRT with a collection of files forming the proposed budget, which PRT staff have compiled into a 10-page PDF, downloadable here.
The FY 2027 budget includes $3,346,000 in possible grant income, a massive increase from FY 2026.
The budget also includes an estimated $460,000 shortfall in expected annual sales tax revenues for FY 2026. At the May 6 study session, according to the official minutes, Town Manager Ron Robinson attributed the shortfall to South32 “busing their contractors and employee’s [sic] in for about a year to year and a half and the result of reduced traffic shows up in the local sales tax.”
The proposed FY 2027 expenditures, as listed on Schedule E in the document, include:
- Administration: $512,684
- Fire Contract: $75,000
- Parks: $182,236
- Library: $227,527
- Law Enforcement: $445,977
Other items on the agenda for tonight’s Council meeting include:
- Discussion and possible action to approve an agreement for fire protection and emergency medical services between the Town and Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue.
- Discussion and possible action to accept Rodrigo Sierra-Corona’s resignation from the Town’s Flood & Flow Committee and appoint Chuck Klingenstein in his place.
Here is the full agenda: