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Proposed 2026 budgets from the community and economic development director, parks, cemetery, street, airport and building and planning were presented to the Warsaw Common Council Monday.
No action was taken and the council asked few questions. The remaining city budgets will be presented at the council’s 6 p.m. Aug. 18 meeting.
Jeremy Skinner, community and economic development director, presented the seven budgets he previously presented to the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission.
The Warsaw Technology Park fund was established when the Technology Park was created. State statute allows the city to collect up to $5 million, and Skinner said they’re getting close to that. Within the next two years, they’ll probably collect the maximum. After that, additional tax has to be created to be collected and the maximum is set at about $150,000 per year. The Tech Park also has to be recertified every four years.
The fund’s proposed budget for 2026 is $650,000, up from $450,000.
“Primarily, what the Redevelopment Commission has been targeting is the Orthopedic Innovation and Research Center. So the intent would be to use the majority of these funds to establish that center and working with Grace and their engineering college, which is why we acquired the Warsaw Chemical site to create that innovation center as part of our technology park,” Skinner said.
The Redevelopment General Fund is the only tax rate-supported fund. The Redevelopment General operates over the entire city, so the funds can be spent on any projet over the entire city and are not subject to being targeted toward a specific district. It’s 2026 budget is proposed at $293,730, up slightly from $292,180 in 2025.
His other budgets were given as Marketplace TIF, $152,272; Northern Residential TIF, $733,000; Southern Residential TIF, $400,000; Redevelopment Northern TIF, $6,451,058; and Winona Interurban, $75,000.
On the Marketplace TIF, Skinner said, “I’m expecting we’ll have some news on the Marketplace in the next couple months. And I’m pretty sure there will not be a gap after that news is released to the public. I’m feeling pretty good about that project.”
On the Northern TIF district, Skinner said the district has changed over the years. Initially, the district was where Lowe’s and Walmart are at. The Eastern TIF district is where Meijer is at, and there was a gap between the Eastern and Northern districts. As the two districts grew, they became one. Then the Central TIF district - the historic downtown district - grew and merged with the Northern and Eastern districts, so now there’s one larger TIF district referred to simply as the Northern TIF district.
“So it encompasses a large section of Warsaw, which the benefit to that is that it gives us a lot of ability to impact certain districts within Warsaw,” Skinner said.
A large portion of that district will expire in 2030, but Skinner said hopefully the city can continue to build in the Eastern district and keep that engine running.
For 2026, the big projects are to try to get Anchorage Road completed, a potential roundabout at Husky Trail and CR 200N and a million dollars of infrastructure around Millworks. Millworks is the mixed-using housing development downtown Warsaw where the former Owen’s Supermarket used to be.
“That $4 million will target those products over the next year and a half,” he said.
Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Larry Plummer presented the three budgets the Parks Board approved at their previous meeting. Those include Parks and Recreation Fund, $3,443,800, a 6% increase above the 2025 approved budgets; park non-reverting fund, $27,350; and park non-reverting fund, $45,000, a 19% reduction.
Oakwood Cemetery sexton Hal Heagy presented his two budgets, which were approved by his board at their prior meeting. Those include the Oakwood Cemetery fund, $945,912, up 4.4% from 2025’s $905,655; and the cemetery permanent fund, $145,000, up 7% from 2025’s $135,000.
Street Superintendent Dustin Dillon presented five budgets. Those include the department’s general fund at $7,195,805, up about 5.8% from 2025’s $6,801,090; motor vehicle highway, $350,000, down 22.22% from 2025’s $450,000; local roads and streets, $300,000 down 14.29% from 2025’s $350,000; motor vehicle highway restricted fund, $350,000, down 22.22% from 2025’s $450,000; and wheel tax, $600,000, down 14.29% from $700,000 in 2025.
Two budgets were presented by Airport Manager Nick King, who previously presented his budgets to the Board of Aviation Commissioners. Those include aviation general fund, $2,016,612, up 4.86% from $1,923,106 in 2025; and aviation depreciation fund (capital outlays fund), $685,000.
The aviation depreciation fund includes $500,000 provided by the county. The rest of the fund is money from 2025 being rolled into 2026.
City Planner Justin Taylor presented the last budget of the day, which was for building and planning. It is proposed at $1,023,035 for 2026, a 3% increase of $27,891 from $995,144 in 2025.
According to information previously provided by Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christansen, the budget has to be advertised on Gateway no later than Sept. 2 or at least 10 days before the public hearing on Sept. 15.
The salary ordinance must be adopted by Nov. 1, with the elected salary ordinance adopted by Dec. 31. The deadline to adopt 2026 budgets, rates and levies is Nov. 1.
The council meeting on Sept. 15 will start at 7 p.m. for the 2026 budget adoption public hearing and first reading. The budget adoption hearing/final reading will be Oct. 6.
