Branson Board gives initial approval to 2026 budget

Allison Ramsey, Finance Director for the City of Branson, presented the 2026 budget to the Branson Board of Aldermen at its October 28, 2025, meeting. It was unanimously approved for a First Reading, will become final on November 25, 2025, if approved for its Second Reading, and will be effective from January 1 through December 31, 2026.

The process for creating the 2026 budget began in June, when city departments began entering their planned spending into the city’s system. Since then, the budget development process has included coordination among city departments and the administration, as well as input and reviews from the City’s Finance Committee. After Ramsey’s presentation and before the vote, Alderman Glen Schulz pretty well expressed the Board’s sentiments when he praised the city staff and the Finance Committee for creating a “fantastic” budget presentation.

When planning the 2026 budget, the city staff was careful, or “conservative,” about how much money they expected the city to earn.

1.       Sales tax: The city budgeted only a 2% increase in sales tax revenue compared to the 2025 budget. They chose this lower number even though sales tax collections have recently been 3% higher than the 2025 budget (and, at one point this year, 4% higher).

2.       Tourism tax: The budget assumes a 4% increase in tourism tax revenue over the 2025 budget. Currently, revenue is showing a much larger 12% increase compared to 2024 numbers.

The plan also includes standard increases for expenses.

1.       Personnel (staff pay): Employees will see a 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and a 4% merit increase.

2.       Health insurance: This cost is expected to go up by 10%.

3.       Work compensation: This is expected to increase by 5%.

4.       Services and supplies: Costs for general supplies and outside contracts are expected to increase by 5% on average compared to the 2025 budget.

The 2026 budget includes some significant changes in spending across different city departments. The largest percentage increases are going to public safety departments.

Here is a look at the budget for each department in 2026, what the budget was in 2025, and how much it changed.

1.       Utilities: The 2026 budget is $19,978,193, which is a 4.0% increase over the estimated 2025 budget of $19,210,570.

2.       Police: The 2026 budget is $11,148,468, marking a substantial 19.0% increase over the estimated 2025 budget of $9,368,461. This large increase is due to staffing costs, the addition of two new positions and funding for “walkers.”

3.       Public Works: The 2026 budget is $9,835,429, which is a -1.0% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $9,934,777.

4.       Fire: The Fire Department is seeing the most significant percentage increase, with a 2026 budget of $9,331,476. This is a 22.0% increase over the estimated 2025 budget of $7,648,751 and includes money for a new fire training facility.

5.       Parks: The 2026 budget is $4,388,076, which is a -2.4% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $4,495,907.

6.       Planning: The 2026 budget is $1,939,711. (The percentage change was not stated, but the budget increased due to new positions and contracts needed for a major development project called TIFF.)

7.       Finance: The 2026 budget is $1,454,189, a -6.2% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $1,550,147.

8.       IT (Information Technology): The 2026 budget is $1,436,851, which is a 5.7% increase over the estimated 2025 budget of $1,359,367.

9.       Legal: The 2026 budget is $1,044,000. (The percentage change was not stated, but this amount reflects an increase due to growing the legal department.)

10.    HR (Human Resources): The 2026 budget is $1,007,380, which is a -6.7% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $1,080,783.

11.    City Administration: The 2026 budget is $988,552, a 5.0% increase over the estimated 2025 budget of $941,478. This rise is mainly due to external contract work, including the creation of a new comprehensive city plan.

12.    City Clerk: The 2026 budget is $711,517. (The percentage change was not stated, but this increased because of higher staffing costs, partly due to the new passport processing center.)

13.    Municipal Court: The 2026 budget is $260,007, a slight 0.4% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $261,044. This department’s budget remained essentially unchanged.

14.    Mayor and Board: The 2026 budget is $126,530, which is a -12.0% decrease from the estimated 2025 budget of $143,784. This reduction was made by looking at average spending over the last three years to ensure the budget wasn’t too high.