Many of the Lynchburg City Council’s Tuesday night tasks follow two main goals: tying up the 2025 fiscal year budget’s loose ends and making adjustments to the 2026 budget now that the new fiscal year is underway.
In practice, that process involves a series of discussions at the finance committee meeting at 3 p.m., followed by public hearings and votes on ordinances at the city council meeting at 7 p.m.
One ordinance up for a public hearing and vote is set to amend the 2025 budget to reflect changes recorded in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. In that quarter, the city documented close to $10 million in additional expenditures — $8 million of which is covered by additional revenues, mainly from state funds. The remaining $1.8 will come from the “transfer or use of committed/assigned/unassigned fund balance,” according to Tuesday’s agenda packet.
A second ordinance up for a public hearing will amend the 2026 fiscal year budget to reflect adjustments from the first quarter, which started in July and wraps up at the end of September. That ordinance documents about $16 million in additional expenditures, with $14.5 million covered by additional revenue and $1.5 million covered by the city’s fund balances.
Some of the 2026 first-quarter adjustments stem from “carry forward” funds, or money that was allocated but not spent, in the 2025 fiscal year. These funds include $200,000 to the police department to replace tactical rifles and purchase training laptops and $60,000 to public works to purchase a mulcher and replace a utility vehicle.
Other 2026 first-quarter adjustments arise from additional revenue provided by the state. State revenue could partially fund a new full-time position in the circuit court clerk’s office, two full-time positions in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, and a full-time position in the sheriff’s office if the ordinance is approved.
After the public hearings for the two sets of adjustments, six ordinances will be voted on to initiate other appropriations.
Those appropriations include:
- More than $250,000, received from the Opioid Abatement Authority, given to the Department of Social Services and three other city programs to support treatment and remediation efforts in the fight against opioid addiction. The allocation to the Social Services Department would help fund four full-time positions for a Child Protective Services unit tasked with providing specialized services to families affected by substance abuse;
- About $150,000, provided by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, given to the police department to purchase forensic and analytical technology, including a spectroscope to aid in the identification of fingerprints and biological fluids;
- $25,000, moved from the 2026 General Fund Reserve for Contingencies to the operating budget, to fund the Central Virginia Alliance for Community Living. The organization has historically received financial support from all five of the localities it serves, including Lynchburg. Lynchburg removed its funding “without any notice after 50 years of support,” Margaret McCanna, resource and policy development manager for the organization, said at a city council meeting last month. She urged Lynchburg to restore its funding so the program can continue to secure state and federal matches.
Other topics on the table Tuesday night include revisiting the city council’s rules of procedure amendment process and zoning reviews of proposed short-term rentals and townhomes, both occurring at a 4 p.m. work session. All meetings will take place in City Hall.
