Roseville approves budget for 2025-26 fiscal year, officers receive badges

ROSEVILLE — The City Council passed Roseville’s budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which starts on July 1 and ends June 30, at its April 22 meeting.

Roseville Controller John Walters provided a presentation of the budget at the meeting, showing an overview of the city’s general fund, property tax revenue, state-shared revenues, general fund expenditures and community development block grant funding. The presentation showed trends to provide context for the current budget. Roseville Mayor Robert Taylor thanked Walters for the presentation.

“I know back in 2020 we were in dire need,” Taylor said. “We almost had the state of Michigan coming in and running our city. But, we put our heads together with our employees. I know the employees took some cuts and we did some budget adjustments and we’re back above the water now.”

The total revenue expected for the fiscal year is $47,420,092, which is up about $1.5 million from last year. Fifty-six percent of the city’s revenue comes from property taxes, which are expected to bring in $26,427,950 with administrative fees. Other revenue — charges for services, the highway reimbursement fund, federal grants, state grants, local grants, and licenses and permits — account for 18% of the city’s projected revenue.

Assessed value in the city is expected to continue its upward climb from a drop-off from 2010 to 2014, which Walters attributed to the housing market crash. Property tax revenue has been increasing since 2021 and is expected to be at $26,427,950 for 2026, though Walters said the upward trend is expected to level off.

“I’m assuming once inflation gets under control that property tax revenue will start leveling off because that CPI (consumer price index) will go back down,” Walters said in an interview after the meeting. 

While Walters said the city’s state-shared revenue has improved in recent years — it’s at $6,285,000 for 2026 — it still hasn’t hit the high water mark of 2001. According to a chart he showed at the meeting, the lost revenue totals $31.9 million.

The city’s expenditures total $47,420,092. The single biggest cost in the budget is for police at 29.7%, $14,073,975, followed by fire at 16.2%, $7,662,484. On a pie chart showed by Walters, a category listed as “other” accounts for 32.6% of costs or $15,449,069. “Other” describes a range of city costs from planning to sanitation. Walters said the costs showed an increase of 3.3% from last year. He said the city budgeted for an $800,000 surplus.

“When property taxes go up more than what our wages are for contracts, we’re set up for a surplus,” he said.

Walters said some contracts are set up to be ratified, so this surplus may go away in the future.

Since a low in 2021, the city’s general fund balance has continued its upward trend and is expected to be at $16,706,662 by 2026. At the end of the last fiscal year the fund was at $14,462,312. 

In 2029, Walters expects the fund balance to start decreasing. Walters said inflation, the city’s contracts and a leveling off of property tax increases is expected to negatively impact the fund balance.

CDBG funds totaled $545,000 for the fiscal year, which is up $15,000 from last year. In the final breakdown, $30,000 for the minor home repair program was reallocated. The $30,000 went to two places: $20,000 for city hall bathroom improvements and $10,000 for code enforcement.

Jim Gammicchia, administrative services specialist, Roseville Community and Economic Development Department, said the home repair program was no longer possible, so the funds were moved.

“It’s been tough, I was really hoping we could do it,” he said after the meeting.

Gammicchia said Macomb County had previously provided the service but, when the county found it wasn’t able to meet federal regulations, it had to stop offering Roseville the service. He said the city did not currently have the resources to provide the service in-house.

However, there are alternatives. Macomb Community Action provides some of the same services for county residents. More information about these programs can be found at macombgov.org/departments/macomb-community-action or by calling (586) 469-6999.

Gammicchia said all subrecipients, like St. Vincent de Paul and Maggie’s Wig’s 4 Kids of Michigan, were 100% funded based on their requests this year.

“There will likely be some tweaking numbers for dollars and cents here and there, but I don’t foresee any of the subrecipient allocations changing unless there’s a drastic decrease in our funding,” he said.

 

Police officers receive badges

At the April 22 meeting, officers from the Roseville Police Department received their badges. The new officers include Allyson Ruppel, Connor Bergeron, Nicholas Stachowski, Kellen Przywara and Mitchell Ernatt. All the officers are currently assigned to the night shift.

In order to receive their badges, officers had to get through a year of probation, completing their field training with the department. 

“Basically, learn how to do the job,” Police Chief Mitch Berlin said. “You go to the police academy, that teaches you the book work and gives you the basic tools. Then you come to the department, we have field training officers that teach them the job and get them out on the street.”

Berlin described getting the badges as “tough.” He explained the ceremony was especially unusual this year because four of the new officers were getting pinned by legacy members of departments in the region.

Stachowski’s father served with the Clinton Township Police Department, Bergeron’s father put in time with the St. Clair Shores Police Department, Ernatt’s father is currently an officer with Roseville’s department and Przywara’s father was with Eastpointe’s department.

Berlin singled out Ruppel, saying that the department rarely gets officers from Oakland County.

“She’s phenomenal on the street,” Berlin said. “She’s what we want every officer to be: the nicest person in the world, but you can turn it up when you have to.”

The department promoted Justin Thorngate and Alex Witan to the rank of sergeant, and Thomas Trewhella and Justin Forrest to lieutenant.

Berlin also recognized Doreen Powell for her service as a crossing guard at Roseville Community Schools for over a decade. She fractured her hand this year when directing kids across the road, according to Berlin. Powell is also a lunch room supervisor.

“We’re very pleased that Doreen has chosen to stay with us as long as she has,” he said. “We’re here to recognize her for outstanding service to the city of Roseville Police Department as well as Roseville Community Schools.”