Tonight's Finance Committee Meeting on 2026 City Budget to be Recorded
Vol. III, No. 172 - A move towards openness and transparency is made
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Monday night, it was announced at the Troy City Council meeting that tonight’s Finance Committee meeting highlighting the city’s 2026 budget will be recorded and possibly live-streamed. This quite announcement was made more impactful by a news released and a social media post that the city later pushed forward.
This decision is an important step forward for public transparency, one that stands in stark contrast to the city’s previous approach. Past budget meetings—arguably the most significant work sessions held by the Finance Committee each year—were traditionally conducted in the basement of City Hall, well out of public view and without video documentation. This practice made it difficult for the public to follow or participate meaningfully in deliberations about how millions of dollars in public funds are allocated for critical city services, public safety, and infrastructure. The move to provide video and strive for real-time accessibility shows a new commitment to open government and hands the public a powerful tool for oversight and engagement.
Council Committee meetings are often described as a city council’s “sausage-making” sessions—the place where substantive discussion, debate, and scrutiny of legislative proposals take place before any votes are cast. These are the working sessions where councilmembers and residents ask questions, raise concerns, and shape resolutions and ordinances that ultimately affect the lives of residents. Traditionally held in the more formal and accessible Council Chambers, recent budget meetings have instead occurred in the basement of City Hall, a space that is not only difficult for many to access but also ill-suited for open government. While there are legitimate logistical reasons why these meetings are held in the baement conference room, there was really no excuse why these meetings could not be recorded or livestreamed. The technology is available to make it happen.
This year’s budget deliberations are especially significant given the dramatic change in the city’s financial outlook. According to the budget presentation, income tax revenues—one of the main sources of operating funds for Troy—are projected to increase by only 0.4% in 2026. This is a sharp slowdown from the recent past: income tax collections rose by 5.5% from 2023 to 2024 and 5.3% from 2024 to 2025. The projected “flat” growth for 2026 is surprising and raises legitimate questions about the broader health of Troy’s local economy. A sustained decline in the growth of income tax revenue can often point to slowing business activity, changes in employment trends, or other economic headwinds that could have knock-on effects on city services and workforce stability.
These concerns are magnified by other fiscal challenges noted in the budget, such as uncertainties surrounding property tax collections, especially with potential changes in property assessments around the city’s Public Square. As city leaders themselves observe, the combination of slower revenue growth and potential assessment upheaval could put additional pressure on the city’s ability to maintain services without digging deep into reserves.
By ensuring that this year’s Finance Committee budget workshop is both recorded and available to the public via streaming, city officials are making the process far more transparent. Residents who are not able to attend in person can now watch the discussions later or attempt to follow them live on social media—offering both real-time oversight and an accessible record for journalists, advocates, and researchers. This is particularly important since budget meetings often involve dense presentations, jargon, and fast-moving discussions that benefit from being reviewable after the fact.
Above all else, it is important to recognize and appreciate the council members who advocated for this change and made it happen, especially Finance Committee Chairman Todd Severt. Steps toward greater transparency and accessibility in government—especially in local budgets, which affect everything from public safety to road maintenance to recreation—deserve recognition and encouragement. By raising the standard for openness and citizen engagement, the Finance Committee have set a valuable precedent for the future.
This is a huge win for our community as our residents have access to the important discussions that decide how our tax dollars are being spent here in our hometown.
Participate in our November Community Survey!
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A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!
Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.
Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?
Our publication has recently released our September 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!
Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!
In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importantly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!
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