Troy's 2026 Budget Takes Center Stage
Vol. III, No. 170 - Wednesday night discussion will focus on city's 2026 spending plan
We Are Feeding our Neighbors here at Civic Capacity
Throughout November, this publication is giving our readers an opportunity where our readers can support local food pantries. Every dollar received from our “Buy Me a Coffee” Page will be given to New Path Food Pantries.
We started November with a modest goal to raise $750. After the 13th day of our campaign, our community has raised $2,360! Our new goal for November is to raise $2,500. Do you want to be part of this effort, along with 57 other donors to help support our efforts? You can by making a donation here:
Later this week, Troy City Council’s Finance Committee will discuss next year’s spending plan for the community - the 2026 budget. And in reality, the budget doesn’t capture the spirit of transformation that sometimes stirs in the community; how long is the community going to keep on talking about housing, child care and transportation and seemingly rely only on private foundations to lead the charge?
Instead, what the community has been given from the city administration is a classic “caretaker” blueprint, designed to keep things running smoothly. With nearly $93 million in expenditures, the plan focuses on basic infrastructure, predictable service delivery, and maintenance, far more than meeting any vision that has been put foward by city leadership.
Reviewing the budget’s priorities and the city’s five-year outlook reveals a commitment to core services—streets, water, sewers, safety departments, parks, and utilities all get what they need to operate consistently. Many capital improvement projects scheduled for 2026, from street resurfacing to equipment upgrades, are necessary steps to prevent service decline rather than moves to move ahead. The budget covers renovations for the police station, begins engineering for future park improvements, and funds design work for upgrades to community facilities. These choices might comfort residents during uncertain economic times, but they don’t invite excitement or foster significant transformation, especially when compared to more visionary approaches that some residents might hope for.
Troy’s administration has shown an abundance of caution, dealing with flat projections for income tax growth even after robust increases in previous years. The community can appreciate the approach, but if there are economic storm clouds on the horizon that explain flat income tax revenue, the administration should at least give some idea on what those economic challenges are and what the city is doing to meet those challenges. In other words, is 0.4% income tax revenue growth here to stay?
There is ongoing public debate with new financing ideas for large downtown improvements. Talk about having downtown property owners pay part of the cost for Public Square renovations through assessments reveals a deeper conversation. Rather than funding upgrades through additional citywide taxes, officials are considering special assessments targeting property that may put additional economic pressures on downtown businesses. This cautious step might help preserve citywide funds, but it’s not the kind of collective action that has energizing, transformative results for Troy overall. Alongside this, there is discussion about reducing property tax rates to keep Troy affordable.
A closer look at the capital improvement plans and department allocations tells the same story. Annual street repaving and basic repairs, utility vehicle replacements, sidewalks, and phased park improvements will keep Troy functional and safe. Park and Recreation Master Plan funding focuses on design and engineering potential projects. Economic development strategies remain unchanged, and many programs see only moderate support, with uncertain partnership plans and no major growth initiatives on the immediate horizon. The city’s emphasis on preparing for future debt, monitoring fund balances, and not overcommitting highlights a prudent, almost austere mindset.
All this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There is sometimes wisdom in acting as a caretaker, especially in periods of financial uncertainty or when economic signals are unclear. Careful stewardship can shield communities from unexpected shocks and give time for big-picture plans to mature. But residents who are seeking some sense of civic direction will not find it in Troy’s 2026 budget. Instead, this year’s plan is about maintaining existing assets, securing basic quality of life, and adapting slowly as new challenges arrive. It’s prudent, stable, and cautious—but it’s almost universally pedestrian, and it will take more than this to spark the next chapter of Troy’s story.
Participate in our November Community Survey!
Back when this project was kicked off over two years ago, this newsletter was imagined as a helpful tool to not only help have our residents understand their community, but also to receive feedback and get ideas on how residents perceived where our hometowns was headed.
In order to achieve that goal, the decision was made to release a small survey that would ask residents their thoughts and feelings every two months. Every month seemed excessive, yet, once a quarter didn’t seem quite frequent enough. The idea was to help create a picture of the sentiment in the community and measure that sentiment over time.
So, throughout November, you can participate in our survey to give your thoughts and feelings on the direction of your hometown!
You can access the survey here:
Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!
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!
Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting your hometown!