City council answers concerns about budgeting process, administrative cohesion

At a public forum last week, Babbitt residents posed thoughts and questions on the 2026 levy increase and its accompanying deliberative process.

Former council member Glenn Anderson questioned the reasoning for the 20 percent levy hike, placing the blame on previous years in which the levy “should have been raised” to compensate for increased expenses, such as a boost in employee salaries.

“At budget time when we sat down and looked at that and came up with what we did, it should have been raised. We argued to raise it, but no, it ended up being where it was,” Anderson said, “A lot of the council members argued on it, that it should be higher.”