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Watertown City Council Approves $795K Budget Cleanup for Airport, Public Works and Recreation Projects

Notebook page with Budget title, pen, charts and pie graphs, The City of Watertown logo, and Northeast Radio SD badge.

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - In a unanimous vote, the Watertown City Council approved a mid-year budget cleanup during its August 3, 2026, meeting, authorizing several supplemental appropriations and line-item transfers to fund ongoing city projects.


The council held the second reading of Ordinance No. 26-23, which supplements the original 2026 budget to meet various departmental needs. Finance Officer Kristen Bobzien presented the ordinance to the council, noting that the item was a standard procedural move for the midpoint of the fiscal year.

“There was no changes from the first reading,” Bobzien explained. “Again, this is just kind of a mid-year cleanup. Everything that’s on here had already been discussed at some stage, and it’s just to kind of help those budgets get realigned to help the departments out.”

Following Bobzien’s brief presentation, Councilman Kyle Peters made a motion to approve the ordinance, which Councilman Dan Schutte seconded. It passed without further discussion.


Supplemental Appropriations Breakdown

The ordinance authorized a total of $795,710 in supplemental appropriations drawn from unassigned fund balances across the General Fund and the Capital Improvement Sales Tax Fund.


General Fund (101) Appropriations:

·         $14,500 allocated for Consultant Fees and Recreational Facility Improvements.


Capital Improvement Sales Tax Fund (212) Appropriations:

·         $415,550 for a Transfer Out to the Airport.

·         $270,000 for Public Works Machinery & Equipment.

·         $55,000 for Building Improvements at the Industrial Park and Other.

·         $21,360 for Tennis and Pickleball Court Improvements.

·         $19,300 for Land acquisition under Street System Improvements.


Budget Line-Item Transfers

In addition to new appropriations, Ordinance No. 26-23 approved three line-item transfers to shift existing funds toward high-priority infrastructure and safety needs.


1. Airport Equipment Relocation Project

A total of $355,000 was transferred within the Capital Improvement Fund to support the Airport equipment relocation project. These funds were gathered from three separate budgets that were redirected to Project Construction:

·         $250,000 from Miscellaneous Drainage Improvements.

·         $75,000 from the Fire Training Center.

·         $30,000 from Park and Playground Improvements.


2. Solid Waste Hoop Barn

The city transferred $165,000 within the Solid Waste Fund to cover the construction of a new Hoop Barn. This transfer was made possible because a previously budgeted curbtender refuse truck was deemed no longer needed. The funds were moved directly from “Refuse Trucks” to “Improvements Other than Bldg”.


3. Dive Rescue Equipment

Finally, $8,644 in the General Fund was transferred from Codington County Search & Rescue to the Safety Supplies budget specifically to purchase Dive Rescue Equipment.

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