Council approves budget, discusses subdivision

After a brief delay to crunch some more numbers, the Lovell Town Council passed a budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year during a special meeting on June 19.

Having tabled the annual appropriations ordinance 1034 during the regular meeting on June 9, the council considered the ordinance again on the 19^th and passed it unanimously. The ordinance sets a budget of $4,291,776 for the year that began July 1, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2027.

In other business on June 19, the council discussed the Don Davis Sugar Farm Subdivision just west of Lovell. The Town of Lovell formed a subcommittee to deal with the issues surrounding the development consisting of council members Mike Grant and Bob Mangus, town administrator Jed Nebel and public works director Adrin Mayes. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the full council to consider later.

Issues include water supply to the proposed subdivision. The land is technically in the Northwest Rural Water District, but Davis has requested in recent months to tap into the Town of Lovell water system.

Nebel said the subcommittee has met with the water district  to hear concerns, and he noted that a 24-inch crude oil pipeline owned by Enbridge Inc. runs through the middle of the subdivision land.

The next regular meeting of the council is scheduled for July 14, and a work meeting will be held one hour prior to the regular meeting.