We recently created a West Lafayette Budget Analysis Tool (it’s in beta) that helps anyone dive in, see, and compare budget information over the years for the City of West Lafayette.
We shared it with Mayor, Clerk, Councilors, and Controller as well. As of August 8th, the Controller and Mayor have not offered to release the draft budget data that includes all of the categories and sub-categories that are typically sent to the DLGF by November 1st.
We have also asked in an email for the City Council to help with the release of this data for 2027.
The tool has two analysis modes with data going back to 2023:
- Explorer option: allowing you to dive into the levels of the budget and compare the total dollars and the percentage of the budget each line item
- Trends option: allowing you to compare funds over time and see the percentage of the budget, difference from previous year percentage, and total dollars
More analysis tools to come as well.
Questions
Now, with this tool, we can see information and begin to ask questions. What questions come to mind for you? Email us at questions[/a/]bestlafayette.com.
Why is the Clerk’s budget being decreased, in proportion to the total budget, YOY?
Not only is the August 3rd draft budget removes ~$22k from the Clerk’s office, it also has been going down as a percentage of the total budget each year. The core responsibility of the Clerk’s office is to manage the record keeping aspects of the City, including public records requests. With the aggressive development we have experienced over the past several years, this critical function should receive additional funds, not less.
What was the EDIT fund established for the Mayor in 2026 used for? How much will it be in 2027?
A new fund for the Mayor’s office was created in 2026. Since we don’t have the drill down data available, we don’t know how much is being proposed for 2027, nor do we know what this fund was used for. May need to do some spelunking into the minutes of meetings.
What material impact will the decrease in total funds and percentage of budget for the Motor Vehicle Highway have on our City? What caused the $2.6 million increase between 2025 and 2026?
The Fire Department is proposed to go up ~$1.3 million in 2027, which would return it closer to the 2023 proportion of the budget.
