Auditing Willard
The Ledger's review of Willard's budgets, audits, debt and redevelopment money. Every story in the series, sorted by subject, with the figures the records show and links to the official documents.
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Auditing Willard: A small city's budget, its sewer debt and its latest audit
Willard's fiscal 2025 audit reports $2.18 million in General Fund revenue, a $791,817 General Fund balance and $8.63 million in sewer revenue bonds, the city's only bonded debt. The council adopted the fiscal 2026-27 budget on June 25, 2026.
Read the explainer →Key figures
- $791,817Willard General Fund balance, June 30, 2025Auditing Willard: A small city's budget, its sewer debt and its latest audit →
- $2.18 millionWillard General Fund revenue, fiscal 2025Auditing Willard: A small city's budget, its sewer debt and its latest audit →
- $299,000Willard's estimated fiscal 2026-27 contribution to the Perry/Willard plantWillard council approves the Perry/Willard sewer plant budget; Willard's estimated share is about $299,000 →
- $8.63 millionSewer revenue bonds outstanding, June 30, 2025Willard's sewer bonds: $8.63 million outstanding, with principal scheduled through 2045 →
- 226%Sewer debt service coverage, including impact feesWillard's sewer bonds: $8.63 million outstanding, with principal scheduled through 2045 →
- $228,309Remaining liability from developers' 2019 impact fee advanceWillard's fiscal 2025 audit reports $228,309 left on a 2019 developer impact fee advance →
- $793,997Willard police expenses, fiscal 2025 (government-wide)Willard adopts fiscal 2027 budget; mayor and police chief discuss police budget growth →
Debt and bonds
Willard's sewer bonds: $8.63 million outstanding, with principal scheduled through 2045
Willard refinanced its 2008 sewer bonds in 2015 to defer principal because growth came in below expectations, the audit says. $8.63 million remained on June 30, 2025, and the last scheduled payments run through 2045.
Budgets, reserves and taxes
Willard adopts fiscal 2027 budget; mayor and police chief discuss police budget growth
Willard's council adopted its fiscal 2026-27 budget 4-0 on June 25, 2026, and kept the property tax rate unchanged. Mayor Travis Mote said police budget increases had outpaced population growth and inflation; the police chief said salaries drove them.
Willard council approves the Perry/Willard sewer plant budget; Willard's estimated share is about $299,000
Willard's council approved the joint wastewater treatment plant budget 4-0 on June 25, 2026. The minutes record that the circulated document showed a larger variance than the amendment described to the joint sewer board, and that a budget amendment might follow. Willard's estimated contribution was about $299,000 for fiscal 2026-27.
Contracts and spending
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Other findings
Willard's fiscal 2025 audit reports $228,309 left on a 2019 developer impact fee advance
Developers advanced Willard $500,000 of impact fees in fiscal 2019 for utility infrastructure, to be repaid as lot owners pay their own fees. The fiscal 2025 audit reports $228,309 still owed. The water and sewer funds collected $650,115 in impact fees that year.