By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council voted to adopt the 2025-26 fiscal year budget preparation calendar during a regular council meeting on Jan. 27.
The village council adopts the calendar every year so the council and public have a clear understanding of every step involved in the budget preparation and adoption process, according to Village Manager Darwin McClary.
The calendar includes actions scheduled each month through August and in February and March of 2026.
Although the schedule listed village council as scheduling goal-setting work sessions on Jan. 27, the sessions were not scheduled because not all village council members responded to a poll McClary sent out.
According to the schedule, this month village council will conduct the goal setting work sessions, the Oakland County Equalization Division will submit preliminary property assessments to the clerk/treasurer, and department directors will submit departmental budget requests, fee schedules, and more to the village manager.
In March the village manager and clerk/treasurer will meet with department directors to review departmental budget requests, and village council will schedule budget, capital improvement plan, water-and-sewer rates and fee schedule work sessions.
The village manager and clerk/treasurer will then meet with department directors to review necessary adjustments to departmental budget requests. The village manager and management team will also prepare a final proposed budget at the end of March and beginning of April.
If necessary, the planning commission will review and approve the capital improvement program before the village manager and village council present proposed a budget, schedule council budget work sessions and a schedule budget and Truth-in-Taxation public hearing.
Village council and staff will also conduct work sessions for the budget, capital improvement plan, water and sewer rates and fee schedule. The village manager and management team will prepare a final proposed budget between the middle of April and beginning of May.
In June, village council will hold public hearing on water-and-sewer-rates resolution, adopt rates and adopt annual comprehensive village fee schedule. Tax bills will also be prepared and mailed out in the middle of June, and the new budget will take effect on July 1.
Taxes are due and payable without interest penalty on Aug. 31, the last day to pay delinquent real and personal taxes to the village will be Feb. 28, 2026, and any unpaid real property taxes will turned over to the Oakland County Treasurer for collection on March 1, 2026.
To see the entire schedule, visit lakeorion.org and navigate to the Jan. 27 meeting agenda packet under “agendas, minutes and videos.”