FY 2026-27 City Budget
Summary
The city is balanced on paper but only by holding down capital spending. The city manager said structural change is needed — new revenues or deeper cuts — or the city can't deliver what residents expect. A community survey of 412 residents flagged wildfire safety, crime, landslides, and roads as top priorities.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Jun 2, 2026.
Impact analysis
The model shows the surplus shrinking from $4.5 million to about $2 million by 2035 — the cushion is thinning.
Future residents — if the city finds new revenue now, services and roads stay funded down the line.
Filling two positions stay frozen and the accounting supervisor post stays underfilled — modest staffing impacts behind the scenes.
Mentions & discussions (8)
City Council Meeting - Jun 2, 2026
The preliminary budget spends $37.5 million against $42.5 million in revenue, with the sheriff's contract and road maintenance as the biggest items. Final adoption is June 16, and residents can still weigh in via the city's budget survey through June 30.
City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026
Most city service fees rise 3.4% with inflation, bringing an estimated $121,000 — the city frames it as covering costs rather than raising revenue.
City Council Meeting (Budget Workshop - CIP) - May 4, 2026
With roughly one year of runway before the city can't keep up, councilmembers floated a parcel tax, sponsorships for events, use of reserves, and a search for new revenue. The reserve policy, long considered untouchable, is officially on the table.
City Council Meeting (Budget Workshop - General Fund) - Apr 20, 2026
The city is balanced on paper but only by holding down capital spending. The city manager said structural change is needed — new revenues or deeper cuts — or the city can't deliver what residents expect. A community survey of 412 residents flagged wildfire safety, crime, landslides, and roads as top priorities.
City Council Meeting (Goals Workshop) - Feb 23, 2026
The city pulled in about $600,000 in new revenue, received $4.5 million in grants, and cut $2.9 million in spending this year. Councilmember Lewis wants budget presentations to show year-over-year changes in all fund balances so residents can see the city's true financial health, and a community survey on needs just wrapped up.
City Council Meeting - Feb 17, 2026
The city's mid-year financial report was accepted, wildfire camera funding was added, and the Finance Department earned another operating budget excellence award.
Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Feb 12, 2026
Members argued fiscal sustainability is wrongly ranked fourth among council's five goals and should be first or second, since it drives everything else. They also pushed for risk-based prioritization — 'the boiler before the paint' — and better public communication about the city's finances.
Finance Advisory Committee Meeting - Jan 15, 2026
Budget season is underway. The council will set budget priorities at a February 23 goal workshop with a fiscal sustainability focus, and a public survey of about 500 residents will help shape priorities. The FAC will get its first look at the proposed budget and the ten-year financial model in April.
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