Mayor’s Office budget rises 21% as council presses for staffing details and faster constituent responses

The Finance & Personnel Committee reviewed the Mayor’s Office proposed 2026 budget on the third day of the 2026 budget hearings, where the administration said the office’s total operations plan is about $2.1 million — an increase of roughly 21% over 2025 that the administration attributed to position reclassifications and updated market placement.

The budget presentation was made by Brian Reinders of the Budget Management Division and Chief of Staff Nick Desiato, who told the committee the increase “is completely located in our salaries and estimated fringe benefits” and flows largely from Department of Employee Relations market studies and reclassifications of mayoral office positions. Desiato said some prior wage-supplement funds were being moved back into the mayor’s budget for 2026.

Committee members pressed for more detail. Alderman Peter Bergellis asked which positions received…