Stanton council adopts FY 2025‑26 operating and capital budget, approves six additional sheriff deputies

The Stanton City Council adopted the citywide operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2025‑26 on June 10, approving several staff‑recommended policy updates and program authorizations that city staff said are intended to maintain service levels and fund identified capital projects.

Michelle Banigan, the city’s finance director, summarized adjustments made since a May 27 presentation and said overall citywide revenues were revised upward to reflect a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) passed through the Orange County Transportation Authority for the Orange Wood Complete Streets project. Banigan said staff added roughly $3.8 million to next year’s capital improvement program for the Orange Wood project, of which $3.3 million is a SCAG pass‑through grant and $513,600 is a local match from the city’s gas‑tax funds.

The council also approved a cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) increase for staff from 2.75% to 3.5% (with part‑time salary grades receiving a smaller increase), changes to on‑call pay calculation, and adopting revised personnel rules with leave protections to align with recent state law changes.

In the public safety budget, council approved increases that staff said will fund six additional Orange County Sheriff deputies (an additional motor and five deputies) to be added starting July 1. Staff said these positions are intended to increase patrol capacity and address public‑safety quality‑of‑life concerns; the estimated contract cost with the Sheriff was discussed in the staff report and attachments.

The council adopted a revised reserve policy for the sewer maintenance enterprise fund, replacing a fixed $1 million sewer capital asset reserve with a working capital reserve targeted at 50% of the sewer enterprise’s operating expenses; staff said that change aligns reserve practice with the sewer rate planning adopted earlier in the meeting.

Council also approved a new five‑year agreement template with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and authorized the city manager to execute the contract, and the housing authority separately adopted its budget. The council passed the package of agenda recommendations (13 items) by roll call vote 5‑0.

Staff said several of the changes reflect direction provided by council during May workshops and that some adjustments come from recognizing grant awards and decision packages. The city manager and council members noted that roughly 70% of the city budget is spent on public safety and that the increase in deputies is the first increase in sworn personnel in a decade, according to council comments.