Surprise council reviews FY2026 tentative budget with staffing, program and capital requests
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Summary
City staff presented the FY2026 tentative budget on April 15, outlining proposed staffing increases across public safety, transportation, public works and city services, use of ARPA funds for a resource center, and next steps in the budget timeline.
City of Surprise officials on April 15 reviewed a preliminary FY2026 budget that would add staff and operating funds across police, fire, transportation, public works, community services and enterprise utilities while preserving projects tied to council strategic priorities.
Deputy City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Andrea Davis summarized department requests that began with an October 2024 kickoff and were built around the council
seven strategic priorities: public safety, transportation, community experience, fiscal responsibility, economic development, government transparency and water. Budget Manager Sandy Simmons and department directors answered council questions during the work session.
The tentative budget presentation emphasized personnel additions, contract and utility increases, technology investments and asset replacement across departments. Highlights discussed by staff included additions for public safety (new firefighters and police officers), 12 new transportation staff split between general and special revenue funds, and multiple public works positions including a swing shift and fleet support. In enterprise funds, the city said positions and operating expenses align with the five-year rate study adopted last year for water, wastewater and stormwater.
Staff said some projects and positions are funded from non-general sources, including ARPA CARES Act funding that has financed construction of an upcoming resource center. The parks division noted an intergovernmental agreement to accept approximately 3,500 acres at McMicken Dam into the city
park inventory; the budget includes funding for two park rangers and a supervisor for that land.
Council members asked for additional detail on personnel counts and timing. Vice Mayor Hastings queried how the police additions compared with recent years; Police Chief Moore said the department currently has 87 sworn officers and that the FY2026 request would add 20 full-time positions overall, 15 of which are sworn roles (about 13 officer positions noted earlier in the presentation). Chief Moore described an expanded traffic enforcement (motor) unit and said motor officers handle traffic enforcement, collision response and major-incident traffic investigations.
Staff reminded council of the formal calendar: council will receive a tentative budget summary for review on April 29, deliberate and adopt a tentative budget on May 6, and continue the statutory schedule with public hearings and final adoption later in May and June, including the property tax public hearing and final tax rate on June 17.
The work session ended with a motion to adjourn, which passed with unanimous voice vote.
