Anaheim City Council on June 17 adopted the city’s fiscal year 2025–26 budget, approving citywide expenditures of about $2.4 billion and a package of fee and appropriations‑limit resolutions after a public hearing.

The staff‑recommended spending plan relies in part on one‑time sources — bond proceeds, the sale of a municipal parking asset and reserves — to bridge an approximately $64 million shortfall in the general fund. City Manager Jim Vanderpool told the council the temporary gap will narrow when resort‑area bonds retire in 2027, a milestone he said will free more than $120 million a year for the city’s use.

The budget includes department operating and capital plans and several targeted personnel additions. As part of an amended development agreement tied to Disneyland Forward, the council accepted a staff amendment that adds 15 positions across fire, planning and public works to handle increased development review and inspection workload. Finance Director Debbie Moreno and staff said those positions will be fully reimbursed by the developer under the agreement and therefore impose no net general‑fund cost for the city.

Why it matters: The budget preserves the city’s current level of services while deferring structural solutions to growth in recurring revenue. Council members repeatedly cited the risk of relying on one‑time funds to cover ongoing costs and asked staff to return with monitoring updates if revenue underperforms.

Key public‑safety highlights

- Police: The council heard a detailed presentation on the Anaheim Police Department budget, which staff described as roughly $239.3 million and primarily funded by the general fund. Staff said the department includes about 430 sworn officers and highlighted investments in school resource officers and an expanded HALO (Homeless Assessment Liaison Officers) team focused on homelessness, mental health and resort‑area public safety. Staff emphasized personnel costs are the lion’s share of the department’s operating budget.

- Fire: Anaheim Fire & Rescue presented a proposed operating budget of roughly $160 million and said the department has 367 full‑time positions, including 248 sworn suppression staff. The proposed capital program includes two station projects — remodeling Fire Station 4 and building Fire Station 12 — with construction of Station 12 expected around June 2026.

Fees, appropriations limits and outlook

The council also adopted annual appropriations limits and a set of mostly modest fee adjustments (generally 3% increases, where proposed) for enterprise and general‑fund user charges, including convention center, public works, planning, building and recreation fees. Staff said the adjustments respond to inflation and higher operating costs.

Staff stressed that the adopted plan does not assume a recession and warned federally funded program cuts or an economic slowdown could widen the gap and force tougher choices.

Council action

The council voted 6–0 (one recorded absence) to adopt the FY25–26 budget, set the appropriations limits, and approve the associated fee resolutions. Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Meeks moved the package and Council Member Bayless seconded.

Next steps

Staff will post the adopted budget document and said it will return with quarterly revenue updates; council members requested regular updates if major revenue lines such as transient occupancy tax (TOT) or sales tax materially deviate from the adopted forecast.