Palm Springs council adopts 2025–26 budget after cuts and new economic-development funding

The Palm Springs City Council on June 25 approved the city's biennial 2025'26 budgets with amendments that shrink certain operating expenditures and add one-time and ongoing funding for economic development.

Council action followed a presentation by Chris Mooney, the city's finance director, who said revenue adjustments and departmental spending reductions turned earlier projected deficits into a small surplus for 2026. "We are now showing a surplus of about $3,700,000 in '26," Mooney told the council during his report.

The adopted package matters because it funds core services, backs Measure J capital projects, and preserves multi-million-dollar reserves that city leaders flagged as critical for the city's credit ratings and long-term obligations.

Mooney told the council staff increased expected fee revenue tied to an anticipated fee-study update and large permit projects, and modestly raised line items for property and cannabis taxes. On the spending side staff recommended shifting some vehicle purchases and deferred-maintenance projects into Measure J, using…