Selma council continues FY 2025–26 budget hearing after staff identifies $61,367 deficit

Selma — The Selma City Council opened a public hearing June 17 on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget and, after extended discussion and public comment, continued the hearing to June 24 at 5:00 p.m. for final action.

Finance Director Moreno presented the draft budget and reported, “The total budget of all funds remains at $62,800,000.” The General Fund was listed at approximately $20.5 million; with council-requested additions (seniors activities, recreation events, and a business improvement district transfer) staff now projects a $61,367 deficit to be offset by reserves if council does not change appropriations.

Council members and members of the public pressed staff on major cost drivers and potential reductions. Council and staff discussed options including removing funding for a proposed part-time grants manager (staff cited $30,761), pausing the planned economic development director allocation ($104,957), restoring animal services to prior-year levels (an item staff identified at roughly $720,000 this year with a suggested $130,000 savings by eliminating an animal-services director slot), and reviewing a Human Resources personnel increase that raised the department’s payroll-related line from $370,000 in the prior year to $626,079 in the proposed budget.

Several residents urged caution and transparency. “With that, this is a public hearing … we have to do our job as fiduciaries for the city,” the mayor said before the council voted to continue the hearing to allow staff time to run the suggested adjustments and produce updated figures. The council set a special meeting to resume budget consideration at 5 p.m. on June 24 to meet the statutory timeline for adopting a budget by June 30.

Staff also noted unresolved capital project costs (Shafer Park lighting and High Street lighting) and said those items — and any related reserve draws — would be revisited once final project numbers are available.