Piedmont holds first public hearing on FY 2025-26 budget as officials warn facilities capital will be depleted

The Piedmont City Council held the first of two public hearings on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget on June 2, 2025, reviewing revenue and spending projections, proposed personnel additions and a planned transfer of $850,000 to the equipment replacement fund. City staff and the Budget Advisory and Financial Planning Committee told council members the city’s facilities capital fund will be largely depleted under the current plan and urged finding new revenue or reprioritizing projects.

The draft budget presented by interim finance staff projects only a 1 percent increase in overall revenue for 2025–26, driven mainly by a 3 percent rise in property‑related taxes and a projected transfer tax of $4.2 million. Chuck (finance presenter) told council that, excluding pass‑through items such as ARPA and certain grants, current‑year revenue is running above budget and that the general fund ending balance for the current year is projected at about $9.8 million. "I'm going to recommend transferring $850,000 out of the general fund into our equipment replacement fund," he said, to move next year’s needed equipment funding forward.

Why it matters: The budget frames how the city will staff services and maintain infrastructure over the next year and shapes choices about large capital projects that residents raised repeatedly during the hearing. The budget also assumes full staffing for many departments and includes two proposed full‑time positions in Planning and Building; personnel costs are the largest driver of operating expense increases, staff said.

Key figures and proposals - General fund: Current‑year ending balance projected at…