Livingston staff present $64.8 million FY2025–26 proposed budget; council to consider adoption June 17

City finance staff on June 3 presented Livingston’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget, telling the City Council the plan must be adopted by June 30, 2025, and covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.

Finance Director Happy Baines said citywide proposed revenues are estimated at $64,800,000 and proposed expenditures at $75,400,000, leaving a $6.6 million difference “tied to capital projects.” Baines said intergovernmental revenue is the largest single category at $36,480,000, followed by charges for services ($12,600,000) and taxes ($9,900,000). Baines also told the council, “27,000,000 is from the…grant from the state water projects, and $55,300,000.0 of that total is the construction continuation of the RecPlex,” as department heads described the major capital work in the coming year.

Why it matters: the budget must be adopted by June 30, and staff told the council they plan to return the item for possible adoption at the regular June 17 meeting.

Key numbers and context

- Citywide revenues presented: $64,800,000. Baines said intergovernmental revenue is $36,480,000; charges for services $12,600,000; taxes $9,900,000. - Citywide expenditures presented: $75,400,000. Baines described the $6.6 million gap as capital-project-driven. - General Fund: revenue and expenses were presented as balanced at about $9,600,000. Baines said roughly $5.54 million of the general fund is proposed for the police department, $1.18 million for administrative services, and $1.31 million in transfers that subsidize community development and the recreation department.

Department highlights from the budget workshop

Public works: Anthony Chavarria, public works, summarized enterprise and operating budgets and highlighted proposed capital projects and equipment. Those included a proposed new playground at Max Foster Sports Complex ($165,000) as a cost-share with local maintenance districts and CFDs; a new boom truck (cost-shared across water, wastewater, public works administration, CFDs and LMDs); pulverize-and-repave work on Main Street (engineer’s estimate $507,000, cost-shared by Measure V and RMRA funds); restroom renovation at R. Kelly and Park (about $256,000 from a CFD fund); and lift-station renovations funded from the wastewater enterprise.

Police: Police Chief Rick Schiff said the department is the largest General Fund user at “almost $5,500,000” and…