Reno council opens FY2026 budget workshop; finance director outlines $24 million baseline gap and short-term fixes

The Reno City Council on March 5 opened its first FY2026 budget workshop as Director of Finance Vicki Van Buren presented a baseline showing general‑fund revenues of about $317 million and a projected budget gap of roughly $24 million if the city maintains current staffing and service levels.

Van Buren said the budget “is the tool that turns strategic goals into reality,” and told council members the gap stems mainly from flat consolidated (sales) tax revenues, slower growth than expected in other receipts, and rising salary and benefit costs that now make up about three‑quarters of general‑fund spending.

Why it matters: the gap affects core city services and staffing. Van Buren and City Manager Bryant emphasized the priority of avoiding layoffs while narrowing the gap; staff proposed using one‑time capital funds, reducing nonessential capital spending, holding some vacancies and trimming services and supplies to limit impacts on public safety and day‑to‑day operations.

Van Buren said the city is seeing essentially zero growth in consolidated tax after a multi‑year runup around COVID stimulus years. By contrast, property tax—about 28% of general‑fund revenues for the city—has continued to grow and is projected near 7–8% this year. “Without growth in those areas, really the other areas don't grow that much,” Van Buren told the council.

The finance director walked the council through the numbers: the adopted baseline for next year assumes…