Council preliminarily adds $1.35 million to mayor’s FY2025–26 proposals; schedules capital-item session

Council spent the session line-by-line with department heads and agreed by consensus to a set of restorations and additions to the mayor’s proposed FY2025–26 budget. Finance staff and department directors walked through departmental line items; staff tallied the council’s adjustments and reported a preliminary grand total increase.

Finance staff reported that, after the workshop’s adjustments across police, fire, public works, development services, IT and other departments — and including an $80,000 contract approved by council the previous night — the preliminary sum to be added to the mayor’s proposed budget is $1,352,506. Staff noted that capital items (one-time purchases) will be taken up at a follow-up meeting on Monday and that the capital list would be funded from fund balance; staff said the capital list approximated $2.6–2.7 million in requests.

The council also discussed citywide personnel topics including a proposed reduction of a 3% cost-of-living adjustment to 1% in the proposed budget and other staffing-change proposals; several staff-requested position restorations (e.g., parks caretaker) were raised for later decision. Council members repeatedly emphasized the need to avoid committing recurring funds that cannot be sustained without a plan to pay for them in future years.

Ending: Staff will prepare an updated budget draft incorporating the agreed line-item changes, return with capital-item detail at the next meeting and provide requested follow-up material (contracts, encumbrances, cost estimates) for items council asked to revisit.