La Habra council adopts balanced $173 million municipal budget, approves higher police lateral bonus

The La Habra City Council on June 2 approved the city's Fiscal Year 2025'026 municipal budget, receiving and filing a proposed $173.4 million spending plan that includes a $70.3 million general fund. The council also unanimously approved increasing the police lateral signing bonus from $10,000 to $20,000 and directed staff to return with an assessment on adding one police position once current vacancies are filled.

City Manager Jim Sadro and Assistant City Manager Gabriella "Gabby" Yap led the council through the budget presentation, with detailed revenue and expenditure analysis provided by Finance Director Mel Shannon and Deputy Finance Director Jack Ponbanet. The administration described the general fund as balanced for FY2025'026, with projected general fund revenues of roughly $70.3 million and proposed general fund expenditures of about $70.3 million.

The budget matters because it funds core services and capital work the city has prioritized. Measure V, the local transaction and use tax voters approved in November 2024, appears as the single largest recent revenue change: staff presented projections of roughly $15 million in Measure V receipts for the coming year, though presenters noted earlier internal…