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La Habra adopts $173.4 million fiscal 2025-26 budget, prioritizes public safety
Summary
The City Council approved the fiscal year 2025-26 municipal budget totaling $173.4 million, preserving public safety spending, adding two staff positions and funding 65 capital projects.
The La Habra City Council approved the citys fiscal year 2025-26 municipal budget totaling $173,400,000 on June 16, 2025, by a 4-0 vote.
City finance staff told the council the general fund portion of the budget is $70.3 million, of which about 68% is allocated for public safety (police, fire and ambulance services). The final proposed budget includes restoration of positions cut in 2024-25, two new full-time positionsa building maintenance coordinator and a geographic information systems (GIS) analystand $51 million in capital projects across 65 projects, including approximately $11 million in new spending and a $1.4 million transfer from the general fund to capital improvements.
"The general fund budget is balanced, keeping expenditures within available projected revenues and prioritizes public safety, capital projects, and other critical services," finance staff said during the presentation.
The budget package also includes compensation adjustments for several management groups that staff said total roughly $580,912 across executive, public-safety and nonrepresented management groups. Staff described the package as a combination of a 3% COLA, a one-time 2% payment for this fiscal year, a $250 monthly increase in medical insurance contributions and changes to deferred compensation matching. Council direction at a prior meeting also raised the signing bonus for new lateral police officers from $10,000 to $20,000; staff said that change has been included in policies.
Staff briefed the council on fiscal risks the city will monitor, including rising interest rates and inflation that can reduce sales-tax-driven revenue, and the recent loss of a federally funded public-safety collaborative grant used for homelessness outreach. Staff said those changes have shifted some costs back onto the general fund.
Council members voted to adopt the budget and associated resolutions setting the citys appropriations limit for FY 2025-26. The roll call showed Mayor Chair Espinosa, Councilmember Nick Sarian, Councilmember Lapkin and Councilmember Gomez voting yes; Mayor Pro Tem Medrano was absent.
The council voted 4-0 to adopt the budget and related resolutions.
