Mountain View adopts balanced FY 2025–26 budget; council directs follow-ups on development services and reserves

The Mountain View City Council on June 10 approved the city’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2025–26, adopting a structurally balanced plan that staff said holds ongoing revenues and ongoing expenditures in parity while using limited one‑time resources for near‑term priorities.

City Manager Dan McCarthy and Finance Director Derek Rampone presented the recommended budget package to the council in a public hearing and study session. Rampone reported total recommended revenues across all funds of roughly $663 million and total recommended expenditures of about $649 million. The general operating fund — which pays for public safety, parks, libraries and core city administration — is budgeted for roughly $196 million in revenues and nearly $205 million in expenditures before application of a $9.3 million vacancy factor; with that vacancy factor the general fund aligns with revenues, staff said.

Staff characterized the budget as structurally balanced for FY 2025–26 while noting modest projected deficits in outer years of…