Tiburon council hears budget presentation; public pushes for bigger parks spending

Town Manager Greg (name as provided in presentation) and public works staff presented Tiburon’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 operating budget and capital improvement program to the Town Council on June 4, detailing a planned total appropriation of $25,974,169 and an operating budget that leaves a roughly $20,000 surplus.

The presentation outlined projected general fund revenues of about $18,000,271 and proposed operating expenditures of about $18,000,251, with property tax identified as the largest and most reliable revenue source. Staff said the draft budget includes 3.5% cost-of-living increases for represented and unrepresented employees, an extra $100,000 in the parks maintenance contract, and no new full-time equivalents. The CIP total presented was $6,475,000, of which staff said $1,600,000 was expected to be grant-funded, including the Blackies Pasture restoration project.

Residents packed public comment and urged the council to allocate more money to playgrounds, multiuse recreation, and water access. “$200,000 is literally less than the moms,” said Sarah Reed, who called the proposed $200,000 “a joke” given a two-year parks…