San Bernardino presents balanced FY 2025–26 budget proposal, plans $29.6M in new CIP projects and 6-month hiring pause

City of San Bernardino staff presented a proposed, balanced fiscal year 2025–26 budget at a council workshop, outlining conservative revenue projections, a proposed six‑month targeted non‑safety hiring deferral to save roughly $8.1 million and a planned draw from capital improvement reserves to fund $29.6 million in new projects.

The proposal, presented by the City Manager’s office with Jeannie Fortune, Interim Director of Finance and Management Services, and Zuiva Ruiz, Budget Division Manager, projects a modest revenue increase of about 2.5 percent for 2025–26 and reflects a cautious approach to economic uncertainty. "This will be a first of at least one or two additional budget workshops... We are pleased to share with you a balanced budget projection for fiscal year 25, 26," the City Manager said during the presentation.

City staff emphasized that the revenue outlook is conservative. The budget presentation notes a projected $6 million of sustainable growth in revenues tied to reliable local trends, while some revenue…