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Avondale releases City Manager's recommended fiscal 2026 budget; staff says forecast remains balanced
Summary
Finance staff presented the recommended FY2026 budget showing a structurally balanced general fund forecast, proposed utility-rate changes to return in May, and 20.5 net new full-time positions included. Council did not take final action; the tentative budget will be presented in May.
The City of Avondale presented the City Manager's recommended budget for fiscal 2026, which staff described as structurally balanced and aligned with the city's financial policies. Renee, the city's finance and budget director, outlined carryover appropriations, one-time expenditures, and adjustments since a March briefing.
Key budget details presented included a projected general-fund balance of roughly $103.6 million at the end of the current fiscal year (after stabilization and capital reserves), incorporation of previously proposed utility-rate adjustments, and an updated capital-improvement program (CIP) accounting for carryover spending into FY2026. The recommended budget includes 20.5 full-time equivalent positions, a 2% merit pool, a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, and implementation of recommended changes from a recently completed compensation study.
Specific additions called out in the presentation included ongoing funding for a youth summer-camp program, a parks supervisor and administrative assistant, two police over-hire positions (to be funded from vacancy savings), a forensic interviewer and clinical supervisor for the Southwest Family Advocacy Center, a fire fleet technician, a business-development manager, and $1.2 million for an economic-opportunity fund. Staff also budgeted for IT project-management support and a fleet preventative-maintenance technician.
Renee warned that the recommended CIP and building projects span multiple years and that inflation and project-specific cost escalation are possible; councilmembers asked about contingencies and the process for adjusting priorities as costs change. Staff reiterated that council will approve any specific bond issuances, appropriations, or project contracts and that the tentative budget to be adopted in May sets the city's expenditure limit for the cycle.
The next steps outlined by staff include presenting the tentative budget in May (when utility rates will again be considered), public notices for truth-in-taxation, final budget hearings in June, and separate adoption of the Alamar Community Facilities District tentative budget. Council asked no final questions and staff will return with the tentative budget for formal consideration.
