Cupertino council approves Baker Tilly budget-format recommendations, agrees to revisit performance measures in Q1

The Cupertino City Council voted unanimously on March 4 to accept a Baker Tilly review recommending a leaner, more accessible budget document and revisions to the city’s performance measures. Council members asked staff to retain full financial policies in an appendix, to verify OpenGov links and data, and to prioritize inclusion of the city’s capital improvement plan (CIP) information with the budget. The council also agreed to revisit performance measures in the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

Why this matters: Baker Tilly told the council the existing budget book is large and difficult for many users to navigate; the consultant recommended formatting changes, clearer alignment between budget and strategic priorities, and more outcome-focused performance metrics. Councilmembers said those changes are intended to improve transparency and to make it easier for residents and elected officials to see how spending supports city goals.

What the presentation covered Christina Alfaro, the city’s director of administrative services, opened the item and said staff wanted an outside review to streamline the roughly 600-page…