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Cupertino council accepts Baker Tilly recommendations to simplify budget format, asks for Q1 review of performance measures
Summary
The Cupertino City Council unanimously approved a set of recommendations from consultant Baker Tilly to restructure the citybudget document and performance measures, with staff directed to return with implementation timing and a Q1 study session on performance measures.
The Cupertino City Council on March 4 voted unanimously to adopt Baker Tilly's recommendations to streamline the city's budget document and refocus performance measures on outcomes rather than volume-based metrics.
Consultant Steve Toller told the council the budget document should "tell a story in terms of what the priorities are of the community and how you're to really support the quality of life of the community." The council accepted the report and an implementation plan; staff will phase recommended changes into next year's documents and present a timeline for the work.
Why it matters: Councilmembers and Baker Tilly said a smaller, clearer budget will improve transparency and public engagement and make it easier to tie dollars to council priorities. The council also heard that capital improvement planning and quarterly CIP tracking should be integrated into the budget book so long-range investments are visible when annual appropriations are set.
Key details: The consultant identified more than 30 recommendations grouped around five themes: streamline format and readability; standardize departmental layouts; integrate a capital improvement plan (CIP); strengthen public engagement and transparency; and align performance measures to council priorities. Toller said the city should move performance metrics away from "counting widgets" and toward outcome-focused measurements tied to strategic goals.
Council instructions and next steps: Council asked staff to return with a draft implementation schedule and to pilot a revised budget format for the 2026-27 budget cycle. The council added a friendly amendment: staff will return with a status report and a study-session-level discussion of the proposed performance measures in Q1 following adoption so the council can assess and refine the metrics.
Who spoke: Christina Alfaro, director of administrative services, introduced the work and said staff will bring back a draft implementation action plan. Toller presented the findings. Several councilmembers pressed for clarifications on OpenGov integration and how historical data and the CIP would be presented.
What the council decided: The council voted to adopt the Baker Tilly recommendations and directed staff to produce an implementation plan with prioritized steps, to incorporate the CIP into the budget materials, and to schedule a Q1 study session to review the revised performance measures.
What's next: Staff will return with a proposed implementation timeline, show low-cost items that can be completed before the proposed budget, and include CIP materials with the proposed budget as feasible. The council also asked staff to preserve the detailed tables now in the budget as appendices or as linked OpenGov data so the information remains accessible.
