The Saratoga Springs City Council held the final public hearing on the 2026 comprehensive (comp) budget on Nov. 5, 2025, as finance staff outlined growing costs and a multi‑million dollar gap. Finance told the council the comp budget amounts to $61,370,000, with personnel and benefits consuming the bulk of the spending; staff flagged dramatic cost increases—liability insurance rose 188%, retirement costs 89% and health insurance 27%—and said some expected revenues have not materialized.

Finance (speaker 2) said the comp draft recommends a 2% property‑tax increase but noted the levy could be raised up to 4.53% without breaching the tax cap; staff also described three revenue measures that could together add roughly $1.1 million: lifting the tax to the cap, eliminating the March prepayment discount and expanding paid parking. The finance presentation emphasized that about 54% of the comp budget is personnel, 30% employee benefits and the rest largely contracted services, limiting options for cuts.

Several public commenters urged the council not to eliminate nonprofit and shelter funding. Sybil Newell of RISE Housing and Support Services said she received notice that the city had cut all nonprofit funding from the comp budget, including the low‑barrier shelter serving 35 people. "We have been operating in good faith since day one," Newell said, warning that without funding "we have no other way to fund it" and that people will be "put back on the streets." She said an additional RISE grant that houses 22 hard‑to‑serve clients is at risk because new federal restrictions could make it impossible for RISE to meet conditions.

Volunteer advocate Dave Newell said the cost of returning people to street homelessness in winter would exceed the expense of the shelter and criticized earlier public disparagement of nonprofit efforts. "Do better," he told the council, urging leaders to be transparent about priorities.

A council member identified in the record as Commissioner Cole (speaker 7) said directly during public comment, "I will not vote for a budget that does not continue the funding for our low rise shelter," arguing that unmanaged homelessness would cost the city more in the long run.

Council members and staff acknowledged the difficulty of closing the budget gap without depleting fund balance: officials said the city has historically used fund balance (the finance presentation cited using $3.5 million for the 2025 budget) but cautioned against depleting reserves below prudent levels. Finance said the city will continue to work with departments on an amended budget and that the council will vote on the amended budget at the next meeting; the comp budget would become the formal budget if the council did not act by Nov. 30.

Next steps: council members discussed holding a special meeting to continue budget work and asked departments to provide further detail on needed lines. No formal vote on the amended 2026 budget was taken at the Nov. 5 meeting; staff said the amended budget will be developed in consultation with departments and presented for a vote at a later date.