Pacific aldermen revise major lines, defer final FY25 budget vote to June 26

At a special meeting on June 24, the Pacific Board of Aldermen spent several hours reviewing and adjusting the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget (Bill 5241), making multiple interfund transfers and line-item cuts but ultimately tabling final adoption until a special meeting on Wednesday, June 26 at 6:00 p.m.

Key outcomes and proposals discussed

- Transportation/CIST: Council agreed in principle to increase the transfer from the capital improvement sales tax (CIST) to transportation. Staff and aldermen discussed raising the transfer from $150,000 to $550,000 to reduce an identified transportation shortfall; this adjustment, together with recalibrating the PPMP mill-and-overlay line and adding a separate chip-and-seal line (about $252,000), brought the transportation fund into balance in the packet numbers. The board discussed trade-offs between immediate chip-and-seal work and longer-term mill-and-overlay projects.

- Parks and pool reserve: The parks fund was shown with a significant deficit (approximately $332,164 before changes). Council moved several reductions (reducing equipment and maintenance lines and removing some capital camera expenditures) and discussed reducing the pool reserve from $300,000 to $250,000 as one option to help balance the general fund. Members debated the operational consequences, including the pool—s deferred maintenance and contract penalties if it cannot open.

- Skate-park grant and match: The board reviewed a planned skate-park grant the city applied for (application numbers in the packet indicate a grant request in the $450,000 range). The packet included a private donation of roughly $115,000 and a proposed city match (also discussed at $115,000 and at times referenced as the previously approved $125,000 match). Council agreed to budget to match the amount the board had earlier approved while noting uncertainty about the actual award.

- Departmental line adjustments: Staff and aldermen walked departmental budgets line by line, proposing reductions to professional services, miscellaneous and advertising categories, and specific capital items (e.g., signage, sheds, playground equipment). They also clarified payroll allocation errors in water and sewer lines that initially overstated deficits.

- Transfers and contingency: Members debated whether to use contingency as a temporary fix to avoid going into July 1 without an adopted budget. Some members urged hard cuts across departments, while others recommended limited contingency use with a firm timeline to re-examine and restore funds.

Outcome and next steps

After extensive discussion and multiple on-the-fly spreadsheet adjustments, the board moved to table Bill 5241 to allow further work. The motion to table passed; the council scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday, June 26 at 6:00 p.m. to complete and vote on the ordinance. The meeting adjourned after the vote.

Details and governance notes

The packet and staff notes show specific numeric proposals used to reconcile the packet balance: increasing the CIST transfer for transportation to $550,000; reducing PPMP construction from $842,000 to approximately $704,000 in the revised worksheet; reassigning a skate-park donation and city match of $115,000 each (with a previously approved city match figure noted as $125,000); and moving the pool reserve from $300,000 to $250,000 in some iterations of the packet. Council members repeatedly requested clearer line-item descriptions (particularly for —miscellaneous— items) and asked staff to provide updated worksheets for follow-up work. The board also agreed to revisit some noncontractual items (e.g., plaques at Liberty Field) after verification of need or availability of grant funding.

The special meeting at 6:00 p.m. on June 26 was set to reconvene the board to finish the FY2025 budget adoption.