Lodi council outlines Jan. 28 planning session to shape FY 2026–27 budget
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Summary
Interim City Manager James Lindsey told the council Dec. 16 that an all‑day Jan. 28 planning session will launch the FY 2026–27 budget process; councilors identified priorities including strategic vision review, funding strategies, deferred maintenance, pension stabilization, permit reform and parks planning.
Interim City Manager James Lindsey told the Lodi City Council on Dec. 16 that staff will hold an all‑day planning session on Jan. 28 to begin development of the fiscal year 2026–27 budget and asked the council to identify agenda topics and priorities.
Council members and staff sketched a broad agenda that will open with a review of the council's 2023 strategic vision and include discussions of short‑term initiatives achievable within a 12‑month budget cycle, opportunities to increase funding, and key capital needs. Lindsey said staff will prepare background reports and communications ahead of the Jan. 28 session.
Why it matters: council direction at the planning session will shape staff's draft budget and any policy proposals that follow. Members stressed that the planning session should focus on items that are achievable in the coming budget cycle while also identifying multiyear priorities.
Among the priorities councilors raised were preserving downtown character, implementing the downtown specific plan and economic strategic plan, and pursuing funding for a White Slough public safety training facility. One council member urged passage of a preservation ordinance and Mills Act–style financial incentives for historic properties, plus regulatory streamlining and incentives to make adaptive reuse easier.
Councilors repeatedly returned to fiscal health and funding. Members asked staff to explore revenue opportunities, including legislative and lobbying support for large projects, and requested an informational financial review scheduled for February to inform any subsequent policy work. A councilor proposed using existing microloan funds to support small business improvements and life‑safety upgrades.
On operations, members asked that the Jan. 28 agenda include service‑delivery improvements such as permit process reform, standardized customer‑service metrics across departments, and a citywide parks master plan that identifies priority projects, partners and possible public‑private sponsorship options.
Other topics the council asked staff to include were infrastructure needs (streets, substations, stormwater drainage), potential annexation financing models for Westside and Southside areas, and public safety technology such as revisiting District 4 camera installs.
"We will be kicking off the development of the fiscal year 26, 27 budget, with an all day, planning session scheduled for January 28," Lindsey said, summarizing staff's approach and asking for council direction on agenda items.
Next steps: staff will compile the council's suggestions into a proposed Jan. 28 agenda and return with the materials necessary for the planning session. The financial review referenced by councilors is expected in February and will inform subsequent policy discussions.