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Mayor Moore frames 2026 around 'good governance,' tighter fiscal controls and modernization
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Summary
In her 2026 State of the City address, Mayor Kitty Moore described fiscal strain from sales-tax allocation changes, announced cash‑flow and CIP prioritization policies, an ERP modernization plan, and a legislative review committee to protect local control.
Mayor Kitty Moore opened Cupertino’s State of the City address with a theme she called "good governance," saying it is "not a slogan. It's the daily work of listening, deciding and following through." She said the city faces substantial fiscal stress driven in part by changes to how sales tax is allocated and announced several governance and modernization steps to preserve services while controlling costs.
Moore said the city adopted a cash-flow management policy to avoid idle funds and strengthened budget monitoring to reduce midyear surprises. To prioritize capital spending, the city is implementing a CIP prioritization matrix that will rank projects by transparent criteria including safety, asset condition, grant timing and legal mandates.
On modernization, Moore described a planned enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) replacement to update finance and payroll systems, improve automation and integration and support phased rollouts subject to council approval. She also said the city moved to a new OpenGov budget format and is improving customer-facing digital tools including the 3-1-1 app and online service portals.
Moore presented fiscal figures to underline the pressures: she said Cupertino accounts for more than $1,300,000,000 in local retail spending and over $400,000,000 in property-tax levies, but receives roughly $35,000,000 back for local services and about $11,000,000 into its general fund. "Effectively, for every property-tax dollar generated within our borders, Cupertino receives back just 7¢," Moore said, framing a push for a fairer return on the city’s generated value.
She announced the return of a legislative review committee to track bills and regulations that could affect Cupertino's authority or finances and to coordinate formal city positions with other jurisdictions. Moore said the city will engage more proactively with state and federal policy before laws are final to defend local control where possible.
Moore also discussed internal controls and audit work: Cupertino’s audit and policy inventory began in 2019 with Moss Adams and continues with Baker Tilly; the work led to staffing additions in budgeting, financial analysis and procurement to implement audit recommendations.
The mayor said these governance changes are intended to reduce surprises, protect liquidity and make policy trade-offs visible to residents. She closed by encouraging continued resident engagement through hybrid meetings, mayor’s chats and online tools.
The address did not include a formal budget vote or a specific tax proposal; Moore said such choices would be accompanied by transparent reporting and options for public input.
