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Community Development Commission debates budget priorities as Council weighs FY26 cuts
Summary
During a Nov. 18 meeting, commissioners urged the commission to prioritize homelessness prevention, social services and mental-health alternatives to policing for next fiscal year and recommended the creation of a strategy working group to prepare March budget recommendations; staff noted a proposed reduction of rental-assistance funding from $4,000,000 to $3,600,000 in current Council deliberations.
Chair Elias opened a discussion of the commission's process and priorities for FY26 budget recommendations on Nov. 18 and asked commissioners for suggested priorities and timing for submitting recommendations to City Council.
Commissioners proposed priorities that included homelessness prevention, social services and redirecting some policing dollars toward mental-health-first-response services, along with continued funding for emergency rental assistance. Several commissioners requested that the commission analyze supply-and-demand data for housing programs (funding available vs. applications) and produce both numerical and narrative justifications for any dollar requests.
Vice Chair and others proposed using the strategy working group to categorize funding lines, identify bargaining chips in the budget process and prepare a draft recommendation in January or February so the commission can vote before the March submission deadline. The commission noted past quorum problems and discussed voting in February as a contingency.
Jackman and staff noted Council deliberations that could change program amounts: Jackman said rental-assistance funding had been recommended at $4,000,000 but was currently being recommended for reduction to $3,600,000 in some proposals following the tax rate election outcome.
Why it matters: The commission's recommendations feed into Council deliberations and the joint-commission process; identifying priorities, timelines and funding lines early can improve the commission's ability to influence the city's final FY26 allocations.
Next steps: Commissioners agreed to pursue a working-group process and to aim for draft recommendations in January-February so the full commission can consider and vote prior to the March submission deadline.
