Upland council approves first-quarter budget adjustments, adds recreation supervisor

The Upland City Council on Nov. 11 unanimously approved the city’s fiscal year 2024–25 first‑quarter budget review and a package of adjustments that include adding a recreation supervisor position and reclassifying an IT specialist.

Assistant City Manager Steven Parker and Finance Manager Stacy Sullivan told the council the city is seeing an unaudited beginning fund balance about $6 million higher than anticipated and a short‑term revenue increase of roughly $385,000, driven by a one‑time sales‑tax adjustment and a land lease that partially offset the termination of a Tesla parking lease. Sullivan summarized proposed personnel changes, saying the recreation supervisor would cost about $65,000 for the remainder of the year, the IT reclassification would add just under $3,000, and an equity study resulted in a roughly $6,000 salary increase for the homeless coordinator.

The adjustments shift funding from personnel budgets to cover temporary staffing needs stemming from vacancies and address unanticipated general‑fund expenditures such as software licenses and testing requirements. Council members asked for clarifications about which parking lease ended and how many IT staff the city employs; Sullivan confirmed three current IT specialists and identified the terminated lot as the parcel adjacent to the Public Works yard.

Council Member Garcia made the motion to approve the report and adjustments, a second was provided by the mayor pro tem, and the council voted to receive and file the report and adopt the proposed budget amendments. The council also approved an updated schedule of positions and the new job description for the senior IT specialist.

The city manager and staff will return with final audited year‑end numbers when available (anticipated in December or January) and will monitor mid‑year adjustments as needed.