Compton treasurer reports $312 million portfolio, $3.0M interest earnings in quarter

City Treasurer Brandon Mims presented the fiscal-year-26 second-quarter investment report, reporting that the city's investment portfolio had a market value of $312,000,000 as of Dec. 31, 2025, and noting $56,000,000 was held in cash operations.

Mims said the portfolio earned $3,005,318.42 in interest in the quarter, including $1,188,688.51 attributable to the general fund. He told the council that in the past 18 months the city benefited from an inverted yield curve in which short-term instruments paid higher yields; recent market moves, including a lower federal funds rate between about 3.5% and 3.75%, have begun to normalize that dynamic.

Mims cautioned that delayed federal economic data following a recent government shutdown made short-term forecasting harder. When asked for a simple statement on whether the city is "in the black" or "in the red," he said that assessing the city's overall fiscal position is an accounting question for the city controller and recommended finishing the 2024 audit and completing the 2025 audit to better project the general fund position.

Councilmembers thanked Mims for the detailed report and asked follow-up questions about projections, fee schedules and whether temporary policy changes (for example, parking permit fees) could be made while staff completes a citywide assessment.

What the report says: Portfolio value $312,000,000; cash operations $56,000,000; quarter interest earnings $3,005,318.42; general-fund interest $1,188,688.51. Mims said the city invests largely in high-quality (AA+) instruments and that average maturities and yields are benchmarked against comparable pools.

What's next: The treasurer's office will continue to monitor market conditions; councilmembers requested further audit/accounting detail from the city controller to answer deficit questions.