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Finance director: City budget tighter but balanced for now; options include cuts, new fees and vacancy savings
Summary
Finance Director Vicky Van Buren told the Neighborhood Advisory Board that Reno’s $1 billion operating budget includes a $350 million general fund and a multi‑year shortfall that was bridged with one‑time funds and cuts; she said the city must either reduce expenses, raise revenues or use both to maintain a balanced budget.
Finance Director Vicky Van Buren gave Neighborhood Advisory Board members a high‑level look at the city’s finances, saying Reno operates roughly a $1 billion budget with a $350 million general fund and about 1,500 full‑time positions citywide.
"The general fund is $350,000,000," Van Buren said, and she outlined the fund structure used to track revenues and expenditures across numerous restricted and dedicated accounts. She said the city’s largest revenue sources are consolidated taxes (mostly sales tax), property taxes, franchise fees and business licenses, which together make up roughly 80% of general‑fund revenues.
Van Buren said the city recently closed a previously advertised shortfall of about $24 million using a combination of ongoing revenues and what she called "one‑time money." To bridge the current year’s roughly $25 million gap, she said the city used about $10 million in one‑time sources and implemented roughly $16 million in expenditure reductions.
She described three realistic approaches for balancing future budgets: "We can cut — we can reduce expenses, we can increase revenues, or we can do a combination of both," Van Buren said, adding that staff are also budgeting a 2% vacancy savings rate for fiscal year 2027 to reflect normal hiring gaps.
Board members pressed on revenue ideas discussed by council, including short‑term‑rental fees, expanded parking enforcement and franchise fee adjustments. Van Buren confirmed that a sanitation franchise fee already approved by council is expected to yield about $5.5 million annually and that other options — such as licensing or taxing short‑term rentals — require staff time and policy work to implement.
Van Buren also reviewed the city’s debt profile and capital program, noting roughly $450 million in outstanding debt with most of it tied to dedicated revenue streams. She said the city plans to issue about $70 million in bonds for an advanced purified water project that will be repaid through sewer user fees and grants.
The presentation concluded with a schedule of upcoming budget events: a council update the next day, a full budget workshop on May 6, a Financial Advisory Board review on May 14 and a public hearing and adoption on May 20. Van Buren directed residents to the city’s interactive budget tools at reno.gov for further detail.
The NAB did not take action on the budget at the meeting; members provided comment for the record and urged staff to continue public outreach ahead of council hearings.
