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Rohnert Park staff recommend rejecting pickleball bid and using casino supplemental funds to close $5.2 million budget gap
Summary
City staff trimmed an initial $9 million budget shortfall to $5.2 million and proposed rejecting a planned $2 million pickleball project and using casino supplemental funds plus the project’s general‑fund match to balance the FY 2025–26 budget, while urging continued efforts to protect reserves for emergencies.
City staff told the Rohnert Park City Council Wednesday that they have narrowed an initial roughly $9 million structural gap in the proposed FY 2025–26 general fund to $5.2 million through hiring freezes, underfills and targeted reductions. To close the remaining shortfall, staff recommended rejecting the pending bid for a council‑approved pickleball project and tapping casino supplemental funds earmarked for community and capital uses.
The city manager said the council and staff had already reduced the budget request through vacancy freezes and by deferring certain hires and purchases, but further action is needed to avoid service cuts or continued structural stress. “We have a net deficit of $5.2 million,” the city manager told council. Staff proposed not awarding the pickleball construction contract (roughly $2 million in casino funds plus about $700,000 of a previously budgeted city match) and drawing from a $3.2 million casino supplemental balance to cover the remainder of the gap.
Finance director Betsy (last name in transcript) reviewed a list of departmental add‑ons that were evaluated but not supported in the manager’s recommendation, including some contract renewals and capital requests. Staff also pointed to a set of salary‑related savings (vacancy holds and delayed recruitments) totaling approximately $1.6 million as part of the gap reduction.
Councilmembers were split. Several members argued that setting aside large sums—$15 million in casino‑related reserves identified in the multi‑year plan—was prudent to preserve borrowing capacity and long‑term capital plans. Others said that rejecting the pickleball project was a necessary, if painful, step to preserve city operations, its reserves and the ability to respond to emergencies.
“While we value amenities such as pickleball, our highest duty is fiscal stewardship and public safety,” one council member said during debate. Another council member urged preserving the previously planned capital set‑asides and finding alternatives to pull funding from other one‑time sources.
Staff asked only for direction to finalize the budget schedule; no formal ordinance or permanent change was adopted Wednesday. The city manager said staff would prepare final budget materials reflecting council direction and return with the balanced operating plan and implementation steps. If council approves the manager’s recommendation, the administration would not award the pickleball construction contract and would transfer identified casino supplemental funds into the FY 2025–26 operating plan to close the gap.
Next procedural steps include finalizing a balanced budget document for adoption and, if council wants to pursue a dedicated revenue measure in the future, staff warned that election‑consultant and legal costs for a ballot measure could reach roughly $250,000.
