Cupertino staff preview 2025–26 budget and demo OpenGov portal as residents press for grant and project detail

City Manager Tina Kapoor opened a public workshop on the city’s operating budget, describing the February–June budget development cycle and inviting residents to the May 11 council study session for a deeper review. “The city’s operating budget is one of the most important things we do each year,” Kapoor said, and staff emphasized quarterly check‑ins to track spending and projections.

Acting Director of Administrative Services Jonathan Orozco and Acting Budget Manager Tony OSA Anderson led a “Budget 101” overview explaining key terms — fiscal year (July 1–June 30), revenues, expenditures and appropriations — and described Cupertino’s fund/account structure. Tony OSA Anderson explained carryovers and encumbrances are used when projects span years: “If the projects were to move forward they can carry it over from one year to the next until the projects are either completed or council decides to cancel the project.”

The meeting featured a live demonstration of the city’s OpenGov financial transparency portal by Jack Ralley, OpenGov’s customer success manager. Ralley showed residents how to view the adopted 2025–26 budget, filter by department or expense type and drill into reports such as staffing and monthly actuals. “You have the ability to see exactly where your dollars are going,” Ralley said, noting the portal requires no resident login.

Residents used the Q&A to press for specifics the dashboard does not always surface. One attendee asked how to find grants and whether city‑funded grants are separated from federal grants. Staff said some grants (for example, CDBG) have dedicated funds while many one‑off or subrecipient grants are recorded in general GL accounts and may not be itemized unless the grant is large or recurring. Tony OSA Anderson said tracing whether a particular grant payment came from city funds or outside sources may require a follow‑up to identify the specific GL account.

Other notable questions included a request to explain why Public Works spending rose from about $16 million to $31 million over a ten‑year span while most departments were flat or declined; staff said the session was high‑level and directed residents to the May 11 study session for a detailed breakdown by division. Residents also asked which fund supports the senior center and recreation facilities; staff said the sports center is an enterprise fund while the senior center is now recorded in the general fund because it is not self‑sustaining.

A resident raised concerns about apparent unspent project budgets at the Wolf/280 intersection and the Vallco site; staff explained unspent dollars may remain encumbered or carried over until projects proceed or council cancels them. On fund balances, staff noted OpenGov exposes revenues and expenditures but not balance‑sheet items; quarterly reports posted online include fund‑balance updates.

Staff committed to follow up on dashboard discrepancies and unanswered questions. Jonathan Orozco said staff will collect questions they could not resolve in the session and provide a follow‑up document. The city invited attendees to the May 11 budget study session for more granular review and then moved into an interactive demonstration of the OpenGov portal.