Saratoga Springs staff outline $3.1 million property‑tax option to fund public‑safety staffing

Saratoga Springs city staff on Tuesday presented a tentative FY26‑27 budget and asked the City Council to consider a property‑tax option to cover rising public‑safety operating costs.

City Manager Mark Christensen and budget staff described a scenario the council requested: roughly $3.1 million in additional property‑tax revenue to help fund police and fire staffing increases. Staff said one‑time capital projects such as a new fire station would be financed and reimbursed with impact fees over time, but ongoing personnel and operating costs must be matched with recurring revenue.

Spencer Quain, who led the budget presentation, said departments submitted lists of personnel and operating requests during the fall budget process and staff distilled those into a package that shows public‑safety operating costs could rise by roughly $6 million over several years. He told the council the modeled property‑tax increase would cover a portion of that ongoing cost.

"Fire was asking for about $1.88 million and police about $1.5 million," Quain said, listing the primary components of the request. "Because some revenue streams are variable, the council asked staff to model a property‑tax option that provides stable base funding for those ongoing expenses."

Mark Christensen framed the request as matching revenues to ongoing operations rather than using one‑time reserves. "I don't like paying property taxes," he said, "but property tax is the most reliable way to fund ongoing public safety. We want to be fiscally prudent and match the funding source to the expense." He also noted the timing lag between new development and property‑tax receipts, explaining that newly built homes generate property‑tax revenue only after assessed values are reported and distributed.

Council members said they understood the need to address public‑safety workloads but emphasized outreach and transparency. The council received the presentation; no vote was taken. Staff said the next steps include adopting a tentative budget at the council's first May meeting, followed by statutorily required truth‑in‑taxation and public hearings later this summer before any final rate is set.

What happens next: staff will publish the tentative budget, hold public outreach, and present a formal public‑hearing schedule that must include a truth‑in‑taxation meeting prior to any tax increase being finalized.