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Santa Rosa staff warn of $17.5 million shortfall, outline two-year strategy to avoid abrupt cuts
Summary
City finance staff told the City Council the base budget for FY 2026–27 shows a $17.5 million structural deficit tied to expiring grants, rising personnel costs and public‑safety overtime. Staff proposed using reserves, leasing apparatus and targeted department reductions, and will return with detailed proposals May 5–6.
The Santa Rosa City Council heard on April 21 that the city’s preliminary base budget for fiscal year 2026–27 includes a projected $17.5 million general‑fund deficit, driven largely by expiring grant funding, growing personnel costs and higher public‑safety overtime.
Chief Financial Officer Scott Wagner and Budget Manager Veronica Conner presented the forecast, saying the shortfall is “structural in its nature” and will cause reserve drawdowns without corrective steps. “If we were to take no corrective actions and adopt a 17 and 1/2 million dollar deficit, we would again expect the structural aspect of our deficit to cause growing deficits in the future years,” Wagner said.
Why it matters: the gap reflects a combination of one‑time grant money ending (notably a federal SAFER fire grant and ARPA‑funded…
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