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City manager frames a transition budget; commissioners to form ad hoc committee on fund balance
Summary
City Manager Ben Marantat presented a city budget aligned to the strategic action plan, detailing fund-balance uses, personnel pressures and infrastructure priorities; commissioners agreed to an ad hoc committee to address long-term fiscal policy and to consider parks maintenance in September.
City Manager Ben Marantat presented the city’s 2026–27 proposed budget on May 11, describing it as a "transition budget" designed to align resources with the city’s recently adopted strategic action plan while addressing structural fiscal pressures.
Marantat and Finance Director Heidi Sheppey highlighted key points: use of fund balance ($1.6 million in the current year with a proposed $1.5 million draw next year), personnel costs totaling roughly $30.5 million, planning for voter-approved ALS/fire positions, and a multi-pillar prioritization that includes urban design, placemaking, regional collaboration, housing/homelessness, environmental resilience and year-round economic vitality.
"This budget reflects a continued commitment to transparency and aligns financial resources with core services and infrastructure needs," Marantat said, adding staff have already trimmed about $5 million from departmental requests to create a more sustainable package.
Commissioners raised concerns about long-term obligations and the pace of new initiatives. Several members supported forming an ad hoc committee of three commissioners plus the manager and treasurer to review fund-balance policy and structural fiscal issues in September.
Parks maintenance: Commissioner Heather pressed for a larger maintenance budget for parks and asked to explore a 1% general-fund allocation to parks maintenance. Staff acknowledged the need and agreed to include parks maintenance in the ad hoc committee’s September review; the manager noted the current budget process already shaved $5 million from requests.
Historical phrasing: Commissioner Heather also urged staff to revise a draft historical summary (page 7) that elevated Perry Hanna as a "founding" figure without sufficiently acknowledging the long Indigenous history of the area. Marantat and staff agreed to revise the language to better reflect Indigenous presence and context.
What happens next: The commission scheduled a public hearing on the proposed budget for May 18; the ad hoc committee will convene in September to review fund-balance policy and long-term fiscal options.
Provenance: Topic introduced SEG 1971; parks and history discussions SEG 2320–2568.
Ending: The commission will take the budget to public hearing and return with additional materials; staff and commissioners will continue work on fund-balance policy and maintenance funding recommendations.
