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Berkeley City Council adopts balanced FY2022 budget, using ARP dollars and targeted deferrals
Summary
The council approved a balanced fiscal year 2022 budget on June 29, 2021, closing a roughly $22.7 million gap by using American Rescue Plan funds, insurance and targeted deferrals while funding priorities including wildfire prevention, climate equity and neighborhood traffic safety.
The Berkeley City Council adopted its fiscal year 2022 budget on June 29, approving measures the city manager and budget committee said would close an estimated $22.7 million general‑fund shortfall without broad service cuts.
City staff and council members said the package balances near‑term needs with investments in climate, public safety initiatives and community referrals. City Manager Dee Williams Ridley told the council the administration planned to draw on American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars, projected insurance savings and adjusted property‑tax projections to close the gap and incorporate the budget and finance committee’s amendments.
The adopted plan keeps the police overtime budget near $5.7 million with a $1 million contingency set aside and defers hiring for 23 sworn and seven unsworn positions to allow time for the city’s reimagining‑of‑public‑safety process, officials said. Those deferrals generated roughly $6.7 million in savings that the council directed toward prioritized referrals including increased mental‑health outreach, a flexible bike patrol crew and data analyst positions to support a more data‑driven public‑safety deployment.
Council leaders also directed $2.1 million in council referrals across June and November to fund items such as equitable street‑cleaning, traffic calming near schools, arts grants and the Climate Equity Action Fund. The council incorporated Measure FF (fire/prevention) funding into the budget and accepted a schedule to report back to the council on implementation.
Several council members emphasized the budget represents a compromise: it preserves current core services, funds targeted climate and equity initiatives and sets aside resources for reimagining public safety. Council Member Harrison, who helped lead budget committee discussions, said the package reduces police spending from this year’s levels while adding targeted patrol and analytic capacity “to meet current needs while we pursue long‑term structural change.”
After public comment from dozens of residents and city employees — many urging pension equity and higher cost‑of‑living adjustments — the council voted to adopt the budget. The motion carried in roll call and the council moved on to adopt the annual appropriations ordinance on first reading.
The city manager and department staff said they will provide line‑item updates and quarterly reports on overtime, Measure FF implementation and ARP spending as the fiscal year begins.
