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Los Banos lays out FY 2026–27 budget priorities: staffing, streets, parks and facilities
Summary
City staff presented a budget snapshot and trade‑offs, proposing targeted staffing additions and capital plans — including street rehabilitation, park investments and feasibility work for an aquatics center — and scheduled a proposed budget for council review on June 3.
Los Banos staff used a full‑day May 5 workshop to present the fiscal context for FY 2026–27 and to seek council direction on priorities spanning staffing, capital projects and long‑range planning.
"A budget is just our community values written in numbers, commas, and occasionally parenthesis in red," the City Manager said in opening remarks, framing the day as a discussion about trade‑offs rather than final votes. Finance Director Minnie Moreno told council the city’s core revenues remain stable but growth in labor, insurance and regulatory costs limits discretionary capacity. Staff said the proposed priorities fit within existing revenue projections and assigned fund balances; the formal proposed budget will be presented to council on June 3.
Staff highlighted three broad themes for the coming year:
1) Targeted staffing to match service needs. Departments presented requests that would add capacity in priority service areas, if approved: HR sought to retain a technician after moving payroll to Finance (fully burdened cost ≈$114,000); City Attorney requested an assistant city attorney (≈$324,000) to reduce outside counsel reliance; Finance proposed a purchasing manager and expanded IT capacity; Public Works proposed two project managers and utility maintenance hires to support a growing capital program; Parks requested maintenance and an inspector position to support increasing capital delivery.
2) Major capital and facilities planning. Staff proposed a multi‑year approach to several sizable projects: a planned large‑scale street rehabilitation program for FY 2026–27 (approximately $8 million targeted next year), design work and feasibility for Colorado Ballpark rehabilitation, conceptual planning for an expanded A Sports Complex on the closed landfill, and a feasibility study for an aquatics/fitness facility. Parks staff emphasized that Colorado Ballpark requires substantial electrical and irrigation overhaul; Parks seeks to balance phasing vs. full build depending on funding and FAA considerations for fields near the airport.
3) Long‑range infrastructure strategy. Public Works discussed an integrated, long‑range approach to water and wastewater: pilot testing chromium‑6 treatment at well sites, continued groundwater recharge, and an exploratory surface‑water/recycled‑water strategy that would be pursued with regional partners over many years to reduce long‑term treatment burdens. Staff emphasized the multi‑decade scale and financing complexity of these options.
Council members asked staff to bring back further analysis on several items, including a review of animal shelter capacity and a refined plan for the park development fund’s use across competing priorities. Finance reiterated that the June 3 proposed budget will incorporate the priorities discussed while maintaining reserve policies and structural balance.
Speakers and attribution: the City Manager opened the workshop; Finance Director Minnie Moreno delivered the fiscal snapshot; multiple department directors presented carryover projects and staffing requests. Direct quote above is from the City Manager's opening remarks.
What’s next: staff will finalize a proposed FY 2026–27 budget for presentation on June 3. Additional council direction and any adjustments will be reflected in the final budget adoption process.
