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San Diego council reviews draft budget, discusses staffing and voter-approval tax rate
Summary
Council received a preliminary budget presentation detailing pay increases, new positions, equipment spending and a proposed tax-rate increase; members asked for more time to review materials and raised staffing priorities including a city administrator and code enforcement officer and the need to ensure the proposed rate falls below the voter-approval rate.
The San Diego City Council held a preliminary budget workshop Aug. 14 and discussed proposed personnel additions, equipment, and tax-rate calculations for the 2025–26 fiscal year.
The mayor presented highlights including a 6–6.5% across-the-board pay adjustment proposal, a part-time kennel technician, overtime buildouts for police and other employees, investment contributions, and a proposal to add a city administrator. Council members said they had not all received the full packet in advance and asked that the budget packet be distributed before discussion of the public hearing timeline. Several members said a full public hearing could not legally occur that night without the required notice process.
On tax rates, staff summarized the city’s no-new-revenue rate and voter-approval rate. Council members noted the proposed rate in the packet exceeded the stated voter-approval rate and said the document would need to be adjusted or an election called if the council seeks a rate above the voter-approval level.
Councilors also flagged items they wanted addressed before adoption: additional funding for parks and litter removal, clarification of a $4,000 judge health-plan offset, funding and scope for a kennel technician, and whether to add a city administrator and a dedicated code-enforcement position (estimates referenced $50k–$55k annually). The mayor asked council to identify potential cuts if they want to add new expenditures.
No final budget vote occurred; the council agreed to postpone substantive action until members and staff can review the full packet and reconcile tax-rate calculations with legal thresholds.
