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Stockton unveils proposed $1.05 billion FY26–27 budget with emphasis on public safety and infrastructure
Summary
CFO Gilbert Garcia presented a balanced FY26–27 proposal that pushes total city funds above $1 billion and relies on targeted use of reserves, grant funding and focused capital spending. Council pressed for clearer strategies on equity‑focused investments, deferred maintenance and successor staffing.
Gilbert Garcia, the city’s chief financial officer, presented Stockton’s proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget and told the council the city’s total funds will exceed $1 billion for the first time in recent years. He said the proposal, submitted by the May 15 charter deadline, is a balanced budget that uses some prior‑year reserves and anticipates additional external revenues to maintain services.
"We did submit a balanced proposed budget by May 15," Garcia said, noting a roughly 7% year‑over‑year rise in total city funds and a first‑year capital improvement program of about $85.4 million. He told council the proposed general fund climbs from about $328 million to $344 million, and highlighted that sales tax growth has slowed and the city will need to make choices to restore a fully structurally balanced position in future years.
Councilmembers pressed staff on how the budget treats one‑time reserves, interfund transfers and long‑running deferred maintenance. Vice Mayor Lee said she is watching closely for investments that serve historically disinvested neighborhoods and asked whether the administration will set concrete grant‑seeking targets to capture outside funding.
Garcia replied that staff plan to be “aggressive” with grant procurement and that many new positions added in the current year were funded outside the general fund. The presentation also flagged a five‑year CIP that includes a large amount of unfunded requests beyond the first year and recommended a mix of budget balancing measures and revenue pursuits to maintain fiscal health.
Why this matters: Stockton’s budget frames choices about public safety staffing, capital maintenance and grant strategies for neighborhoods with long deferred projects. City leaders said the proposed plan finances core services while staff continue work to align multi‑year structural balances and pursue external funding.
