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Salinas Measure G oversight committee reviews preliminary 2026–28 budget, highlights sewer projects
Summary
The Measure G Oversight Committee reviewed the city's preliminary 2026–28 budget and a capital improvement program (CIP) overview, focusing on sanitary sewer work and staffing funded by Measure G. Presenters said the CIP carryover totals $65 million across 123 projects and described 106.5 Measure G-funded positions.
The Salinas Measure G Oversight Committee reviewed the city's preliminary biennial budget for 2026–28 and an overview of planned capital projects at its May 18 meeting.
Finance Director Selena Andrews told the committee the preliminary plan includes positions and operating expenditures tied to ballot measures and city priorities. "This measure funds a 106 and a half positions, 38 are within public works, and 29 are within the police department, and then there's 15 and a half in recreation and community development," Andrews said, and described budget-balancing strategies including potential use of fund balance, reallocating prior CIP appropriations and applying a vacancy factor to reflect unfilled positions.
Assistant Public Works Director and City Engineer Adriana Robles said the city is carrying over about $65,000,000 as of April 1 across 123 active capital projects and that sanitary sewer improvements will be a primary focus in the coming biennium. "As of April 1, we have a balance that we are doing carryover of $65,000,000, and that actually includes a list of, a 123 projects citywide," Robles said, and highlighted a multi-year design-build project for the Lake Street lift station and sewer-main upgrades as the largest CIP items.
Robles said road projects will draw on state road-infrastructure funds such as the gas tax, Measure X and SB 1; the presenter mentioned a numeric projection during the slide presentation that was inconsistent in the recording and is not reproduced here because the dollar figure as stated in the transcript appears garbled and could not be confirmed from the presentation materials.
During questions, Andrews confirmed the measure-funded staffing counts cited in the presentation and said seven positions are covered in fire and 15.5 in recreation. When asked about a "combo building inspector," the community development director explained, "Combo is just doing both residential and commercial inspection as our basic inspector," meaning one inspector performs both inspection types rather than maintaining separate residential and commercial inspector positions.
Committee members were shown the internal budget calendar and told the proposed budget will be presented to council the following Tuesday, with adoption expected in June and a February 2027 midyear review of the first year of the biennial budget. Staff noted that public comment opportunities to influence the council's final decisions are best taken at the presentation meeting or at the adoption hearing.
No public comments were offered on the budget item, and the committee took no formal action on the presentation. The meeting adjourned at 5:23 p.m.
