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Council reviews general-fund outlook; staff proposes three positions frozen to limit deficit
Summary
Staff reported a revised general-fund baseline showing a projected $1.6M decrease in fund balance; in response council agreed to freeze three positions for FY2027 and to treat supplemental requests as decision items while maintaining a 35% reserve target.
Staff presented a revised general-fund baseline for FY2027 showing a projected net decrease in fund balance driven by modest revenue growth and several supplemental requests. The presenter (speaker 2) said the revised base budget yields an estimated net increase to fund balance of approximately $896,000 before decision items, and incorporating decision items results in a projected $1.6M decrease with reserves near the 35% target.
Council discussed personnel and service impacts. Staff said three positions will be frozen in FY2027 to preserve reserves; council members asked for case‑by‑case consideration before filling vacancies and discussed use of third‑party contractors for permit-review work. "You deserve a pat on the back," one councilor (speaker 3) said, noting staff succeeded in producing a negative variance column through cost controls, but other members emphasized service-level tradeoffs and the need to monitor staffing and outsourcing carefully.
Staff reiterated next steps: follow-up utility-fund scenarios on August 11 and continued budget hearings on August 25 and later public hearings tied to adoption of the budget and tax rate in September.
