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Council presses staff on FY2026–27 budget; staff outline COLA, staffing and contingency plans
Summary
During the meeting the council reviewed a lengthy FY2026–27 budget Q&A. Staff summarized proposed pay increases, fund reallocations, and contingency options if a tax measure fails — including layoffs and paused raises — and clarified several capital and operating line items.
Council members used a Q&A format to probe the proposed FY2026–27 budget; staff responses were included in the packet and summarized during the session.
City staff explained the Mayor’s pay proposals and other compensation elements in the budget materials: “The Mayor has proposed a 3% COLA and a 3%/4% step increase (3% for public employees, 4% for sworn police and fire),” the packet’s answers state. Staff also noted differences in how sales tax revenue was allocated among funds this year versus prior years and explained that some prior-year variances were due to reallocation to dedicated funds such as the Public Safety Service Fund and Capital Improvements Fund.
Councilors pressed for specifics about contingency plans if a proposed tax increase is not approved. The packet’s summary noted potential outcomes: “Layoffs, no raises (COLA/Merit), reduction in services.” Staff answered detailed line-item questions on police and fire benefit costs, permit and plan-check revenue projections, staffing vacancies across departments, and capital requests including the public works campus and park maintenance items. Several department-level clarifications (for example, why certain subscriptions or law-library charges were consolidated) appear in the written Q&A included in the packet.
The Q&A documents and staff responses constitute the substantive record of the budget discussion in the packet; the council transcript records the questions posed and references to supporting attachments but does not show an immediate vote approving the proposed budget within the provided segments.
