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Ross council affirms goals, reviews five‑year forecast and budget priorities
Summary
At its April 23 special meeting and budget workshop, the Ross Town Council reviewed department accomplishments, a five‑year operating forecast and priorities including continued pension paydowns, capital project savings for a civic center, and pedestrian safety investments. Council asked staff to return with final appropriations June 11.
The Ross Town Council held a special meeting and annual budget workshop on April 23 to review the town's goals, department accomplishments, and a five‑year operating forecast covering 2027–2031. Town Manager Krista led the presentation and told the council the exercise projects revenues and expenses under current policies and state statute, and it includes a $200,000 annual contribution to reduce unfunded pension liabilities.
Krista said property taxes remain the town's largest revenue source and that the public safety parcel tax is a key reason the town can sustain current service levels. She summarized staff recommendations to use conservative growth assumptions based on County of Marin and HDL projections. “This exercise projects revenue and expenses for a five‑year period starting in 2027 to 2031,” Krista said, introducing the forecast and its underlying assumptions.
Council member Salter pressed staff about recent property‑tax growth that has outpaced conservative forecasts, citing recent years of 5.5% and 5.8% growth, while staff said the county and consultants supply the numbers the town should use for budgeting. Krista also noted an expected $2,500,000 transfer of prior‑year reserves into the capital projects fund for the civic center timing and reminded the council the draft budget will return for formal adoption on June 11.
The workshop covered department highlights — a clean FY25 audit, investments in cybersecurity, a new telephone system, and recruitment of key positions — and flagged priorities for the coming year including succession planning and facility master plan implementation. Staff committed to posting a short highlights summary for residents and to bring final budget appropriations and the parcel‑tax rate recommendation to the June meeting.
