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Resident asks why May projection showing much larger tax trajectory wasn’t published; staff says it was an informational worst‑case scenario
Summary
A resident asked why an internal May 21 projection that showed a much larger cumulative tax trajectory by FY28 was not included in public materials; finance director Marin Nelson said that projection was an aggressive, informational 'worst‑case' that assumed drawing fund balance to zero and staff will work to publish clearer five‑year outlooks.
During public comment Maureen Starkey pointed to an internal May 21 projection that she said showed a cumulative tax increase of roughly 66.75% by fiscal year 2028 (74.37% with a new Westside fire station) and asked why that projection had not been published for public review. Starkey requested a five‑year tax‑rate outlook and a plain‑language line‑item breakdown showing where the increase is going.
Finance director Marin Nelson responded that the May projection was an aggressive, worst‑case model that assumed the city would stop dipping into fund balance entirely and that the projection was informational rather than a council‑adopted plan. Nelson said staff will keep working to refine the projection materials and make a clearer five‑year outlook available in future budget materials.
