City of Sacramento seeks public input for fiscal year 2025/26 budget

The City of Sacramento has already begun work on its next fiscal year budget and invites residents to participate in the process by completing an online survey. This effort follows the City's recent adoption of the current fiscal year budget, which successfully addressed a $66 million deficit without significantly reducing any City services.

The City will again need to identify strategies to address a budget deficit for fiscal year 2025/26, and that is why it has started its budget process earlier than usual, said Pete Coletto, the City's finance director.

"We invite the public to include their voice in this process," said Coletto. "Their input is crucial as we work to address the budget deficit and make informed decisions about the future of our city."

Based on feedback from last year's budget survey, the City is launching this year's survey earlier in the development process and extending its availability. The survey will close Nov. 24, 2024.

Residents can take the budget survey by clicking here.

The survey is available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese,Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Dari, to ensure broad community engagement.

For those needing additional translation assistance for the survey, please email [email protected].

Budget background

The City is currently facing a "structural budget deficit," where operating expenses are growing faster than revenues. This financial challenge is not due to a recession but rather factors such as inflation, increased pension liabilities and insurance costs, new labor agreements, expansion into new service areas, and voter-approved measures directing general fund spending.

To address this deficit, the City will need to explore a mix of increasing ongoing revenues and reducing operating costs. As part of this process, public input will be vital in guiding decisions on how to balance the budget.

The survey will provide residents with an opportunity to share their priorities and preferences as the City evaluates various budget-balancing strategies.

The City Manager will present the proposed budget by the end of April 2025, the Council will subsequently hold hearings and must adopt a balanced budget by June 30, 2025.

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