City Council Budget Hearings: The Quick Version
By Ellen Putnam
Screenshot from MMTV
The City Council officially began its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget process last week - and we're here to give you the highlights!
The Appropriations and Oversight Committee of the City Council will meet on Mondays and Thursdays through mid-June to hear from every city department about their proposed budget. Then, on June 15th, the full City Council will vote on the budget.
For each department, the City Council can vote to approve, reduce the amount, or reject the expenditure entirely. The City Council cannot vote to add to a budget area, and how funds are spent within a department is up to the department head, not the City Council.
Budget information released by the city can be found here. (We find the Operating Budget and General Fund Salaries documents especially helpful for understanding how the city budget works.)
In the chart below, we summarize all the departments the City Council has heard from so far, focusing on any significant changes from last year's budget and how each city councilor voted. In general, you can expect a 2-3% increase in salary costs in each department (reflecting cost-of-living and longevity increases), and more significant increases in some expenses the city does not have control over, such as insurance premiums. You can find more details on each department in the city's budget documents.
We will also be publishing deep dives into some of the budget areas. Feel free to reach out with any questions you have!
Click to view in Google Sheets.
Free Cash
At the same time, the City Council is voting on this year's free cash expenditures. Free cash is the money left over at the end of the prior budget year, and is used for one-time expenses.
Similar to the operating budget, the City Council can vote to approve, reduce, or reject a proposed expenditure, but it cannot add to or propose its own expenditures. The Appropriations and Oversight Committee (which all eleven city councilors sit on) votes on their recommendation for a free cash expenditure, and then a final vote is taken at a subsequent full City Council meeting.
In the chart below, you can see all of the free cash expenditures proposed by the Mayor's Office and a summary of how city councilors voted on each appropriation in the Appropriations and Oversight Committee and in the full City Council.
Click to view in Google Sheets (Free Cash is on the second tab).
