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BACKGROUND <br /> The proposed budget is the City's comprehensive financial plan for all programs and <br /> services for FY 2017/18 and FY 2018/19. Staff is recommending that the Operating <br /> Budget be adopted as presented at the Council meeting on June 6, 2017. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> The Operating Budget maintains core service levels, and addresses new program and <br /> project initiatives prioritized by the City Council in the Two-year Work Plan. In addition, <br /> the Operating Budget allocates a total of $10.3 million to the City's Capital Improvement <br /> Program (CIP) some of which funds projects included in the Two-year Work Plan. <br /> The City has capitalized on the economy as it grew out of the Great Recession. There <br /> have been numerous housing and commercial projects over the past few years that have <br /> increased the City's property and sales tax revenues. Commercial vacancies are down as <br /> companies are deciding to locate in Pleasanton, the City's unemployment rate is 3.0%, <br /> down from a high of 8.8% in 2010, and median home price of $1,028,250 is the highest it <br /> has ever been. Unfortunately, sales tax revenues increases are slowing down as a result <br /> of increased regional shopping competition and consumers continued shift to on-line <br /> sales. The City's FY 2017/18 General Fund revenues reflect a mixture of projected strong <br /> increases in property taxes, hotel taxes, and business license taxes that are off-set by a <br /> slight increase in sales taxes that results in an overall 3% increase in General Fund <br /> revenues over the FY 2016/17 Midyear Budget. <br /> Operating Budget Overview <br /> The Operating Budget as presented is balanced. In addition, the General Fund reserves <br /> will be $21.6 million by 6/30/2018 or 20% of operating revenues in the General Fund as <br /> required by the City's reserve policy. <br /> Overall, the Operating Budget is projected to be $174.9 million in FY 2017/18 and $172.1 <br /> million in FY 2018/19 which represents a 3.1% decrease from the FY 2016/17 Midyear <br /> Budget and another 1.6% decrease from the FY 2017/18 budget. While the total FY <br /> 2017/18 operating budget decreased by 3.1% from FY 2016/17, there are several <br /> increases in the FY 2017/18 and FY 2018/19 operating budgets related to salary and <br /> fringe benefits pursuant to adopted labor agreements as well as increased PERS pension <br /> contribution rates. These increases are off-set by a decrease of $8.6 million associated <br /> with the one-time FY 2016/17 Special Revenue Fund allocation to the Kottinger Place <br /> and Pleasanton Gardens Housing Project, $2.9 million one-time allocation to prefund the <br /> City's pension liability, $1.2 million for the City's new integrated financial system, Tyler <br /> Munis, and $1.4 million in fewer large equipment and vehicle purchases primarily related <br /> to LPFD. <br /> A more detailed discussion of the proposed two-year Operating Budget is contained in <br /> Exhibit A, Budget Summary. <br /> Page 2 of 5 <br />