sa国际传媒官网网页入口

Inflation, higher health care costs, cuts in federal funding and increased demand for services add up to a $35 million decrease in city operating funds next year, according to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Mayor Tim Keller's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.

The proposed $1.47 billion budget includes "modest increases" for rank-and-file city workers and "significant raises and additional staffing for public safety," Keller wrote in a letter to the City Council.

And sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fire Rescue "will see its highest pay increases in city history," the letter said.

If approved, the 2027 fiscal year budget would mark the first year the city鈥檚 budget has declined since fiscal year 2024, when the city approved a $1.37 billion budget, down from $1.42 the previous year. 

To achieve the needed budget reductions, departments "eliminated or deactivated" 247 positions and cut external contracts for services that can be provided in-house by city employees.

"sa国际传媒官网网页入口 continues to see relatively flat population growth and tax revenue when adjusted for inflation," the letter said. "City revenues are also under pressure nationally, with economic uncertainty and low consumer confidence resulting in reduced spending."

The proposed budget includes $16.4 million in compensation increases citywide, subject to negotiations with employee unions, of which police and firefighter raises would claim a total of about $8.2 million.

On the revenue side, city officials anticipate $893.8 million in total revenue in fiscal year 2027, a 2.5% increase over the current year.

鈥淲e鈥檙e making the necessary cuts without sacrificing services or public safety,鈥� Keller said in a statement. 鈥淭his budget shows our total focus on protecting public safety, housing, and the core services people rely on every day. It鈥檚 about doing more with what we have and making sure it works for our community.鈥�

A city administrator was not made available for an interview Thursday.

Public safety spending

The proposed sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Police Department budget would increase a modest 2% in the 2027 fiscal year, which begins July 1, to about $278.2 million and comprise nearly 32% of the city's general fund appropriations.

It calls for $3.8 million to support staff raises, subject to police union negotiations.

APD cut eight command staff and 52 civilian positions for a total savings of $5.9 million and doubled the number of funded positions for police service aides from 50 to 100.

"This civilianization strategy allows sworn officers to focus on core law enforcement crime-fighting duties, strengthening overall response capacity," the budget said. APD also plans to transition 43 sworn officers into field operations, it said.

The budget calls for 1,100 sworn officer positions. In November, APD had 901 sworn officers.

For sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fire Rescue, the proposed budget includes $4.4 million for a negotiated wage increase for firefighters. Overtime appropriations were increased by $409,000. AFR staffing is expected to remain essentially unchanged at 828 full-time positions.

"sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Fire Rescue is prioritizing field response by realigning staffing and reducing reliance on overtime," the mayor's letter said.

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Community Safety, which the proposed budget identifies as the city's "third branch of public safety," is slated to receive a 10.5% budget increase to $19.8 million in 2027, including $261,000 for raises. The budget increase is intended to increase field response and street outreach.

ACS personnel have backgrounds as social workers, clinicians and counselors and respond to 911 calls reporting people suffering from addiction, homelessness and mental health emergencies. The proposed budget would fund 156 full-time positions, up from 142 currently.

Health, housing and behavioral health

The proposed budget would increase funding by 9.5% to $48.9 million for the city's Health, Housing and Homelessness Department, and fully funds the Gateway System of Care, a cluster of city services for homeless people.

The proposal includes $8 million for affordable housing vouchers. It calls for 98 full-time positions, of which 78 are paid from the city's general fund. Another 20 personnel would be paid by grant funding.

It would also appropriate $400,000 for a new diversion program operated by the City Attorney's Office to address low-level nonviolent offenders.

"sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Community Safety's expanded outreach capacity will serve as a primary entry point into this system, connecting individuals to shelter, services, and housing pathways," Keller's letter said.

The budget also includes funding for a Gateway West Safe Outdoor Space for homeless people "not yet ready for indoor shelter," the letter said without further explanation. No line-item appropriation is listed for the open space.

The city's Youth and Family Services Department would expand teen programming by $500,000 "while reorganizing early childhood programs to better align with the state's free childcare framework," the letter said.

鈥淭his is a disciplined budget built around accountability,鈥� Chief Financial Officer Carla Martinez said in a statement. 鈥淲e took a hard look at any inefficiency and worked with departments to reduce costs, bring work in-house, and improve performance while making sure we continue delivering essential services for our residents.鈥�