Item 14 - Budget Calendar and Community Engagement Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26

Home Browse Search

Finance and Management Services www.santa-ana.org/finance Item # 14 City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report December 17, 2024 TOPIC: Budget Calendar and Community Engagement Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26 AGENDA TITLE Budget Calendar and Community Engagement Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26 RECOMMENDED ACTION Approve the Budget Calendar and Community Engagement Plan for Fiscal Year 2025- 26 (FY25-26). GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: No DISCUSSION The FY 2025-26 Budget Calendar (Exhibit 1) and the Community Engagement Plan (Exhibit 2) outline the City's approach for a successful, inclusive, and transparent budget process. The goals of community engagement in the annual budget development process are to ensure the budget process is clear and open to the public, gather feedback to ensure the budget reflects the needs and priorities of the community, and foster a relationship of trust among the community, City Council, and city staff. City staff will employ multiple techniques to engage the community such as attending citywide events, hosting Community Budget Meetings in every City Council ward, facilitating Listening Tour visits, and conducting a budget priorities survey. During the Spring months, City leadership conducts internal budget meetings with each of the City departments. These meetings provide departments with an opportunity to propose workforce changes and funding requests. Early Direction, tentatively scheduled for March 18, 2025, has two purposes. The first is to provide information about the current year's fiscal year that will impact the budget in either FY25-26 or future years. The second is to request direction from the City Council regarding budget priorities. The City Council is scheduled to consider the proposed budget in May and hold a public hearing in June.