After months of meetings and hearings, the Santa Clarita City Council on Tuesday approved its 2026-27 spending plan, which is nearly 5% larger than last year’s, and once again balanced, according to city officials.
On a unanimous motion, the council skipped the formal presentation from McKenzie Bright, the city staffer who prepared a rundown on the figures — but there’s also been plenty of discussions and presentations throughout the process regarding where the city’s spending priorities are and how it’s impacting the city.
“We didn’t get anybody’s concerns of needing to add anything or subtract anything, and I think the community has had a really good year,” Mayor Laurene Weste said in a phone call Thursday. “So, I guess, we were happy with it, and I think the community will be enjoying all of the things that that budget is going to provide.”
The new budget includes a total of $361.4 million, which covers capital improvement, such as new parks, personnel staffing those facilities, and operations citywide, maintenance and any debt service, to name a few.
For the city’s general fund, its largest spending source, a total of $157.7 million in revenue is forecast against $157.4 million in expenditures, according to the figures the council approved Tuesday.
In addition to an approximately $300,000 cushion, the plan allows the city to maintain its 20% emergency operating reserve, according to city officials.
The budget document online broke down the revenue sources: sales tax, which is traditionally the city’s largest general fund revenue source, is projected to increase 6.3% to $50.4 million — but is flat compared to the previous fiscal year’s year-end estimate.
Property tax and property tax in lieu of vehicle license fees are estimated to increase 4.4% to $53.8 million, collectively.
In terms of what that revenue is providing, there’s $81.5 million for 44 projects in the capital improvement program, which includes $67.8 million in new projects and $13.7 million in “re-budgets” — plans that were previously budgeted that carry over from the previous fiscal year.
Among the highlights from City Manager Ken Striplin’s May 20 presentation to the Planning Commission, via the city’s capital-improvement program: In addition to the $2.76 million for the city transit’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure and $17 million for road maintenance, there’s $34.5 million for Via Princessa Park; $2.7 million for the construction of a replacement pool-pump room at Newhall Park; another $3 million for the park’s maintenance yard; and $1.5 million for a Class I bike trail design on Railroad Avenue.
City Councilman Jason Gibbs said he was particularly happy with the infrastructure investments in the spending plan.
“I’m extremely proud of the construction of our (city) transit’s hydrogen-fueling infrastructure, the continued investment into downtown Newhall with the Main Street parking structure’s design and construction on the south end, and a project I have been watching since serving on the Measure W steering committee, is the awarding of a construction contract for VIA Princessa Park,” Gibbs wrote in a text Thursday. “At a time when you see the state and local governments struggling with their budgets, Santa Clarita’s continued conservative budget practices have allowed for a community that is safety- and family-focused.”
