The city of Santa Clarita budget process is offering another chance for the public to see how annual spending priorities are determined with a Tuesday meeting at City Hall.
The publicly posted agenda states that the process starts each year in January and involves several public hearings.
Tuesday’s public hearing is a chance for Santa Clarita’s five City Council members, all their appointed commissioners and the public to hear about how Santa Clarita’s revenue is being spent.
“During the joint study session, the City Council; Planning Commission; Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission; and Arts Commission will receive a presentation on the preparation of the fiscal year 2026-27 budget,” City Manager Ken Striplin wrote.
Striplin’s previous notes to the Budget Committee included that, “while there is some uncertainty in the market due to the conflict in Iran, economists continue to expect modest growth; although, if the conflict continues, they expect inflation to rise significantly.”
In April, he indicated Kiplinger had projected increased growth rates for both the gross domestic product and inflation, with concerns over energy costs due to the Iranian conflict looming large.
The recommended 2026-27 budget for the fiscal year, which starts July 1, totals $361.4 million, according to Striplin’s previous report, a nearly 5% increase over the previous year’s. The city declines to publish its latest estimates prior to the public discussion with the City Council.
Previously, Striplin said general fund revenues are projected to be approximately $157.8 million, a 3.4% increase from the current year’s, and revenues at $157.4 million, for an operating surplus of more than $350,000.
“We also continue to maintain a healthy operating emergency reserve,” according to Striplin’s budget notes, “which currently represents 20% of general fund operating expenditures, or $27.8 million.”
Striplin reported a capital improvement budget that’s equal to nearly two-thirds of the budget for general fund revenues, a total of $96.7 million, according to April’s meeting. About $91 million of that is for new requests and about $5.7 million is “for re-budgets or pending capital projects that were funded in previous years and need to be carried over to the new fiscal year,” according to Striplin.
Following the joint study session, Santa Clarita officials are planning to have a City Council meeting on the budget May 26 and then a hearing for its formal adoption June 9.
