City of Sacramento seeks public input for fiscal year 2026/27 budget

The City of Sacramento is kicking off its budget development process for the next fiscal year and invites residents to participate in the process by completing an online survey.

This effort follows the City’s adoption of the FY2025/26 budget, a $1.7 billion spending plan that successfully closed a $62.2 million deficit without laying off any City employees.

The City will again need to identify strategies to address a projected budget gap for fiscal year 2026/27, said Pete Coletto, the City’s finance director.

“We continue to face financial pressures, but through collaboration, careful planning, and community input, we can make informed decisions that keep Sacramento on a path toward long-term stability,” Coletto said. “Public feedback helps us align our resources with residents’ priorities as we develop next year’s budget.”

The survey will close Jan. 18, 2026.

Residents can take the budget survey by clicking here.

Translated versions of this survey will be available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, and Russian by October 31.

For those needing additional translation assistance for the survey, please email languageaccess@cityofsacramento.org

Budget background

The City continues to face a structural budget deficit, where operating expenses are growing faster than revenues. This ongoing challenge stems from inflation, pension liabilities, insurance costs, new labor agreements, and expanding service demands.

To address this deficit, the City will again explore a mix of increasing ongoing revenues and reducing operating costs. Public input will play a vital role in helping prioritize programs and services while maintaining the City’s long-term financial health.

The survey provides residents an opportunity to engage in the budget development process by sharing their priorities and preferences as the City evaluates various budget-balancing strategies.

The City Manager will present the proposed FY2026/27 budget by the end of April 2026, the Council will subsequently hold hearings, and a balanced budget must be adopted by June 30, 2026.