CITY OF FORT BRAGG
FY 2026/27 Budget Transmital Letter
June 19, 2026
Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council members, and the Fort Bragg Community, It is my privilege to present the City of Fort Bragg’s $83.3 million Operating and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2026– 2027.
Fort Bragg is in a season of significant movement. Across the organization, the City is advancing major infrastructure projects, modernizing internal systems, supporting housing and economic development, strengthening public safety, expanding community programming, and responding with urgency to the challenges and opportunities before us.
This budget reflects that momentum. It is built around action, accountability, and a clear understanding that our community expects local government to be responsive, practical, and focused on results.
The FY 2026–27 Adopted Budget is fiscally responsible and protects essential services while making targeted investments in organizational modernization, public safety, infrastructure, housing, economic development, parks and recreation, and community engagement. It is also a budget prepared under challenging circumstances. Like many local governments across California, Fort Bragg is facing rising costs for labor, medical benefits, CalPERS pension obligations, liability and workers’ compensation insurance, technology, utilities, facilities, and contracted services.
The budget I am presenting is balanced, and I want to be clear about what that balance represents. It reflects discipline, restraint, and the careful use of one-time resources. It protects the City’s ability to function, maintains core services, and continues progress on City Council priorities. However, it does not eliminate the long-term structural pressure created when ongoing costs grow faster than ongoing revenues.
This budget gives the City time, but it is not a reason to become comfortable. The work of aligning revenues, expenditures, service levels, staffing, and community expectations must continue. Moving forward, the City must remain nimble, prudent, and willing to adjust as conditions change. We are moving with urgency, but we must do so with focus, discipline, and a continued commitment to protecting Fort Bragg’s long-term financial future.
Budget Process
The City’s budget process is an ongoing cycle of planning, public engagement, review, prioritization, and accountability. The process begins well before the start of the fiscal year, with staff evaluating current-year financial trends, department needs, capital priorities, and long-term fiscal conditions.
As part of the FY 2026–27 budget process, the City released a community budget survey in February and March to better understand residents’ priorities and perspectives. The survey provided an opportunity for community members to share what services, programs, and investments they believe should be prioritized as the City works to balance Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 5
rising costs with available
resources. This input helped
inform the budget discussion
and provided an additional
public engagement tool for
understanding community
values.
Following the survey and midyear budget review, the City Council provided direction on
budget priorities. Staff then
developed a adopted budget
that aligns available resources
with Council direction,
operational needs, strategic
goals, community input, and long-term financial realities.
The FY 2026–27 Adopted Budget will be reviewed during public budget workshops and public hearings before final adoption. The adopted budget will take effect on July 1, 2026. This process is intended to ensure that the budget is more than a financial document. It is a work plan, a policy statement, and a public commitment to how the City will use community resources responsibly.
Strategic Plan Alignment
The FY 2026–27 Adopted Budget continues to be guided by the City Council’s adopted Strategic Plan and the following goals:
1. Invigorate Economic Opportunity and Community Vibrancy
2. Implement Resilient Infrastructure and Encourage Environmental Stewardship
3. Strengthen Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
4. Enhance Public Places, Promote Recreation, and Cultivate Civic Pride
5. Fund Our Future with Financial and Fiscal Responsibility
6. Champion a Sustainable Municipal Organization
7. Communicate with Active Community Engagement
These goals remain the foundation for budget development. They guide how the City evaluates competing priorities, invests in services, and measures progress.
Street Maintenance and Sidewalk Rehabilitation
The FY 2026–27 Budget includes continued investment in street repairs, pavement maintenance, and sidewalk rehabilitation. These improvements are a core part of the City’s responsibility to maintain safe, accessible, and reliable public infrastructure for residents, businesses, visitors, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
The budget builds on equipment investments made in the prior FY 2025–26 Budget, which better position the Corporation Yard and Streets Division to perform more maintenance work in-house. By pairing equipment investments with additional staffing capacity, the City is taking a more proactive approach to pavement preservation, sidewalk repairs, and routine street maintenance.
The FY 2026–27 Budget includes the addition of one Maintenance Worker II position and two seasonal employees to assist the Corporation Yard and Streets Division with street maintenance activities. This added capacity will support Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 6
planned street maintenance work beginning in August and September 2026, including street repairs, pavementrelated work, sidewalk rehabilitation support, and other priority maintenance needs.
These investments reflect the City’s commitment to responding to community priorities, improving neighborhood infrastructure, extending the useful life of City streets, and strengthening the City’s ability to maintain public assets more efficiently over time.
Organizational Modernization and AI Investment
The FY 2026–27 Budget includes funding to launch a Citywide Artificial Intelligence and Innovation Program focused on improving customer service, increasing organizational efficiency, reducing administrative workload to reduce staff hours on tasks, and enhancing data-driven decision-making while maintaining appropriate governance, cybersecurity, and public transparency standards.
For a city the size of Fort Bragg, the responsible approach is to start small, focus on practical use cases, and build internal capacity before making major technology investments. The initial phase of this effort will include ChatGPT Team licenses for managers and department heads, development of a City AI policy, staff training, and exploration of a City document search assistant to help staff and the public more easily access City information, policies, codes, and records.
These investments are not intended to replace staff judgment, professional expertise, or public accountability. Rather, they are tools to help a lean municipal workforce manage increasing service demands, improve response times, reduce repetitive administrative work, and allow employees to focus more time on problem-solving, customer service, and higher-value work.
The City is already exploring AI-supported tools and process improvements in several areas, including meeting minutes, invoice review, public records redaction, Police Department report writing, citizen code search, website navigation, staff training, and internal research. These tools will be implemented carefully, with attention to privacy, data security, accuracy, legal compliance, and human review.
The budget also supports continued implementation and use of key modernization systems, including Accela for permitting, FMX for facility bookings, Comcate for code enforcement, ClearGov for budget transparency, and Revize for the new City website. In Public Works, the budget supports implementation of task management and asset management software to improve work order tracking, maintenance scheduling, infrastructure documentation, project coordination, and accountability for field operations.
Together, these investments represent an important step toward a more modern, accessible, efficient, and responsive City organization.
Economic Opportunity and Community Vibrancy
A strong local economy is essential to Fort Bragg's long-term fiscal health, community well-being, and quality of life.
The FY 2026-27 Budget continues to support economic development through the City's BEAR Strategy — Business Expansion, Attraction, and Retention — with a focus on helping existing businesses succeed, encouraging new investment, and strengthening the conditions needed for long-term economic resilience.
The City's approach is grounded in being a business-friendly and solution-oriented partner. Over the past year, the City Council has approved several initiatives to reduce barriers and support local business activity, including the first-year business license waiver and capacity fee deferral program. These tools are intended to help new and expanding businesses manage upfront costs, move through the development process more effectively, and invest with greater confidence in Fort Bragg.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 7
Downtown revitalization remains a major priority. The City will continue supporting efforts that enhance downtown vitality, improve the visitor and customer experience, activate public spaces, support events, strengthen tourism, and make Fort Bragg's commercial core more welcoming and economically vibrant. These efforts are closely tied to business retention, local spending, and the City's broader goal of creating a downtown that serves both residents and visitors.
The Mill Site redevelopment also represents one of Fort Bragg's most important long-term economic opportunities.
Thoughtful redevelopment of this property has the potential to diversify the local economy, create jobs, expand housing opportunities, reconnect the community with underutilized land, and support a more resilient economic future. The City will continue working to advance this opportunity in a way that aligns with community values, environmental stewardship, infrastructure capacity, and long-term fiscal sustainability.
The emergence of AI and other technology-driven changes will also affect the future of work, small business operations, and economic development. While the local impacts are still uncertain, Fort Bragg must continue investing in workforce readiness, broadband, digital tools, and public-private partnerships that help the community adapt to economic change. Given the City's fiscal constraints, economic development investments must be targeted, realistic, and measurable. The focus in FY 2026-27 will be on initiatives that support business resilience, expand local revenue, improve the customer experience, diversify the economy, and create long-term community value.
Broadband Completion, Customer Acquisition, and Service Activation The FY 2026–27 Budget marks a major milestone for the City’s municipal broadband effort. Construction of the City’s fiber broadband network is expected to be substantially completed by the end of June 2026, allowing the City to shift from the construction phase into customer activation, service delivery, and long-term operation of the broadband enterprise.
This transition is significant. The broadband project represents one of the City’s most important long-term infrastructure investments and is intended to provide high-speed fiber connectivity to homes and businesses throughout Fort Bragg. Reliable broadband supports digital equity, economic development, education, telehealth, remote work, public safety, and overall community resilience.
With construction nearing completion, the City’s focus in FY 2026–27 will shift heavily toward marketing, outreach, customer sign-ups, service activation, and customer retention. A strong marketing effort will be especially important during summer 2026 and throughout the remainder of the fiscal year as the City works to inform residents and businesses that service is becoming available, explain the benefits of the municipal broadband system, and encourage customers to transition to the City’s fiber network. The FY 2026–27 Budget reflects this next phase of work. As more customers come online, revenues are expected to increase, while expenditures will support the staffing, technology, billing, customer service, installation, maintenance, marketing, and system reliability needed to operate the broadband utility successfully.
Broadband remains a foundational investment in Fort Bragg’s future. The success of the project will depend not only on completing construction, but also on building public awareness, earning customer trust, delivering reliable service, and growing the subscriber base over time. Through focused marketing, responsive customer service, and continued operational discipline, the City will work to position the broadband enterprise as a long-term asset for residents, businesses, and the broader Fort Bragg community.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 8
Transient Occupancy Tax, Visit Fort Bragg, and Tourism
Reinvestment
Transient Occupancy Tax remains one of the City’s most important General Fund revenue sources and is closely tied to the strength of Fort Bragg’s visitor economy. TOT is paid for by visitors staying in local hotels, motels, inns, vacation rentals, and other lodging establishments, and it helps fund essential City services, infrastructure, public safety, parks, economic development, downtown vitality, and visitor-serving improvements.
For FY 2026–27, TOT revenue is budgeted at $3,564,926, compared to the FY 2025–26 estimated year-end amount of $3,545,655. This represents modest growth of approximately $19,271, or 0.5%. The projection reflects a prudent and conservative outlook while recognizing the continued benefit of Measure U, which increased the City’s TOT rate from 12% to 14%.
The City has also been deliberate about reinvesting a portion of TOT revenue back into the visitor economy. The FY 2026–27 Budget includes $300,000 in TOT-supported funding for Visit Fort Bragg, destination marketing, and new event development. This
reinvestment recognizes that tourism revenue does not grow on its own. It requires continued investment in marketing, visitor experience, events, downtown activity, and partnerships that encourage people to choose Fort Bragg, stay overnight, and support local businesses. A major focus of this strategy is strengthening shoulder-season tourism. The City is building on successful existing events such as the Whale Festival and Magic Market while supporting new and expanded events such as the Fort Bragg Blues Festival, Timber and Tides, and mountain bike events. These efforts are intended to attract visitors during slower periods of the year, increase overnight stays, activate downtown and public spaces, and generate additional spending at local hotels, restaurants, shops, attractions, and service businesses.
Looking ahead, the City is also evaluating the best long-term model for Visit Fort Bragg. This includes discussion of whether the current structure should continue, whether a partnership with Visit Mendocino could strengthen destination marketing, and whether additional collaboration could help leverage regional resources. One option under consideration could potentially add up to $300,000 in additional revenue or marketing value to support Fort Bragg destination marketing efforts, further expanding the City’s ability to promote Fort Bragg as a year-round destination.
This approach treats tourism not only as a marketing function, but also as an economic development strategy. By reinvesting TOT dollars into Visit Fort Bragg, destination marketing, and events — and by evaluating stronger regional partnerships — the City is working to strengthen the local tax base, support small businesses, create more year-round economic activity, and improve long-term General Fund revenue stability. A stronger visitor economy benefits both residents and visitors by helping fund the public services and community investments that make Fort Bragg a vibrant coastal destination.
At the same time, the City remains cautious in its revenue assumptions. TOT can be affected by weather, fuel prices, lodging rates, regional competition, consumer confidence, seasonal travel patterns, and broader economic conditions.
Staff will continue to monitor occupancy, average daily rate, event impacts, and seasonal trends throughout FY 2026– 27 and will adjust strategies as needed.
The City’s goal is clear: use TOT responsibly, reinvest strategically, evaluate the best structure for destination marketing, and continue positioning Fort Bragg as a welcoming, year-round destination that supports local businesses, strengthens the economy, and improves the quality of life for the community.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 9
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Public safety remains a core responsibility of local government and one of the City Council's highest priorities. The FY 2026-27 Public Safety Budget of $6.3 million continues to support police services, the grant-funded Care Response Unit, emergency preparedness, disaster response planning, public safety technology, and regional coordination.
The budget includes funding for a new Community Service Officer position, a Task Force officer, a School Resource officer and continued investment in the Police Department's RIMS system, body-worn cameras, Tasers supporting operational capacity, reporting, records management, and service delivery. These investments are intended to strengthen public safety operations and allow sworn officers and support staff to work more effectively.
The City is also exploring responsible use of AI-supported tools to assist with report writing and administrative efficiency in public safety operations. These tools will be implemented carefully, with appropriate review, policy direction, and staff oversight.
Emergency preparedness also remains a priority, with $20,000 included in the budget for this purpose. Wildfire, earthquake, tsunami, severe weather, infrastructure failure, and public health events all require a prepared and coordinated local response. The City will continue to improve emergency planning, inter-agency coordination, communications, and community readiness.
Parks, Recreation, and the CV Starr Center
Parks, recreation, public spaces, and community facilities are central to the quality of life in Fort Bragg. They are also a core function of local government. Cities have an important responsibility to provide safe, accessible, and wellmaintained public spaces where residents can gather, recreate, exercise, build community, and participate in civic life.
The FY 2026-27 Parks, Recreation, and CV Starr Budget of $2.85 million continues to support parks, recreation programming, facility maintenance, CV Starr Community Center operations, public space improvements, and community events that bring residents together. These investments support not only recreation, but also public health, youth engagement, senior services, family connection, community resilience, and civic pride.
As the City expands programming, our goal is not to duplicate services already provided by valued community partners such as the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District, schools, nonprofits, and local organizations.
Instead, the City's approach is to complement existing programs, fill service gaps where appropriate, and strengthen partnerships, so residents have more opportunities to participate in recreation and community life.
In FY 2026-27, the City is planning community-centered programming such as FIFA World Cup watch parties, Movies in the Park, Music in the Park, and expanded use of the CV Starr Community Center. A particular focus will be ensuring that every youth in Fort Bragg has an opportunity to experience and benefit from the Center, whether through aquatics, recreation, wellness, or community programming.
The City is also pursuing grant opportunities to support the next phase of CV Starr Community Center improvements, including potential Phase 3 expansion concepts such as basketball courts, a commercial kitchen, a stage, and community resilience center improvements. These investments would strengthen the Center's role as both a recreation hub and a community resilience asset during emergencies, extreme weather, and other community needs.
Through thoughtful programming, stronger partnerships, and strategic facility investments, the City will continue enhancing public spaces and recreation opportunities for residents and visitors.
Capital Improvement Program
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 10
The FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget includes approximately $20.0 million in capital investments focused on infrastructure reliability, public safety, water resilience, transportation, municipal facilities, stormwater, broadband, and long-term community assets.
The largest FY 2026-27 capital investments are in the Water Enterprise Fund, Street Maintenance and Traffic Safety, Municipal Facilities, and Wastewater Enterprise Fund. These investments reflect the City's continued commitment to maintaining essential infrastructure, improving public safety, protecting public health, and positioning Fort Bragg for long-term resilience.
Major FY 2026–27 projects include continued investment in broadband fiber infrastructure, Guest House rehabilitation and brick pointing, City Hall accessibility improvements, facility security improvements, roadway revitalization, citywide sidewalk improvements, Willow Street pedestrian improvements, systematic intersection safety improvements, the Safe Streets For All citywide sign replacement project, and key stormwater improvements.
The Water Enterprise Fund includes several major FY 2026–27 projects that support long-term water reliability and drought resilience, including the Raw Water Line project, Noyo River Crossing, Pudding Creek Water Main Relocation, Oneka desalination work, Madsen Hole Ranney design, Brush Creek Culvert Replacement, and continued distribution system improvements.
The Wastewater Enterprise Fund continues to prioritize system reliability and regulatory compliance through FY 2026– 27 investments such as the Pudding Creek Sewer Main Relocation, CIPP Force Mains Project, Chief Celeri Sewer Main Replacement, Biosolids Dryer Building improvements, and other sewer system rehabilitation work.
Together, these FY 2026-27 capital investments demonstrate the City's commitment to responsible stewardship of public infrastructure. Many of these projects are supported by grants, enterprise funds, special funding sources, and outside funding partnerships, helping reduce direct pressure on the General Fund while advancing essential community priorities.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 11
Long-Term General Fund Forecast
The accompanying five-year General Fund forecast chart highlights both the City’s current fiscal stability and the warning signs ahead. While the FY 2026–27 Budget is balanced and projects an ending fund balance of approximately $9.06 million, the forecast shows that ongoing expenditures are expected to grow faster than ongoing revenues in future years. Beginning in FY 2027–28, the City is projected to face annual operating deficits, with the ending fund balance gradually declining over the forecast period to approximately $7.1 million by FY 2030–31.
These trends do not signal an immediate fiscal crisis, but they are important warning signs. Rising salaries, benefits, CalPERS costs, insurance, materials and services, and internal service costs continue to place increasing pressure on the General Fund. The forecast reinforces the need for the City to remain prudent and nimble moving forward, avoid overcommitting ongoing resources, continue protecting reserves, and make strategic decisions that align long-term expenditures with sustainable revenue growth.
The forecast also makes clear that the City must continue looking for ways to grow and diversify its local tax base. The closure of Rite Aid, which had been one of the City’s top 25 sales tax-generating businesses, demonstrates how vulnerable local revenues can be when a major retailer leaves the community. The impact of this loss has been offset in the near term by voter approval of Measure T, but Measure T alone cannot be the City’s long-term economic strategy. This is why the City is placing a strong focus on economic development, business retention and attraction, downtown revitalization, tourism reinvestment, broadband, housing, and redevelopment opportunities that can strengthen local revenues over time.
Growing the tax base is essential to maintaining services, funding infrastructure, supporting public safety, and protecting long-term fiscal stability. The City must continue to be proactive in creating the conditions for business investment, supporting existing employers, filling vacant commercial spaces, attracting new revenue-generating uses, and building a more resilient local economy.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 12
General Fund Summary
The FY 2026-27 Proposed General Fund Budget projects
revenues of $17,230,630 and expenditures of $17,228,508, resulting in a projected surplus of $2,122. On a $17.2
million General Fund budget, this represents an
essentially balanced budget.
Compared to the FY 2025-26 year-end estimate, General
Fund revenues are projected to increase by $2,933,197, or approximately 20.5%, while expenditures are projected
to increase by $2,953,757, or approximately 20.7%. The FY 2025-26 year-end estimate projects revenues of
$14,297,433 and expenditures of $14,274,751, resulting in a modest surplus of $22,682.
The FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget is balanced, but only
narrowly. This underscores the importance of continued
cost control, conservative revenue projections, careful use of one-time resources, and ongoing long-term
financial planning.
Major General Fund Cost
Pressures
The FY 2026-27 General Fund Budget reflects significant increases in the cost of maintaining current municipal
services and meeting required obligations. The largest
pressures are related to personnel and benefit costs,
including a 5% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, higher medical insurance premiums, increased CalPERS
pension costs, workers' compensation, and retiree
medical obligations.
Medical insurance remains one of the most significant
cost drivers, with the City continuing to pay 80% of
eligible employee medical premiums while employees
contribute 20%. CalPERS unfunded accrued liability
costs are also increasing by approximately $192,000,
adding further pressure to the General Fund.
The budget is also impacted by several major
operational cost increases, including higher CIRA
general liability and workers' compensation insurance
costs, increased solar-related costs, public safety
technology needs, and internal service allocations for
information technology, facilities, and fleet services.
The FY 2026-27 Budget also reflects targeted staffing
and service capacity decisions, including filling the
Community Development Director position, funding a
Community
Service Officer, and continuing support for the Task
Force Officer and School Resource Officer. The School
Resource Officer position is 70% funded by the Fort
Bragg Unified School District. These investments
support planning, housing, permitting, code
compliance, public safety operations, and customer
service.
These increases are not driven by a single program or
discretionary expense. Rather, the General Fund is
absorbing broad cost increases across labor, benefits,
pensions, insurance, technology, utilities, internal
services, and core staffing. More detailed variance
information is included in the General Fund summary
and department expenditure sections of the budget
document.
Balancing the Budget
To balance the FY 2026-27 Proposed General Fund
Budget, staff reviewed expenditures carefully, used
conservative revenue assumptions, limited new ongoing
commitments, and identified one-time resources that
can be used responsibly.
The proposed budget includes recognition of $400,000
in previously obligated American Rescue Plan Act State
and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the revenue
replacement / provision of government services
category. These funds were previously authorized by the City Council and obligated through inter-agency service agreements for eligible government services. The
proposed use will reimburse eligible General Fund
government service costs and reduce near-term budget
pressure.
This use of ARPA funds is a one-time stabilization
strategy. It allows the City to preserve essential services in FY 2026-27 while continuing to evaluate longer-term
structural budget solutions. Because these funds are
one-time in nature and must be expended by the
federal deadline, they are not being treated as ongoing operating revenue.
The City will continue to address long-term budget
pressures through forecasting, economic development,
cost containment, service prioritization, grant funding, and careful review of future staffing and program
commitments.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 13
Enterprise Fund Highlights
The City's enterprise funds continue to support essential infrastructure, recreation, broadband, and long-term
community resilience. The FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget
reflects continued attention to operational sustainability, capital reinvestment, and responsible service delivery.
MCN / Broadband Enterprise
Fund
The FY 2026-27 MCN / Broadband Enterprise Fund
projects revenues of $3,204,975.50 and expenditures of
$3,158,586, resulting in a projected operating surplus of $46,389.50. Compared to the FY 2025-26 year-end
estimate, revenues are projected to increase by
$948,408.50, while expenditures are projected to
increase by $730,940.
The proposed budget reflects continued work to
stabilize and grow the City's broadband enterprise. With construction expected to be completed by the end of
June 2026 and customer drops beginning in summer
2026, the City is entering an important implementation
phase. The increase in revenues reflects the continued
integration and operation of MCN as a municipal
broadband utility as more customers come online, while
the increase in expenditures reflects the operational
costs necessary to support service delivery, staffing,
technology, customer support, and system reliability.
Broadband remains a long-term investment in digital
equity, economic opportunity, education, business
development, public safety, and community resilience.
Staff will continue to monitor customer revenues,
operating costs, staffing, capital needs, and long-term financial performance as the enterprise matures.
Water Enterprise Fund
The FY 2026-27 Water Enterprise Fund projects revenues
of $3,099,000 and expenditures of $2,823,970, resulting in a projected operating surplus of $275,030. Compared
to the FY 2025-26 year-end estimate, revenues are
projected to increase by $82,926, while expenditures are projected to decrease by $239,589.
The Water Fund continues to support the operation,
maintenance, and long-term reliability of the City's
water system. The City remains focused on water
treatment plant improvements, raw water line
replacement, water storage, metering, conservation, and long-term water resilience.
These investments are essential to public health,
emergency preparedness, environmental stewardship,
and the City's long-term economic stability.
Wastewater Enterprise Fund
The FY 2026-27 Wastewater Enterprise Fund projects
revenues of $3,683,138 and expenditures of $3,403,398,
resulting in a projected operating surplus of $279,740.
Compared to the FY 2025-26 year-end estimate,
revenues are projected to decrease by $350,562, while
expenditures are projected to decrease by $409,362.
The Wastewater Fund remains focused on regulatory
compliance, system maintenance, capital reinvestment,
and long-term operational sustainability. The proposed
budget reflects continued efforts to manage operating
costs while maintaining reliable wastewater services.
Staff will continue to monitor utility, insurance, chemical, equipment, regulatory, and capital costs to ensure the
fund remains financially stable and capable of meeting
current and future infrastructure needs.
CV Starr Community Center
The FY 2026-27 CV Starr Community Center budget
projects revenues and expenditures of $2,783,424,
resulting in a balanced operating budget. The FY 2025-
26 year-end estimate projects revenues of $2,478,962
and expenditures of $2,264,712.
The Center experienced revenue impacts during FY
2025-26 due to facility renovations in December and
January, which affected membership activity and
related program revenues. The FY 2026-27 Proposed
Budget assumes a return to more stable operations as
improvements are completed, and membership activity
continues to recover.
CV Starr remains a cornerstone of community wellness,
aquatics, recreation, youth programming, senior
activities, and family services. The City will continue to focus on operational efficiency, membership growth,
program development, and facility improvements to
ensure the Center remains accessible, financially
sustainable, and responsive to community needs.
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 14
Conclusion and Acknowledgments
The FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget represents a year of responsible decision-making. It acknowledges the real financial pressures facing the City while continuing to protect the services, infrastructure, workforce, and community priorities that matter most. This budget is balanced, but it is not easy. Rising costs and limited ongoing revenue growth require the City to be disciplined, transparent, and strategic. We must continue to protect reserves, use one-time resources carefully, monitor long-term trends, and make decisions that keep Fort Bragg financially strong.
At the same time, Fort Bragg continues to move forward. We are investing in infrastructure, supporting local businesses, advancing housing, strengthening public safety, modernizing operations, improving public spaces, and building an organization prepared for the future.
I would like to thank the City Council for your leadership, support, and strategic policy direction throughout this budget process. I also want to thank our Executive Leadership Team, department heads, department budget leads, and the many City staff who collaborated and contributed to the development of the FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget.
A citywide budget requires countless hours of teamwork, patience, analysis, and problem-solving. I want to extend a special thank you to the Finance Team for their dedication, professionalism, and steady work in preparing this budget.
Their expertise, adaptability, and attention to detail were instrumental in navigating a complex and evolving budget process.
Finally, I want to thank all City employees who serve our community every day with dedication, care, and a heart for public service. The strength of this organization is reflected in the people who show up each day to keep Fort Bragg moving forward.
To the residents, businesses, and community partners of Fort Bragg, thank you for your continued trust, engagement, and belief in our City.
It is an honor to serve as your City Manager. I look forward to continuing this work together as we build a stronger, more resilient, and more vibrant Fort Bragg.
Respectfully submitted,
Isaac Whippy
City Manager
Transmittal Letter
FY 2027 Adopted Budget | Fort Bragg Page 15