City of Sacramento
Budget and Audit Committee Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2026-00594 3/10/2026
Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Budget Survey Results
File ID: 2026-00594
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Receive and comment on FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results.
Contact: Peter Coletto, Director of Finance, (916) 808-5416, [email protected]; Mirthala Santizo, Budget Manager, (916) 808-5078, [email protected]; Department of Finance
Presenter: Peter Coletto, Director of Finance, (916) 808-5416, [email protected]; Mirthala Santizo, Budget Manager, (916) 808-5078, [email protected]; Department of Finance
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results
3-Presentation
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: At the direction of the Budget and Audit Committee in FY2024/25, City staff have been conducting community surveys to receive input on public budget priorities over the last two fiscal years.
The FY2026/27 Budget Survey was open to the public for approximately three months via the City’s website from October 22, 2025, through January 20, 2026. The ten-question survey asked the public about potential reduction strategies, Council and Public priorities, and strategies related to priorities.
The survey was translated into seven languages (Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, and Russian), which was available on October 31, 2025.
The budget survey was communicated on several platforms to encourage participation, including:
1. Posted on various City social media,
2. Included in the monthly communication toolkit sent to all neighborhood associations,
File ID: 2026-00594 3/10/2026
Chambers of Commerce, property business improvement districts,
3. Sent to the Community Engagement team’s distribution list,
4. Shared with 18 Community Ambassadors representing 15 different languages,
5. Promoted on the weekly Sac Vibes vlog,
6. Published in the City’s employee newsletter, City Spotlight,
7. Published on the City’s news site, City Express, which receives over 700,000 views,
8. Published on the City’s newsletter (City Minute), which goes out to over 200,000 email addresses, and
9. Featured on the homepage of the City’s website.
There were 531 survey responses. All survey responses were taken in English. Public Safety, Housing, and Homelessness were identified as top priorities. Full budget survey results are included in Attachment 2.
Policy Considerations: This report is consistent with Council’s direction to keep the Council informed on the fiscal condition and/or process of the City.
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): This report concerns administrative activities and government fiscal activities that do not constitute a “project” as defined by CEQA Guidelines section 15378 and California Public Resources Code section 21080 and are not subject to the provisions of CEQA (CEQA Guidelines, §15060(c)(3)). CEQA review for any project which utilizes funds allocated in this report, has been or will be performed in conjunction with planning, design, and approval of each specific project as appropriate.
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: This report is for informational purposes. It provides the Budget and Audit Committee with the FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results.
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
Attachment 2
Fiscal Year 2026/27 Budget Community Survey Results
1) Last year, City staff forecasted that the City is facing a "structural budget deficit" with the rate of cost increases outpacing available City resources. The City closed a projected $62 million deficit to balance the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 budget with a combination one-time and ongoing budget balancing strategies. As we approach budget development for Fiscal Year 2026/27, do you think the City’s budget deficit will be:
a) Smaller than the FY2025/26 budget deficit
b) About the same size as the FY2025/26 budget deficit
c) Larger than the FY2025/26 budget deficit
d) Unsure / Don't know
2) To address the budget deficit, should the City:
a) Increase fees and taxes to raise revenues
b) Eliminate or cut back on programs to reduce expenditures c) A combination of A and B
d) Unsure / Don't Know
3) To increase City revenues, what strategies should be considered? Please choose all that apply.
a) Increase fees for City services
b) Increase City permit fees
c) Support a ballot measure to raise sales tax
d) Support a ballot measure to raise utility user tax
e) Support a ballot measure to raise business license tax f) The City should not increase its fees/taxes
4) Please indicate your level of support for reducing expenses in each of the following areas by selecting your top five choices.
Select "Strongest Support for Expense Reductions" for the area in which you most support reducing expenses, "2nd Strongest Support for Expense Reductions" for your next choice, and so on.
a) Affordable housing programs
b) Arts and culture programs
c) Capital projects (large new projects or infrastructure improvements) d) Climate programs
e) Community benefit programs (such as free Sacramento Regional Transit rides for school-age children)
f) Community Development (Animal Care, Code Enforcement and Planning) g) Economic Development
h) Fire Department
i) General government services (Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Clerk, Auditor, City Attorney)
j) Homelessness programs
k) Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment programs
l) Police Department
m) Public Works (Roads, public facilities and tree maintenance, parking)
5) The City Council participated in a public priority and goal setting workshop in September 2025. Council members collectively selected homelessness, public safety, and economic development as their top three priorities. Do you believe those should be the top priorities for the City?
6) If no, please select your top three priorities from the choices provided to Council in the 2025 public priority setting workshop:
a) Homelessness
b) Housing
c) Fiscal sustainability
d) Public safety
e) Diversity, equity and inclusion
f) Deferred maintenance/infrastructure investment
g) Economic development and creative economy
h) Youth
i) Climate
7) Would you support using contractors to provide services traditionally provided by City employees if it would help decrease the budget deficit? a) Yes
b) No
c) Unsure/Don't know
8) How many years have you lived in the City of Sacramento? a) 0 to 5 years
b) 6-10 years
c) 11-15 years
d) 16-20 years
e) More than 20 years
f) Prefer not to say
g) I do not live in the City of Sacramento
9) What City of Sacramento Council district do you live in (find your district here)? a) District 1
b) District 2
c) District 3
d) District 4
e) District 5
f) District 6
g) District 7
h) District 8
i) Unsure/Don't know
j) Prefer not to say
k) I do not live in the City of Sacramento
10) What is your age range?
a) Under 20 years of age
b) 20-24 years of age
c) 25-29 years of age
d) 30-34 years of age
e) 35-39 years of age
f) 40-44 years of age
g) 45-49 years of age
h) 50-54 years of age
i) 55-64 years of age
j) Over the age of 64
k) Prefer not to say
FY2026/27 Budget Survey
FY2026/27 Budget Survey – Summary
2 Survey Process
• Open from October 22, 2025, to January 20, 2026 (extended the survey period). • Translated into seven languages (Spanish, Vietnamese, Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dari, and Russian) and communicated in various platforms to reach the public.
Highlights
• 531 Responses – all in English.
• Plurality support for a reduction of expenses to balance the budget (40%). • 41% agree with Council’s top three priorities: Public Safety, Homelessness, and Economic Development.
• Top three priorities for the participants who did not agree with Council (59%): Public Safety, Homelessness, Housing.
FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results – Addressing the Deficit 3 FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results – Strategies to Increase Revenue 4 FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results – Top 5 Expense Reductions 5 FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results – Top Three Priorities 6 FY2026/27 Budget Survey Results – Support Using Contractors 7 Questions & Discussion