Overview
- The council approved the 2026 operating plan unanimously, closing a projected $222.4 million deficit after a turbulent budget season.
- The budget pairs about $150 million in departmental reductions with $74.5 million in conservative, auditor-reviewed revenue identified by Mayor-elect Helena Moreno and Budget Chair Joe Giarrusso.
- City officials said the framework accounts for a $125 million state bridge loan that must be repaid by mid-2026.
- The plan trims executive costs, consolidates functions, and imposes once-per-pay-period furloughs for roughly 700 non-essential workers, while protecting core services like policing, fire, EMS, 911, sanitation, and basic infrastructure.
- The vote followed a clash at the Revenue Estimating Conference where Mayor LaToya Cantrell blocked presentation of the revenue package; Moreno says she will reconvene the panel on Jan. 12 to align the forecast.