Redlands City Council approves 2025-2026 budget

REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands City Council unanimously approved the city manager's proposed two-year budget for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 at its meeting on June 4. The $127 million budget for 2025 and $133 million budget for 2026 include investments in public safety, homelessness reduction, and infrastructure improvements.

Why it matters: The budget provides a roadmap for the city's priorities and investments over the next two years, which focus heavily on public safety, quality of life, and infrastructure improvements.

Details: City Manager Charles Duggan presented the budget to the Council, highlighting the work of the city's 600 employees in creating a plan to move the city forward. The budget includes funding for four police officers and one sergeant dedicated to assisting the homeless, a sustainability coordinator, and enhanced code enforcement.

"We have aging infrastructure, so we do have money dedicated to repaving streets, to repairing our facilities and upgrading our parks," Duggan said. "We have enhanced service levels in our quality of life areas that are very important to the citizens of Redlands."

Key funding areas

• Public Safety: Significant resources are allocated to the police and fire departments, including funding replacing old vehicles and tasers for the police department, as well as fire equipment and engine replacements. The budget also includes new police officers, including one new police sergeant and four police officers who will form a dedicated team focused on homelessness.
• Deferred maintenance: The budget addresses long-deferred maintenance needs, with investments in traffic signal maintenance, guard rail repairs, and sidewalk and ADA ramp replacements.
• Infrastructure improvements: Major investments are planned for replacing aging infrastructure, including water and wastewater pipeline replacements. Enhancements to public facilities such as parks and community centers are also included.
• Community: The budget includes funding for expanding recreational and community programs, enhancing public safety services, and addressing homelessness through Project Homekey.
• Sustainability and climate action: A new full-time position for Sustainability & Climate Action would be funded to coordinate the implementation of the City's Climate Action Plan.
• Affordable housing: The establishment of the Inclusionary Housing Fund is projected to generate $1.8 million in its first year to support the construction of affordable housing units.

Capital expenses

The budget also includes plans for significant capital expenditures, including the construction of a new police department facility is expected to cost $85 million. The city intends to contribute $15 million from reserves and finance the remaining amount over 40 years.

The construction of a new wastewater treatment plant is expected to cost $45 million and will be financed through a State Revolving Fund loan.  

There are some areas of need that remain unfunded. Deferred maintenance is not funded at an adequate level to keep pace with needs and no preventative maintenance is funded, according to staff.

Measure T Funding

Measure T, a local sales tax measure, plays a crucial role in supporting core city services. The projected Measure T sales tax revenue for fiscal year 2025 is $20.1 million, with funds allocated to police and fire department staffing, recreational programming, and various capital improvement projects. In FY 2026, the projected Measure T revenue is $20.8 million, with continued investments in public safety, infrastructure, and community services.

Tony Momberger, chair of the Measure T Oversight Committee, joined by Scott Welsh, vice chair, presented the committee's findings on the proposed budget. The committee determined that the allocation of projected Measure T revenue aligns with the tax's intended purpose.

"The community was clear that evenly dividing the money across all promised categories was not the expectation," Momberger said. "The top results were replacing personnel that were cut during the pandemic, addressing homelessness and building a new safety hall."

Momberger noted that the city has surpassed pre-pandemic staffing and service levels, and the budget represents the last city positions the committee will recommend to be allocated to Measure T funding. She emphasized the need to prioritize one-time expenditures for parks, the animal shelter, and the library in the future.

Evan Sanford, executive director of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce, thanked the city for its work on the budget and asked for clarification on several items, including parking improvements and the incorporation of community requests. Duggan explained that the city is still monitoring parking enforcement and will continue to gather data on its impact before making policy decisions.

The city acknowledges the uncertainties in the economic outlook, with potential risks including persistent inflation and interest rate fluctuations. The budget is built with resilience to accommodate shifts in spending or revenues, according to staff.