Sacramento is anticipating city budget cuts next year. What should be prioritized?

With budget cuts heading the city of Sacramento’s way, officials are seeking public input on how to handle its next budget cycle.

Sacramento has organized a public survey , open until Nov. 24, to ask residents how the city should prioritize and handle its next budget that begins in July 2025. Last year, city staff predicted that Sacramento would face a structural budget deficit, with the rate of cost increasing and outweighing current resources, according to the survey.

The City Council closed a $66 million deficit last June by raising fees and cutting back on some city services. Sacramento is facing an estimated shortfall of $77 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

The survey, open to all Sacramento residents, asks which fees should be increased and what strategies should be utilized to raise the city’s revenue. For example, one question asks if residents prefer to increase fees for city services, permit fees, or to support ballot measures to raise various types of taxes.

Sacramento is also asking residents the level of support they have for reducing specific expenses. These are the following programs on the list:

▪ Climate programs

▪ Capital projects

▪ Community benefit programs (like the free Sacramento Regional Transit rides for youth).

▪ Community Development (like animal care)

▪ Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment programs

▪ Public Works

▪ Homelessness programs

▪ Fire department

▪ Economic development

▪ Arts and culture programs

▪ Police department

▪ Affordable housing programs

▪ General government services (like the city’s information technology and human resources).

When it comes to city priorities, the survey identified that public safety, homelessness, housing and fiscal sustainability. The survey asks if these programs should continue to be the city’s main focus and what specific areas to improve on.

When it comes to public safety, the survey asks residents to rate services like police presence in residential areas, lighting for streets and parks and pedestrian and traffic safety by importance.

Other topics to on the survey include deferred maintenance and infrastructure investment, youth, diversity, equity and inclusion and climate.

The city of Sacramento is required to approve the budget prior to the start of the new fiscal year.