Carlsbad added money for wildfire prevention and to plan an extension of College Boulevard in a final tweak of its $249.4 million spending plan unanimously approved Tuesday by the City Council for fiscal 2026-27.
The budget allocates $294,000 for the city’s expanded wildfire protection plan, which includes the conversion of a part-time fire specialist job to a full-time assistant fire marshal position, a one-time vehicle purchase, and ongoing fire prevention, education and outreach efforts.
Also, at the request of City Manager Geoff Patnoe and his staff, the City Council approved using $2.14 million from the city’s capital improvement program budget to resume a cost analysis for plans to build a missing three-quarter-mile segment of College Boulevard between Cannon Road and Sunny Creek Road, near Sage Creek High School.
Work on the College Boulevard project was temporarily suspended in 2022 because of budget constraints and a shift in council priorities.
“One main theme of this budget is that as a city, we are making progress, delivering on promises and completing projects or moving things forward, versus merely just adding more projects each year to an ever growing list of future actions,” Patnoe said at Tuesday’s meeting.
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Council members praised the plan and the work done to create it. A more detailed explanation of the proposed budget was presented at the council’s May 19 meeting.
Budgeted expenses in the year that starts July 1 are expected to increase 2.8%, less than the statewide inflation rate of 3.7%. Also, Carlsbad plans to increase its general fund reserves to $145 million, according to a staff report.
Money from property taxes, the largest single source of the city’s revenue, is expected to grow from an estimated $100 million this fiscal year to just under $105 million in 2026-27, an increase of 4.6%, according to the report.
Sales tax revenue is forecast to be $55 million next year, an increase of 1.2%, and revenue from the hotel room levy known as transient occupancy tax is expected to be $35.7 million, a 1% increase.
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