Fresno’s finalized budget is beginning to take shape as the city council pushed through around 100 budget motions on Wednesday to mold the Fiscal Year 2024 budget how it sees fit.
While most of the approved motions will make it in the final budget, further negotiations await between the council and the city administration to ensure a balanced budget is agreed to by the end of the month.
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The big picture: At $1.85 billion, the Fiscal Year 2024 budget is the largest in Fresno’s history by about $130 million. The council’s list of demands in its budget motions include a variety of road infrastructure, public safety, parks and pro-LGBTQ projects.
- Road projects put forth by the council include road repaving throughout all parts of the city and $1.5 million for infrastructure dollars for each council district.
- The council is looking to fund a public transportation route from Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno to Clovis Community Hospital at the cost of $500,000, as well as another $500,000 for overhead string lighting on Fulton St. in downtown and F St. in Chinatown.
- Public safety projects include $100,000 for the Project Spotlight pilot program, $220,000 to relaunch the Neighborhood Watch Program, $160,000 to equip all fire staff with ballistic vests and helmets and $100,000 for improvements to sustain four firefighters at a time at Fire Station 2 in northwest Fresno.
- The council’s parks projects include acquiring a property at First St. and Clinton Ave. to expand Radio Park for $1 million, $1.075 million for the design and construction of soccer field lighting at Koligian Park, $2 million to complete construction of green space at Ted C. Wills Community Center and $6 million to construct San Pablo Park.
- The council also approved several projects for the LGBTQ community, including $1 million to acquire Helm Home to operate a youth LGBTQ shelter, adding a LGBTQ Liaison position in the Community Affairs Team, $100,000 to the Economic Opportunities Commission LGBTQ Center, $100,000 for a grant program for local LGBTQ nonprofits and $25,000 to form an LGBTQ commission.
What we’re watching: With the council’s list in hand, the council’s budget subcommittee – which consists of Council President Tyler Maxwell, Council Vice President Annalisa Perea and Councilman Mike Karbassi will meet with Mayor Dyer and his administration over the following week to hammer out a balanced budget.
- The council is scheduled to vote on the finalized budget on June 22.
- “I presume we’ll be quite a bit over a balanced budget with all the motions that we have made, and so our job will be to reconcile that and bring back a proposal Thursday for final adoption,” Maxwell said.
