CivicCause budget overview
San Carlos Budget Overview
FY2025-26 Adopted/current year with FY2026-27 adopted year two comparison
San Carlos' adopted FY2025-27 budget increases General Fund spending from about $66.9M to $69.8M. Public safety remains the largest operating category, while the City uses reserves and capital transfers to support infrastructure, downtown, transportation safety, housing, and other long-term investments.
FY2025-26 General Fund revenue
$61.6M
Adopted/current-year General Fund revenue.
FY2025-26 General Fund spending
$66.9M
Rounded resident-facing General Fund expenditure value.
FY2026-27 General Fund spending
$69.8M
Adopted year-two General Fund expenditures.
Five-year CIP
$164M
Multi-year capital plan shown separately from operating spending.
San Carlos should be described as reserve-supported, not structurally balanced. Current-year General Fund revenues do not cover General Fund expenditures in either adopted year, but projected reserves remain above the City's policy minimum.
General Fund revenue
FY2025-26 adopted
$61.584M
FY2026-27 adopted year two
$64.155M
+$2.571M
Revenue grows, led by property tax, sales tax, and transient occupancy tax.
General Fund spending
FY2025-26 adopted
$66.9M
FY2026-27 adopted year two
$69.779M
about +$2.8M
Operating spending rises, with public safety as the largest category.
Revenue less spending
FY2025-26 adopted
about -$5.4M
FY2026-27 adopted year two
about -$5.6M
slightly wider
The General Fund spends more than current-year revenue before transfers and reserve actions.
Ending General Fund balance
FY2025-26 adopted
about $40.0M
FY2026-27 adopted year two
about $32.5M
about -$7.5M
Fund balance declines but remains above policy minimums.
Adopted-year comparison
Measure
FY2025-26
FY2026-27
Change
General Fund revenue
$61.584M
$64.155M
+$2.571M
General Fund spending
$66.9M
$69.779M
about +$2.8M
Public Safety
$28.281M
$29.784M
+$1.502M
Capital reserve transfer
$13.099M
$7.000M
-$6.099M
Ending fund balance
about $40.0M
$32.548M
about -$7.5M
Revenue summary
Category
FY2025-26
FY2026-27
Change
Property Taxes
$20.970M
$22.152M
+$1.182M
Sales Tax
$12.519M
$12.926M
+$0.407M
Charges for Current Services
$6.618M
$6.817M
+$0.198M
Use of Money & Property
$4.814M
$4.842M
+$0.028M
Transient Occupancy Tax
$4.350M
$4.620M
+$0.270M
Vehicle In Lieu
$3.611M
$3.828M
+$0.217M
Expenditure summary
Category
FY2025-26
FY2026-27
Change
Public Safety
$28.281M
$29.784M
+$1.502M
General Government
$11.944M
$12.352M
+$0.407M
Public Works
$10.807M
$11.179M
+$0.372M
Community Development
$9.888M
$10.236M
+$0.348M
Parks & Recreation
about $6.0M
$6.230M
about +$0.2M
Reserve and fund balance
San Carlos plans to draw down General Fund balance during the adopted two-year budget, but reserves remain above both the City's 20% policy minimum and the 17% GFOA recommendation.
FY2025-26 reserves
about $40M
Budget-in-Brief projection, about 60% of General Fund expenditures.
FY2026-27 reserves
about $33M
Budget-in-Brief projection, about 47% of General Fund expenditures.
Policy minimum
20%
City Council minimum reserve policy.
GFOA benchmark
17%
Government Finance Officers Association recommendation referenced by the City.
Resident-facing budget story
- Public safety is the largest General Fund service area and the biggest year-two increase.
- The budget uses reserves and transfers; it should not be described as structurally balanced.
- Property tax and sales tax are the largest revenue sources.
- Capital investment is a major story, but it should be shown separately from operating spending.
- Long-term pressures include public safety costs, CalPERS/pension assumptions, healthcare, stormwater, street repairs, and Vehicle In-Lieu uncertainty.
Resident-facing cause areas
Public Safety
$29.8M
FY2026-27 General Fund public safety spending.
Infrastructure / Public Works
$11.2M
FY2026-27 General Fund public works operations, separate from CIP.
Community Development
$10.2M
FY2026-27 planning, permitting, housing/economic development, and review.
Parks & Recreation
$6.2M
FY2026-27 General Fund parks and recreation spending.
Capital Improvement Program
The five-year Capital Improvement Program is the City's largest resident-facing investment story. It should be shown as multi-year infrastructure spending, not as annual General Fund operating spending.
Five-year CIP total
$164M
Total planned CIP shown in official budget materials.
Sewage improvements
$60M
Largest CIP category in the Budget-in-Brief.
Street improvements
$44M
Includes major street maintenance and resurfacing needs.
Traffic & transit
$18.3M
Mobility, safety, traffic signal, and transportation projects.
Planning
$16.6M
Includes downtown and planning-related capital work.
Housing
$8M
Housing-related capital funding requests are brought to Council as needed.
Safe Routes to School
$7.4M
Bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements near schools.
Example resident-facing projects
- Annual street resurfacing: $39.5M
- Downtown Renovation Plan design/implementation: $16.5M
- Sewer Capacity Assurance Improvements: $12.5M
- Holly/101 Interchange Modifications: $10.0M
- Storm Drain Improvements: $4.0M
- Downtown public EV charging stations: about $658K
The official Budget page says the FY2025-27 budget was adopted on June 9, 2025. Some internal PDF table labels still use proposed-budget wording, so CivicCause labels FY2026-27 as adopted year two while preserving source links for verification.
Official sources
City of San Carlos Budget page
Official budget hub; states the FY2025-27 budget was adopted on June 9, 2025.
FY 2025-27 Budget-in-Brief
Resident-facing General Fund, reserve, and five-year CIP summary.
FY 2025-27 Adopted Budget
Detailed adopted operating and capital budget source.
Financial Reports and Policies
Official source for ACFRs, financial reports, and financial policies.