Item 6H. 2027 General Fund Budget Discussion
Superintendent's Recommendation:
NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Prepared By: Shaan Hamilton, Chief Financial Officer
Background:
The Superintendent has led senior management through the budget process and is ready to recommend the 2027 General Fund budget to the Board of Commissioners. The 2027 Recommended General Fund budget totals $57,392,150; an increase of $1,979,137 over the 2026 budget. The table below shows the major revenue increases for 2027.
Revenue increases for 2027 are similar to the existing 2026 budget with approximately 79% of revenue coming from property taxes and 21% from other sources. The recommended revenue increases align with the budget goal to use non-tax revenues to maintain a low annual property tax increase.
Expenditure increases were prioritized based on maintaining existing service levels, providing competitive wages and benefits to employees, meeting contractual obligations, and addressing inflationary pressures. The table below shows the recommended expenditure changes, including the reallocations needed to balance the budget.
A draft of the 2027 General Fund Budget Book is attached and contains a narrative description of the Park District, its goals for 2027, and details of the budget changes that will help reach those goals.
Relationship of Board Action to the Budget
The Park District's budget process, shown in the table below, outlines the steps and board actions that will need to be completed in the next several months. The table also shows the current status of each step in the process.
Relationship to the System Plan:
The Request for Action supports the following goal(s) of the System Plan:
Goal 2: Parks Matter
Goal 3: Lead by Example
by ensuring the Park District's finances are property planned and managed.
Attachments:
