Poway City Council unanimously approved a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year that Mayor Steve Vaus described as “focusing on the fundamentals.”
“We don’t chase shiny objects,” Mayor Steve Vaus said at the June 17 Poway City Council meeting. “It’s just been the philosophy of this council, the philosophy of our leadership - and it’s kept us in good stead. We are so blessed to have staff and city leadership that embrace those philosophies.”
Staff presented the proposed 2025-26 fiscal year operating budget and capital improvement program, highlighting that it is balanced and reserves are fully funded at a level higher than any other city in the county.
Finance Director Craig Schmollinger shared that the proposed budget realized benefits from key prior decisions, including the refinancing of some retirement debt in 2021, as well as history of responsible fiscal management. There are also projects in the current budget that aim to benefit the city’s financial health going forward, including a Development Services and Fire fees study and update; a water and wastewater cost of services study, and a mitigation, impact and in-lieu fee study.
The total budget for the upcoming year is $168.51 million, which includes the city’s General Fund and all other special funds, such as the Water and Wastewater Enterprise Fund. It includes just over $1.5 million in funding requests for new programs or expenditures to better serve the public. Some of the requests include:
- Increase catfish restock frequency at Lake Poway
- Explore recreation use expansion options within the Lake Poway Recreation Area
- Provide additional funds for the popular Older Adult program congregate meals (to be partially offset by revenue increases)
- Refresh tables, chairs and carts at the Mickey Cafagna Community Center to due to high volume of events/room rentals.
- Identify potential sites to build pickleball courts and a bicycle park/pump track.
- Fund open space maintenance within the designated Green Valley Open Space area.
- Expand outreach to residents about the city’s Defensible Space Program.
The budget includes a line item to use $6.2 million in unassigned General Fund dollars to pay off bond debt incurred when Poway built the current City Hall and Council Chambers. This cost saving measure will save the city nearly $800,000 in future interest payments.
The Budget Review Committee observed that the proposed budget reflects a strong financial position, thoughtful planning and a clear commitment to serving the community. The committee is made up of five Poway residents who review and provide guidance on the proposed budget, as well as to improve the transparency and readability of the budget document before it goes to City Council for approval.
“I’m very impressed with the way the budget looks.” Deputy Mayor Peter De Hoff said.
Councilmember Jenny Maeda thanked the budget team for their hard work: “You keep us balanced and funded while other cities are struggling with their deficits.”
“All you have to do is compare and contrast to other cities and realize that we have it pretty good here,” Councilmember Chris Pikus said.
View the FY 2025-26 Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program.
