The Post first published this story about the proposed Palo Alto city budget in this morning’s print edition. To read important local stories first, pick up the Post in the mornings at 1,000 Mid-Peninsula locations.
BY ELAINE GOODMAN
Daily Post Correspondent
After increasing its workforce for four years in a row, the city of Palo Alto is now proposing to cut 22 positions, including librarians, planning staff and police personnel.
The proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes other belt-tightening measures, such as raising admission fees for the Junior Museum and Zoo, trimming the contract for school crossing guards, and reducing landscape maintenance at city properties.
The proposals are in the city’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2026-27, which begins July 1. The budget will now be discussed during a series of meetings, starting with the City Council meeting on May 4. Council will then vote on the budget on June 15.
The proposed budget of $1.05 billion is a $19.3 million increase from this year’s budget, or a 1.9% increase. But the
city’s general fund — which covers day-to-day services — is facing a $17 million deficit partly due to reduced sales tax revenue and property tax revenue growing more slowly than expected.
At the same time, the city is facing new expenses. Those include hiring professional safety monitors to watch the city’s four railroad crossings 24 hours a day in an effort to reduce suicides. The Palo Alto Unified School District will share the $1.7 million annual cost.
Another expense is for managing the number of people living in RVs and parking on city streets.
The city had been adding back jobs and restoring city services after cutting the equivalent of 103 full-time positions during the pandemic. In this fiscal year, the number of budgeted positions was the equivalent of 1,110 full-time workers, an increase of 18 positions from the previous year.
With the 22 positions cut from next year’s budget, the workforce would drop to 1,088.
Cuts proposed for libraries
Among the cuts proposed in the budget for the next fiscal year are a senior librarian and a library associate position, and the conversion of two other full-time library positions to part-time. The changes would save the city $444,738.
Those changes would mean the children’s library would be open only five days a week instead of six.
The proposed budget would also cut the libraries’ yearly budget for adding new materials by $125,000.
Fire department budget cuts
In the fire department, the city would freeze a firefighter trainee position, saving $176,716. The freeze means the position could be brought back when money is available.
The trainee position is the last one in the department’s hire-ahead program. Without a pipeline of trainees, the department could end up short-staffed, increasing the risk of firefighter burnout and injuries, the budget said.
Another proposal is to postpone until 2029 the purchase of an electric fire engine and to buy a diesel fire engine instead. The $1.3 million savings would be spread out over two years.
The city would also cancel its contract for fire hydrant maintenance, which the utilities department would handle instead, saving $79,000.
One less community service officer
In the police department, the budget calls for cutting one of five community service officer positions, saving $129,074. The officers’ duties include ticketing parked cars and RVs, directing traffic at accident scenes, and taking police reports.
The city would freeze a “special operations” sergeant position, responsible for overseeing security for city and Stanford events, protests, and dignitary visits. The sergeant also works with other agencies in responding to terrorism threats. The 13 remaining sergeants would pick up those responsibilities “based on availability,” the proposed budget said.
Fewer crossing guards
The city would also reduce its contract for crossing guards to work at 29 instead of 33 locations, saving $102,500. One of the locations eyed for elimination is near an elementary school.
The budgets for radio maintenance and uniform replacement would also be reduced.
In the planning and development services department, the budget would cut two full-time planners and a part-timer.
‘Business vibrancy’ takes a hit
“These reductions will result in longer planning application review timelines, and may negatively impact the pace of council priorities, such as ‘enhancing business vibrancy,’ and decrease customer satisfaction,” the proposed budget said.
Meanwhile, two administrative jobs would be switched to planning coordinator positions to improve customer service in development services.
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