City Finances and Spending Priorities

For the current fiscal year, the City of Los Altos projects that it will have general fund revenues of $58.4 million and general fund expenses of $55.4 million.  Here are the sources of our general fund revenue and how it is spent:

 

Revenue

 

Expenses

 

As the Mayor of Los Altos for 2024, I am proud to report that your City Council passed a budget with an expected surplus of $3 million.  In the four years that I have served on the City Council, we have modernized the City’s procedures to streamline the budget process.  The City now provides more services and benefits to our community than ever before, while producing a budget surplus and maintaining a reserve of 20%.

 

My philosophy for the City’s budget is the same as for my family and for my business:  be fiscally conservative.  As a steward of the public’s treasury, I favor a budget that gives the City a cushion in case revenues fall short of expectations.  While the economy remains uncertain, our civic leaders must be responsible and accountable to the taxpayers for how our money is raised and spent.

 

When developing a budget, my top three priorities will be:

• Public Safety:  The primary role of government is to provide for the safety of the public.  Adequate funds must be allocated for our first responders (fire fighters, paramedics, and police), traffic safety, and safe routes to school for our children.
• Infrastructure:  Next, I would plan for the maintenance of our City assets including our streets, buildings, parks, vehicles, bridges and utilities.
• Investment in Civic Life:  Government must provide our citizens with the amenities that make Los Altos a wonderful place to live and raise a family.  This includes our senior programs (including making sure our older adults – who are more at risk to contract COVID-19 – have access to health care, medication, and food), civic services provided by the recreation department, and public festivals.