Eugene City Council Adopts FY23 Budget

At its June 27 public hearing, the Eugene City Council unanimously voted to adopt the proposed FY23 budget for the City of Eugene. Budget adoption provides for the legal appropriation of funds and sets the city tax rate, which is legally required for the County to collect taxes on behalf of the City.

"This budget has a reasonable and responsible approach that sets us up for future success," said City Manager Sarah Medary. "Our focus is to maintain essential services, continue caring for our community and provide strong financial stewardship with an eye toward the future."

The City is losing significant General Fund revenue ($3.2 million per year) from an FCC ruling related to Comcast revenues. At the same time, expenditures are increasing due to PERS cost increases of 24% in FY24 ($4.8 million per year), along with higher inflation. These changes contribute to a significant gap in revenues and expenses requiring cost reductions and other course corrections for the fiscal year that begins July 2023 (FY24).

The City is preparing for that course correction by shifting to a Priority Based Budget approach. With Priority Based Budgeting, the City can better evaluate where it's investing tax-payer dollars, encourage more creative conversations about services, and identify the critical programs that meet community and organizational goals.

The new budget will go into effect on July 1, 2022. The adopted budget will be posted on the City's website later this summer and the Eugene Open Budget website will be updated with the FY23 Adopted Budget and Capital Budget data in early July.

In addition to presenting a balanced budget, the budget document summarizes the City's approach to sustainably fund City Council goals, City operations and emerging community issues while also maintaining a reasonable and responsible reserve for unforeseen circumstances.