Washingtoner - City of Tacoma Continues to Invite Community Engagement and Input During the 2025-2026 Biennial Budget Development Process

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~ Tacoma, Washington - As the City of Tacoma begins its 2025-2026 Biennial Budget development process, community members are being encouraged to actively engage and provide input. The goal is to create a budget that reflects the shared vision of a thriving Tacoma where everyone feels safe and has the opportunity to succeed.

Mayor Victoria Woodards emphasized the importance of community engagement in this process, stating that it has been vital in building trust and ensuring responsible use of resources. She sees this budget development as an opportunity for the community to come together and discuss how best to meet their needs while also establishing long-term, sustainable solutions.

However, the City is facing a projected $26 million budget gap in its General Fund, with expenses expected to exceed revenues. To address this issue, the City is working with departments to develop budget scenarios that offer options for reducing, maintaining, or enhancing service levels.

City Manager Elizabeth Pauli stressed the City's commitment to transparency and accountability in budget development. She stated that they will engage in open and thoughtful conversations about service levels in order to achieve a balanced budget that reflects the community's priorities.

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In order to address the projected budget gap, reduction targets have been set at 2.5 percent for public safety departments and 6 percent for all other departments. It should be noted that these reductions will not be made as across-the-board cuts but will be carefully considered with input from the community, service levels, and Council priorities. The City aims to take a holistic approach when addressing Tacoma's needs while also preparing for an uncertain economy.

Community engagement is crucial throughout this process. The City has already begun outreach efforts through One Tacoma Community Visioning Workshops and Council's identification of specific goals and objectives for key priority areas.

More information on the budget development process can be found on cityoftacoma.org/budget. Additionally, community members can provide input through the Balancing Act tool on this page, which allows them to explore budget scenarios and provide quantitative feedback.

For those with questions about the 2025-2026 Biennial Budget development process and engagement opportunities, the Office of Management and Budget can be contacted at budget@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 594-7925. The City is committed to working with the community to create a budget that reflects their needs and priorities.

Filed Under: Government, City

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