Every year, the City Council adopts a Budget and Financial Plan for the next fiscal year, which runs from July 1 – June 30 annually. The annual budget is the single most important policy action that the City Council takes as the budget funds the City’s priorities for the upcoming year and beyond.
As part of developing the priorities for the annual budget, the City Council seeks input from the community. At the January 28, 2020 Preliminary FY 2020-21 Budget Study Session, the City Council directed staff to hold three community meetings. These meetings were scheduled for March and April 2020. However, due to the shelter-in-place order by the County of Santa Clara related to the novel corona virus, these community meetings were canceled. Therefore, the City Council encourages residents and businesses to participate in the budget development through completing the budget survey below.
BUDGET CHALLENGE SURVEY
Have a few minutes? Take our online survey to share what matters most to you with the City Council as we are preparing recommendations for the annual budget! Take the Milpitas Budget Challenge: spend imaginary money on what you think are the most important areas the City should focus on for the next year. What you spend on each area will show how important you think it is. Are you ready to pitch in? Take the survey today!
CITYWIDE SATISFACTION SURVEY
In January 2020, the City contracted with Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates (FM3) to conduct a City-wide survey on levels of satisfaction regarding city services. FM3 is a California-based company that has been conducting public policy-oriented opinion research since 1981 and has worked with hundreds of local government agencies in research and strategic services. In order to conduct a true community satisfaction survey of adult residents, FM3 conducted an “address-based” survey with a combination of phone numbers, emails and residential addresses. The survey data was collected in January 2020 and the survey was available in English, Mandarin, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Both email and mailed postcards were sent to geographical clusters throughout the City directing recipients to complete an online survey and after the first wave was completed, remaining open areas were targeted to complete a telephone survey. Because of the strong response from the community, FM3 was able to provide statistically sound and fully representative results from the adult residents of Milpitas at a 95% confidence interval, higher than originally anticipated, clearly demonstrating that the community is eager to provide their feedback to the City Council and administration and have a very strong favorable sentiment towards Milpitas and the services offered.
FY 2020-21 PRELIMINARY BUDGET STUDY SESSION
On January 28, 2020, the City Council held the FY 2020-21 Preliminary Budget Study Session. At the Study Session, staff presented the ten-year Financial Forecast for the General Fund, the Community engagement strategy for the upcoming budget year, and City Departments’ accomplishments, initiatives, and operational constraints. The City’s General Fund funds primarily the Police, Fire, Recreation and administrative departments.
PURPOSE OF THE BUDGET
- To set goals, objectives and service levels for the City to meet during the next year
- To estimate and allocate the money the City will take in and spend during the year