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City Manager's Budget Office

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1. Where can I find the 2015 - 2016 Adopted Budget?

You can find the 2015-2016 Adopted Budget here: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?nid=4628 here.

2. What is the City’s fiscal year?

The City’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

3. How big is the City’s annual budget?

The City’s annual budget is $2.9 billion (as of the 2015-2016 Proposed Budget)

4. How many City employees are there?

The City has 5,945 positions (as of the 2015-2016 Adopted Budget).

5. Where do the City’s revenues come from?

Almost half of the revenue in the General Fund is generated from property and sales taxes. Other sources of General Fund revenue include: utility taxes; franchise fees; departmental fees, licenses, and permits; funding from other agencies (local, state, federal); transfers and reimbursements; and other revenue.

The City’s special and capital funds (e.g., Airport, garbage collection and recycling, water pollution control plant and sewer system operations) are generally supported by revenues specified for those purposes, such as user fees, designated taxes, and grants.

6. What does the City spend its money on?

The General Fund accounts for approximately 32% of the City’s budget with 68% associated with the City’s special and capital funds. You can read more about the breakdowns in the Summary of General Fund Uses section of the 2015-2016 Proposed Operating Budget, and below.

In the General Fund, the budget is broken down as follows in the 2015-2016 Proposed Budget:
Public Safety: 49%
(Police and Fire)

Community Services: 13%
(Library, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, and Planning, Building and Code Enforcement)

Capital Maintenance: 7%
(Public Works and Transportation)

General Government: 8%
(Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, City Auditor, Economic Development, and Mayor and City Council)

Non-Departmental Expenses: 23%
(reserves, city-wide expenses that support multiple departments, capital expenditures, transfers to other funds, debt service)

For the City’s special and capital funds, the largest expenditures are associated with the operation and capital improvements for the Mineta San José International Airport, the water pollution control plant and sanitary sewer system, the storm sewer system, the municipal water system, and the convention and cultural facilities, as well as the delivery of housing services, and capital investments to maintain the City’s roads, parks, community centers, libraries, and fire stations.

7. How can I provide input in the development of the City budget?

There are several ways to provide input in the development of the City’s budget:

City Councilmembers: input into the City’s budget can be provided to the City’s elected officials. Following are the contact numbers for the Mayor and City Councilmembers:
View Councilmember contact info

Community Budget Meetings: meetings are held annually in each Council District in the April-May timeframe to discuss the Proposed Budget for the upcoming fiscal year and to gain feedback.

City Council Budget Study Sessions: a series of Budget Study Sessions are held annually in May to discuss the Proposed Budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Public Hearings on the Budget: two public hearings are held annually on the Proposed Budget (one in May and one in June) to gain feedback from the community.

Neighborhood Association/Youth Commission Priority Setting Session: the Mayor’s Office sponsors an annual meeting on budget priorities with the City’s many neighborhood associations and the City’s Youth Commission.

Community Budget Survey: the Mayor’s Office conducts an annual Community Budget Survey is conducted to gain feedback on the community budget priorities.