2027-2028 Biennial Budget Final Deliberations

Committee of the Whole - November 9

Throughout October and November, Renton City Council heard budget proposals from all departments. The last department presentations concluded last week. With presentations concluded, this was the council’s opportunity to ask final questions of the budget to staff.

Finance staff first discussed the standard 1% property tax increase under state law and a potential councilmatic bond. With the 1% property tax increase, the average Renton homeowner will see an increase of about $5 per year. These funds will contribute to city services and maintenance of our assets.

The councilmatic bond is not part of the decision-making process for the 2027-2028 Biennial Budget. In the spring, staff discussed a potential parks bond or councilmatic bond to fund capital projects.

Potential projects include:

200 Mill Building Improvements
Liberty Park Improvements
Logan Festival Street
Park Restroom Upgrades (Highlands Neighborhood Center, Ron Regis, Maplewood Park, and potentially Jones Park)

In addition, Finance staff noted the following presentation adjustments. No changes to the actual budget were made as part of these changes. Updates included:

Executive Summary: Page 1-52 chart for stormwater utility rate increase should be 2% instead of 4%
Budget by Department:
- Page 3-38: Change the requested removal of the lead building inspector position to removal of one building inspector position, effective when a building inspector position becomes vacant.
- Page 3-93: Transportation Director pay grade should be reflected as MG20 instead of MG22.
Appendix: Include number of approved FTE next to each position; this was omitted in the preliminary draft

Formal adoption steps for the 2027-2028 budget are scheduled in upcoming council meetings.

Renton City Council Meeting - November 9

During the November 9 Renton City Council meeting, Council President Pérez had one committee report to share from the Committee of the Whole.

The Committee of the Whole concurs with staff's recommendation to adopt the proposed 2027-2028 Biennial Budget with the following changes before bringing back to the council for first reading. No changes to the budget numbers were made, but presentation adjustments included:

Executive Summary: Page 1-52 chart for stormwater utility rate increase should be 2% instead of 4%
Budget by Department:
- Page 3-38: Change the requested removal of the lead building inspector position to removal of one building inspector position, effective when a building inspector position becomes vacant.
- Page 3-93: Transportation Director pay grade should be reflected as MG20 instead of MG22
Appendix: Include number of approved FTE next to each position; this was omitted in the preliminary draft

The following ordinances were approved for second reading and final consideration at the next council meeting:

Ordinance No. 6210: Dollar amount and percentage increase for the property tax to be levied for the year 2027
Ordinance No. 6211: Property tax levy for the year 2027 for general city operational purposes