Council Passes Balanced Budget

by ICNV Staff

In March, the City of Irvine received two prestigious awards recognizing its Fiscal Year 2025–27 Budget and its commitment to fiscal transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public resources.

Irvine received the Government Finance Officers Association Distinguished Budget Presentation Award — with Special Recognition for Performance Measures. This national award recognizes governments that produce budget documents meeting rigorous standards as a policy document, operations guide, financial plan, and communications tool.

Irvine also earned the California Society of Municipal Finance Officers Operating Budget Excellence Award, recognizing excellence in municipal budgeting and financial reporting. The award reflects the City’s commitment to transparent financial communication, strategic planning, and sound fiscal management.

At the same time that Irvine was being recognized as one of the most financially sound and fiscally transparent cities in America, two members of the City Council — Kathleen Treseder and James Mai — were attacking City staff by falsely stating that Irvine was in a budget “crisis.”

Those attacks now appear to have been little more than political theater. Last week, Treseder and Mai voted alongside their Council colleagues to unanimously adopt the very budget they had repeatedly criticized.

The adopted FY 2026–2027 budget is balanced without reducing programs or services, eliminating positions, or increasing taxes. Backed by more than $130 million in reserves, the budget reflects Irvine’s longstanding commitment to responsible financial management.

To ensure the City’s financial strength continues into the future while maintaining a balanced budget, two modest adjustments have been included for the coming fiscal year. On the expenditure side, the City will not expand its vehicle fleet, and non-essential vacant positions will remain unfilled. On the revenue side, out-of-town visitors will pay higher fees to use certain City facilities, such as the Woollett Aquatics Center, and waste haulers transporting refuse through Irvine will be charged higher fees.