Departments city-wide have been asked to cut their budgets by 5%. Similar to last fiscal year<\/a>, departments will also maintain a 6.18% attrition rate, meaning each department will have to leave a certain number of positions vacant if an employee resigns, retires or leaves for any other reason.<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly think we\u2019re going to have to increase our attrition rates in order to make the budget balance,\u201d Dyer said Thursday.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s current $2.3 billion budget for fiscal 2026, the largest in its history, was affected by similar challenges, especially as pandemic-era American Rescue Plan funding has run out.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing the same trend that we\u2019ve been seeing the last several years,\u201d Councilmember Nelson Esparza said.<\/p>\n \u2018Magic tricks\u2019 to help Fresno\u2019s budget?<\/p>\n Esparza asked if the city had any \u201cmagic tricks\u201d to help alleviate pressures on the budget.<\/p>\n Dyer said the city was looking at different ways to increase revenues to the city, such as the transient occupancy tax on Airbnb short-term rentals<\/a> that has increased annual revenue by about $1 million.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the city is preparing to raise water and sewer rates for the first time in a decade. Dyer told The Bee the proposed increases would come before the council sometime in 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the City Council approved dozens of new and increased fees<\/a> for services at Fresno Yosemite International Airport, the Fresno Animal Shelter, and the Department of Public Utilities, among other departments.<\/p>\n These fee increases, which go into effect on July 1, were necessary to keep up with rising labor costs, City Manager Georgeanne<\/a> White said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to be as creative as we possibly can,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n Fire Department requests additional overtime funds<\/p>\n In a 5-0 vote Thursday, the Fresno City Council also approved an amendment to the current budget to provide an additional $1.96 million to the Fresno Fire Department<\/a> for costs associated with overtime and the Fresno Fire Department Drill School.<\/p>\n Dyer said the need for more overtime in the Fire Department was driven by an \u201cunanticipated\u201d vacancy rate in the department due to retirements this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a mass hiring that was done at one point. That means you\u2019re seeing mass retirements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Currently, there are 50 vacancies in the fire department, White said.<\/p>\n City staff said the current budget for the fire department\u2019s overtime is $8.4 million, but in recent years, the actuals have been closer to $9 to $11 million dollars.<\/p>\n While it is sometimes more economical for city to pay overtime instead of filling the positions, that isn\u2019t the case in the first department, White said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have so many vacancies that we have people at the higher ends of the pay scale that are back-filling, being paid overtime for an entry-level firefighter job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The city expects 15 participants to graduate from the current drill school class.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to begin another drill school immediately, because our attrition is far outpacing our ability to hire,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n
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