{"id":392757,"date":"2026-07-10T00:38:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T00:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/392757\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T00:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T00:38:23","slug":"fullerton-residents-get-their-first-say-on-the-city-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/392757\/","title":{"rendered":"Fullerton Residents Get Their First Say on the City Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roughly 14 people turned out to the Fullerton Public Library on July 7 to help set spending and revenue priorities as the city stares down a multi-year deficit.<\/p>\n

On the evening of Monday, July 7, 2026, about a dozen and a half Fullerton residents gathered at the Fullerton Public Library for the first of the city\u2019s Community Budget meetings \u2014 a hands-on session designed to let the public weigh in directly on how Fullerton raises and spends its money.<\/p>\n

The format was simple and visual. Instead of speeches at a podium, attendees moved through a series of boards and voted with colored stickers:\u00a0green\u00a0for support (or \u201cmost acceptable\u201c),\u00a0yellow\u00a0for \u201cneed more information\u201d or \u201cwould modify,\u201d and\u00a0red\u00a0for opposition or concern. The result was a candid, real-time snapshot of where this group of residents stands.<\/p>\n

Turnout was modest \u2014 attendance hovered around 14 \u2014 and not everyone weighed in on every item, so the sticker tallies vary from board to board. But even with a small crowd, some clear patterns emerged.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>
\nWhere does the money come from?<\/p>\n

Fullerton\u2019s sales tax rate currently sits at 7.75%, of which only about a dollar of every $7.75 collected on a $100 purchase stays with the city \u2014 the rest flows to Orange County and the state. Property taxes are similar: for every $100 in property tax paid, the City of Fullerton keeps roughly $15.64, with the largest share going to schools. That thin slice of local revenue is part of what has the city looking hard at new options.<\/p>\n

Attendees showed the most enthusiasm for revenue ideas that either tax visitors or open new markets:<\/p>\n

Legalizing cannabis\u00a0drew 11 green stickers and just one yellow \u2014 one of the night\u2019s clearest signals of support.
\nHotel occupancy tax adjustments, paid primarily by hotel guests rather than residents, earned 11 green.
\nA\u00a0dedicated sales tax for streets only\u00a0(8 green) and a\u00a0general sales tax\u00a0(7 green) both found favor, as did\u00a0selling city-owned properties or assets\u00a0(7 green).<\/p>\n

A pair of resident-suggested ideas also landed well:\u00a0hiring for economic development\u00a0picked up 7 green stickers, and\u00a0workforce development\u00a0got 2.<\/p>\n

Just as telling was what the room rejected.\u00a0Privatizing the city\u2019s water utility\u00a0drew a unanimous wall of red \u2014 14 stickers, no supporters.\u00a0Privatizing the airport\u00a0was nearly as unpopular (11 red). And a\u00a0sales tax dedicated to public safety only\u00a0was met with skepticism (7 red), even as residents were more open to a streets-focused or general tax. Ideas like\u00a0business license tax updates\u00a0and raising\u00a0program fees to full cost recovery\u00a0landed mostly in \u201cneed more information\u201d yellow territory.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>
\nWhat to protect, what to trim<\/p>\n

Asked which services should be strengthened, maintained, or reduced under tight budgets, residents put their green stickers behind the basics.\u00a0Street maintenance\u00a0\u2014 potholes and pavement repairs \u2014 was the runaway priority with 9 green. Faster\u00a0construction permit processing\u00a0(6 green),\u00a0youth services\u00a0(5 green),\u00a0senior transportation\u00a0and\u00a0park restrooms\u00a0also drew support for investment.<\/p>\n

The clearest calls to cut back involved events. The\u00a0Fourth of July festival\u00a0collected 13 red stickers, and the\u00a0First\u00a0Night celebration\u00a0drew 11 red \u2014 suggesting this group would rather see marquee events scaled back than core services touched.\u00a0Police-community relations programs\u00a0such as Coffee with a Cop and Trunk or Treat (7 red) and\u00a0school resource officers\u00a0(4 red) also faced pushback, while items like fire stations, tree trimming, and library programs mostly landed in \u201cmaintain\u201d yellow.\"\"<\/a>The budget scenarios<\/p>\n

The city presented three overall approaches, and residents made their preference plain.<\/p>\n

Scenario B \u2014 a balanced budget achieved through service reductions and deferrals\u00a0\u2014 was the strong favorite, with 11 green stickers and 2 yellow. It balances the budget in the first year through hiring freezes and delayed capital and maintenance spending, building on a baseline package of cuts while protecting core infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Scenario A, which would lean on city reserves to soften service reductions, drew a more divided response (1 green, 6 yellow, 4 red). And\u00a0Scenario C\u00a0\u2014 the most aggressive path, unfunding 30-plus positions to lock in long-term structural balance without a tax increase \u2014 was the least popular, with 10 red stickers and no green. Residents appeared willing to trade some short-term pain for a balanced budget, but wary of deep, permanent cuts across departments.<\/p>\n

Have your say: Meeting #2 is this Thursday<\/p>\n

The July 7 session was only the beginning. Residents who missed it \u2014 or who want to add their voice \u2014 have another chance this week.<\/p>\n

Budget Community Meeting #2\u00a0Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.\u00a0Hunt Branch Library\u00a0201 South Basque Avenue, Fullerton<\/p>\n

With Fullerton weighing difficult choices over the next several years, these early meetings are a rare opportunity for residents to shape priorities before the numbers are locked in. If the first turnout is any guide, the people who show up really do move the sticker count.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from Fullerton Observer<\/p>\n

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