QuickTake:

The budget committee will review and discuss the proposed 2027 budget during public meetings Monday through Wednesday this week, and the public can provide comments during the first meeting.

As costs continue to outpace revenue, the city of Springfield has proposed a 2027 budget that cuts library positions and increases fire department staffing to reduce firefighter overtime.

The proposed budget, which is for the fiscal year beginning July 1, also includes vacancy savings and reductions in material and services. The budget committee will meet this week to review and deliberate on the proposal before recommending a 2027 budget for consideration by the City Council. 

The budget cycle follows a year of discussion about recommendations from a Fiscal Stability Task Force, which included reducing the library budget and implementing a payroll tax. The city has drafted a potential payroll tax ordinance, which is scheduled for a final reading June 1.

According to a message from City Manager Nancy Newton in the proposed budget, the city’s financial challenges stem from limitations on property tax growth, increasing demand for services, inflation and unfunded mandates from the state.  

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What’s in the city’s budget this year?

The city’s total operating budget is $155.78 million, an increase of $2.99 million over the previous year, according to the proposal.

Its projected 2027 general fund expenditure is $49.76 million, an increase of $1.9 million compared to 2026. The general fund is the main operating fund of the city and supports police, fire, development and public works, the municipal court, the library, the city manager’s office, finance, IT and the city attorney’s office. Each department is additionally funded by one or more other funds. 

The primary revenue source for the general fund is property taxes, with other sources including licenses, permits and fees, intergovernmental revenues and charges for service. 

The police department takes the largest share of the general fund at $18.5 million, closely followed by fire and life safety at $15.9 million. Administrative services account for a combined $9 million, followed by development and public works at $4.1 million and the library at $2.1 million.

Library staffing decreases by 2.4 full-time equivalent employees in the proposed budget, including the elimination of a vacant associate manager position and a teen service librarian.

The librarian left her position  voluntarily in April and was paid through the end of the month in accordance with her labor agreement, city spokesperson Elyse Ditzel told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The teen service librarian received notice on March 31 of a layoff effective June 30, Ditzel said.

She said there are no other current employees identified for layoff as part of the proposed budget.

Due to the staffing reduction, the library will cut programming and reduce open hours by closing on Mondays, the budget states. The library will not recruit for a grant-funded summer outreach position due to lack of capacity for onboarding and training, according to the budget, and funds will be redirected to support youth literacy. 

“The Springfield Public Library remains an essential city service,” Newton wrote in her budget message. “The current staffing model reflects fiscal constraints, not reduced community need.”

The library’s budget decreases by $215,380 in the budget over the previous year. It is one of three departments with budget decreases. The finance department shows a budget decrease of $414,657 after the department restructured leadership positions, resulting in personnel cost savings. The police department’s budget decreases by $204,948, with less money allocated from the special revenue and vehicle and equipment funds.

Development and public works staffing decreases by 1.13 full-time equivalent positions in the proposed budget, which notes overall staffing levels are maintained but staff was realigned.

The proposed budget shows fire department staffing increasing by two full-time equivalent positions to support a fourth shift of firefighters, reducing overtime. 

Last year, the budget eliminated a full-time library tech, and as a result reduced library hours from 43 to 40 per week. Also in the 2026 budget, the police department cut two positions, a public information coordinator and community outreach coordinator, and the fire department eliminated a public information officer. 

Budget committee meetings

The Springfield Budget Committee, comprising six city councilors and six community members appointed by the City Council, will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday this week, May 4-6. 

Committee meetings are open to the public and will be held at the Springfield Justice Center, 230 Fourth St. The meetings will also be livestreamed on Zoom. Community members can provide public comment during the Monday, May 4, meeting, either in person or virtually.

In previous years, the city scheduled public comment for 20 minutes each of the three days. This year, public comments are scheduled for one hour on the first day only.

“Given the interest in the budget this year, we wanted people to be able to provide comment before deliberations,” Ditzel said.

The committee will review and discuss the proposed budget and may make additions or deletions before approving it. In June, the City Council will hold a public hearing before deliberating and voting on whether to adopt the budget.