Copyright Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Windsor council members have dipped again into budget reserves to dedicate an additional $250,000 toward discretionary line items seen to support the town’s cultural identity and public wellbeing. The spending will mean safer trails, better roads and continued support of beloved Windsor programs at a time when the town is looking to keep a tighter lid on its spending, council members said. The additional allocation comes four months after town leaders adopted a pared-down budget that required using $7.8 million of general fund reserves to cover operational costs over the next two years. Unlike most Sonoma County cities, Windsor’s council follows a two-year budget cycle. The town’s shortfall is a result of “stagnant and declining” sales and lodging tax revenue, according to Windsor Administrative Services Director Nick Walker. Sales tax revenue was down 2%, or $121,327, heading into this fiscal year, which began July 1. The town’s lodging tax income, collected from hotels, was down by $437,750 or 14%. The bright spot in the town’s revenue is property tax, which remains stable and is expected to bring in just over $10.9 million, up 9% from the previous year. Operational costs, meanwhile, continue to rise. Insurance and benefit premiums are partially to blame, Walker said. Police services — the town contracts with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office — are up $2 million or 26% from the previous budget. Town Manager Jon Davis said the increased cost is a result of higher salaries and benefits, overtime costs and administrative overhead. Wednesday’s Town Council meeting revisited a small slice of the overall 2025-27 budget adopted in June. Over that span, the town expects to spend about $56 million from its general fund, the main pot of discretionary money, covering day-to-day operations including police services, animal control, parks and recreation, community development, basic street maintenance, engineering and the town’s economic development. Without more revenue coming in town staff was hesitant to support additional spending heading not already covered in their budget plan. There is talk about putting a supplemental sales tax before Windsor voters — the town remains one of the few cities in Sonoma County without an extra sales tax levy. Walker floated to the council Wednesday a potential sales tax as high as 1%, or 1 cent for every dollar spent in the city, pushing the city’s overall sales tax rate to 10.25%, which would make it the second highest sales tax in the county, tied with Cotati, Petaluma and Sonoma. Sebastopol has the county’s highest sales tax at 10.5%. Until any such proposal is put to voters and approved, however, Walker suggested town council members stick to their budget plan and remain conservative about any amendments, “to keep surplus in reserves,” he said. Under its policy, the town seeks to maintain a reserve of 25% of its operating budget, or about three months worth of spending. Prior to entering the new fiscal year, the town’s reserve fund sat at $16.1 million, or 28%. Accounting for the $7.8 million tapped by the council to balance the current budget, reserves now sit to $8.9 million, or about 15% of its operating budget. The fiscal outlook altogether is not as bad as other cities in the region, especially Santa Rosa, where a multimillion deficit is expected to require deep cuts by next year. Still, given the upward pressure on its costs and the dip in revenue, warned Walker, in the future, “We might be looking for every resource we can find.” The revisions adopted Wednesday by the council mostly heeded that advice. The council halved the initially proposed allocation of $500,000 to $250,000. Nearly 30% of that — or $73,000 — will go toward springtime weed abatement. The swimming pool at the Windsor Senior Recreation Center received $60,000 for resurfacing. “We are getting more complaints,” Olivia Lemen, director of Windsor Parks and Recreation, told the council. “We’re in the situation where, if we want to address the concerns and create a safe and healthy program, we need to redo the entire plaster of the pool.” An additional $56,120 will go to repair potholes and other problem spots. “I hear about our roads all the time,” Mayor Rosa Reynoza said. “They’re in terrible shape.” In the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s annual ranking of road conditions, Windsor ranks best in Sonoma County. Conditions for the town’s 172.2 miles of roads ranked “good,” scoring 73 out of 100. That said, the score has decreased over the past two years, dropping from 76 in 2021, 75 in 2022 to 73 in 2023, the latest year data was available. An additional $28,350 from the larger allocation will go to Brooks Creek Linear Trail and Davis Smith Memorial Park for path repairs. The council also allocated a combined $12,530 for next year’s Windsor Day Parade and Fiestas Patrias event, and to for upkeep of lighting and trash cans on the Town Green. Council member Mike Wall said the spending was intended to “contribute to the broader culture of being part of Windsor.” The council will revisit its financial position and two-year budget plan in February. Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.
