2. FY 2027-28 Budget Development Schedule from Oct. 22, 2026 Durham City Council Work Session

At a Durham City Council work session on the FY 2027–28 budget development schedule (identified in the title as October 22, 2026), staff presented a proposed calendar running from November through budget adoption on June 21, 2027, and described how the newly adopted strategic plan would guide decisions about limited resources. The process includes two February budget retreats, public hearings and adoption of budget guidelines in March and April, presentation of the city manager’s recommended budget in May (the transcript notes May 18 as a date to confirm), and adoption of the budget and capital improvement plan in June. Staff also described strategic-plan implementation tracking, a public dashboard expected to launch in early 2027, and work on a city program inventory and evaluation framework. No contract awards, vendor selections, or specific purchases were discussed.

Staff asked Council to approve the schedule at a subsequent meeting and provide guidance on council budget requests. The proposed process sets January 15 as the submission deadline, encourages specific descriptions of costs, outcomes, staffing or equipment needs, and alignment with strategic priorities, and proposes limiting each council member to three requests. Staff offered to help develop cost estimates; one council member said the deadline felt rushed and favored the prior practice of ranking requests. No vote was taken during this discussion. The meeting addressed prospective budget and capital planning, but identified no specific procurement action or dollar allocation.