Talking Tacoma – The City's Budget Process with Andy Cherullo & Teresa Green, August 21, 2026

This City of Tacoma budget meeting held on August 21, 2026, featured Finance Director Andy Cherullo and Assistant Finance Director Teresa Green discussing the city's biennial budget process for 2027-2028. They detailed the challenges of balancing a $4 billion biennial budget, including a projected $40 million deficit driven by expenditures growing faster than revenues. The city manager's "road map to recovery" aims to address this structural deficit through immediate savings like a hiring freeze and long-term strategies to align expenditure growth with revenue growth. Public engagement opportunities were highlighted, with community input sought through forums and neighborhood councils before the budget adoption in November. The discussion emphasized the importance of sustainable budgeting practices and the need for ongoing solutions rather than one-time fixes to ensure fiscal stability.