Budget Portal
Where your local tax dollars come from, and where they go.
City of Scotts Valley
Adopted budget, FY 2026-27 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027)
Adopted by the City Council on June 3, 2026, as part of the consent agenda, approved 5–0 in a single motion.
Total spending, all funds
$38.0M
Operating costs plus the capital program; transfers between the City's own funds are excluded.
City of Scotts Valley FY26/27 Budget Book (OpenGov), “Budget by Department (Excludes transfers)”
Revenue, all funds
$32.8M
Excludes $9,559,480 transferred in from fund balances.
City of Scotts Valley FY26/27 Budget Book (OpenGov), “City-wide Revenues by Type”
Capital Improvement Program
$9.4M
City of Scotts Valley FY26/27 Budget Book (OpenGov), “Budget by Department (Excludes transfers)”
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Where the City's money comes from (all funds)
Total $32.8M
- Taxes (incl. Measures X and Z)$16.6M (50.6%)
- Charges for service$8.2M (24.9%)
- Other revenues$5.0M (15.3%)
- Franchise fees$1.4M (4.2%)
- Investment earnings$732K (2.2%)
- Intergovernmental$456K (1.4%)
- Recreation and rental fees$436K (1.3%)
- Fines and forfeitures$33K (0.1%)
Excludes $9,559,480 of fund balance transferred in.Source: City of Scotts Valley FY26/27 Budget Book (OpenGov), “City-wide Revenues by Type”
Where the City's money goes, by department (all funds)
Total $38.0M
- Capital Improvement Program$9.4M (24.8%)
- Police$9.0M (23.5%)
- City Administration$7.0M (18.4%)
- Wastewater$4.8M (12.5%)
- Public Works$4.0M (10.4%)
- Community Development$3.0M (7.8%)
- Recreation$950K (2.5%)
Source: City of Scotts Valley FY26/27 Budget Book (OpenGov), “Budget by Department (Excludes transfers)”
Good to know
- The Council adopted the FY 2026-27 budget on June 3, 2026, as item 8 of its consent agenda, which was approved 5–0 in one motion with no separate discussion recorded. City Council minutes, June 3, 2026, p. 4
- Measure Z, the City's 1.25% sales tax approved by voters in March 2020, brought in about $4.3 million in FY 2025-26, and the budget projects it to stay flat. The City Manager's message describes Scotts Valley as a low-property-tax city that depends heavily on voter-approved revenue measures. City Manager Budget Message, FY 2026-27, p. 2
- The budget plans to draw about $0.9 million from General Fund balance, plus $4.3 million from other funds to support capital projects and recreation programming. The General Fund balance is projected to fall below the City's minimum reserve targets by the end of FY 2027-28. City Manager Budget Message, FY 2026-27, p. 3
- The budget and long-range forecast assume a 2026 ballot measure raising the hotel tax (transient occupancy tax) from 11% to 12%, beginning in 2027. The City Manager's message says any change in the rate or the measure's passage will be reflected at the mid-year budget review. City Manager Budget Message, FY 2026-27, p. 3
- Measure X, approved in November 2024, switched the business license tax from an employee-based to a gross-receipts system. FY 2026-27 is its first full year, with about $1.2 million expected. City Manager Budget Message, FY 2026-27, p. 2
Notes on the numbers
- The City Manager's budget message describes the preliminary budget presented May 20, 2026. The Council adopted the budget on June 3, 2026. The totals in the message match the budget book used for the charts above.
Every figure is taken from City of Scotts Valley's own budget documents and was checked against the source page on 2026-09-22. All of this budget's documents