FY27 Plan Makes $50M Down Payment on $257M Structural Deficit

Council President Natali Fani-González's FY27 budget proposal includes a $50 million reserve drawn from one-time revenues generated by the progressive income tax package, directed toward reducing a projected structural deficit. The County Executive's recommended budget projects a structural deficit exceeding $257 million in FY28, which Fani-González warns could require a 9-cent property tax increase the following year. The council president cited preserving the county's triple-A bond rating as a key motivation for the reserve.