City Manager Fidel Maltez is looking to have the city get a jumpstart on its budget process a little earlier in the year for FY26.
While FY25 began on July 1, Maltez said the city has already launched its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) efforts for the coming year.
“Starting our CIP process now, will in turn allow us to start our annual operating budget process early as well,” stated Maltez. “Our Deputy City Manager of Finance, Michael Mason, will lead this effort, along with our talented finance staff.”
The first step in the CIP process is reviewing all past projects, discussing their status, and determining if any unspent funds can be used for upcoming projects.
“This is a step that the City Council has requested in the past, and that we see as a critical step in our annual financial processes,” Maltez stated in a letter to the council. “Mr. Mason began this work in August by creating a database of past projects and meeting with all department heads to review it. Mr. Mason has created a CIP working group that meets regularly.”
Maltez said Mason has also developed a comprehensive schedule to help guide the process.
That schedule has the city submitting a draft of the FY26 CIP to the council by early November for review.
The FY26 operating budget development calendar has the budget team beginning the process in early December, with the city manager submitting the operating budget to the council by May 2 of next year.
“Chelsea has done a fantastic job with Capital Planning,” stated Maltez. “We invest in our public buildings, our parks, our public safety fleets and our infrastructure. We appreciate the input that the city council gives and we will incorporate it into the annual plan.”
Maltez encouraged councilors to send requests from constituents for projects, from paving streets to improving parks, to the administration to incorporate into the capital plan.