The Finance Division is primarily responsible for the development and preparation of the City of Novato's annual operating budget and Capital Improvement Program budget.

The City of Novato adopts its budget each June for the following fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. The budget, while a financial document, is also an important policy document, outlining the City Council’s priorities for the upcoming year and showing where the City's funds will be allocated.

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Budget Process

For several years, the City has experienced a growing budget deficit. The ongoing projected budget deficit, exceeding $2 million this year, will continue to grow without service reductions or enhanced revenue. While Novato has cut city staffing by over 30 positions to reduce operating costs, one-time COVID recovery and stimulus funding helped protect essential services like police patrols and 9-1-1 response, street repair, and park maintenance from cuts. With one-time funding now expended and depleted, Novato is evaluating sustainable budget solutions to protect these services going forward. 

Community Surveys
The City provided two community surveys, online and mail-in, to obtain feedback and help guide the City Council through this year's budget process and priorities.

The surveys are now closed. Results are available at novato.org/opennovato under "Closed Topics".

A complete list of budget meetings and workshops is available below. 

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