Last year, the City of Upland accomplished a significant achievement by adopting its first-ever two-year budget for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 fiscal years. This two-year budget was developed to provide a longer-term financial outlook, improve efficiency, and strengthen strategic planning for City projects. It also ensures that Upland’s finances are managed with the highest standards of professionalism and fiscal responsibility.

Upland is now in the second year of this two-year budget, with the current version adopted on June 9. Adjustments for the 2025/2026 fiscal year were made in October 2024, and again in March and June 2025; modifications that were anticipated when the budget was initially adopted. Most importantly, the City has continued to successfully balance its budget.

A major unpredicted change was a $1.6 million decrease in projected sales taxes caused by economic uncertainty and tariff volatility. Fortunately, roughly $1 million of that loss was offset with increases in other revenues, such as interest income from the City’s investment pool.

To keep the budget in balance, the City reduced ongoing expenses and implemented cuts totaling over $500,000 across all City departments. A key priority for fiscal year 2025/2026 is completing the highly anticipated Foothill Boulevard Rehabilitation Project. Construction on this $13.2 million project is expected to begin this fall and will be a great improvement to the City.

“We’ve made infrastructure a priority in our budget. The Foothill Boulevard project is important to our community,” said Assistant City Manager Stephen Parker, noting that 2026 marks the centennial anniversary of Route 66 and citywide activities associated with this historic milestone are anticipated.

The City has also successfully boosted revenue for infrastructure by obtaining grants and additional funding from outside sources. Since 2022, the City has been awarded nearly $12 million in extra funding, much of it from the discretionary funds of County Supervisors Curt Hagman and Jesse Armendarez.

These funds have supported improvements in City parks including the Baldy View Dog Park, technology and infrastructure upgrades, Downtown Upland revitalization, police handheld radios, and much more. “We are constantly seeking outside resources,” said Upland Finance Manager Staci Sullivan.

For the fiscal year 2025/2026, the operating budget for the General Fund was initially $63 million. General fund revenue for 2025/2026 was later revised to $63.4 million. With expenses now budgeted at just 63.2 million, the City is expected to have a small surplus which would be used to cover unexpected expenses, such as construction overages or emergency repairs.

Please visit the City’s Transparency Center at uplandca.cleargov.com for current financial information.