Mayor Evans Kicks Off Annual City Budget Process With Online Public Survey, Other Community Input Opportunities

Annual City Budget Process launch begins today, September 15, 2025

Rochester, NY- Mayor Malik D. Evans today announced the start of the annual City budget process with the launch of an online survey. Public feedback will help guide the City’s spending plan for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

The online survey can be found at www.CityofRochester.Gov/Budget, and is one of three community input opportunities embedded into the budget process, including in-person outreach activities at local events and a live Telephone Town Hall community forum.

“The City budget is more than a spending plan,” said Mayor Evans “It is a commitment to our values and priorities. It reflects difficult choices, driven the same shifting economic and social conditions affecting household and business decisions for our residents and employers. I am asking the people of Rochester to bring their voices to this process early to help inform our investment priorities as we work to make the best use of limited resources and empower generational growth in our city.”

Continuing the practice he started in his first year in office, Mayor Evans is gathering public input early in the budget timeline, leading up to its submission to City Council in May and final approval in June 2026. The City fiscal year extends from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

The online survey went live today and will remain open on the City website until Nov. 10. The digital feedback form asks residents and stakeholders to rank a wide range of City services and programs, including longstanding core City functions like public safety and refuse collection; relatively recent initiatives, including mental-health outreach and home-repair assistance; and strategic investments to strengthen the city’s economy and quality of life, including waterfront revitalization and bicycle infrastructure expansion.

Members of the City Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will also conduct in-person outreach at several upcoming events, where members of the public may offer feedback by depositing “budget bucks” into bins that represent City services.

The scheduled outreach activities include:

ROC the Block Community Employment Fair, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 24, Parcel 5, 285 E. Main St.

MVP Healthcare Fall Festival, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, Parcel 5, 285 E. Main St.

Sunday Market Days, 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, Rochester International Plaza, 828 N. Clinton Ave.

Westside Farmers Market, 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, St. Monica’s Church parking lot, 831 Genesee St.

Dewey Avenue Fire House Open House, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 18, 1477 Dewey Ave.

The Rochester Public Market Thursday Market Day, 8:30 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, 280 N. Union St.

OMB will conduct its annual Telephone Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27. This Community Input Event will provide thousands of city residents with an opportunity to participate in a live discussion by phone with Mayor Evans and senior members of his staff by asking questions, participating in polls, or just listening in.

As in previous years, the team will follow a standard budget-cycle timeline:

November: Following extensive research to develop a working assessment of the City’s fiscal condition, OMB prepares a “maintenance of effort” level budget for Mayor Evans.

January: OMB provides the Mayor’s Senior Management Team (SMT) with funding-allocation targets to draft budget proposals for their respective departments, bureaus and offices.

Mid-February: After incorporating community feedback, SMT submits individual budget proposals to the Mayor and OMB who then works with the Mayor to draft the City of Rochester budget proposal, balancing projected revenues and anticipated spending.

• Revenue streams include the City’s share of County-wide sales tax, the City property tax (less State-mandated $119.1 million due to Rochester City School District), NYS Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM); State and Federal grants; Departmental income and service fees.

• Expenses include the one-year operating costs of all City services, programs and initiatives; employee and retiree benefits; capital expenditures; and debt service.

May 8: Mayor Evans and OMB Director Suzanne Warren submit the City budget proposal to City Council and release it to the public.

May: City Council standing committees conclude the initial budget review following open hearings with Mayor and SMT.

June: City Council approves the final budget following public hearings.

July 1: Fiscal Year 2026-2027 begins; the Office of Management and Budget monitors revenue collections, expenses, and unanticipated deviations.

For more information on the budget process, or to take the 2026-27 Budget Input Survey, visit www.cityofrochester.gov/budget.