By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The El Cajon City Council reviewed a preliminary $104.3 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-27 on June 10, a plan that requires approximately $2.5 million in cuts across all departments to address a projected $1.46 million shortfall and avoid depleting usable reserves.
- The proposed budget includes the “reallocation” — effectively defunding — of all firefighting staff at Fire Station 6, a rapid-response unit operated by Heartland Fire & Rescue in downtown El Cajon; union officials and firefighters warned the change would strain emergency services and worsen response times to nearby communities.
- A separate proposal would close the El Cajon Police Department’s crime lab, transferring forensic services to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office; the lab’s manager and staff publicly opposed the move, warning of downstream effects on criminal justice countywide.
- City officials attributed the structural shortfall to four consecutive years in which revenue has lagged behind expenditures, with the city’s primary income streams — sales tax and property tax — generating less than projected; a 2.5% reduction was applied across all city departments.
- City Council members divided on alternatives to the proposed cuts, with some members suggesting additional reserve draws or recreation center closures; Councilmember Steve Goble called for a ballot measure to increase city revenue as the most durable long-term solution.
EL CAJON, Calif. — El Cajon firefighters and police crime lab personnel publicly opposed proposed cuts at a City Council budget review Tuesday, as city officials presented a preliminary $104.3 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-27 that would require significant reductions to fire and forensic services in response to a structural revenue shortfall that has persisted for four consecutive years.
City Finance Director Clay Shane and Principal Fiscal Analyst Autumn Reburger told the council that the city anticipates $105.7 million in expenditures against lower projected revenue, creating a $1.46 million shortfall. To close the gap, the proposed budget applies a 2.5% reduction across all city departments and draws approximately $1.5 million from the general fund carryover reserve, leaving roughly $6.9 million in unallocated reserves. Reburger cautioned that the city’s larger reserve totals — which include $13 million for retirement obligations, $20.2 million designated for economic uncertainty, and a $20.2 million operating reserve fund — are restricted and cannot be freely accessed.
The most operationally significant cut proposed is the reallocation of all firefighting staff at Fire Station 6, a rapid-response unit operated by Heartland Fire & Rescue in downtown El Cajon. City officials said the restructuring would not take effect until after a new fire engine becomes operational. Union president Michael Hays of the San Miguel Firefighters Association told the council the proposal would strain emergency services, overextend personnel, and could negatively affect response times to surrounding communities. “This will negatively impact services to the community and not provide the cost savings that you are proposing,” Hays said.
The proposed budget also calls for shutting down the El Cajon Police Department’s crime laboratory, which provides forensic services to law enforcement agencies throughout the county. City Manager Graham Mitchell said forensic functions would be transferred to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. Crime lab manager Shelly Webster said the consolidation would harm the quality and availability of forensic services across the region. “We identify offenders through forensic evidence. We provide justice for the victims, and we help exonerate the innocent,” Webster said. “These functions are essential to public safety and the integrity of our criminal justice system.”
Other proposed reductions in the preliminary budget include laying off 5.5 Police Department employees, deferring traffic infrastructure projects, slowing consultant work on a potential city acquisition of Parkway Plaza, and delaying building maintenance. Council members offered competing alternatives to the fire and crime lab cuts: Councilmember Michelle Mitzel suggested closing city recreation centers, which Mayor Bill Wells opposed, citing concern that such facilities, once closed, are not typically reopened. Councilmember Steve Goble said he opposed eliminating the crime lab or cutting Fire Department staffing and suggested drawing additional funds from reserves — a position Wells also declined to support. Goble framed the situation as one requiring a structural revenue solution rather than continued service reductions. “Somehow, we have to structurally change our revenue because this isn’t working for us,” Goble said. “We have a revenue problem. … Hopefully something gets on the ballot to get us more revenue.” The council took no final vote on the budget at Tuesday’s session; the proposal remains under review.