Presentations covered seasonal mosquito concerns and the upcoming fiscal budget proposal
By PIPER AWEEKA — city@theaggie.org
On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the Davis City Council held its biweekly meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Chambers located on Russell Boulevard. After ceremonial presentations of this year’s Golden Heart and the Thong Hy Huynh awards, the council convened to discuss agenda items. Up first, the council heard a presentation on what to expect this upcoming year in terms of mosquito activity.
Gary Goodman, representing the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, laid out the current steps being taken to assess the potential hazards facing the Davis community.
“Starting off, we just started our [West Nile virus] testing cycle this last week,” Goodman said. “So far, no positives. We do have the right species of mosquitoes that can transmit dengue. […] We haven’t had local transmission of dengue in quite some time, and to have it two years ago and again 10-fold last year is a significant concern for us moving forward.”
Despite possible worries, Goodman made sure to emphasize that the community should always feel free to contact the district if something on their property causes concern.
“We ask the public to go around their yards,” Goodman said. “ Go around, take a look at any sandy water, give us a call. […] We go to thousands of pools per year within our district of Sacramento and Yolo County. We want people to be aware that [West Nile virus] is and can be a very serious disease and to take appropriate precautions.”
With that, the meeting flowed into a discussion on potential changes to the current city budget in light of the upcoming fiscal year budget proposal.
Kiran Sanghera, finance manager for the city of Davis, laid out the most notable of the proposed changes for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Sanghera prefaced her presentation of these substantial budget alterations by noting that most budgeting is typically only altered according to a specific inflation rate.
“Most of the fees and charges that are in place are currently increased by a pre-approved annual inflator,” Sanghera said. “Parks and community services had the most changes [in the proposal]. Youth service fee ranges now include accommodations for shorter length programs as well as increases related to staffing and supply costs.”
With these changes accounted for, the meeting segued into discussing the proposal for the upcoming fiscal budget, set to extend until June 30, 2027. Following Finance Director Elena Adair’s presentation of the revised budget, Interim City Manager Kelly Stachowicz said a few words to the council.
“I just wanted to close with a reminder that the budget is a living document, so you must approve it by the end of June, but you may also amend it as policy goals evolve or economies change,” Stachowicz said.
In their commentary, the council shared surprise at some of the sharp fee increases. Vice Mayor Donna Neville expressed this collective shock amongst council members.
“Some of the cost increases that went up were all beyond what I think most people were envisioning,” Neville said.
Mayor Bapu Vaitla conveyed a similar sentiment to Neville. Despite the time to gain clarity and revise the proposed budget before its confirmation, Vaitla indicated the disappointment of the council and their inability to address personal priorities within the current proposal.
“I was expecting a lot more wiggle room in this budget than there was,” Vaitla said. “It’s a very, very tight budget, and I think all of us here had priorities that we just couldn’t get to.”
Written By: Piper Aweeka — city@theaggie.org
