Maricopa’s Draft 2026–27 Budget is Now Available

Published on April 17, 2026

Ever wondered how the City of Maricopa plans for the year ahead? From public safety to parks, streets to services, our annual budget is where those priorities take shape.

The full draft of the City’s Fiscal Year 2026–27 budget is now available online, giving residents an early look ahead of the upcoming Council discussions.

While budgets can feel complex, this process is designed to be open, transparent, and—most importantly—accessible to you.

What Happens Next?

The next step is the Operational Budget Work Session, scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 4 p.m.

During this Work Session, City Staff will introduce the preliminary Operating Budget to Council, discuss and share visuals and analysis, and present a more detailed overview of the Preliminary City Budget Book and how to navigate it.

It’s an important checkpoint in the process and it’s open to the public.

Understanding the Approval Process

After the work session, the budget moves through two key milestones:

Tentative Budget Approval – May 19, 2026
At the May 19th council meeting, the City’s Tentative Budget will be presented to City Council for approval.  Once approved by Council, the city can no longer make changes to the proposed budget.

It’s important to note: the approved expenditure number for a city budget is usually higher than what is actually spent. Why? Because state statute prevents any city from changing or amending its budget once Council has approved it.  Therefore, the city budget builds in flexibility for the unexpected, like emergency repairs to keep a fire truck in service or the ability to receive grant dollars from the federal government that were not available at the time the budget was prepared.

Final Budget Approval – June 16, 2026
This is where the City Council formally adopts the tentative budget in a public meeting, finalizing all operating and capital expenditure details for the upcoming year.

How You Can Be Part of It

All of these meetings are open to the public, and we encourage you to take part in the process.

• The April 23 Work Session will include feedback cards for those who want to share input
• Live public comment will be accepted during both the tentative and final budget approval council meetings

Take a Look

The draft budget is available now, and we invite you to explore it ahead of the upcoming discussions.

View the draft budget here: https://city-maricopa-az-cleardoc.cleargov.com/24869

All other budget documents can be found at www.maricopa-az.gov/budget