Overview
Ithaca's adopted FY 2026 General Fund budget is $89,143,651, a $4 million increase from 2025, funded in part by an adopted property tax levy of $34,772,582 (a 4% increase from 2025). The city's own kickoff presentation notes the 2026 budget was built with a budgeted 5.5% vacancy rate ($2.647 million) and that public-safety departments account for 61% of General Fund staff. Service context from the same presentation: police calls for service were steady in 2025 (22,491), fire calls rose 7.6% from 2024 to 2025, and Cass Park pool and rink admissions rose 18.5%.
Source: City of Ithaca 2027 Budget Kickoff.
At a glance — adopted budget FY 2026 (General Fund only)
Source: City of Ithaca 2027 Budget Kickoff.
Headline budget
General Fund only — the adopted budget book was not retrieved, so no all-funds total is shown.
| General Fund budget, FY 2026 adopted | $89,143,651 |
| Adopted property tax levy, FY 2026 | $34,772,582 |
| General Fund increase from 2025 | $4,000,000 (about) |
| Budgeted vacancy rate, FY 2026 | 5.5% ($2,647,000) |
| Budgeted sales tax revenue increase, FY 2026 | 5.5% |
Source: City of Ithaca 2027 Budget Kickoff.
Breakdown
What the kickoff presentation states about the FY 2026 General Fund and city services.
| Public-safety share of General Fund staff | 61% |
| Police calls for service, 2025 | 22,491 |
| Fire calls for service, change 2024 to 2025 | +7.6% |
| Cass Park pool and rink admissions, change 2024 to 2025 | +18.5% |
| Sales and use tax revenues, change 2024 to 2025 | +3.4% |
| City population estimate (July 1, 2024, Census Bureau, as cited) | 33,768 |
The presentation also notes the city faced a $2.1 million budget shortfall during 2026 budget development (a synchronization error in revenue data, per the presentation's account of the process), addressed before adoption, and that the city's credit rating had been withdrawn in March 2024 amid an audit backlog. The Ithaca City School District budget is a separate government and is not used here.
Source: City of Ithaca 2027 Budget Kickoff.
Elected officials
The cited kickoff presentation does not name elected officials, so no roster is shown. The city's governing body is the Common Council.
Sources & notes
- Only source used: City of Ithaca, 2027 Budget Kickoff presentation (May 12, 2026). 2027 Budget Kickoff.
- Sum checks: no breakdown is summed on this page because the cited presentation states the General Fund total and levy without a revenue or appropriation breakdown; no total is derived from parts.
- What is not claimed: no all-funds total and no council vote count are shown — both appear only in news reports, not in an official city document retrieved here; the school district budget is not substituted for the city budget.
- Jurisdiction palette: No verified New York jurisdiction palette was on file, so this page uses the neutral Hometown Numbers dark-glass theme rather than a jurisdiction color.