Antioch Could Cut July 4th Holiday Celebration, Sell Golf Course During Budget Talks

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council will hold a special study session regarding its 2026-27 budget. They will also discuss its 5-year capital improvement program through a workshop.

The council started off last year with a $54 million deficit and is now attempting to trim the remaining $5 million anticipated for FY 2026-27.

Staff, at the request of Mayor Ron Bernal, has provided the council with deficit reduction proposals. These options are a combination of direct expenditure reductions, revenue enhancements or adjustments, and other fiscal strategies that, if implemented, would contribute toward reducing the City’s projected budget shortfall.

The options include:

• $1.43 million – Cancel/Reduce City Hall Modifications CIP – return $$ to Gen Fund
• $1.2 million – Do not fund Homekey+
• $480,000 – Do not fund AQCRT after ARPA funding has expired
• $480,000 – Cancel EOC Improvements CIP – return $$ to Gen Fund
• $417,342 – Cancel City Wide Signage CIP – return $$ to Gen Fund
• $397,490 – Freeze 2 Code Enforcement Officer Positions
• $277,740 – Freeze Animal Services Manager Position
• $200,000 – Eliminate set-aside to Prewett CIP
• $157,586 – Cancel Antioch 4^th of July Event (vendors/fireworks/supplies/police OT)
• $100,000 – Reduce Garbage Franchise Fee allocation to Solid Waste Fund
• $50,000 – Eliminate Community Grants
• $54,606 – Cancel Juneteenth (vendors/supplies/police OT)
• $47,117 – Cancel Restoration of Public Fountains CIP – return $$ to Gen Fund
• $46,648 – Cancel Restoration of Public Art CIP – return $$ to Gen Fund
• $15,000 – Pause Sister City Activities
• $3,842 – Cancel National Night Out event (OT for 10 officers)

Other ideas include:

• Sell the Golf Course. While a potential sales price would need to be evaluated, the General Fund annually pays: (1) approximately $345,000 for debt service on bonds for Golf Course infrastructure, and (2) approximately $150,000 for irrigation water, for a total annual cost of approximately $500,000. Bonds outstanding at June 30, 2026 will be $1,530,000, with final debt service due May 1, 2031. The agreement with Antioch Public Golf Inc. only requires a base annual $20,000 payment to the City, adjusted by CPI, for exclusive use of the golf course.
• Special Events: Do not run any special events unless money can be raised to fund the entire cost.
• AUSD Contracts: Cancel agreements with the Antioch Unified School District (“AUSD”) to pay for water at two school sites (Memorial Field and Lone Tree Elementary). Recreation programs have not used the sites in many years and therefore the sites are no longer utilized for joint-use. The annual cost is budgeted at $150,000, however, the City would have to enter into talks with AUSD and provide a noticing period so the full amount of savings to the General Fund may not be realized in FY27. Once the agreements are cancelled, savings would be realized immediately.
• Antioch Police staffing: Beginning on July 1, 2026, when positions become vacant, including positions within the Antioch Police Department, they will remain vacant and unhired.
• Close the Water Park: It has previously been suggested to close the Waterpark; however, very preliminary forecasts indicate that this would actually cost the City more money. While there would be significant part-time help savings, the full-time positions would be absorbed into other Recreation divisions, and the City would need to maintain the pool and grounds so that the Waterpark area and pools do not become blighted and hazardous. There would be no revenue being generated from the Waterpark other than nominal rental income for the room rentals at the facility, therefore these maintenance costs would be fully burdened upon the General Fund and estimated to be higher than the current projected subsidy. Alternatively, staff can evaluate a service model that reduces the number of days the Waterpark is open, such as Tuesday-Sunday or Wednesday-Sunday operating days, to save on part-time staff potentially reducing the amount of General Fund subsidy
• Animal Services: Explore collaboration with the County or other partnerships for Animal Services. The General Fund subsidy is projected to be $2.84M in FY27.
• Reduce FY26 budget for Police Department facility maintenance and updates. In November 2024, the City Council allocated $1,311,759 in “one-time revenues” to the Police Department. $1,300,265 of this money remains unencumbered in the FY26 budget as of today. Note that if this budget is reduced, it will reduce the FY26 expenditure budget and will not reduce or impact the amount of the deficit in FY27. However, reducing the current year budget will return the funds to General Fund reserves, thus improving the financial position of the General Fund.

The city also provided documents that included:

• Position Vacancies
• Current Consultant Services Contracts
• FY 2027 Fleet Purchases
• FY 2027 Budget Proposals in Draft
• Other Fund budget Worksheets

If You Go
Antioch City Council Meeting
DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2026
TIME: 5:00 P.M. Special Meeting/Study Session
PLACE: Council Chambers
200 ‘H’ Street, Antioch, CA 94509
Full Agenda – click here

Previous

• June 2025 – Antioch Agrees to Carry $12.5 Million Budget Deficit into Fiscal Year 2026
• June 2025 – Antioch Looks to Cut $30.58 Million From Budget
• June 2025 – Editorial: Antioch Budget Fix Requires Gut Check, Not Gimmicks
• May 2025 – Antioch Looks to Immediately Cut $10.4 Million From Budget
• Jan 2025 – Antioch Set to Begin Budget Development for FY 2025-27