Glendale Adopts Resident-Focused Budget For New Fiscal Year

Published on July 01, 2026

The Glendale City Council unanimously approved a 2026-27 fiscal year budget that is focused on improving services for residents. Included in the budget is a continued focus on public safety with additional police officers for the community, as well as new fire engines. It also includes road projects designed to help with better connectivity for drivers. The budget also makes retaining a strong and dynamic workforce a priority. Glendale kicks off the new fiscal year today, on July 1, with a budget of $1.41 billion, which is a 3.5% decrease over last year’s budget.

“As Glendale continues to grow, this budget reflects our commitment to being responsible with taxpayer dollars while investing in the things that matter most to our community,” said City Manager Patrick Banger. “We’ve taken a thoughtful approach that keeps us fiscally strong while prioritizing the services which support our residents every day and preserves their high quality of life. From public safety and parks to modernizing infrastructure and embracing innovation, this budget helps ensure Glendale remains well positioned for the future.”

Thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants, Glendale’s Police Department will hire eight new officers to serve downtown, including during special events. This squad will navigate the community on electric bicycles, stand-up electric scooters and patrol vehicles. These officers will be based out of the city’s Main Police Station. To expedite evidence processing, the police department will also continue its development of a crime lab, housed on the same 5-acre campus as the state-of-the-art Property and Evidence Building on West Myrtle Avenue.

“This budget supports our continued priority of making Glendale a safe, strong, and thriving community,” said Glendale Mayor Jerry P. Weiers. “With a $1.41 billion budget, we are investing in services and infrastructure while also, I am pleased to say, maintaining our commitment to fiscal responsibility by not raising property taxes for the eleventh consecutive year.”

The Council’s adopted budget supports public safety with projects expected to improve response times and accommodate the city’s growth, including funding for the Glendale Fire Department’s relocation of Fire Station 154 from its current location on West Peoria Avenue, just east of 45th Avenue, to its new location near North 47th Avenue and West Sunnyslope Lane. The existing fire station will remain open until the new station is completed sometime in early 2028. Plans are also underway for a new fire station at the northwest corner of West Glendale Avenue and North New River Road, across from the Glendale Regional Airport, to serve the city’s Sports and Entertainment District and an increasing population west of Loop 101.

To further support firefighters, Glendale City Council increased funding for the existing occupational cancer screening program to a total of $400,000. This type of screening is valuable because it addresses the elevated cancer risks firefighters face because of repeated exposure to carcinogens, including toxic smoke, soot, chemicals and other fireground particulates.

Glendale’s Transportation Department budget recognizes the importance of pavement management, street reconstruction and intersection safety upgrades in the next fiscal year. Some of these projects include:

• Reconstructing 75th Avenue from Glendale Avenue to just south of Northern Avenue, and between Deer Valley and Beardsley roads
• Adding a right-turn lane at the intersection of 59th and Northern avenues to allow drivers heading south on 59th Avenue to turn right onto Northern
• Installing a second left-turn lane for drivers heading west on Greenway Road to turn left onto 67th Avenue, and making traffic signal improvements at that intersection
• Providing about 40 more streetlights around the city in areas that need more lighting
• Installing bus pull-outs on eastbound Glendale Avenue, just east of 59th Avenue in front of the new City Hall and on Union Hills Drive just west of 55th Avenue near the Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center (FRAC)

The city also will add full-time positions like court security officers, Parks and Recreation Department workers, Water Services operators for expanding infrastructure, an ADA Program Officer, and Innovation and Technology project managers, all to support Glendale’s growing community.

To view the complete fiscal year 2026-27 budget for Glendale, click here.