Understanding Our Budget

Benicia is known for its small-town charm, history, great schools, open area, parks, low crime and high quality of life.

Benicia Magazine had a meeting with Interim City Manager, Mario Giuliani to talk about the state of the city, and it was a sobering conversation indeed. The city has a fundamental financial imbalance that will affect services provided. Why is that? Here's Why. And here’s the impact.

Why

+89 People

Population Decline

— Benicia’s population grew by only 89 people in the last twenty years!

— It is expected to decrease by 3.7% in the next five years.

Minimal New Development

-992 People

— Between 2010 and 2023, only 126 new residential units were built, and only 4 commercial/ industrial units.

— We have 4.3 million square feet of warehouse space, which is most of our industrial buildings. Warehouse space generates little revenue for the city.

— There are few vacant parcels for new businesses, which limits new revenue opportunities.

Insufficient City Employees and or Services due to attrition

— Benicia City employees’ median salaries are 15.6% below median of surrounding cities’ salaries, leading to poor retention of employees.

Fewer city employees now than 10 years ago

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