COBI seeks community input on 2027-28 budget priorities

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 23, 2026

The City of Bainbridge Island is inviting community members to help inform its 2027–28 biennial budget by participating in the Community Investment Priorities Survey, open through July 5.

The survey, which takes about 10 minutes to complete and can be found at bainbridgewa.gov/1258/Budget, gives islanders an opportunity to share their thoughts on city services, investments, and priorities for the next two years. Community feedback will help inform City Council and staff for the budget.

“Bainbridge Island remains in a stable financial position thanks to careful planning and responsible financial stewardship,” said interim city manager Ellen Schroer. “While we are not facing budget cuts, our financial resources are still limited. This survey will help us better understand community priorities and where residents believe city spending can have the greatest impact.”

The city budget is made up of several separate funds, and not all revenue can be used for any purpose. Some funds are legally restricted. For example, affordable housing revenue can only be used for affordable housing programs and projects, while transportation impact fees collected from new development can only be spent on eligible transportation improvements, a news release says.

Other funds support specific services. Water, sewer, and stormwater systems are primarily funded through customer rates that are used to operate, maintain, and improve those systems. These funds cannot be used to support other city services. The General Fund is the city’s most flexible funding source and supports many day-to-day services, facilities, and programs, while helping fund services that do not generate enough revenue to cover their full costs, per the release.