American Canyon to host dual ‘State of the City’ town halls
Tonight and Thursday, American Canyon’s City Council is hosting two town hall-style State of the City forums, a public space for locals and representatives to talk about issues, raise questions, celebrate accomplishments and discuss priorities for 2026.
The annual State of the City report is put together by City Manager Jason Holley and his staff. This year, the City Council members wanted to expand the audience of the report, opting to include a general town hall meeting as part of the report’s release — one of the first of its kind for the city.
Town hall locations are divided between the east and west sides of American Canyon, which is split by Highway 29. The first town hall takes place on the eastside, at Canyon Oaks Elementary School, 475 Silver Oak Trail, tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. The second town hall will be held at the Adult Activities Center, 2185 Elliott Drive, on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 11 a.m.
The 2026 State of the City report, released earlier this month, doesn’t differ too much from past versions. But it does show that American Canyon is making good on commitments: moving to resolve legal issues by securing Teresa Highsmith as city attorney, advancing construction of 622 affordable housing units required by state law, repaving roads, upgrading parks and securing permits for the Napa River Ecology Center.
“The city has done an amazing job,” Oro said. “The whole Rio Del Mar area — improving the streets, repaving Rio Del Mar Road, redoing the whole sewer system.” His only critique of this year’s report, he said, is that it’s missing a “what’s next” for the city.
The town halls were proposed “at the direction of the city council,” said City Councilmember David Oro.
Deputy City Manager Alexandra Ikeda said that they’re expecting a “strong turnout” for both dates.
“These conversations help us better understand what our community wants and ensure American Canyon remains the best place to live, work and play,” Ikeda wrote in an email.
The report is, in some respects, a humanization of the 2025-2026 budget, which is split into several sections: the Capital Improvement Project Fund, which sources from developer fees, grants and taxes, and the General Fund, which comes mostly from property taxes. Infrastructure improvements take a biggest chunk of the city’s expenses, with millions invested in parks and road construction thanks to the Capital Improvement Fund.
Of expenses from the general fund, the police budget outpaces all other categories. According to one figure, the general fund budget increases for police tends to outdo all other departments as well. City staff has also gone up from 112 employees in 2023 to 119 today.
