Even after the U.S. beats back the novel coronavirus, economic damage wreaked by the historic pandemic may continue to depress city revenues in Napa, and force hard decisions about spending and staffing over the next few years.
Such was the sobering financial forecast officials shared with the City Council on Tuesday in a report predicting Napa may not reach its pre-COVID-19 levels of revenue and business activity until mid-decade, as a fitful vaccine roll-out and anxiety about travel safety slow the path to refilling the hotels and restaurants that until recently supplied nearly a quarter of the local budget.