1. The government is now at the top, the government is now at the top, and the government is now at the top.
In the next video, I will show you how to do this video.
I will show you how to do this video.
In the next video, I will show you how to make a new video.
A very good evening.
Back back, this is the regularly scheduled city council meeting in city of Backeville.
It's Tuesday, June 9, 26, 6pm.
May I have a roll?
Council agency authority member, Socton.
Here.
Temperature.
Wiley.
Here.
Greenout.
Vice-nervice chair.
Sola.
Mayor chair.
Here.
I do believe the vice mayor is attempting to be on the line tonight.
So we'll figure that out.
All right.
We did not have close session.
So what I would like to do now is if you're able to please rise for a moment of silence followed by the pledge.
Please join me in the pledge of allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
Can people be bubbly for which it stands?
Why nation?
I'm now indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
All right.
So we'll move on to approval of the agenda.
Any changes to tonight's agenda?
No changes, Mayor.
All right.
With that, do I have a motion?
We have a motion a second.
All in favor.
Actually, I can't do that because we've got an online.
So we're going to have to roll calls on that.
So nice.
Nice.
Nice shirt.
Nice, Mayor.
I love it.
So we'll go ahead and do a roll call on everything tonight.
Councilmember Staffton.
Yes.
Councilmember Ritchie.
Yes.
Councilmember Chapman.
Yes.
Councilmember Prima.
Yes.
Councilmember Wiley.
Yes.
Vice Mayor Silva.
Yes.
We can hear him.
Just.
Okay.
And for the audience.
Just.
There'll be an item on tonight's agenda, which really is going to be a change.
And so what you're starting to see is we will be adjusting.
And so we have instead of just a dial in tonight.
The Vice Mayor is also testing the fact that this will be a new system that you will see presentations.
And those who will be attending online in the future.
So just bear with us with some of the technical difficulties tonight.
We'll move on to reports of the city council.
And I am looking for the microphones.
And I don't see anything.
Chorick to the back room.
I don't have anything on my screen as far as microphones.
Like I said, this is a dry run.
So here we go.
We're going to have to do it the old fashioned way.
You have to look down.
Yeah.
And I'm just going to have to manage this.
Any member of the council reporting anything out tonight.
You just have to.
Okay.
So I'm going to go with the.
Council member, gentlemen.
Thank you.
I'm going to.
Let's see.
I'm going to.
I'm going to try.
I'm going to try this.
And see if it's you.
There's no names.
So we are.
Speaking list.
Remember.
Yeah.
Let's.
I can't see.
Yeah.
I can't see.
I'm going to.
You should.
Yes, there we go.
Okay.
There we go.
Thank you.
Good evening, everyone.
I really don't have anything to report out on.
There was a two by two Travis.
I'm going to find school just two by two meeting that I was not able to attend
break down communication there.
But I would like to ask the council if we could adjourn
in public thoughts for the family and the youth that was killed don't seem yet
a graduation that's last week.
Yes, it's fine.
We're also adjourn in memory of the.
Of the student.
No, no, actually of the ecology employee that was killed this last week.
But we can also add that to the next.
Please don't.
I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Okay, anyone else?
All right.
I'll be trying to.
I'll probably fast.
Just attended the TCC's Travis community consortium.
It was more of update in regards to kind of some of the work on a big macro project.
Regional regional event.
In regards to energy, just the base.
And a few things outside of the presentation by buzzos was pretty interesting.
The big things stuck to me was still the out.
The hand up and request for the communities to help the base with one of those important items.
It's helping their children and youth and daycare.
I think it sounds crazy, but that was one of the biggest concerns with two wars going.
It's supporting the people the base and daycare and find a way to help support in the community.
The other two is really quickly.
I'm shout-out to our fire department for executing amazing burn as one is not going so well.
So I'm very proud.
You practice practice.
Be perfection.
And so a lot of respect for how they did it flawless.
The last one is.
I got a call for my.
I'll have a my boss my wife.
And I got to hide you list the meal the day.
I'm driving down main.
I'm a mystery.
Montavista.
It was a mess.
The cones are out.
And all people I see this car park the mills street.
Literally mills street.
It was our chief and police.
And I just honked new wave.
And like for me.
That was the end to the sys of what back was all about.
It's not about machines, the cities, the buildings.
It's the people.
And when I saw our chief pulled over and on the spot.
Just jumped in.
It was a cool scene.
I'm a way to my honey to list.
So thank you.
And it's just reminds you.
It's back.
It's about the people's not the machines.
The building equipment.
It makes.
Yes.
May Madamแลbon.
I just can't wait to ask for the call.
Thank you.
People.
Sir.
Well, ladies.
A man contact
How can I ask for guests?
Can I ask for the number?
Please.
Navier.
Cool.
Can I ask.
A person.
I think it's about hearing calls.
Yes.
Me.
As well as Councilwoman Dawson from Sassum will be on that panel.
So if anybody has questions about that, please reach out.
Thank you.
Councilmember Wang.
Thank you.
Just a couple of quick things.
Councilmember Richie mentioned the child care issue and I was on a Zoom call through
CalCities a week ago and it was something that we started at the last meeting.
Just a group of people that I want to see what can we do to improve child care through
the region.
And so I talked about the base too.
So if there's things that come up or if you know any great things, suggestions for child care,
I can work on that committee through that.
And then tomorrow morning we have the yellow Solana air quality meeting, which we will finally
prove the the grants that I mentioned last time.
And then as a fun thing I got to attend the 20 to 150 years for a heroist or
history at the Great Development Freedom Center a couple of weeks ago.
Many of you are also there, but it was a great event.
And then fourth of all, does anyone else, can you get the agenda on your thing?
Because my agenda keeps just saying,
So we've got, so while we're testing the level, you've had enough.
Okay, so you're not allowed to, so you're not allowed to work.
Okay, so hopefully we will be able to get them up then.
Well, I'm going to ask you, and I'm going to try to report the agenda that this is, you can troubles you.
Okay, so.
Well, this is important.
So.
Good evening Mayor.
Mayor, vice mayor, council members and community members. I do have three key announcements.
Do welcome three of our newest staff members.
We're thrilled to welcome Heather Zuk to the city attorney's office as our newest assistant city attorney.
She fills the vacancy that was left by the retirement of our beloved Melinda Stewart.
Bringing over 25 years of legal experience spanning both public and private sectors.
And most recently she was with Cal fire and she arrives with a wealth of knowledge and breadth of experience.
Which will complement our team and strengthen our city attorney's office ability to serve the legal needs for the city.
Is Heather here if you can just raise your hand.
Thank you.
Also our assistant public work director Robert Armillo.
He brings over 30 years of engineering experience.
Most recently serving as the city engineer for city of Tracy and assistant director of public works for the city of Richmond.
He has extensive expertise in project design and delivery as well as working with private development.
Robert, are you here?
Thank you.
Welcome.
And also last but not the least our new assistant finance director shall be Miller and if you can raise your hand please.
She has over 10 plus years of financial and municipal financial experience in budgeting financial reporting and auditing.
And she previously served as chief fiscal administrative officer for the Yolo County.
And she started her government career here at Salana County about a decade ago.
So welcome new team members.
That's my report.
Welcome to you all.
You're joining I think of a fabulous team and so we're excited for you to bring your experience and also to help sharpen our skills as well.
So thank you for joining us.
With that I'll go ahead and move on.
We do not have a presentation tonight.
So any member of the council or actually.
Vice Mayor Sylvera you on the line.
All right.
We'll go ahead and move on to consent calendar.
Is there any member of the council or the public wishing to pull a nine for discussion.
So 9 a through 9 f do I have a motion.
Motion to agree.
Second of a motion a second roll call.
Council member.
Red team.
Council member.
Tettman.
Yes.
Council member.
Yes.
Council member Wiley.
Yes.
Council member.
Yes.
Vice Mayor Sylva.
Yes.
Chair.
Yes.
We'll go ahead and we'll move on to business from the floor.
This is not for 20 for the public to address the council and 9.
That are not on the agenda.
But that are in our jurisdiction of purview.
Give you three minutes.
So come share please come forward.
And just bear with me because I can't control that mic.
So I'm going to ask our team who's listening to there you go.
So maybe you have to control the mic.
Sir.
I may never let it turn off.
Okay.
Council members.
Okay.
I know you don't want to hear from me.
Three minutes.
Take a nap.
Okay.
Last week.
I got a little.
He did and baby said something.
So a little more harshly than was effective.
I spent 22 years in the in the fleet.
And 18 years locked up in counting jail.
Maybe I'm not the most.
I'm not going to be the most nice person when I get heated and talk about things.
But I'm going to talk about the same thing again.
Here's our condensed version of the county staff report from 2024.
That talks about how much California forever will cost taxpayers.
Billions of dollars, $49 billion just in infrastructure cost.
$2.7 billion in the loss of Travis Air Force base, which would likely happen.
And here's the billions of dollars and years it would take to actually put in a shipyard at Collinsville,
which is once again from the county staff reported 2024.
None of this has changed.
No one from California forever wants to address this because it's real.
They've never ever addressed it.
This is a neat flyer.
They sent to actually to my wife about a month or two ago talking about the Solano shipyard.
Okay, we've gone through this before.
There is no way that anybody is building ships that are not built by the government on the west coast of the United States.
The only people building merchant ships in the United States is either nascoe in San Diego or Hauwa,
which is at the old Philly shipyard on the east coast.
And they build them under the as auspices of the US Maritime Administration.
And the only reason those four or five ships a year get built is because of the Jones Act,
which we will not go into right now because I know that you don't care.
The point is this is that there is not not going to be a shipyard here in Solano County.
So anyone who told you that that somehow somehow there's that
Sardonic or Seronic is going to build anything here is lying to you.
They've already invested over $300 million into Franklin, Louisiana where they bought an existing shipyard.
And if they want to expand further, they got room in Franklin.
If they wanted another shipyard, hey, guess what, there's 300 shipyards up and down the Mississippi River, the Gulf Coast.
That all have the same capability.
They're not coming to Solano County.
Thank you.
As it.
Okay.
My point though is is that California forever is nothing more than a land company.
They don't build anything.
They'd market property.
Thank you.
That's it.
Seeing no one else.
I'll go ahead and close business from the floor and we'll move on to the public hearings.
We have.
Item 11A.
Manchunford.
Yes.
This is a resolution to affirm the Main Street entertainment zone is exempt from environmental review.
President to the California Environmental Quality Act guidelines and of ordinance.
To amend title 12 of the backfill.
Municipal code by adding chapter 12.34 entitled entertainment zones to create new policies, procedures, and standards for establishing and regulating entertainment zones within the city of Africa.
And associate planner to Mayor Powell and.
Could you tell it, but director, you're more as are here to present.
Mayor, before we move on, if you need these stuff on the tablets, we might need five minutes recess to reset them.
Is everyone on a reset now or could you want to do it after.
We'll take five minutes.
We'll go ahead and we'll just we'll reset all reset this computer.
So you got a five minute break.
So thank you.
Thank you.
Local government meeting. Common terms.
In the past few years, I've never seen a lot of things that I've never seen before, but I've never seen a lot of things that I've never seen before
In the next video, I'm going to show you how to make a new video.
I'm going to show you how to make a new video.
I'm going to show you how to make a new video of a new video.
I'm going to show you how to make a new video.
I'm showing you how to make a new video.
In this video, I will show you how to make a video with a new video.
I will show you how to make a video with a new video with a new video with a new video.
I will show you how to make a video.
V gäller, texts, court and mail servants, of course step by step.
Thank you for watching!
All right, we're going to go ahead and reconvene the meeting. It is 6.42 and we will pick
up where we left off on the item that is, I believe, 11.8. We'll go ahead and get started. Good
evening Mayor Carly, members of the Council and all those in attendance. Tonight's request
is to amend Title 12 of the City of Vacabill Municipal Code by adding Chapter 12.34 entitled
Entertainment Zones to create new policies, procedures, and standards for establishing and
regulating entertainment zones in the City of Vacabill. And for a brief overview on this project,
we presented the topic to the City Council on January 13 where staff was directed to proceed
with outreach and developing the program. This program was authorized by SB 1969 and 2024,
which authorized the cities to establish entertainment zones, which are areas that allow
alcohol to be consumed on public streets sidewalks or public rights avoid within a zone
boundary. Entertainment Zones typically are comprised of two components, which include an
ordinance and a management plan. And the goal of Entertainment Zones programs, particularly
the one for Vacabill, that we developed, is to activate the mainstream and prominent public
spaces in downtown Vacabill, increased revenue for downtown businesses, catalyzed a broader
economic stimulus in the City, create vibrant hope, expaces, increased social activity, and enhanced
community culture. Here is the project timeline. As I mentioned, the project kicked off in January,
we began outreach in early February. We conducted two community engagement meetings in February as
well. We held a study session with the City Council on March 24th, and we posted a public review
draft of the ordinance and management plan. And we went to City Council on May 19th. And here
we are on June 9th for the first hearing with the City Council. And we will turn again on June 23rd
for a second hearing. And the Entertainment Zones or an Arts and Management Plan is anticipated to be
in effect on July 23rd should the City Council pass it. As for our approach for the Entertainment
Zones program, it is called the Main Street Entertainment Zones due to its location. We are currently
proposing to have a pilot program, which will have Entertainment Zones operations run for the
2020-26 Creek World Cancer Series. This will sunset in January 1st on January 1st, 2020-27,
unless the City Council will work to approve an extension. The ordinance has several requirements for
Entertainment Zones operations. Everything will be conducted through a special event permit application,
where applicants will be able to check that they would like the Entertainment Zones operations
occur. A management plan will be required to be submitted, which we have prepared for your review.
Entertainment Zones hours are generally allowed from a window, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. but this will be
further restricted and scrutinized with the submission of a special event permit application for each event.
General liability insurance will be required and there are provisions for violations and penalties
should there be any new senses or behavior that violates the ordinance. A biennial review will be
required to be presented to the City Council every two years to describe how Entertainment Zones operations
are occurring, addressing any problems that may arise and to come back with any modifications I need to be made.
As for the management plan, the management plan outlines the fact that this is a pilot program
that identifies an Entertainment Zones lead will be the main staff liaison or contact between staff
and businesses that would like to participate in the program. The management plan will identify the
participating businesses and the City approval will be required that will identify new events,
activation and programming and it will also identify health and safety measures generally and then
maybe further scrutinized and added with a submitto of a security plan when the application is submitted.
This is the Entertainment Zones boundary that is proposed for the pilot program and for after the pilot
program as well for events that would like to include Andrews Park. When we last met with City Council,
it was limited to this area here just a long main street and including the park. It has been
expanded to include this portion of merchant street here extending down to Parker due to feedback that we
received from the Planning Commission and City Council. Similarly, there is an alternative boundary
for events that would like to operate but not include Andrews Park and this is what that map looks like
and City Council requests. We also identified that the town square could be called out to have operations
only occur in that specific area as well. And again, just to recap some of the outreach methods that
we underwent in this initiative to community meetings where held at the McBride Senior Center in February.
We went through an extensive and thorough outreach program including Flyers, posting on the City Calendar,
newsletter, social media posts, creating a project web page, going door to door with handouts and conducting
stakeholder interviews with businesses and organizations downtown. We did receive survey responses and
these have been updated as of April, but 29 out of 37 were in favor of the entertainment zone program.
There were some concerns in comments such as street closures, monitoring patrons and public safety
and business participation and causing the streets with alcohol. As for street closures, no additional closures
are being proposed at this time only events with existing closures would be considered after the pilot program.
As for monitoring patrons, this will occur with a police assessment with a management plan on a case
by case basis. There could be several strategies such as hiring private security or having staff that
will monitor to see who is wearing their wristband when patrons come in and out.
So for the City Council study session that was held on March 24th, we did hear from you all several
concerns and comments. The first about the pilot program if we can end it early if there are any issues
and yes that is an option if we're noticing problems within the first two events or so then we can
go ahead and cancel operations. As for the application process, one application is required per event,
permits don't exceed one calendar year. There is no cost to apply, but a fee is being considered based on
events size and other conditions. And as for town square events, as I mentioned, some events that
are focused in the square should have operations zones restricted to this area and staff updated the management
plan with this option. For enforcement of zone operations and any ordinances or local regulations,
the police department has a full authority to enforce all local laws and regulations related to
alcohol consumption. Businesses that create a new sense or violate regulations may be excluded from
zone operations, find or face other civil penalties. And again, as for the boundary, we heard from
me all that we'd like us to expand it. And we can consider expanding it further or creating new zones in the
future as well. The planning commission had similar concerns and comments. They also were interested in
expanding the zone boundary, possibly exploring new zones in the city in the future. So that is something
we can start and look into and how will monitor safety and fiscal impacts to city staff and resources.
So that would be tracked in the city council as well. And they suggested that we consider adding fees
for business participation. And lastly, to track the benefits of the program, see if we can track
revenue generated during zone operations for each of the businesses that are participating as well as
others that are in the area. They see an uptick in business activity. And as for the sequel for this project,
it is exempt under the common sense exemption. No new regulations will be created. No, the new
regulations, excuse me, will not create new impacts and regulations will require project specific analysis.
And to conclude the city council hold a second reading on June 23rd, 2026. And the ordinance
management plan will be effective on July 23rd, 2026. And before I move to the recommendation,
a letter was submitted to you all today from the downtown back of the business improvement district.
I would like to note that many of the comments and questions were addressed in our previous study session
with the city council, but we can revisit any of the comments or questions that are in the letter.
The only one that was not discussed previously was they suggested using a town square as the pilot
area instead of the Creek Walk concert series. There's already an existing town square program,
town square music series, and state law allowed an extension of the current alcohol activity to occur.
So based on staff's assessment, we think that Creek Walk concert series would be a better opportunity
to assess a new program and see how this would really operate with a broader boundary.
So our recommendation is to, by simple motion, recommend that the city council, excuse me,
this is for the city council too, adopt the resolution of the city council of the city of
including the entertainment zone ordinances exempt from environmental review, pursuant to section 15061 B3
of the California Environmental Quality App Guidelines and introduced an ordinance of the city council
of the city of the city of Vacabill, amending the Vacabill Municipal Code by adding chapter 12.34 entitled Entertainment Zones
to create new policies, procedures, and standards for establishing and regulating entertainment zones with the city of Vacabill.
Any questions or comments?
Thank you. This is a public hearing, so I want to check and see if the council has any
Any questions before I open up to the public to start the city?
Any questions?
All right, go ahead.
Thank you.
Thank you for the updates.
On the security, have you mentioned doing your report about possibly obtaining
traffic security, would that be at the expense of the vendors participating in the
entertainment zone and not a cost to the city?
That's correct. It would be at the expense of the business owners.
City staff could explore some other alternatives because the city does hire its own security for some events.
But that would be assessed on a case by case basis.
Okay. Thank you.
All right. Thank you very much.
Can I have a customer, Vice Mayor Silva, can you hear me?
Yes. I just want to ask if you had any questions before I open up to the public for this public hearing.
I just need a two questions.
One, and two parts to what are measurements of the expense of measurements of not successfully?
And then number two, I need a little bit more clarification on the accounts for where area.
They want the biggest challenges there is that when there isn't event there.
There are different borders that are going to look at.
And I think there's, you know, two goals out of this is to make sure that the business that are put on event there,
whatever event that a lot more easy to do that and a lot less cumbersome.
So, I just need a clarification on those two items.
Thank you.
For the first item, some ideas that we received from both the planning commission,
as well as a downtown back of a business improvement district are the number of attendees and participants
are hosting an uptick and that people want to come out and participate.
Public safety, so looking at the number of code enforcement or police responses,
provisitor, that's a metric that we could use to monitor safety.
The economic impact could be assessed by the amount of sales generated for all businesses in the operation.
And the downtown back of a business improvement district also had a good idea of looking at any news,
or at least if there's any negative coverage or a concern from the public moderating those as well,
and presenting those.
And Council Member Silva, could you please reiterate your second question for me one more time?
I mean, we'll confuse on the town square.
I think the ultimate goal is to make that much more streamlined and easy for those neighboring businesses put on in that particular space.
The only clarification is to help ease that.
Those boundaries for their, some of the,
those help ease the boundaries for open up the boundaries and in what way to help ease up that process.
Thank you.
Thank you, Vice-Morselberg.
I'll take a stab at answering this question.
So currently under law that the State of California has that is good to 29.
The town square is able to put on the events like they do on Thursday nights within the boundaries of the square.
And they don't need to go through an entertainment zone process for that.
That's a standard special event permit process.
It's not an entertainment zone.
So it's not subject to some of these new program requirements.
And that will be able to be allowed under State Law through 29.
If the council was forward with this ordinance and program,
if there was a desire for an event organizer to do an event in town square and create an entertainment zone that goes beyond the boundaries of the square,
this would allow them to do that through this special event permit process.
Thank you.
That's when we're stuck.
Thank you.
Thank you for the presentation.
I just, you're like, it's on.
Is it okay?
I think can you hear me?
All right.
I'll speak loudly.
Can you go back to, yes, where the zones are.
This like area right now that's highlighted orange on the screen.
Is it all or nothing or can that be shrunk down into subcategories within that square?
Or do we have to have it open on merchant street if we only want to open on Main Street?
Yeah, that's an option that we can, that we can do.
So that could be added on today or is that included in what you're presenting.
Through a special event permit to utilize some area within this gold area and with an entertainment zone activated,
that organizer would show the boundaries of where the zone would be.
So it's not an all or nothing.
They don't have to activate merchant if that's not part of their plan.
But they'd be presenting an operation plan, a safety plan, a boundary plan, etc.
That would address the area that they were going to utilize.
Perfect.
Thank you.
And those could be demarcated during the actual events with Fencing and Signage and Things.
All right, thank you very much. I'm going to go ahead and open the door.
I have one more.
Sorry.
Council member.
Wiley.
Thank you.
Thanks for the information.
And I just have a question about the whole, how is it all work.
So if we get to prove to July then will the Creekwalk have to apply for the whole thing or is Creekwalk in it?
Because we've been talking about Creekwalk.
That is a great question. Council member Wiley.
So we're, if the Council approves the ordinance of the program and the second reading happens, that allows for Creekwalk to have an entertainment zone.
But the city would be looking for a partner to spearhead adding the entertainment zone to Creekwalk and to work through logistics of that first entertainment zone permit.
And that's something that following tonight's council meeting is the Council introduces this ordinance.
Our new economic development manager will be partnering with planning and other staff to really do a deeper dive into the logistics for this year's Creekwalk series.
And so I don't go to Creekwalk very often.
So but alcohol is sold at Creekwalk is that correct.
And I thought it was only like in a certain area.
So is the area expanded to all of Andrews Park like the blue sign up there or are they still only allowed to have alcohol in a certain spot.
Still the same boundary. This is the current boundary for the Creekwalk Concert series. And there's no proposed change for this program.
So the alcohol can be throughout the park then is that correct?
No, just within this blue area. There's, these are currently fence boundaries. Yeah.
Okay. So that's basically the down before you up the hill to then that park.
Okay.
All right. Thank you.
And I just have the time frame, you know, 10 to 10.
It seems like it would be hard to, okay, now it's 10 o'clock to really crack down on that.
So it seems like it's going to be a bigger monitoring program.
Problem that it might be.
Especially if they do have, you know, in Thursday night event and then a Friday night event and then Saturday night.
And, you know, people are going to think, oh, I do that.
I have a wristband and just, I mean, so it has not all work with who does the wristband things that all part of everyone has.
And whoever's participating has to figure out what their color is and one night is one color and one night is another.
Correct. Yes. When they submit for this special event permanent application, they'll need to note all that have that information ready for staff to review.
There will be unique wristbands and colors for each event. So no one's using old wristbands and things like that.
The police department will work with the business owners as well as entertainment's only to help identify monitoring strategies as well to ensure that no one is consuming alcohol.
So I'm glad it's a pilot program so that we can work through this and see if it does indeed need all the goals without overburdening the police department or the business owners to try to monitor that.
Thanks.
All right. Now I'm going to.
Does anyone else have a question?
All right. I won't go ahead and open up the the public hearing to the public.
And with the bid. I just have a couple of questions. I think the letter was it was fun to write.
But you'd mentioned fee for businesses. So is that a fee that the businesses who are already paying a bid fee have to pay to be a part of the event or is it the business that's putting on the event.
And how will the amount of trees be managed in Creekwalk? It's such a vast area with a lot of.
The yesterdays has to put up a fence. We have to put up a fence for certain ABC events. So what does that look like on an ongoing week to week basis.
And currently there are no bars or restaurants on merchant streets. So I like that is being included, but just might want to keep that in mind as well.
And again, going back to keeping it in town square, there are five bars and restaurants in town square that will have viable changes.
They will be the ones who easily be able to.
Measure whether or not this is going to be a successful business rather than at Creekwalk. Now you've got people walking from town square where most of the restaurants are all the way down to Creekwalk.
And then by more in over consumption becomes an issue. And so just kind of want to think through all of those things and how best we can help manage the program.
All right, seeing no one else from the public, I'm going to go ahead and bring this public hearing back to the council.
And if there's maybe if we could just address that, I think there needs to be some clarity.
The boundaries that can exist are the broad scope of what could be applied for.
But it could be a small town square. So I think it would address that. So it's inclusive of the broader boundary.
And so I don't believe from what I'm hearing that it would preclude anyone from saying other than the events on Thursday night.
There's the opportunity to draw some different boundaries that is maybe around towns where that doesn't impact.
Especially if you are a vendor saying who's going to pay for the security.
Doesn't really need to be all of downtown all of Main Street all of our district.
But it could be. But they would have to go through the application process.
Is that correct? Can you just bring some clarity to that?
I just want to bring clarity to the point that's related and also related to a comment.
There are costs associated with activating the entertainment zone.
And those costs are determined once a boundary is figured out.
And once it's looked at where are the barricades, where are the signs, how much of this cups costs,
those wristbands, and there could be security requirements that security had to be paid for.
To put it clearly whoever's promoting that entertainment zone component is responsible for those costs.
How those costs are paid, whether it's the bid paying for those costs to help out their businesses,
whether the business owners themselves are contributing toward those costs.
That's going to be kind of up to the organizer and the activator of the zone.
I think as a staff we're willing to work with people and figure things out,
but we've brought you a program that does depend on a partner to partner with the city to bring the resources to make the zone happen.
So for example, the bid itself could be working with the businesses in a smaller area around town square,
where there are extra restaurants in bar, there's a concentration of them to say,
this is a boundary that we could create.
I think that flexibility is there.
And I just want to make that clear to the bid that it doesn't preclude the bid from activating the town square.
Is that correct?
At this point, there is no need for an entertainment zone to activate town square,
and it's current configuration because there's already a state law that's allowing that.
Okay, but if they wanted to expand what is that town square, then they would.
Okay.
Yeah, if they wanted to then they could they can identify that in that occasion.
And and also in the pilot, I know that when there are the creek walks, there's fencing up and it's put up and then it's taken down.
But yet a town square, not everything is about fencing.
It's about barricades and sometimes they're invisible barriers, but it's like do not go beyond this point,
which could affect the costs, right?
You don't necessarily need fencing if you're creating an entertainment zone.
You don't want it to feel like I can't.
I don't want to go there because there's fences around it.
You want it to actually be appealing for people to come.
So not everything is going to have a fence around it.
I just want to be clear that a lot of the parameters of implementing the zones based on the program, but also based on input from the Faculty of Police Department.
All right.
Thank you very much.
I don't have any further questions.
Does anyone else on the council have any comments?
Yes.
Council member Fremel.
Yes.
So the additional security cost would be $1348 which would go on to.
Those costs would be incurred by the Creekwalk, right?
Then $9,435.
Does that sound right?
At this point, those the city does not have a budget to pay for the costs associated with adding an entertainment zone to Creekwalk.
So if the council adopts this ordinance introduces it, it gets adopted.
And we have this program.
The city would be either looking for a partner to cover those costs.
Or we'd have to come back to council with a budget augmentation for the city to cover this costs.
Okay.
Yep.
And then the security that we're talking about, that's security for the individual businesses that want to participate.
So they have to have additional security.
It's an estimate about what the city staff feel it would take to ensure safety within the zone that incorporates the Creekwalk and the outer business area.
And it will it will be scrutinized further.
We'd be looked at further if we find a partner in a room moving forward.
But we want to be transparent with the council in the community that adding an entertainment zone to Creekwalk does have costs that would have to be paid by somebody.
Yeah.
I guess the reason that I'm asking this is because I know that.
If in this entertainment zone.
Members own, if people are able to go to town square or to one of the establishments at downtown, by the wristband, by the drink, walk down to Creekwalk. I think that that's kind of the point of this a little bit, because I know that a lot of people have shared with me their frustrations about being at Creekwalk and standing in line for 10 or 15 minutes to get a ticket, and then go over to the beer line and stand for 10 or 15 minutes instead of being out on the dance floor. So I think that's what I was trying to get at that point.
But the additional cost, so we don't know what that really is yet. Okay, thank you.
That's all. Yeah, Councillor Restoctone.
Yeah, so with Creekwalk as a great example, some of the surrounding businesses, if they want to expand into the order zone that's outside of Andrews Park, would they be, would they be able to like piggyback off of the city or would they just for instance?
There's like the opera house and the restaurant right there. If they wanted to expand just that short portion, would they have to just cover like the square footage of where they're at?
I mean, I guess those are some of the questions that I'm going to, that I have, and then the other question I have is, while the bid can apply, not everybody has to go through the bid for approval to do this correct.
The second question is totally correct. This could be an event promoter who comes to the city within event and wants to activate an entertainment zone, that's that's an option. It doesn't have to be the bid.
As far as all the detailed logistics of implementing this, and I want, we have our expert on the special event permit process here in the building, but when the special event is proposed in the entertainment zone is activated, really at that point it should be decided who's participating.
There's not really a scenario where random other businesses kind of try to jump in. It has to be figured out by the event coordinator in a cohesive fashion.
But again, I think our as a staff were prepared to get into more of the implementation details if we have an ordinance to implement will be diving into that topic.
I think what I'm getting at is is we're trying to help the local businesses that are just outside of that operating area in the park.
It would be good if there was some way to notify them and include them if they want to be included, right?
And surely if their business is like four down, you probably have to talk to a multitude of different business owners, see if they wanted to contribute.
Unless that person just wanted to cover the added expense to expand it outside of the enterprise park.
I guess that's I just want to make sure that that's something that we think about and that while we're going through this trial trial period,
that we can look at way to maybe not put them on the hook for the entirety of the park with just adding on to it if that's something to come.
All right, thank you.
At this time, this would be a good opportunity for someone to make a motion.
We have a motion, a second roll call.
All right, could you comment? Yes. Thanks, Mayor.
Sorry, guys. Just looking at it and it's really something that's more of a deterrent to activate our downtown.
I think both of me goal is to find ways to activate our downtown.
It's a streamlined hypothesis, not at most spirit practice beds.
And kind of taking back by just that that level of complexity that's been added to this whole process.
So for me, it just sounds like, you know, if our goal is to activate our downtown by providing more foot traffic, more entertainment, supporting our restaurant.
It sounds like we're going to have more of a burden to do that.
Am I wrong?
Am I making something here?
Okay.
Well, I think let's staff answer that, but I would offer that this allows for the process to do it right now.
It's not, it's not allowed.
So this is why it's the pilot, but if staff wants to maybe comment on the vice mayor's comment.
Thank you, my vice mayor for that comment.
What I would say is that community and economic development staff and the police department have collaborated with a lot of our community members to try to come up with a program, a first year program that balances economic activity and all the excitement of a brand new state law that we're going to test out with public safety.
And I think that's why you see, and I understand respect of on this, you see a pretty cautious program that also is implementing some pretty complex state regulations about what the city has to include in the program.
So that I would say that's where this is coming from is a cautious approach.
Well, still an optimistic one to allow alcohol to be sold in different ways in downtown.
So here that here you correctly that street blocks would now be responsible.
There'll be an added cost to put on first and third and third and third and third.
That we can't put on.
So does that mean?
Quick walk is happening.
The quick walk is happening.
What staff was transparent about in the staff report is if there's a partner that wants to activate the entertainment zone during
Quick walk.
There are additional costs and they will need to go through the special event permit process to add that and identify funding for that.
The quick walk is on as it has been.
But where it's included from security.
The city is actually included from that added cost.
I may need to have the park structure to help me out a little bit here, but there is already security and city resources on Quick walk.
There's a budget for Quick walk.
The additional security that would be required to operate in their team and zone during Quick walk does not currently have a funding source.
Thank you.
And if I understand it right, maybe this will help clarify it.
I need to look for a partner to help potentially work through this pilot would likely have to bear the burden of the cost.
Unless this comes back to a council within a pilot program to say, here's some ideas that may require some cost.
Is the council willing to carry the burden in this particular case?
It may be Quick walk or maybe something else, but this allows us to step into the testing of the pilot of the entertainment zone.
There's work to be done in details to be worked through.
Is that fair?
Okay.
All right.
Vice-merceller.
Is that provide some clarity?
Yeah, just.
It does.
But it seems like we should have that kind of clarity flesh out right now.
I mean, if there's going to be a huge data cost of security for any event, would by accident,
an entertainment zone then, I mean, I guess that's the data we're looking for.
It doesn't happen.
Or we have both the claim that A is just can't happen to the top security.
We'll be here that with some of the other things that people are trying to act to be, you know, get down in our city.
So it just sounds like we added a lot more steps to be able to promote, you know, different cultural gains,
or whatever it is that also into, you know, the main thing here of alcohol cells.
Yeah.
Better understand the consequences of the file that I understand, you know, improving property,
that is an open edit point we get a little further along in half.
All right.
Yeah.
Thank you for your comments.
I think I understand it.
And this allows us to step into the process.
The goal isn't to actually add complication, but we don't even have an entertainment zone right now.
So it's moved point for anyone to even apply for it.
We're going to have to learn through this process.
Hopefully that staff can really help guide and direct and partner with our downtown partners.
And to make sure that we've got some clarity on on what the first ones might look like.
And again, the goal is to create that entertainment zone that activates it and doesn't become an obstacle.
So we have a motion in the second.
Roll call.
Councilmember Stockton.
Yes.
Councilmember Richie.
Yes.
Councilmember Freemouth.
Yes.
Councilmember Wiley.
Yes.
Vice Mayor Silva.
Yeah.
Mayor Carly.
Yes.
Thank you for that.
And we'll do the second.
The second reading will come to the council for the next council meeting.
It will take 30 days and that's why we'll go into effect.
In July.
July 23.
So thank you very much for the presentation.
We'll move on to item 11B.
Madam Chair.
11B is a resolution of moving adjustments to the city's service and facility rental fee schedule,
including consumer price index and market rate updates.
And establishing new parks and recreation fees and management analysts crystal wealthy.
And assist finance director Ken Matsumaya are here to present.
Good evening, Mr.
Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the council.
This evening, I have a brief presentation regarding updates to the city's service
and facility fee schedule for the upcoming fiscal year.
The fee schedule is a list of fees that recover all or apart of the cost of providing
city-wide user services.
And maintaining the city's rental facilities.
Examples include construction permits from community development.
Special police and fire services, as well as facility rentals.
The CPI adjustment would not apply to utility rates, business license fees,
or taxes that are not part of this schedule.
Changes to taxes and utility rates are subject to alternative processes that typically include
voter approval.
The service and facility rental fee schedule typically receives annual CPI
adjustments to keep pace with the cost of service delivery and facility maintenance.
This item was last presented to council on June 25 of 2024.
And at that time, we requested a CPI adjustment for one year,
because an external fee study was underway.
But the request was otherwise consistent with the past practice of being adjusted by 4%
which is based on the April 2024 CPI for the San Francisco Oakland Hayward region.
This evening, staff is recommending council a crew of a similar two year CPI increase
to the service and facility rental fees schedule for fiscal year 25627,
which, while a new fee study is completed and public outreach is conducted.
A periodic external cost of service or user fee study is a best practice to ensure
the city is aware of the true cost of providing the service for each fee and the percentage
of cost recovery, which is the best way to ensure that fees do not exceed the reasonable cost
of providing a service as required by propositions to 18 and 26.
The last comprehensive cost of service study was completed in 2017.
And a new study was started in 2022, coming out of the pandemic.
And what became evident throughout the fee study process is that a siloed approach
that studies cost recovery activities within each department or division rather than across departments
is no longer appropriate for the city of back about.
While many efforts were made to update the study to keep pace with an ever changing
organization, the model was not able to reflect city practices around service delivery
that had become far more collaborative.
Thanks in part to efforts like the citywide development review process improvement initiative,
which is nearing completion.
While organizational changes and technological advancements like these are necessary and welcome,
it does require that studies use a more dynamic model or are completed subsequent to these
changes to ensure the conclusions are valid.
In addition to the CPI adjustment, the proposed fee schedule for the 26-27 fiscal year includes
adjusting parks and recreation fees to align the fee schedule to currently available services and amenities.
These include expanding services to include new locations as shown.
For example, the alcohol fee was previously available at many locations and would now be available at any
permissible location.
Likewise, attendance-based facility rental fees, which existed at Lagoon Valley, would now apply to other
non-designated park spaces booked for events.
Adjustments and cancellation fees are proposed to be updated to include a $40 booking fee for either
and graduated fees for adjustments and cancellations as shown.
Currently, renters for fit fees if cancelling within 30 days of the rental date, which would remain unchanged.
Finally, the proposed fees schedule includes market rate adjustments rather than CPI.
At McBride Senior Center, where rental fees would generally go down approximately 25% to encourage
more rentals at this location and market rate adjustments at the back of ill-performing arts theatre to
keep the pack competitive with nearby theatres.
In addition to the adjustments discussed on the last slide, the following fees would be established for
newly available amenities, which include things like a rentable bar cart, kitchen mixer, and outdoor chairs.
As shown on the slide, and as further explained in the staff report, and as depicted in the proposed fee schedule.
Changes to the structure of parking permits at Lagoon Valley are also proposed, which include
moving from a six month pass to an annual pass and offering a discounted parking pass for seniors,
65 and older, which would be $35 per year.
Fees for these new services and equipment are being set to make them available to the public as they become available.
The recommendation this evening is to apply a two year CPI adjustment, which is approximately 4.95%
to the upcoming fiscal year and adjust the parks and recreation fees as to.
If approved, the changes would go into effect, on July 1st of 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter,
we are not requesting a CPI adjustment for subsequent fiscal years.
An external fee study will be completed to evaluate the cost of service delivery, and percentage of cost recovery,
and result will be presented to council upon completion.
That concludes the presentation.
We'd be happy to take any questions or comments.
Thank you very much for that. I look for any questions.
I have one.
So on the last item that you said that there would be a CPI adjust added to these.
Would they be added to the new ones that you just said, or the new ones that you just added,
is that standing without being increased?
Well, is listed in the presentation, is the proposed fee?
So those were not being increased by that. So are all of the other ones.
Okay, thank you.
Good question.
Your questions.
Your questions?
Thank you.
The injured, I deleted the last slide.
But you had mentioned there were increased what seniors to park.
Parks and Rec has asked to change the parking pass from six months to one year,
and they're offering, they're asking to offer a discounted senior parking pass.
So instead of $70 per year, it would be $35 for seniors ages 65 and over.
Okay.
I don't know what I was reading.
But the seniors right now are going through quite a bit.
And I know that we have to address, I'll meet throughout these structure.
Is there, and I want to make mention of, we have the NAPA Solano Commission on Aging,
and they're meeting a lot right now with communities to discuss how seniors are being,
and it's hard right now because they're already on a fixed income many of them are.
Is there any way we can residents of the city that we could possibly accept them from a parking fee in order to attend events at Lagoon Valley or other areas?
We understand the need for us to collect what it's needed for us to operate.
However, I would like us to also be considerate of senior community.
So with the fee schedule, and ultimately it's up to council when that's where we get direction on if you wanted to move forward with that.
Any amount that isn't recovered is getting subsidized by the general fund and everybody else.
If it's council's council chooses to not collect fee for seniors that would be something we ultimately need direction from their entire council on.
Do you have any data on what seniors have passed?
I have paid in the past.
Do we have any data to say, okay, without their participation?
What type of impact would that have of the overall?
We don't have that data. I'm not sure if Parks and Rack has that data this evening, but we do not have that.
Okay, I see someone coming forward from Parks and Rack.
Good evening.
Good evening council. My name is Christina Santoyo. I'm one of the recreation supervisors for Parks and Recreation.
Currently with our parking meters, we are only able to detect the number of sales, but we don't collect any demographic information.
Okay, so you're using meters for to collect those funds.
All right.
I would like.
Yeah, I'm going to direct this to our city manager.
I just want to add one more thing.
So the fees that are presented today are only related to facility rentals.
The programming portion is separate.
We already have a lot of discounted programming for the senior population.
Okay.
So these are two separate things.
For the facility rentals, we basically trying to color our fees for the facilities.
Of course, the programming is where we, I think overall it's a city.
We only recover about 60% of the cost for all of our programming for Parks and Recreation.
So those are two distinct things if that helps.
So if, if a senior person comes and attends a program, which is, let's say,
Creekwalk series, they may get a discounted tickets, so that's a program, which is separate from these fees,
where they're renting a space in my bright center, for example.
And that is also discounted, but at the same time, those are two distinct fees.
Right. I understand the facility rental fees.
The parking, the facilities would not be restricted to the parking right now.
So maybe we can, I don't want to talk about that.
What I would actually would, since this is, I can appreciate where you're going with this.
I think it would probably help if maybe offline, maybe do some research within the programming to see if there are ways that we can assist.
Those who are impacted, but looking at it separately, then the council item tonight.
But I see where I hear what you're saying and I agree, it's hard for those who are on fixed income to access it.
Hopefully what we have been trying to do is provide discounts to those that we believe are impacted at the same time.
The separation between the rental facilities versus the program costs.
I think that there's so many out there, especially within a bright senior center, that we would have to dive into that deeper.
And I would just ask that you do that, maybe directly with the staff.
I can do that.
I will, one final thing I would say on that is, we have members in all senior community that are currently complaining about what we are offering them.
They're going to our neighboring communities to participate in their programs.
So I will discuss what I've learned with Parks and Rec and see what we can do.
And I know I've already mentioned to the city manager that I've also that McBride has been no listed, let me stop there.
Because, yeah, I'll meet with Parks and Rec and continue.
I think that would be a strawberry way to handle it.
I mean, like we all have interest in being able to deal with the city staff separately than these costs, yeah.
Council member Chairman, excuse me, why leave.
And so the parking that was pretty quick, it was only for parking at Lagoon Valley, correct.
And it had been 25 dollars or six months.
So now it's 35 dollars for a year, so it's not a very big increase at the time.
Thanks.
Good.
All right.
I have to look because I have no indication of somebody's thinking of speaking.
And that goes for you as well, vice mayor.
All right.
All right. Yeah. Thank you.
All right.
I will open this up to the public for any comment.
It is a public hearing.
Seeing that will bring it back.
And with that, if there's no other comments, I'll be looking for a motion.
We have a motion.
Do we have a second?
Second.
We have a motion.
Second.
Roll call.
Council member Richie.
Yes.
Council member Chapman.
Yes.
Council member Freemouth.
Yes. Council member Wiley. Yes.
Council member Stockton. Yes.
Vice mayor Silva.
Yes.
Mayor Carly.
Yes.
All right. Thank you very much.
We'll move on to item 11C.
All right.
Item 11C is a resolution of proving the engineers report, confirming diagram and assessment,
and ordering levy of assessments for the city of backville landscape and lighting
maintenance assessment districts for fiscal year 2026 and 2027.
And public works director.
Right.
And assistant public works director from maintenance.
Take of our red or here to do the presentation.
We're holding the annual landscape and lighting assessment district levy public hearing.
So the city annually levy and collect special assessment funds for neighborhood parks.
Street landscape areas drainage and detention basins open space and street lighting.
And these funds are necessary to maintain operate and service improvements at various areas throughout the city.
So the process is set forth by the landscape and lighting act of 1972.
And it consists of three distinct steps.
The first step occurred on February 24th, 2026, where the city council approved a resolution,
directing the preparation of the annual engineers report.
That report was then brought back to council on May 26th,
2026, where the city granted preliminary approval of the engineer's report and set this public hearing,
which is the third and final step, which we're here for tonight.
So the engineer's report for 2627 detailed 139 landscape and lighting districts,
and also set forth the maximum allowable assessment increase of 3.0 percent.
And that increase is tied to CPI for the region.
And is also established in the lighting and landscape act of 1972.
So the district levees of summary, 76 district levees will be increased this year.
21 district levees will remain unchanged.
25 district levees will be decreased and 17 district levees will not be assessed because the improvements identified in those districts won't be completed in the upcoming fiscal year.
The item exempt is exempt from SQL or the California Environmental Quality Act.
And then talking about the fiscal impact, which is, I'll just go into that here.
The fiscal year, 2627 assessment total is roughly $5.5 million.
In addition to that, the general fund subsidizes the districts with approximately $1.69 million.
That funding is made up of two distinct parts.
The first is a mandatory 10 percent neighborhood park district citywide use contribution.
And that accounts for the fact that residents throughout vacival may visit other parks that are funded by the levees.
And in addition to that, there is a 1.265 million dollar district short fall amount.
And this is the amount that is the difference between the operating costs of maintaining the districts and all the improvements that are in there and the amount that is assessed and levee.
So, in comparison to the fiscal year 2526,
at our last council meeting when I presented this last year, there was some comments about looking into the costs and understanding the general position in the budget this year.
Staff did some work to look at how we could reduce the impact to the general fund.
And we were able to reduce the total assessment by our cost to the general fund by approximately $400,000 or just under 20 percent.
And we did so by pausing contributions to the equipment replacement fund for the LLADs or the landscape and mining assessment districts.
This equipment replacement fund funds the replacement of things like mowers, tractors, work trucks, that type of thing that are necessary for staff to be able to maintain the districts.
But after we looked at the data of our existing inventory and equipment that we have out there, we felt that we could pause this contribution without negatively affecting service to the public.
What we were looking for was ways to reduce this or reduce the cost without affecting the overall service.
The second way that we were able to do that was through correcting the water rate estimates.
As you remember last year, there was a water rate increase and we conservatively estimated the cost impact that was going to be given to the lighting and landscape assessment districts and over estimated the impact that was there.
So based on the cost that we realized in the last year, we adjusted that down to the cost that we expected to be in this next year.
The staff has also been looking at ways that if we were forced to down the path to reduce reduced service quality and what our quantity and that type of motion which would be less service, less time, less water, that type of thing, but we have not gone down that path at this point with this assessment.
So the strategic goals are initiative to be to manage impacts from growth as the city continues to grow and initiative for a to ensure fiscal sustainability of the districts to maintain service to the public.
Our recommendation tonight is by simple motion to adopt the subject amended resolution and our director Brian Oxley and I are here to answer any questions.
Thank you for the presentation and I think it's.
It's not lost on us that general fund is subsidizing this and there are those that are clearly benefiting from the fact that their.
The rate does not cover their park and it is what it is we have a lot of the districts I wish we didn't have as many and I wish this thing this could get stabilized but I don't believe that now's the time to do it and so but I appreciate the presentation.
Yeah, Council member.
Thanks so you said there's a 139 lighting landscaping.
And we have a lot of areas of city that aren't covered. So about what percentage of the city is covered by lighting landscaping?
I don't have an exact percentage of that.
I would say that that is approximate, yes, about half. And so, and you said you haven't gone down the path of reducing services to because of our budget shortfall.
But if we were to go down that path, I would assume that it would be for the people, the parts of the city that aren't covered.
Because what our general fund is covering, the approximately 50% of the city that doesn't pay into lighting and landscaping.
That's correct assessment. So the people that are paying are really, they would not be reduced because they're already paying.
Yeah, that's correct. If the lighting and landscape district was solvent, we wouldn't be reducing the services at that point.
And just to bring some clarity, what we're talking about here are neighborhood parks, a lot of those districts.
We have six lighting districts that we can't cut from for safety for the public.
And then only five of those districts are set back landscapes.
So you're talking about neighborhood parks around the city primarily that are funded by these lighting and landscape districts.
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
Hearing no more questions from the council, I'm going to go ahead and open up this public hearing to the public.
Seeing none, I will go ahead and bring it back to the council.
Any other comments?
Otherwise, emotion.
I think that.
Yeah.
Motion.
Okay.
Any other discussion?
Motion.
Second.
We'll do roll call.
Councilmember Chapman.
Yes.
Councilmember Friedman.
Yes.
Councilmember Wiley.
Yes.
Councilmember Stockton.
Yes.
Councilmember Richie.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
Moving on to business item.
12A.
Man City Park.
Yes.
This is budget.
Study session number two.
Information update on the development of the fiscal year 202627 budget.
And budget manager John Colett.
And a finance director.
Thank you.
So Mayor, I can get started on this presentation and then I'll pass it on to Ken.
Mayor, vice mayor, council members and community members.
So today we're presenting the second study session for the budget.
So today we're.
Before I start this presentation, I just want to thank all of the staff, the department, department heads.
Especially finance staff that has been months putting this budget together.
It's not easy task.
It starts sometime early January and it takes almost four or five months for us to put the numbers together and make sure all the numbers are matching in the back.
And departments have done a great job on identifying what the two and a half percent looks like.
How we can still continue to move forward and provide the services that our community desires from the city without impacting any further reductions at this time.
So today, if you can move on to the next slide, please.
This slide kind of gives a roadmap of where we started.
So first of May, we brought the first budget 101 study session to kind of educate the council as well as our community.
Members on what the budget process looks like, what are different funding sources for the city, how the city develops the budget, what and what cannot be used or which funds cannot be interchanged among themselves.
Then we came back to council on May of 26th and we provided the quarter three update as well as the study session for our budget.
So today we're presenting the second study session and at the next council meeting, we will be bringing the final document for adoption.
Next slide, please.
So the summary of the budget parties, you know, we are compromised of multiple pieces when it comes to our budget.
There are many departments, you can consider them as individual companies and then we have to bring all the budget together and funds are into put into one general fund.
So today we're focusing on general fund aspect of it, but the departments will be going over their individual departments and talking about that.
So the way we develop our budget is really rely on the prior years budget and then we build off of that we do not do zero based budgeting.
We do not do program based budgeting.
We take the data from the last year because now we have sequential data from multiple years to do projections and that helps us develop more close to projections for our budget.
In addition, you know, when we prioritize our budget, we also are responsive to our strategic plan.
This is a unique year where our current strategic plan will be concluding in June of 2026 and we are going to implement a new strategic plan which will also be brought to the city council at the next meeting.
So that strategic plan serves as the guiding document for our staff and departments on identifying the goals and initiatives that we spend our efforts on.
We also address our immediate or long-term areas of concern that are either brought by the community or the council members, obviously everything is approved at the council level.
And then we also look at whether we're going to maintain current and existing programs or if we are looking at expanding any of those programs.
And all of this is being done by being fiscally responsible. Next slide please.
So the fiscal year 2526 the current fiscal year, you know, we continued with the fiscal Econservative Approach. We did the two and a half percent cut.
We brought back quarterly updates who are constantly monitoring our budget.
And as again, you know, with inflation or costs are increasing, so that is continuing our fiscal deficit.
It is causing that gap between our expenditures and the revenues.
And there is there is a big risk of reserves that are falling below the policy level. Our current policy says 16 to 25% as of the last presentation.
My end of this fiscal year will be at about 28 to 29% but then there will be a sharp decline of the fiscal deficit continues.
So in about four years we're looking at going down to almost 3%.
So our proposed focus for this budget includes again continuing to look at the big picture.
Looking at all the reductions we have done so far.
Two and a half percent reductions we had three FTEs that were frozen.
We started with 22 positions that were identified for delayed and back in February Council allowed us to restore six of the firefighter positions.
So that delayed position count is down to 16 at this time.
Again, we paused a lot of measure and pilot programs as well as we reduce the capital improvement program funding for some of the projects moving on.
So our approach for the upcoming fiscal year 2627 is fiscal, you know, be real about our fiscal situation.
So we're calling it in a theme fiscal reality and sustainability.
And our proposed focus of the budget will include limit new augmentation requests to only essential things for the operations as well as needed at the time of the start of the year.
We will utilize reserves to maintain existing service levels and programs that are benefiting our community.
We'll continue to move future initiatives in the growth area planning and housing.
We will be continuing to work on our economic development strategy.
As well as starting July 1st, we would have a centralized hiring.
We'll be presenting a case to the city manager before we hire any new positions.
So we will be evaluating staffing as you know employees retire or move on to other jobs.
Is that the right position?
Can we add more duties?
Can we reduce the position?
Can we merge or consolidate positions?
We'll be evaluating all of those things as part of that process.
Next slide please.
And so with this, you know, I will be giving it back to Ken on taking on for the next steps.
Thank you.
Good evening Mr. Mayor.
Vice Mayor.
Members of the council.
Before we start with tonight's study session number two.
We just wanted to provide a brief recap of study session number one.
A lot of which was covered in the previous slides.
And so as study session number one, we let off with an updated projection of the next fiscal year.
So the way things currently stand our projection this upcoming year is that there's a gap of about $11 million with their general fund between our revenues and expenses.
So we're continuing that deficit spending that we've seen over the last couple of years.
We talked about the budget actions taken from fiscal year 2425 to current.
And so a lot of that being the cost savings measures deferring and pausing on a lot of the capital improvement projects and maintenance efforts.
The city manager mentioned the previous slides.
The school year 27 is going to be continuing of those cost saving measures.
And in the last study session, we also provided an update on some items that were added to the base budget either where there's a fiscal impact to it.
Or an operational change that being the fire academy that will be coming up in this upcoming year.
The consolidation of risk management under the city attorney's office and then budget augmentations.
There's about $30,000 to the general fund.
And then with the five year forecast, we pre, because it's ended up day to five year forecast where by the end of fiscal year 27.
So next year we anticipate still being within our reserve at 20% but given the deficit spending that we will be below our policy by the end of fiscal year 28.
Next slide.
And so tonight's agenda is going to be a couple slides on the operating budget summary of that.
Then we'll jump into department presentations and then the second part of this item is an update on the capital improvement program and the fleet update that we done by our public works department.
And with that I'll pass it on to our budget manager.
Thanks, Ken.
The next two slides on the proposed operating budget and how the operating budget is allocated amongst the city's departments.
The city's proposed operating budget for fiscal year 27 is $321 million, $783,247.
The successor agency operating budget to pay down the annual obligations of the former redevelopment agency is $5,906,583.
The pie chart on the right shows the percentage of the total operating budget that resides within each respective department.
Starting at the top will work clockwise elected and administration is 7%.
And this would include departments such as the city manager's office, city attorney, human resources, economic development and finance.
The housing and successor agency is 12%.
Parks and Recreation 4%.
Just a real quick note here.
The pie chart of the operating budget doesn't include large capital improvements such as the measure and park improvements.
That budget would be included in the capital improvement program budget later this evening.
Police, 19% fire department, 15% public works, 10% utilities, 29% community development, 3% and non-department tool, 1% of the operating budget.
In summary the proposed operating budget for fiscal year 27 is $321.8 million.
On this slide the chart on the left shows the operating budget based on fun type.
The general fund in the blue is 169.4 million or 52%.
And again this is the main operating fund for the city or the main checking account for the city it's the most flexible.
The enterprise funds which are grey, 93.5 million or 28% of the operating budget and this would include utilities operations.
So sewer and water as well as transit services.
Special revenue funds in the orange 58.9 million are 18% and this would include departments funded by revenues restricted for particular purpose such as grants.
And this would include housing and community services and community development.
And then last we have the successor agency at 5.9 million or 2%.
And then if we look to the chart at the right, this chart is similar to the one we saw on the previous slide.
But specifically related to the general fund so how is the 169.4 million allocated out to the departments.
Starting again at the top city administration 13% non-departmental 3% public works 10% police 37% parks and recreation 7% in the fire department 37%.
One last note on the general fund of the proposed budget of 169.4 million for fiscal year 27.
This is it's an approximate 2.9% increase over the current fiscal year or fiscal year 26.
So even with the continued cost savings measures from the current year, we're going to see some increases in some areas.
For example, benefits have seen increased costs for general liability and workers comp of almost 30%.
We don't have control over these costs. They're tied to our actual actual aerial reports that we receive.
Another area would be salaries related to council, council approved MLUs earlier in fiscal year 26 related to fiscal year 27.
So while we're continuing with citywide cost savings measures from fiscal year 26 into fiscal year 27, we won't see dollar for dollar cost savings because we have increased cost and other categories.
To summarize the total proposed operating budget for fiscal year 27 is 321.8 million and of that the general fund portion is 169.4 million.
And with that, I will pass it over to our city attorney Andrea Borba to kick off the department presentations.
Thank you, John. In terms of the city attorneys department overview, we are a full service legal department supporting the city council.
All of the commissions in every city department.
We consist of a lean high performing team that delivers broad legal support risk management and administrative services throughout the city.
Our total operating budget is 2.2 million dollars with no measure and funding being utilized.
In terms of staff.
We have five legal professionals, the city attorney, a senior assistant, city attorney and three assistant city attorneys.
We have five support team members, a legal services and risk manager, a principal risk analyst, paralegal executive assistant and risk technician.
This structure, a staffing structure supports both the volume and the complexity of the city's legal needs in-house.
This year, we have begun the integration of risk management into the city attorney's office.
The risk management division will be fully integrated to our department, July 1 of 2026.
This ensures that claims management, segregation and workers compensation and litigation operates under a unified legal oversight.
Hopefully this will have the intended result of improving coordination and accountability and financial recovery outcomes for the city.
Our key accomplishments, you know, the amount of legal work that's generated from our law office is significant.
It's hard to detail everything we've done but some key things that have come to the council this year is the sidewalk vendor and battery storage system ordinances,
which were key ordinances regulating important issues within the city.
We provided legal support for the sales tax measure efforts and ensure full election compliance during the election season,
and will continue to through November.
We have advanced the implementation of a contract life cycle management system that will modernize how the city prepares and tracks its contracts,
which serves to do a lot of risk transferred to the city and it saves us a lot of money and potential claims exposure.
We also completed a city-wide legal service survey to better align our legal support with the department of needs
and we are continuing to make operational changes to improve efficiency and provide a higher level and a higher quality of legal service delivery.
In terms of fiscal responsibility, the city attorney's office has achieved the two and half percent cost savings by making reductions in certain outside legal services, training and general supplies.
Again, we have zero measure and funding use.
We are fully generally, general fund supported the 2.2 million budget for the quantity and quality of legal services provided reflects responsible stewardship of the city's resources.
Looking ahead, we plan to fully roll out and implement the contract life cycle management system,
continue to build out the integrated risk management program and focus on more proactive legal support,
improve contract oversight and stronger loss prevention across city departments.
And that is my presentation. I will pass it to Georgia and for the city managers presentation.
Thank you.
Good evening.
The city manager's office has a number of different divisions starting with the administrative arm which really ensures things rent smoothly.
The budgets are met, bills are paid on time and they provide an excellent really high level of customer service to the public every time they connect with us.
The city clerk's division is responsible for a wide variety of duties including city council support,
compilation and distribution of city council agenda packets, elections administration and records management.
The city clerk also administers germocratic processes such as access to records and legislative actions ensuring transparency to the public.
The public relations division coordinates the city's communications, public information and community engagement efforts.
And this division helps your timely accurate and accessible information supports consistent messaging across departments,
manages media and community relations and strengthens public understanding of city program services and initiatives.
Our special programs division focuses on citywide programs such as measure M, backval neighbor associations,
the legislative platform, strategic planning and our broad band initiative.
We have quite a few highlights from the city manager's office.
Our public relations team has and will continue to implement the city's community engagement strategy and communications plan to strengthen internal coordination and improve consistency in public information
and expand meaningful opportunities for community input.
This includes supporting departments without reach planning, public messaging, social media, emails and the new city newsletter, website content,
video highlights, community updates, media materials and other tools that help residents stay informed and engaged.
These efforts will continue to support more transparent, inclusive and responsive local government.
The fiscal year, the city council, as you all know, recently adopted a legislative platform that outlines the council's priorities, principles and policy decisions to guide advocacy efforts.
And informed stakeholders of key resident needs the platform itself.
I'm happy to report and all of the supporting and oppose actions are available on the city's website for the public.
As you know, the council has also adopted a draft new strategic plan.
The city manager was just speaking about that.
Covering fiscal years 27 through 29 will be bringing the final plan for adoption to you at the next meeting.
The plans really organized around five course strategic goals that represent our highest areas of focus.
Organizational culture, economic development, quality of life, public safety and infrastructure.
And the plan is designed to align our collective efforts in achieving our mission while reflecting our mission and our values.
We've also been working really hard on the broadband initiative for several years now.
I'm happy to report that over the last year we've been focused on a public private partnership.
I'm not only provide another option for residents, but also into the debris anticipated.
Bring several million dollars of in kind investment to the city.
And then items should be coming to you soon.
Really excited about that one.
Our back of the neighborhood association team has expanded its reach.
Now with 23 registered associations after starting with zero.
The goal of the DNA program is to establish a vision in each neighborhood and identify its priorities.
Utilizing and increasing the neighborhood's capacity.
It's a very successful at really creating connections, not only between our community members, but also between residents in the city.
And I expect that to continue in the new year, even though we have reduced funding for that program.
As a city that's been participating in the Bloomberg's mayors and senior leadership program.
We have the opportunity to have a Bloomberg Harvard fellow with us for the next two years.
Hopefully starting at the end of July.
I'm working with them over the past couple weeks to try to make that work.
And to specifically work on the homeless action plan.
There is no cost of the city for the fellow who will help really implement and support the important work of that action plan.
For cost saving measures, the city manager office has reduced a number of administrative line items.
Things from professional services, training, repairs and maintenance, consulting, and general supplies to achieve our two and a half percent savings.
The city manager's office does have one program manager.
This position that's funded through measure M with a small, very small supply budget.
And the total operating budget for the department is 4.2 million.
And I believe next up is Erin Morris with Community and Economic Development.
Good evening, Erin Council.
I'm happy to present the Community and Economic Development Department.
As the Council is aware, we now consist of five divisions.
The planning division, which processes current development applications from private developers and the advanced planning division,
which works on public policy and ordinance and other complex development projects.
The building division consists of planner view.
I'm proud to announce we're continuing to keep most of that in-house with the staff that we have.
But also building inspection, which is a significant activity in our department.
Economic development, I will touch on the next slide as a new addition.
I think they got their own, we got our own slide for that.
And then we have the administration and planning commission divisions.
The department has been working very hard over the last several years on some of these longer-term projects,
but I'll just share a few highlights.
The east of leisure town specific plan funded by developers should come to council for final action next year,
but is well-long its way toward a release of a plan.
We're very excited about that.
The northeast growth area planning study is coming to council in July.
That first phase work is completed and is going to planning commission,
so we're coming toward the end of that first phase.
As the council is aware, we're working on the municipal services review,
which is literally what allows faculty to grow consistent with our general plan.
We have several major development applications, which I will not go through tonight.
We're in year four, almost year five, of implementing the city's eight-year housing element
in partnership with Housing and Community Services.
So that's some work on going and future work.
Rapping at Process Improvements phase one, heading into a new project called Process Improvements phase two,
in the new fiscal year, and then we're preparing for a land use and development code update
like we do every year, but this new year is going to have an economic development focus.
I'm trying to make it easier for business and back of it to stay here and grow.
On the topic of cost savings measures,
we primarily got R2.5% cut by reducing outside service contracts.
That's been possible because we are staffed up in some of our core functions that we used to
contract for.
Measure em funding.
Our department is not receiving measure em funding for planning building an admin,
and we also do not receive general fund money.
The $8.8 million operating budget is funded by the fees that developers pay
when they come in to do building and planning permit activity in our city.
Next slide.
Economic development division, I kept this slide pretty simple.
There's a lot going on, especially with our new economic development manager on board week five.
It's going very well so far.
Economic development focuses on business retention expansion and attraction,
and I cannot emphasize enough what a fluid space that is.
It is a call late at night and a meeting in the car on the way,
and it's been really a very active activity.
I'm again pleased to have some staffing to help support those activities.
We're really participating in regional efforts.
We're working with our partners with the Sloan of EDC,
and with the partners with other cities to really look at bringing business to Sloan of County's
a whole and also to back of them.
And then we're really economically taking the lead on promoting a lot of the city's
process improvements changes and touting those and sharing those and doing that
storytelling, the true storytelling of how we're making easier to do business and back of
it.
And some highlights.
We're currently working on the economic development strategic plan,
and that will be coming to council on the fall of this year.
It is an active effort with our economic development advisory committee,
and a lot of just a lot of input from our important players.
We'll be working on creating an incentive program to bring the kinds of businesses we want
here, and that's a project for the next fiscal year,
and then also working to support energy resilience efforts and back of it.
Cost savings and economic development.
We reduce some of our national advertising and a little bit of our professional services
to achieve the 2.5 percent.
Economic development is 100 percent funded by Measure M.
So that's an important distinction from the rest of my department and the total operating budget
is 730,000.
And I believe I'm handing it back to Ken.
Thank you.
So in the finance department, we have 30 full-time employees,
amongst the division services listed,
administration, budgeting, accounting, utility billing,
revenues, accounts payable, purchasing, which falls under
disbursements.
Our highlights in the current year are updating the TOT ordinance,
which had not been updated for a number of years,
as well as with issuing our financial statements.
We were able to issue that three months quicker sooner than we did in the prior fiscal year.
And the upcoming fiscal year, some of the initiatives will be working on
our updating our procurement policy to modernize that,
line it with the national best practices and add some efficiency
and more internal control control to that process.
Similar to the TOT ordinance that was updated this fiscal year,
we will be taking an item to Council on August to also update our business license
ordinance as well.
And then we will also be engaging with a consultant to update our cost
allocation planning user fee study, which is discussed as part of the
fee schedule item.
This is one of the public hearing in the earlier this evening.
With our cost savings measures, a majority of that is in our non-full-time
or part-time budget that we eliminated.
And so the main impact here is really to our front counter,
staffing, utility billing.
So the areas that are most engaging with the public,
we've had to reduce hours in our front counter because of the lack of the part-time funding.
And then we've also had to reduce our training to supply
as budget as part of those cost savings measures.
And the finance department doesn't receive any measure on funding
and our total operating budget is 6.1 million.
And I'll pass it on to Tamara Koldiner,
housing which means services director.
The housing and community services department is comprised of four divisions.
The administration division, which focuses on internal operations for
the department, as well as financial activities for the department.
The housing division, which is comprised mostly of the
Vacaville Housing Authority and Solano County Housing Authority.
Community services, which houses programs like our community
development program, as well as special projects.
In the upcoming years, our focus will be on continuing to implement
the homeless action plan and activities surrounding that,
advancing housing element programs,
primarily focusing on affordable housing unit development
and collaboration with the community and economic development department.
And launching our Vacaville Housing Authority project move-up program,
which was approved in April for the upcoming annual plan and that program,
holds aside five vouchers specifically to support those moving out of homelessness
and collaboration with an identified partnership
provides supportive services around that.
These efforts are intended to expand housing opportunities,
improve system coordination and help residents move towards greater housing stability.
The total operating budget reflects primary.
Additionally, Administration of the Vacivell housing authority housing choice voucher program, and this
Elano County小louth choice voucher program, again, that is administered on behalf of
Elano County but it also includes administration of smaller programs, against such as our community
development, block grant program, or permanent local housing allocation programs. To
help address the city's fiscal challenges, and really the department's fiscal challenges, we
have implemented cost saving measures by delaying the hiring of three full-time positions.
That includes the assistant director position, a housing administrator management position,
and a housing technician position.
While these actions help reduce cost in the short term, they do limit our capacity to be able
to launch new programs, pursue additional initiatives, and expand services beyond core compliance
and operational responsibilities.
The Department also, in collaboration with the Finance Department, oversees the activities
of this successor housing agency.
And with that, I'll turn it over to Jessica Boe's, the Human Resources Director.
Good evening.
The Human Resources Department has made up of several divisions, including our administrative
division, payroll and benefits.
We also process payroll for this long transportation authority, and recruitment and classification
is another division along with labor and employee relations.
Some of our upcoming highlights are our leadership Academy graduation.
This is our 2526 year leadership program, and we're hoping to bring those graduates to you
at a council meeting later in the fiscal year.
The new fiscal year.
We've also developed a benefits roadshow, which is to educate our employees on all the current
benefits they have, and how to utilize those.
We find that new hires are overwhelmed with what they learn upon being hired, and they don't
always need those benefits until later in their career.
So we are out going to departments in different areas, explaining the benefits they may not remember
or know about.
We're also looking at updating policies in the coming year.
We heard that that is needed citywide across most of our departments, so we are looking
at working on that a lot in the new fiscal year.
Our cost saving measures include the elimination of an office assistant position, and that was a
full-time position, and a reduction in our citywide training budget.
We do not have any measure in funding, and our total operating budget is 4.5 million.
I'll turn it over to Keith McDonald from IT.
Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members.
Tonight I'll be summarizing the IT department fiscal year 2627 budget, highlight key initiatives
underway and share cost saving measures that are we're implementing to be good stewards of public
funds.
I also want to note, two significant organizational milestones.
First, the information technology has transitioned from operating early the city manager's office
to standing alone as an independent city department.
So, as a recognition of this strategic role, it also recognizes a strategic role that plays
in the serving the city back real.
Second, our new IT director will be joining us July 6, bringing dedicated executive leadership
to support our team and to the Council's technology priorities.
What we do, the IT department operates four core services, and we're supporting over approximate
800 users across 12 different city departments.
We have a help desk customer support division, who is the first point of contact for all technology
issues related to the city.
Frontline support for police fire in all of the city departments.
Applications, this is a new developing area.
We have support applications in the past, but we're going to take it up a notch and be supporting
it at the next level, and that includes the enterprise planning software permitting finance
public, the records management system as well as other things that are coming about in the city.
And then we have infrastructure and infrastructure, service with servers, networking equipment, cyber security
type of communications that it also includes public safety radio system, and of course we have our GIS division.
Some key initiatives that are happening in 2067 is the digital strategic plan, multi-year technology roadmap
is aligning with the city manager's priorities and also drives data and form decisions across all the departments.
A cyber resiliency plan, comprehensive cyber security strategic plan protecting the city operations and residents data.
Includes also ransomware, tabletop exercises, incident response plan protocols and staff training.
And also we're supported by the specialized cyber security firm contracts with that.
So the GIS master plan, again we have a master plan that's going on and that's to expanding the GIS tools.
Also, including the note, your candidates and know your city council story maps, integration for public works, project management,
EZCIP to improve the capital program visibility.
And of course we've got the void implementation so we can modernize our phone system and that is the zoom system that we're currently working on.
This will improve our reliability, reduce long-term costs and support remote work capabilities.
And of course as we discussed earlier, the broadband initiative.
Again, once that contract hopefully does go for it, we'll be working with the vendor to improve the connectivity across all the city facilities.
And of course the governance and data security or data strategy establishing data governance policies to protect sensitive information like PII and C just data.
And then AI governance framework guiding responsible use for emergency technologies.
So cost measure cost savings measure that we're doing is basically in response to the city's budget reduction in targets.
IT department is identified savings across several key categories.
Professional services repairs the maintenance training consulting services in general supplies.
All these things will help hit that target that we're hitting for right now for the 2.5.
Note further reductions beyond these current targets carry does carry a measurable cybersecurity risk and may impact services service levels in the future.
We are not funded by measure M and in closing the IT department remains committed to delivering reliable secure cost effective technology services to the back of residents and staff.
We're building a stronger, more resilient digital foundation for the city's future.
And thank you and I'll turn it back again.
Thanks Keith.
So the non-departmental budget is meant for funding or budgeting for operating costs that are not tied to a specific department.
Some examples of that would be the county fees related to property tax administration, animal control and sheltering costs.
The radio system.
Memberships and contributions and some examples being the back of the museum Sloan OEDC Chamber of Commerce.
Homeless or house remediation and then contribution from measure I for the library.
And so for the highlights and cost savings measures, the fiscal year 2627 budget is going to be a continuation of what was budgeted for 2526.
With the new item being the last bullet point funding for the upcoming November Brewer election.
And that's at $390,000 amount under highlights.
For measure and funding, the homeless or houseless remediation services are funded through measure M and the total operating budget for the non-departmental count is 5.1 million.
Now pass it on to our parks and director.
All right. Good evening, Council.
Some of you have parks and recreation budgets.
So again, I'll start with the divisions and services.
So one of those is our recreation programs and activities.
And then we have our facility operations.
So this is operating all of our community centers, the pool and activating all of our sports fields and things like that.
And then we have our park planning division, which helps to renovate existing parks and also expand expansion of existing parks and the new parks that come on with future development as well.
And then as well administration for as one of the areas.
Some of the highlights for this coming year will be the completion of Sierra Vista Park, which was one of those existing parks that we are renovating.
Upgrade to the McBride computer classroom.
And then where we can, we'll still try to expand recreation programs for possible.
An example of that is we have a new girls outdoor basketball league, which we are working with an independent contractor to bring forward.
Some of the cost saving measures that we've had to bring forward.
Continuing from last fiscal year is a reduction in our non full-time staff.
We have a reduction in our performing arts theater city sponsored programs.
And we've had some reductions in funding for special events and funding for marriage and main and some reduction in use services.
That is really like cuts to services supplies where we can for some for programming.
As far as measure M funding, we do get some funding.
So our use scholarship program is funded through measure M and then out of our 26 full-time staff, we do have four full-time positions that are funded through measure M.
And our total operating budget is 11.9 million.
I will just say that that is offset with about $5 million in revenue from all the fees from the programs, rentals, those kinds of things for budgets.
So that's parks and recreation.
And I'll turn it over next to Chief Drayton for fire.
Will we have a sub tonight?
Yes.
Mayor Vice Mayor Online Council staff.
Thank you for letting me present on behalf of Chief Drayton.
So your fire department broken into a few different divisions.
Your operations division, the suppression and ambulances.
Everybody that's out there running the 911 calls is our biggest division.
We also have our fire prevention that also oversees the load enforcement.
Our administration team and then we also have a training division.
Some of the highlights that's coming up in the next fiscal year is we have another recruit academy.
So you all approved the academy that we have going on right now with 14 personnel.
Eight more personnel is what we're looking at with anticipated retirements and some vacancies that we still have.
That academy is broken up between the EMS academy where we oversee the paramedics and make sure that their skills are up to the standards that we have here in vacabill.
And then we move into an operations academy where we dropped our recent firefighter one requirement.
And we now give the firefighter one and firefighter two that allows for more people to apply for our agency.
We also have the rims asry, which is our CAD dispatching system is going to link up with our GIS and it provides avial dispatching.
It's going to let us get the closest unit based off of where the incident is happening.
Our closest units will now be responding decreasing our response times, which is going to be a great addition to our fire department.
Our budget is also going to include the SB 660, which is the California Data Exchange framework.
This is a state mandated EMS and a Robert ability initiative.
It's going to allow for data sharing.
So if you're not at your primary care provider, you're going to still be able to have all of the information that's needed.
It's going to increase patient care.
So we're going to absorb the integration costs in this fiscal year.
This next fiscal year that we're presenting will have an annual cost associated with that to make sure that we're in compliance with the state and that we still receive funding.
We also have an over time budget allocation.
Here, this is where our partners and finance are going to be able to hold us accountable as well as you guys as well, increasing our over time budget.
The cost savings measures, we did brownout medic 72 as you all are aware on May 1st of this year.
Looking at just May 1st to May 31st, we will beat the 2.5% reduction.
The measure in funding, we still have the up staffing of medic 73.
So at that time, when measure in was passed, we were cross staffing and engine in an ambulance.
And we added six firefighters with the measure in funding.
Our total operating budget is $50.1 million for this fiscal year.
And I'll pass it along to our partners in public safety.
But evening Mayor Vice Mayor City Council, thanks for allowing me to present to you.
We have two divisions in the police department and we have a lot of different services within those divisions.
There's a lot of names on here from patrol to personnel and training to our community outreach to our volunteers.
We have nearly 200 employees coming in and out of the building from volunteers part time full of time coming in in the building every single day.
One of the areas that we highlighted is our work on our core values and our culture this past year.
There's a variety of reasons why we went down this road.
This initiative was really important to me and several others in the organization.
We needed to identify our mission as an organization again.
Identify a bold goal which we have and we identified these six core values in this presentation.
Some of the areas in a very proud of is we had over 75 outreach events this last year and that does not include your command staff going to different events.
This is just your, this is our command staff down participating out in the community which is pretty remarkable for our organization.
We continue to evaluate the real-time information center in the success that we're having with that. We are seeing a crime trend down significantly, 18% in property crime, 8% in persons crimes, about 56% reduction in soul and vehicles. So our response rate time is six minutes for priority one. So we are seeing significant success in the organization right now.
We pride ourselves with a holistic approach in the police department from prevention to enforcement and that will continue as I am your police chief and that has been all my predecessors have felt the same way and hopefully it continues after I leave.
Some of our cross-saving measures, we had to freeze four police officer positions. We remove the over-hire program and as you are aware, we had to suspend our community response unit. So we sent four of those officers back to patrol along with one sergeant to assist with our staffing levels and the budget.
Measure M is a big funding source for the police department. We support our basic need services through measure M through our FRC program. We also support a office assistant position at the FRC. We also support police activities leagues programs and support three staff positions through that.
Something that was done many years ago through measure M when there was approved and it still exists today. Thanks for partners and finance. We have eight police officers that were funded and we have one captain that is funded through measure M. And in total we have a $63.8 million budget and that concludes my presentation. I will turn over to our public works director, Ryan Oxley.
Good evening, Mayor Rice, Mayor and council members. Our public works is organized under the four divisions, engineering services, traffic engineering maintenance and administration that includes transit and office of environmental sustainability.
The department is responsible for maintaining infrastructure, delivering capital projects, maintaining city coach, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations while remaining focus on implementing cost effective strategy strategies to support the city's long term financial stability.
Maintenance is focused on maintaining state regulatory requirements by updating the routine maintenance agreement with fishing wildlife, researching and implementing non functional turf compliance, defining a strategy for advanced clean fleet and trash amendment compliance.
Maintenance staff is also proceeding with facility and parking improvements including basketball court, resurfacing at Canon station and trower parks, fault protection at central garage and security upgrades at critical facilities just to mention a few of their projects.
The engineering staff is prioritizing the delivery of major capital projects for the advertisement in 2026 and 2027 including backaballi i505 intermodal project the gypsum parkway face three widening project and the ranch of the lug and its detention basin face to support listening impacts to the general fund that department has implemented cost saving measures by holding vacant positions for public works manager.
The maintenance worker in streets and the part time parks laborer public works administers major m funding for community services and infrastructure program including traffic safety.
Street and concrete maintenance maintenance administration play for all fleet and equipment replacement.
Caltrans landscape maintenance and operations at the Walter Graham aquatic center and the department's total operating budget is 38.4 million dollars and it turned the time over to the just and coal or utility structure.
The utility department budget across both water and wastewater continued focus on system performance regulatory compliance and planned infrastructure investment.
Both utilities are enterprise funds meaning they're funded through utility revenues and structured structure to be self-sustaining.
Projected revenues and expenditures in this budget are consistent with adopted rates study from last year reflecting the financial framework previously established by this council and like many utilities statewide.
We continue to experience cost pressures associated with construction inflation regulatory requirements aging infrastructure which are all reflected in our long term planning assumptions.
So the water budget we have several divisions with support our mission of delivering high quality drinking water to our residents.
This past year we delivered over five billion gallons of potable water to our community.
We advanced several long term water supply reliability projects.
We're also advancing the Fairfield Vacaville waterworks project which is expansion of the co-owned water treatment plant between us in the city of Fairfield.
We also were able to complete a one-time sale of surplus state project water.
The $2,900 that money goes directly into our CIP accounts to fund actual infrastructure projects.
Our cost savings measures associated is really associated with freezing positions and reducing overtime.
The savings are $273,000 on the water fund and the positions are broken down between sewer and water so you'll see some savings on the sewer side from those frozen positions as well.
The department receives no measure in funding and our total operating budget on the water side is 42.9 million dollars.
This includes transfers to our CIP projects and other transfers out of the fund.
On the wastewater side.
We treated over three billion gallons of wastewater from our residents and businesses in our community.
Last year we were able to complete a $5 million megawatt solar system, which is projected to save the city about $25 million over the next 20 years.
And a big lift by city staff was updating our miserable code and modernizing our construction standards to help streamline future development projects and get us in compliant with some regulations that were upcoming.
So our cost savings measures on the wastewater side is nearly a half million dollars from freezing or holding those positions and again reducing non-meditory overtime.
First staff we don't receive measure in funding and our total operating budget is $45.1 million and again that includes our CIP project transfers and other transfers out of the fund.
And in closing, this budget reflects the continued emphasis on operational efficiency infrastructure investment and reflects the council guidance.
And with that I'll turn it back over to our finance director Ken.
Thanks Justin, so that concludes our operating budget portion of this item.
And so before we jump into the CIP and fleet update if there are any questions or comments, we happy to take them.
Yeah I'm certain there's going to be some.
Looking around to see if anybody here has any questions or comments.
All right, vice versa.
All right, well thank you to staff for for comprehensively covering all that so there weren't questions so we'll move on to the fleet.
Okay once again good evening mayor vice mayor and members of the council.
I've been asked to come and provide an update on the equipment replacement fund status as well as a 10 year capital for replacement forecast for the city's fleet.
This presentation is going to focus on the general fund portion of the fleet as opposed to fleet related to other funds like the enterprise fund or special district type fund.
140 of the 683 total equipment units and the fleet currently are funded by the general fund and to give some examples of what this what these different pieces of equipment are this are fire and police vehicles.
Engines, medics, petroleum and its construction vehicles, dump trucks, pavers, grinders, bucket trucks, that type of thing.
As well as our lighting medium duty, admin vehicles, work trucks, vans, the things that.
And then miscellaneous things like crack seal machine maintenance types type items and these are the pieces of equipment that are required for staff to manage our programs maintain infrastructure.
Provide critical public safety services and meet the performance metrics that are set by council.
So to talk on some of the funding and some of the challenges that we've had with growth since 2018 we've had 2.3 million dollars per year allocated for fleet replacement activities and that has stayed static since 2018.
So during that time we've experienced some significant inflation as you all know.
An average of 3.67% per year has gone up for light and medium duty vehicles in the industry according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 25.
So just to give you an example you know if allocations to the general or to the equipment replacement fund were to keep up with that inflation we would expect approximately 3.1 million dollars per year to be going to the equipment replacement fund as opposed to the 2.3 that's currently going there.
Unfortunately the news is worse for emergency vehicles and heavy duty equipment inflation just to give some examples a police patrol unit in 2019 cost of city approximately $60,000 per unit.
Currently we're looking at approximately $94,000 per unit which is 56% increase for fire engines in 2019 we paid roughly 700,000 for a fire engine in 2025 we paid 1.2 million that's a 71% increase for a fire engine.
And in construction a dump truck in 2018 we paid $176,000 for a dump truck and our recent quote in 2025 for the similar dump truck for an internal combustion engine was 390,000 so that's a 75% increase.
So you could see that you know the inflation is clear and the impact to the budget is real.
Over the same period of time from 2019 we've also grown as a city so we've expanded parks and streets and service areas and programming.
And so we've gone from 593 units, equipment units in 2019 to now we're at about 683 units so.
So considering that the funding has been flat since 2018 some of the strategies that we're using to manage the funds that we've been allocated and make sure that we're able to provide the services to the city without any drop.
We've extended equipment life so you know if we have a vehicle that has lived its life in one of our departments and is ready to move on we will move that to like a part time vehicle for parks maintenance some and get a second life out of that vehicle.
You know if it has low mileage and it makes sense for the city to do so.
We've looked at efficiency models so if we when we come up for replacement on a vehicle we'll look at that replacement in the usage and how it's being used and if we need to replace that unit or if we can.
Reallocated to a different service and so an example of that is with our public works manager when we had one retire in the last year.
And we heard that position back we made the agreement that we would pull vehicle that position and have them be able to either use one of the other vehicles that was there or use a pool vehicle so we do evaluate those as we go to replace.
We're looking at EV grants for you know alternative funding that are out there for things like electric motors or you know if we qualify for electric vehicles.
We use a smooth replacement model so when you have 2.3 million in allocation and if you had you know two fire trucks come up at 1.2 million dollars per fire truck you would quickly eat up that budget so.
What we tend to do is kind of look at focus years what would buy one one big unit and then a couple smaller units and then spread out that those purchases over the years so we can plan ahead and put some money aside and when that when that.
And purchase comes up we have the money ready for it.
But probably most important is our management of the data so each year we go through a fleet life cycle report to prioritize replacements based on the condition of all the units that are out there.
So we look at the age of the units the mileage that they've accumulated and also the cumulative maintenance costs that we put into those vehicles over those life of life of those vehicles so we're not.
So that have had a lot of use and a lot of wear and that we've had to do a lot of service on we're not continuing to put a lot of extra money into those vehicles and so each one of those.
You know metrics will then result in what we call the green yellow red model where green means the vehicles in good shape and doesn't need to be considered for replacement.
Yellow means that we should evaluate that in the next couple years for replacement and red means that it should be considered in the current fiscal year for replacement.
It doesn't mean that we're going to replace it but that that one should be up for consideration for replacement.
And we've also increased collaboration with our key stakeholders so we meet monthly with fire and with police to identify what their needs are and look at.
You know where we might be able to extend life on a vehicle or if something needs to move forward and we have a collaborative approach that really helps meet the needs of the stakeholders.
So the results are speak for themselves most of our current fleet is in the green and not overdue for replacement we're in a good spot with our fleet right now.
And I'll talk to some of the future as we look into the 10 year program here so being asked to provide a 10 year forecast I had to make some assumptions in what.
How are we going to derive the data for this? And so we use the current purchase price that we're seeing in real time to kind of set a baseline for the vehicles that the current purchase price.
And then for the ones that we didn't have a current one on, we asked for quotes and recent quotes that we've gotten, we use those to some of the baselines.
We assume up four and a half percent per year inflationary rate, which is a bit higher than the 3.67 percent that we've seen for light and medium duties.
But it's consistent with the fire fleet study that we presented to council a couple years back, and we wanted to keep the data consistent across departments.
We assumed replacing light for light on equipment units. So if an F150 came up for replacement, we would replace that truck with an F150, not with an F250 and didn't assume that there'd be an operational change there.
And as I spoke about earlier, we assume extending the equipment wife were advantageous to the city, so not putting additional money into an old vehicle that's had a lot of.
We're in terror and not just replacing based on the fiscal year or a fixed year. So if we assume 15 years out of a maintenance truck, for example, if we got to that 15 years and we looked at that truck and I had low mileage, we would continue to maintain and keep that truck until it made sense to replace it.
We did not assume growth in the fleet for the 10 year projection because we don't know what the growth in the city looks like in 6 to 10 years. We only know what we have now and what we need to replace over that time.
And finally, we did not try to incorporate unforeseen market dips or inflationary costs that are going to hit because we don't know where that's going to hit the next few years and we didn't.
Try to guess at what the regulatory impacts for seems things like advanced clean fleet and how those would hit the budget. We did not consider those we considered like for like so with all that said.
Here is the general fund capital forecast over the next 10 years. The top line is the general fund budget needed based on all of the equipment that we have and where we assume the replacement will fall in the next 10 years.
The second line is the current allocation to the equipment replacement fund from the general fund 2.3 million assuming it's static over the next 10 years.
And the final line is the gap between what our current funding is and our current and our current need.
And so as you can see in the next 5 years we're in a pretty good space as I mentioned most of our vehicles are in the green and not up due for replacement.
Over the next 5 years our total funding gap is 2.86 million dollars. So as I spoke about earlier with the funding gap if we had been increasing it with inflation up to this point that would have covered that 2.86 million dollar gap.
After the 5 years though you can see the numbers jump quite drastically.
We'd be looking at over 10 years a almost 23 million dollar gap. And some of the numbers after you hit that first 5 years the reason why some of those jumps happen is we do have some big purchases coming like additional fire trucks additional paper and grinder.
And it also when you're doing a projection this way with a 4.5% increase the numbers rise quite rapidly as you get back to to the back of a 10 year projection.
So a car now that is costing $90,000 if you continue to add that 4.5% in 10 years that cars in the 140,000 dollar range. So you can see how some of the numbers reflect that difference.
So to solve that gap if you were to fund fully based on our projections an increase of $572,000 annually to cover the next 5 years would be necessary over 10 years 2.3 million dollars per year additional which is roughly what's being put into the fund currently.
To summarize the majority of the fleet funded by the general fund is not currently due for replacement or in a good spot.
And we're meeting public service needs the staff is managing replacements using a collaborative data driven process.
We've recently installed new software that's going to make it easier for us to have data readily available for projections and provide updates to the city managers office and to council is necessary and also make maintenance more efficient for our staff.
We manage our funds through a life cycle analysis and preventative maintenance and repair and that is resulted in extended use for life of our vehicles.
And lastly to continue to maintain and replace the fleet at the current service levels additional funding is going to be necessary to keep up with inflation and growth of the city.
So with that I'll pass it on a Brian.
Okay, thank you. Again, good evening Mayor Vice Mayor and council members.
As my part of our presentation tonight is the proposed capital improvement program budget for fiscal year 202627 and I will also provide an update on the five year capital improvement program.
The CIP budget is based on funding requests submitted by sponsoring departments and based on these requests various funding sources are identified and evaluated to support the proposed project.
Council then reviews and approves funding for these individual projects and the CIP budget reflects these approved appropriations and adopted annually and the CIP budget represents allocation by funding source.
Which have been approved by city council and is a formal authorization of funding for capital improvement projects.
This year CIP budget is approximately $39.1 million and this chart shows the percentages of various funding.
A very funds being allocated to projects from the proposed budget impact fees are the largest fund source with 53% utility funds include 14% for water and 9% for sewer gas taxes 13% measure M6% and general fund grant and other funds make up to remaining 5%
This slide shows the amount of available development impact fees for budgeting over the last five years.
The defund that is available for projects for this fiscal year is approximately $24.2 million and these amounts are directly correlated to the amount of private development that occurred within the city over the last fiscal year.
The department responsible for managing the different impact fees decide the funding allocation to individual projects.
This slide shows the amount of general fund that is allocated for CIP projects over the last five years.
The general fund allocated to projects this year is $1.75,000.
350,000 of the general fund allocated to projects for this fiscal year is derived from the unapplied interest from the capital improvement program budget as well as savings from recently closed out CIP projects.
As a result, only 725,000 is new general fund costs.
Of the $39.1 million for post for allocation in this budget, $1.1 million is proposed to fund 26 new CIP projects.
100,000 in traffic impact fees are budget to conduct the city's travel demand model which is needed to update the traffic impact fee.
Two new wells are being added to the CIP.
5 million is proposed for well-24 to fund the replacement of an existing well in the Amira Road Christine Drive area.
Additional 100,000 is budgeted for initial funding for a new well but that location for this new well has not been determined at this time.
The remaining $27 million being proposed in the budget will be allocated to 20 existing CIP projects.
Approximately 353,000 of park impact fees are budgeted for the master planning design and construction of the Unity Meadows Park Master Plan.
The CIP budget also includes an allocation of 300,000 in traffic impact fees for the initial funding to design and construct the existing around about onjeps and parkway and Foxboro Parkway.
And this concludes the discussion regarding the annual CIP budget and would like to now provide an update on our five year CIP program.
As we discussed at the April 28 council meeting the five year CIP program is a multi-year planning tool for implementing CIP projects.
And this program includes key elements such as determining infrastructure and facility needs of the community and prioritizing those needs on an annual basis.
Creating and tracking capital projects, identifying appropriate funding sources and creating a schedule for the project implementation.
This has been utilizing the city's new easy CIP software to create this document.
This is the first time that the five year CIP program will be compiled in this format.
And the packet that you received is the draft five year CIP program document and includes only the financial information.
However, the document includes all of the current CIP projects included in the program.
Here is a summary of the funding sources included in the five year CIP and the current funding amounts.
The report you have breaks down the five year CIP by projects listed by department category and funding sources.
The report also includes future projects and those future projects are defined as projects that have been submitted by the departments have been approved by the city's planning commission.
But we're not approved due to not receiving funding in this year's annual CIP budget.
However, these projects will remain in the five year CIP while awaiting funding.
The future and complete five year CIP will include additional information for each project such as project description, general plan consistency, justification and strategic goal and funding information.
And this document will be a very useful tool for the city to track and plan individual projects.
The final five year CIP will be brought before council in December for approval and then will be placed online for viewing by the public.
And this concludes our presentation.
We're happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Appreciate the updates, especially on the CIP and the fleet in addition to the budget.
I do remember those guides annually. They're very detailed and you could.
It was interesting getting through the great recession and then to look at our fleet and then how to actually manage it.
So for the public who's never seen it any department head and staff who's seen it.
It's comprehensive to manage it and I can test to the fact that inflation has gone up.
But that number has not maintained to actually capture that.
Just a quick question on the fleet though because the rest of that was already comprehensive.
Do we think that these numbers are the new norm because 4% is high.
But the numbers that hit in the last few years is like an engine almost doubling.
Is there any is there any settling or reset of some of these costs.
Or is this just the new inflationary impact post.
2020.
Because I mean it just it went through the route.
And the hope was that somehow it's going to settle.
Well, I don't know specifically on the fleet part of it but I know in speaking of regarding construction.
That there is that we're seeing the same type of inflation and construction.
In speaking with other agencies.
Contractors developers the thought is that eventually is the economy slows some of those numbers are going to have to come down.
Not sure though exactly how much or when.
That would happen.
This is what my my my sentiments and frustration that at some point these impacts are are born into the way we make decisions.
And then ultimately it affects you know future projection programming and planning for budgets.
And it's like how do you make ends meet.
I know we we can probably feel this in our personal lives but.
This is a municipal corporation that's getting closer and closer to a third of a billion dollars.
And it's not getting any cheaper to run run a business or a government.
So a lot of this inflation.
Kind of started back in the in the covid years and some of the supply chain issues that we're going on.
I can't speak to the future where it's going to head.
But I can I can say that in some of the turnaround times and the the lead times for how long it's taken to build some of the equipment.
And those times are starting to come back down and starting to normalize and I would hope that with that normalization of some of the turnaround times that the cost also.
Follow suit, but it's it's hard to sit here and and projector can you have to do conjecture on that.
Yeah, thank you.
Any comments your questions.
I mean, that was very.
I'm going to use to work that you'll me because you want to make assumptions in order to do adjust analysis and you did that and I just have to commend you on on on your assumptions.
The other thing I appreciate is seeing the grants included in your in your presentation.
I was going to ask that of the other departments for the city.
I didn't see grants included in their budget, you know.
Because I know it does comprise part of make big up a budget as well.
And so it would be good to help information on how well we're doing in soliciting grants by department.
I think it is.
So our assistant city manager, she's working on a document where we will be tracking all of the grants that we apply for. So we will have more information in the next year.
We're planning to have a more streamlined process on tracking grants when are we applying with the matching funds are and all of those things.
But on an average, the city does get about $42 million worth of grants every year.
Okay, great. And I notice in this presentation, I think over the five year period you've gone from the million down to maybe $200,000.
And I know many grants you have to reapply or there are only for a specific time frame like a three or five year grant.
So with that, because I see, I mean, it's evident that you showed here on your presentation, how is declining.
Do we, do you have, or do we have a grant writer, who looks at, I'm sorry, I need to wait.
I will stop here because it's been addressed right now by the assistant city manager. It's all whole, I'm not going to further with that.
Thank you.
Thanks for covering some of the police stuff.
I think you're so able to talk to me about some of that as well.
Who are we currently getting our fleet units from like, not necessarily the specialized equipment and, you know, back hose and different stuff like that.
I'm talking about like the cars, the trucks, the SUVs and the stuff that our staff is using.
Yeah, our standard process.
Good question. Thank you.
Our standard approach to replacing light and medium duty vehicles and that type of thing is to use cooperative purchasing agreements where either it's, you know,
California awarded agreements that are already bit out and they provide efficiency for the city.
So we don't have to go and bid every single time through. We know we're getting a good price for the city.
We're also primarily a floor fleet. So we try to do that for efficiency purposes in terms of our staff training parts inventories.
Knowledge about the vehicles, those types of things and and so the depending on the grant or the contract that was awarded.
Through the cooperating cooperative purchasing agreement process, then we will usually go to those dealerships and ask for for the quote from there to start.
So if it's not available there, then we will look for another another location. Sorry to interrupt.
Oh, you're okay. So do we have any local cooperative purchasing agreement dealerships in our area.
So yes, they're located around the area. I think one is in downtown Ford and Sacramento.
There are none in the back of bill directly that I'm aware of.
What about the Sloan County?
I would have to go back through and look, but I don't believe that the ones that are awarded through the major dealerships like Ford and Chevy are in Sloan County.
So I guess my next question would be, how do we know that we are getting the best deal by going through these groups rather than.
Looking at or at least opening that bidding process to some of our local dealerships here knowing that you know sometimes when we invest in local or at least regional.
Businesses and companies that there that money seems to you know kind of circulate through our economy.
Yeah, that's a good question.
So we will start usually with the cooperative bid purchasing agreement, but in some cases the build processes up to six months for some of these.
And if that's not going to meet the operational need, then we will do bids from local dealerships that are around.
And we do see the real time prices of bids that we collect versus what the cooperative bid agreements are.
And we see that the cooperative bid agreements are generally lower lower costs.
Sometimes with a dealership has something that's on the lot and they want it to move it.
Then we can get a better deal on it or they'll have a promotion.
And sometimes we'll take advantage of that.
But generally speaking, the cooperative bid purchasing agreement is the best price for the city.
And certainly want to make sure that we're getting the best deal that we can.
But I'm curious whether or not by opening or re-evaluating that if we might be able to help some local businesses.
At least attempt to you know to get some of those sell some of those vehicles if not.
And then how many how many maintenance workers do we have actually working on.
You said six hundred and eighty three units.
So how many maintenance workers do we have.
And are we getting any sort of maintenance package from any of these.
Dealerships that we're purchasing these vehicles from.
Yeah, thank you for that question.
And I we don't get to spend enough time in a presentation like this when we're talking about the equipment replacement fund to highlight our staff.
But we have a very highly trained.
You know, skilled go get our staff that really gets things done in our garage.
At the corporate yard, we have six full-time mechanics and the supervisor as well as a part time.
And we have two office positions there that support in the the billing and the purchasing and the end of the work order side of things.
They turn out incredible amount of work over four thousand work orders in the last year.
And we do utilize outside service agreements quite frequently actually because despite having a full service garage that's there and we maintain everything from fire engines and we have EVT trained technicians there.
To, you know, to our tractors are police units all these things, but we don't specialize in everything.
So for updates of police units will send those out and have those up fit for specialized fire apparatus repairs will send those out.
If it's a tractor repairs can take us too much time in the in the garage to do that will send it out or for just short staff for some reason if some, you know, and we need to turn something around.
We'll use outside service vendors that are local to the back.
Okay, and the updating that's done it's done through different company.
It's done.
Generally, we have a, we have a cooperative, a agreement through Lear that does most of our up fitting for our police vehicles.
Okay, and is that go out into a bidding process or is that a contract that we already have established.
So there are two options for that we did do a cooperative or we did do a bit outreach in 2023.
I believe it was and then we also there's a cooperative purchasing agreement that's available.
So we did our own process in the city.
I can 23 and there's also a cooperative purchasing agreement available if we wanted to utilize that avenue.
Okay, and you said that we're primarily afford fleet.
Is there any cost saving by looking at, you know, other auto manufacturers and trying to see whether or not.
We can get these vehicles maybe quicker or get the turnaround faster while we're having them service.
When's the last time that we looked at that.
We look at it on a case by case basis, depending on operational needs.
So for example, doesn't have a sedan.
So if we needed to, if we had a department that was looking to replace a sedan, then we may explore Chevy or Dodge or one of the other manufacturers to see if there's a way for us to meet the operational need and then be able to turn that.
You know, and then be able to turn that, you know, and then be able to get that.
We're not actively looking at the turnaround times for light and medium to do vehicles because they don't have the extended lead times of things like fire trucks and and that type of things.
And I totally understand that with like the pierce fire trucks and I know that's a nightmare to get those things when you need them.
So when when you're looking for these sedans or specialized units, you know,
or sorry, non specialized units, it does that go through the same company.
The cooperative purchasing agreement company orders that go out to bid to local dealerships.
Typically with light and medium duty vehicles will start with the cooperative purchasing agreement price and reach out and see what the availability is and if that meets the projection of the operational need then we'll move forward with that.
And if not, then we'll look at it on other options.
Okay, and then do we own these vehicles or do we lease them?
We own our vehicles.
The primarily there's been some limited exceptions where there's been leased vehicle here and there, but for the most part we own vehicles and city values.
Is there reason why we do one over the other as far as what the maintenance or availability of.
You know, because I understand some police.
So I have a background in law enforcement.
I understand that when we lease some of these vehicles, sometimes they can replace the vehicle while the other ones being fixed and we're not having a unit that's down.
Especially if some of these are anywhere from 60 to 94,000 dollars.
Is that something that might be able to save the city some money if we look at lease option on some of these vehicles.
So this is a topic that's come up in the past and has been extensively researched by city staff.
There is there are files on that.
I'm not prepared to speak on this specific stuff.
I'm now, but the decision but I believe it was 2019 and then there was another look at it in 2020.
Who I believe I'd have to don't quote me on the day.
But that has been looked at multiple times and the decision has always been that it's more efficient and cost effective and better.
The bottom line is it's easier for us to serve our stakeholders within the city by owning and maintaining the vehicles.
We have more control.
We can turn things around faster and we provide better internal service to our internal stakeholders, which in turn provides better service to the citizens.
This is a back of all.
Okay.
And then I had a question for the police chief.
Are we going back, how far back are we going on on this?
This is open.
Well, this is open for all of the budget Berlin.
Okay.
Just a couple questions chief.
I will full court press you like I did these guys.
I'm sorry.
You know, I know that we have with cost reductions remove the crew team and the four police positions and the four trainee positions.
What is what is the cost that it would be needed to bring those back?
We're dealing with percentages, right?
I'm trying to think what the real world cost.
Can you get your mic?
Sorry.
I don't have control.
So we estimated the the crew team rotating back to patrol cost savings of over time to be around 350,
360,000 dollars annually.
But I think what we have to remember.
Given the vacancies that we have and on top of the injuries that we have, we were seeing a burden on our patrol staff that we were having to manage.
So we're going into vacations season along with our injuries along with our vacancy rate.
We had to reduce the burden on the overtime of our police officer working too much.
So crew also helped offset that burden that we were facing.
So to answer your question, we're anticipating 350 to 350 to 360,000 dollars just for the budget side of it.
Okay.
And then what about for the officers as well, because that's got to be generating some overtime as well by not having, I think it's like eight positions correct.
We have eight, we have eight.
So four positions that are frozen and then we reduce that we eliminated the over higher portion of this temporarily.
But so they, they positions that are frozen or that we're not utilizing.
And we back up.
So the four positions that are frozen, then the eight vacancies that we have.
And then on top of that is the ten injuries that we have.
So all of those in combination were, you know, it's a daily, is a day of the obstacle to make sure our patrol teams are functioning.
What the, what the needed bodies out on the street every day.
Okay.
I'm just trying to figure out if we exceed the projections, you know that the doomsday projections that we have, what it would take to at least get crew back.
I know that they've done an incredible job.
The pit count went from 240.
Incredible, which is outstanding.
And so I know that's a service that a lot of our local businesses are worried about being gone.
And so I'm just trying to figure out.
You know what if we exceed projections, right, or if we were, we're, we're able to find that money somewhere.
What would take to get them back?
And if you don't have the answers that right now, it may be offline.
We can, we can chat about it.
I'm just, I know I've had a lot of people reach out to me about them specifically.
Yeah, I'm worried about crew not being functioning at some degree as well.
I just, we need to find some solutions to make this thing happen.
And I think we can get there as a city if we unite behind it.
But I think we can get there.
It's just, it's going to be a challenge as we navigate the vacancies.
We navigate the overtime budget, et cetera, et cetera.
But I do believe that we need to get crew functioning in some capacity sooner than later.
One of the concerns I'm worried about is the cost of having to go back and clean it up again, right?
And so, you know, we, we get there, or we, we find services for our on-house.
We're doing a very good job of finding those services.
And now, when we start seeing more people needing our service, it's going to be a catch-up time for us.
We're going to have to spend more time and more money to give them the resources that they need.
So it's, it's a double ed store that we're trying to battle right now.
So hopefully we can, we can unite and find a way.
Thank you.
Just a quick question.
Well, you have any, you have any plan to be able to track if there is the uptake in the challenges that we have the reduction of crew.
I mean, I recognize the fact that if you don't have the overhead, you don't have the staff at some point.
You're trying to focus on the essential response of patrol.
So you're trying to solve multiple problems, not that there's a permanent solution.
But as far as the homeless response, that city of act will have been very successful.
And, you know, how do we, how do we monitor that and how do we know when all of a sudden we're losing?
So we still, certain stuff in areas still engage.
The lieutenant of a co-a still engaged are three of our officers that were on crew on day shift patrol.
So they're doing their best to monitor and provide the resources.
I'm just not on a full time basis, basically on a case by case basis.
So we're, we're paying attention to it.
We are seeing a bit of an increase.
But we're still trying to deal with it more on a part-time basis than on a full-time basis, because those officers are really committed to making sure the on-house get the services that they need.
But it's just not out the quality that we expect from our police department.
Thank you.
All right. I'm going to put back to you.
I just got one for the fire.
Well, do you have seats up here? Let's go ahead.
Can you keep you here, sir?
Yes, sir.
I'm back to you.
Yes.
I know that it's hard to put a number on it, but I personally have seen new faces in town.
Me too.
I'm aware of vehicles dropping people off in town now.
And I've seen it firsthand on Alamo and 80, or our car poles up, and people are getting out.
And that's, so I know the numbers are going back up.
And I'm already hearing about it downtown.
I'm hearing about it. I've seen it in the park.
I'm back to people saying, I don't want to take my kids down to the park anymore, because it's happening again.
So we went from 270 to 40.
It's a credit to our, to Tamera, to the old house, and to our outreach team.
Yeah.
So I guess what I'm curious about is the uptick in the additional cost for you guys now.
I mean, I hate to put a number on a person, but it's going to be more first responders.
It's going to be more time, you know, it is.
And then right now, we have budget constraints and cutbacks and cutting back is, I just don't see that as the pathway to the future.
But, you know, when I look at everything and the cost of, you know, I'm listening to the great, you know, just a great record of what you guys just laid down in front of us.
And just knowing, you know, that five years ago, you know, to buy steer tires for a big rig.
You know, one of your dump trucks or whatever steer tires were, you know, five or six hundred dollars, those same steer tires.
Five years later, a thousand dollars, another nine hundred to a thousand dollars now.
You know, so we've got six hundred and thirty vehicles.
And if you just go to the an average of say 25 gallons of vehicle, that is, I just put some number.
That's about 15,000 gallons of fuel a week that the city is using.
That used to cost us four years ago, say three and a half bucks a gallon.
That was twenty two thousand five hundred dollars, four or five years ago, and now that same load of fuel coming in with eight thousand or nine thousand gallons on it.
It is almost upwards of ninety thousand dollars now and how do we keep up with this, right?
So, you know, I'm really happy that we are trying to drive a new business in and we're trying to raise our.
Our increase in revenue from promoting business and getting business friendly, but I just don't.
I don't see how these are all just bandies on a broken leg right now.
I'm just really concerned for our city right now.
You know, I don't want to see our parks starting to turn brown because we have to turn to water off because we can't mow there anymore and impact.
Homeless and the impact of more people that can't afford to live and all of these things.
So, we have to find resources and find ways to bring more money into the city and I applaud all of our department heads.
I have all of our staff that have done a really good job in the reductions.
You know, and I was, you know, I'm a kind of guy that's, you know, just always fiscally mindful of, you know, our taxpayers money.
You know, and but watching for the last two and a half year and a half that I've been on city council.
I've watched everybody tighten their belts and doing a lot with a little.
And so I just applaud everybody and just on board with trying to help with the solutions that.
And basically, we just need to figure out how to get more money into our city.
My final comment last year I said questions for me.
You know, I rambled on a poll.
I've sat around this our department heads and we've, we've done everything we can.
You know, we have cut where we can cut.
We have done based on what our city manager wanted us to do is, you know, let's figure out a way to do this together.
And they have come together and they have, they have presented to you what they can, what they can do.
And so we are now at a point where we have to figure out as a city what's next.
Yeah.
And becoming a united city is, is what we do best.
And it's time.
Thanks, Chief.
Thank you.
Councilor Stalkney, another question.
Yeah.
I had a question for.
So, Chief for now.
Chief for now.
Sorry to call you on the spot.
But it's the same question.
Medic 72 is in the heart of our city.
It's closest to probably some of the.
More senior neighborhoods in our community.
And it's it's being ground out right now.
How much money is needed if you know.
And in order for us to reopen that.
And then a sub question of that if it's related to staffing.
Or a combination of the two.
Will the recruit academy with the eight people.
Give us any hope of whether or not 72 might be able that that ambulance might be able to be reopened.
Yeah, thank you for the question.
Currently we're.
We're projected to.
Be at that type that 2.5% reduction.
It's about ninety seven thousand dollars and overtime costs that we're saving a month.
By having medic 72 browned out is just over a million dollars.
In the cost savings for the year.
To have medic 72 browned out.
So that's what we'd be looking at to bring back a possible.
The staffing level with those recruits that are they're coming out.
We would be able to staff back up.
We would be able to do that at 72 with that but again it's it's just like what she pulling was saying.
We have to unite we have to be able to define the funding to be able to upstaff it again.
The personnel will will be there with the academy graduation.
But we really need to be able to have the money really back to upstaff the medic unit.
Okay, and then I got to talk a little bit about fleet with these two gentlemen.
I know that that was something that we've talked about extensively.
As far as your fleet goes, are you able to meet the needs of the city as it stands or we still.
Behind with with some of the units and apparatus that you need just like the team presented.
Jake has it as the majority of our fleet is in the green we.
We were able to make a acquisition of a used fire engine that kind of bridge the gap from several of our units that were that were down.
We do have some peer sentient companies that are on order that the council has approved as to be able to purchase as well as a truck company.
So our fleet within the next three to four years is going to be in that green completely for the fire department.
And we should be able to operate without any kind of issues and hopefully we can continue to to get that budget allocation you know up to the what the matrix study said.
So currently budget at 700,000 so our gap in the fire department is about 500,000 right now in our fleet.
You know the questions.
It's all I have for the chief.
I have some perspective and I'll let other people talk.
Thank you.
All right.
Any other questions from the council.
All right.
We have any.
Large job providing revenue generating businesses in the pipeline or that we are actively talking to to try to.
Assist with some of this budgetary shortfall that we can discuss with the public.
I have to check with the city attorneys I give me a minute.
So there were a few items that are in the pipeline.
I don't think we can discuss all of the details because we'll have to go through the closed session process.
But yes, there is interest in some property purchases that are we're looking at.
We're also negotiating with you know the premium outlets.
We're working with tower investment that manages our nutry.
They are also looking at attracting some businesses.
We're developing a new economic development strategy.
As of my monthly update I at the end of every month that I share with the council.
I share the story map that we have started generating.
Not only for retail but also for different types of industry.
We mapped out all of our business parks based on the sales tax data.
So now we have a clear data on where we're having or seeing increases and where we're seeing the downside.
So for example and that's something I can share like our golden hills business park.
Had a reduction of almost 20% in their sales tax versus our downtown saw an increase of 4.3%.
We also implemented a new software called co-star which has given more tools to our community and economic development director.
And the team and then they can not only look at what the properties are available for the city but also at all of the real estate data.
That we can publish on this story map once it's finalized so that would show in a particular business area which properties available for sale.
We have also done extensive research on for example our outlets are number 77 in the nation and number 65 in California.
And they are making or generating twice the sales tax in comparison to federal, legal, rural and false and outlets.
So we are collecting a lot of this data that would help us market our city help us have a data informed decision making.
But that's the extent to the information that I can share publicly at this time.
But I'm more than happy to discuss a few things as they come up in the close session.
Okay. Thank you. And the last thing I wanted to do is just to thank you. I know that this is never a topic that anybody wants to deal with.
And I just know that you have really approached this with a very collaborative effort.
I know that you and the directors of these different departments have worked and analyzed everything and come up with whatever you could come up with to try to maintain the essential services that we exist to provide.
While making some really difficult decisions about how we move forward and we do that.
And so I just wanted to thank you city manager and I wanted to thank all of the staff that was involved in this.
I know that this is a lot. It's a lot for us to process as well.
And I know we have a lot of questions, sorry, fleet people.
But I really do appreciate all the effort that went into providing this analysis.
I know when we did our last budget session we looked at to what two and a half percent looked like.
We looked at what five percent looked like. And it sounds like the city is still going after businesses doing our best to kind of maintain what we have now.
And then looking at whatever we can do in the future to try to better our situation.
And so I just wanted to thank everybody and staff under your leadership city manager for everything that you're doing.
I appreciate that and in the closing statement I would like to recognize our staff because as you know chief mentioned we have gone through extensive process since January.
In preparing and analyzing all of the data presenting this budget.
And the decision that we discussed this evening I would say these are more than just budgets and projects for us.
These are the investments that the city provides in services infrastructure or maintaining the quality of life for our residents so it really means a lot to us.
It takes a long time to come up with reductions because we have to evaluate how we can continue to maintain those services and quality of life for our residents while reducing budget and impacting our decision making process.
And in addition to that I also want to thank our council and our community members because we did go through a lot of participatory and collective feedback through this budget cycle.
And also collected a lot of data and defining our new strategic plan.
So I think that strategic plan will also define our parties for the next three years.
So really looking forward to advancing all of those parties and thanks to everyone.
Yeah, thank you.
Yes.
So if I woke up tomorrow morning city matters of chatter and my dreams came true and all the things that.
All the people in this room are working on right now and economic development to bring new businesses in.
If I woke up tomorrow morning and those businesses were starting tomorrow and going to start working in January business.
How much would that cut into our deficit I mean we have a $9 million deficit right now would it affect it my half.
25% I'm not going to hold you to the number of course but I'm just wondering.
I'm I'm just trying to really get a handle on where we out is a city and I know that everybody that's on the city council is.
We all want the same thing economic development a good tax base that.
I don't think there's any year and t's on economic development we always make efforts and try to attract different industries.
As you saw in our community economic development director's presentation.
We are going to start looking at incentive programs.
We're going to start looking at different industries and retail.
We can attract them but those are traction efforts like as part of our leadership program.
One of the group projects would be how to market city of back of the better it will be all marketing strategy which are public relations manager.
As part of our leadership program.
One of the group projects would be how to market city of back of the better it will be all marketing strategy which are public relations manager.
Joanna as well as our community economic development director.
Erin and Amanda are new.
We're going to be guiding the team. We're going to work with businesses and identifying what the needs are, how we can market ourselves better.
But to give a hypothetical example for a typical restaurant, it brings about $8 to $10,000 in additional revenue to the city.
A typical gas station brings about $20 to $25,000 in revenue on an animal basis.
A typical store like Home Depot or one of our higher top 10 or 25 businesses, they will bring anywhere from, I would say, $100,000 to $200,000.
So it depends on the business, it depends on the market, and again we can't control the economics, what is happening politically, but we are doing our best effort to attract businesses and looking at all different types of businesses.
I applaud you.
Thank you.
I'm just checking with Vice Mayor.
Silvia, are you there?
I think the main thing kind of is going to help from our doctors point.
I think we really need to dig in to look at what we can do.
We circulate our funds back more than just not in our city, but in the region.
And you know, a lot more practice now, you're in the economic development, you know, all the other questions.
Yeah, thank you.
To be officially I will open this up to the public for any comment because I've not done that yet.
Seeing that I'll bring it back and I'll just add my final thanks to staff thanks to our city manager as you're approaching your first year you stepped in.
But I applaud the team for pulling together.
It's not an easy thing to do.
Having been on staff during difficult years, it's a challenge to start and say where you cut.
And what services do you give up?
And for me personally, I remember starting crew.
It's hard to see something that you know is very supportive and very powerful and very effective.
But at the same time, I also, I can appreciate every department trying to figure this out.
And so thank you for working together as a leadership team, but also the team behind you.
Because if you aren't working within your department to get this done, what you're presenting along with our city manager,
you wouldn't be a full package on how we're going to step into this next year.
We know that we're in a structural deficit.
We know that we're in a fiscal deficit.
I can see through all these presentations, the rigorous effort and I think the entire council can see that.
So thank you.
Appreciate it.
Before we wrap up, I would really like to acknowledge our finance department.
Yes, we all worked a lot, but they worked.
I would say tenfold of what everybody else worked on.
So we couldn't have done collectively without their efforts.
I mean, they did spend lots of weekend hours doing this work.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Councilor Richie.
Sorry.
It's hard on the mother's office.
Well, just if you go ahead.
Sorry, I'm going to turn.
I've just sat here and listened pretty passionately to everyone.
It's been amazing.
The hard work you guys did all year.
I feel like it's trying to take a perfect circle.
It's not too hard to figure it out.
Can't really mess it up.
It's like metaphorically.
We're grabbing sand their hands.
But you guys are going to grab it.
You're holding on to it.
It's going to slip away.
And that's what the answer is.
We've got to grow or die.
We've got to create revenue.
You have to do an amazing job to find cuts.
I find ways to make this work better more efficiently and less with more.
But if we don't come to rationality that we don't grow, we're going to die.
We're going to run the group of cities.
Newport and below.
We need to grow.
We need to create revenue through a business.
We come to development and just revenue creation.
If we spend all our time like ostriches that head to sand, trying to find that worm.
And we've got to figure out, look up.
We need to face reality.
We need to create revenue.
We can only cut so much before we go extinct.
We have to create revenue.
We're going to perish.
I think the passionate presentation we had to meet everything I heard was very redundant.
It's very kitsky, simple stupid.
We have to raise revenue.
Or else we're going to fail.
I think you have done an amazing job to work that we have.
But we need more.
And so I think it's a very good development job.
I think it's a job.
Great revenue.
I can't wait to knit the next item.
Yeah.
Thank you.
All right.
We'll go ahead and move forward to our next item.
Madam Cityvert.
So item 12B is an informational update on voter survey results.
And resolution directing in the city manager to return with an ordinance and
posing a 1% transaction and use tax for consideration at the June 23rd.
City Council meeting and Assistant City Manager.
George Annemaker Smith is here to make a presentation.
Good evening, Mayor.
Vice Mayor and Council as Michelle mentioned.
We're here tonight to share the results of a tracking poll.
We recently did.
And the Ask Council direction.
Ask for Council direction on bringing back a sales tax ordinance at the June 23rd meeting.
We're trying something new tonight with having our consultant on Zoom.
We're not seeing him.
So I'm not sure he's there.
Adam are you there.
All right.
Give me just a second.
Let's see if we can get him on.
Coring.
Any help?
I don't.
I'm here with you.
Do you hear me?
I don't see you.
But I can hear you.
So that's great.
Okay.
So tonight I have Adam Rebelsky from Babelsky Research on the Zoom.
We're on the line.
And who will be walking you through the poll results.
And we also have William Berry, a William Berry campaigns in the audience to answer any questions you might have.
I have a few background slides to frame the conversation.
And then we'll jump into the poll results.
So as the budget team has been sharing with you quarterly and through this budget process,
the city has a structural budget deficit of $11 million.
This is an improvement.
If any of the community members had been to some of the community meetings we've done.
We were talking 12, 12 million.
So there's a little bit of improvement there.
Due to property taxes.
And I think it's important to note that we didn't jump right to considering a sales tax measure.
We've been working to address the budget with program and department reductions as you've just heard,
which in some cases means we froze in our delayed positions.
We haven't included CPI in the current or next year's budget for supplies.
We've deferred maintenance and we've looked at other ways to generate revenue.
The reductions that we've been talking about have amounted to do about $9 million for the current fiscal year.
So looking at the timeline, staff presented and received direction from council on issuing an RFP for voter opinion and public education services.
We selected and hired consultants and presented the results from the initial statistically valid poll of likely voters in February.
Based on those results, council did direct staff to begin a community education and outreach effort on a possible one since sales tax measure.
From February council meeting to now, we've been working to share information with the community and a variety of ways.
One of the key ways we've done that is by creating a website called choosing a path.net, a successful right from the city's home webpage.
The choosing a path website includes data on the sees budget, both general fund and revenues, a budget forecast.
It also includes a link to the city's financial transparency portal and information on measure in.
It also has links to all of the city council staff reports and presentations on cost safety measures.
Of course, funds from the city manager, police chief and fire chief and slide decks and recordings from our community meetings.
Only ask questions are there as well and a link to a community questionnaire that we've been trying to generate some input and feedback from the community on their thoughts on this.
So our goal was really to meet people where they are and we held a hybrid town hall meeting on a possible sales tax measure in the city's financial situation to offer a remote opportunity for those that prefer that option.
We also held 12 community meetings with two in each district on different days and times to try and provide an opportunity that worked for anyone who is interested in coming.
We also met with local organizations and we're willing to meet with others as well.
The city manager and police chief also did a podcast with the community group and we've also shared information through the city's newsletter, emails to residents and social media.
So even with all of those efforts, you'll hear from Adam shortly that we really didn't reach as many people as we'd hope it's really hard to reach people these days everybody gets their information in a variety of places.
And so with that I will turn it to over to Adam Probelsky to walk us through the poll results.
Okay, thank you very much.
You can go to the slide that you're perfectly fine.
What I'll say is this is a very typical process.
You are unique.
The process we went through to get here is very typical for every city in California that goes through situations where they need to revenue and go through a process of looking for new revenue and see if the public was supported.
So very, very typical process. The poll is very similar to the original poll we did, where we talked to 400 people.
Again, for context, state wide we do about 900, so we're a thousand.
So very robust for a city that you have your size.
8% of your likely voters, which is who we talked to, chose to talk to us in Spanish.
And we talked to people on the telephone, landline mobile, and then most people, of course, talk to us online with a to an email or a text and went through the survey.
So with that, let's get to some of the numbers here.
First off, we asked them, you know, open in the question, what's top of mind, what's the top issue.
And the key there is nothing dramatically stands out.
Nothing that is, is off the charts.
It's really just kind of disparate all throughout.
So that, I think, is more telling than you know, I wouldn't read too much into these numbers because they're really small.
Moving forward to the next slide, we asked the question about overall quality of license back about 99%, right?
Everybody said that if you're good or fair, and we don't put a value judgment on fair, so it's really, really strong.
And this is not normal.
People are very, very appreciative of the life they get to live in down.
So really strong numbers, and that's increased since we blasted the survey.
All right, we can go to next.
And we talk about satisfaction with the services the city provides.
We really, really strong numbers, and I'm going to keep saying that.
But, you know, these numbers could be 40, 50, 60%.
Like your peers, and it would still be good, but you are really in a dramatically different position.
The numbers are much stronger for your city.
And again, those numbers improved since the last time we took the poll last year.
We can keep going to another really positive number.
Fire gets a really strong satisfaction rating in, you know, 80% plus.
And very few people.
The one thing we look at is that delta between the unsatisfied and satisfied, and it's a powering number.
So really strong numbers.
We'll keep going and we'll see next at police.
Similar numbers, 76% small number of people who are really happy for whatever reason.
Next, we can go to public works.
Great, 79%.
Again, not really normal, because most of the time cops and firefighters have a much greater advantage
when it comes to these kind of numbers.
But not true in back and out.
You've got, you know, public works is right up there.
They can pat themselves on the back.
Next, we have partial recreation, even better than everybody else, in a really strong position.
They're really happy what you're doing there.
Numbers improved since last time.
So preparing for emergencies, a little bit less of a number still a really strong majority.
Why are we not so strong?
And we have gone up because you've talked to them about what you're doing.
But there's a big group of unsure because they're just not, you know, context for it.
They're not following it, they're not paying attention.
And that's okay.
But you definitely have improved those numbers since last year because you've been talking about your work and what you're doing.
And then we asked if they agree or disagree with the fact that you managed to taxpayer money responsibly.
Here we have what we call mixed numbers.
You have a plurality that agree.
And that number has improved a little bit.
That is being depressed by kind of that national narrative that's being told to us from the right end of the left.
It doesn't really matter what media you're consuming.
That thing that government isn't doing a good job.
And that's really reflective of that national concern.
It really isn't local, but it's affecting all of us, even on the local level.
But still, you have a plurality that agree that you're doing a good job managing taxpayer money responsibly.
All right.
Next we can look at another degree this is a re-saving that the city has transparent in how you operate and spend taxpayer money.
Again, your numbers here really impressively have crossed have improved.
And I know maybe it doesn't feel so good to have less than the majority saying may agree.
And a big group of people saying you disagree.
But this is evidence that the conversations you've been having are getting through to some degree.
They are understanding that you are being very...
Open with how you talk about your budget and your process and your expenses. They are right here telling us they appreciate that. That number is really dramatically improved since 2025.
And then another degree of degree statement, we say that it's smarter to pay for things now, making the structure, rather than later, because it's going to cost more later.
The clear idea that inflation is going to make those costs go on. And this is a very clear message that they truly understand.
If you make those expenditures today, that are going to last 50 years, 100 years of whatever infrastructure building, they understand that that better.
And so numbers are very similar to past years, a really strong compelling piece you can make.
All right. The city is facing a budget deficit, and making cuts, but you still need more funds to maintain services.
Here again, a very clear indicator that your message is getting through, you are not in any way advocating for a boat, there is no election anyway.
But more importantly, you're just telling the community about what the needs are, and how you hope to accomplish it, what you could accomplish with more revenue potentially.
And they are really getting that message as a strong, strong message coming through to that.
All right. And here's where we ask the question.
And this is the mock ballot question. Essentially, what is very close to what your voters would see, what you would all see, sitting in your kitchen table as you're filling out your ballot or if you go to the voting booth you see on the screen or on the paper.
And we asked the question about the sales tax measure, and we give details about what you could accomplish with it, of course, and other general things.
And you have a morality support at 47%, similar to the previous survey, up just a bit, and similar to the people who say no, you still have about 12% who are unsure.
And we can go to some messages that we test.
And here we say that, you know, every dollar generates this tax is going to stay in, in Dr. Hill, the county can't take it, the state can't take it.
And this is moving to people 55% are more likely to be supportive, having this understanding that those money are yours, and nobody else gets to take it.
If we go to the next message, we have another message that moves people to be more supportive, 52% more likely, knowing that the measure would require independence, oversight, and mandatory financial audits, and nearly reporting.
All the things that you would naturally do, but you're expressing that overtly, that you are going to be very open in everything you do, they're appreciating that significantly.
All right. Next, we tell them that the self-examperature given down to us, there may be some consequences, real consequences, with services, and we kind of detail some of those.
This is less, less compelling, the idea of losing something is oftentimes a big motivator. In this case, we didn't find that entirely, and so this is not necessarily something that's going to be so compelling.
It's certainly something you'd want to talk about and explain, because that's transparency, but the truth is it's not like a big compelling message that's going to move people necessarily.
But it is more compelling to the yes side than this in the no-size.
All right, and then 36% or more likely to know, knowing about the self-tax limit, so the idea that there's this limit to where you could potentially go, and if another agency goes and grabs that,
the ability to tax, it restricts your ability, they are not buying it. It's just not interesting or compelling, or that message is hard to understand, probably, because most of us are not spending much of our time talking about taxes and tax policy.
So, not one that's really going to be part of your conversation that's really not really too relevant to the voters.
Another one that is, because we have to kind of test what the real world could look like, we talk about the fact that you're reading costs to people, at a time where gas and groceries and all these other things are higher, not that you know, then utility, utilities are all higher, that this might be the wrong time to do it.
And this is kind of a statement that you may hear out there in the public, anyone in the voter to come out and say, you know, this just doesn't feel right.
And that is, you know, significant to people, 49%, more likely to be able to know hearing that, but not as significant as some of those messages that can help people go, yes, okay.
So, here you're going to see that line up, where it's, you know, 5% and 50% and some of those numbers that can help people to be more supportive.
And then that one message that is a little around there of what people like to say negatively and how that might impact the vote.
So, more messages on the positive side really are more compelling.
Next, we retest, we asked the question again, and we can't get the same answer.
We basically have a plurality and we still have a significant number of people who are unsure.
And in the world of statistics, we would tend to allocate those unsure proportionally to the different areas.
And so you would probably see a majority voting yes, but it is close together.
And here we, we end up with a message where before those questions were things that people mostly don't talk about.
They don't talk about tax policy necessarily, they're not talking about things like that on a radio or basis.
This is what we do, the conversation that people might have is they're pulling their garage, their garbage can down to the curb, you know, two neighbors.
You know, Gomez says, you know, that, you know, the future is places, places I want to live.
This is what we can do with more money, I'm okay spending a little bit more money.
And then, Duran says, you know, the opposite.
And Duran does get a little bit more support than think of as that.
And so, the idea here is we do identify some weakness and some need to continue outreach on the subject.
Okay, we ask about choosing a path.
And you have adoption, right, you have 32% or more likely to vote you have or recognizing of the brand.
So, you know, that I think again, you might feel like you wish that number was bigger, but you don't have the marketing budget that, you know, a big corporation tab.
And so, your outreach and your conversation with the public has reached a good number of people, most of 30 population, just not the majority.
And I'll quickly speak to this, you know, I want to make sure, but you understand, we didn't talk to residents, your census make up.
We didn't even talk to voters, which is kind of a very, you know, a smaller group and more finite group.
We talk to likely voters, people who we expect is the, almost the secret sauce of what me and and build very do.
As consultants, we kind of identify who is likely to turn out.
And so that's what this profile is people we expect to turn out.
That's why you're going to see differentiation between council district or, you know, make see a different profile of residents that looks a little bit different.
You know, because these are finite group of likely voters.
And I know that with a lot of data, so I'm happy right now to take questions.
I know Bill is there to kind of take it from here and speak to the data and his impression.
And certainly going forward, we are on team to get you whatever you need.
Yeah, thank you.
So just the final slide is really the recommendation, which is to receive the presentation on the voter survey results and provide direction to staff to return with an ordinance and posing a 1%
Transex and then use tax also known as the sales tax for consideration of the June 23rd, 2026 the council meeting.
And we've gotten some questions about, you know, why 1% why not half a percent just wanted to point out a 1% sales tax is expected to generate approximately 28 million dollars annually.
So it would not only address our current structural deficit and that also provided additional revenue to help me ongoing service infrastructure and really long term and financial obligations.
Yeah, thank you for the presentation.
I'm going to go ahead and open up to the public for any comment.
And seeing them, I'll bring it back for any comments from the council.
I want to help I'll start off by saying I know when this whole process started.
This was okay, what do we know and having lived through a structural deficit in my my prior career on staff.
It's important to know what the details are and I believe what we've seen it's been projected for the last several years.
Where we have been deficit spending but what we have done as a council policy is initially just some careful monitoring of our five year projections.
And I know what we have seen the last, you know, two to three years is revenues are flat and I think some of the presentations and even having attended.
One of the community meetings raised really good questions, but I was also very impressed with watching our our team and staff actually make the case for where we're at part of this is.
And unfortunately a national narrative that do do we trust government to be spending our dollars wisely.
And then secondly, is there is there is there there towards is there money that's not being spent wisely.
I can appreciate having been on staff and also what it means to come forward with a budget and looking at every dollar every employee, every service.
And there isn't any other funds, there's there just there just there just isn't we talk a lot about looking for grants we certainly have focused and I've heard this council speak about.
Economic development and so I do appreciate it's easy start looking at well one business will equate to what.
Even if you had that tomorrow and I said it previously we have we have a current fiscal deficit that we also have a structural deficit with the shift of the cost of government that isn't changing anytime soon.
And I know when this came to council last year and it was a discussion about what would our options be.
I appreciated that we hired the consultants that we did and to perform the surveys and also to understand what our community might expect or what do they understand.
And so I mean for that reason I I see it here today because I've often said it raising raising a tax should never be a first it should always generally be a last resort.
We had previous discussions tonight on CIP on fleet there the I can I can appreciate respect the fact that if all these things have gone up in price and there's there's no way to meet that objective.
And as much as we are about as aggressive as any city in this county and beyond in trying to attract economic development it doesn't change the bottom line the same way as a you know as a my own personal life or anyone who's running a business would look at this and say well what are we going to do.
So right now we're we're basically just getting by and it isn't it's a short term response it's not a long term solution and we're finally here so I appreciate the work that's gone into this.
You know I for one believe that it's time for this to go to the community they the choose your path it looks like not everybody knows it maybe looks like there's going to be in my estimation.
Some clear messaging but that's what a that's what a tax measure is once it's put on the ballot.
I am in support of putting it on the ballot I do believe that the people should be able to be.
Critical but also believe that they should get to decide because the this is a real corporation facing real deficits and there's there's no more revenue out there.
And so for that I just want to say thank you to staff for getting to this point it's not easy and it's certainly not easy trying to convince the public.
When there's state and federal narratives that don't necessarily show your your local budget but we're here locally and this is a local would be a local measure and I believe that we've been as transparent as we possibly can.
And unfortunately there are times when the community is just not involved and I do agree that half the time people are not interested until it's a crisis and that's just the reality and people people are caught.
I think the survey, you can go ahead and hit the lights, or I can't control it.
Hit the light? There we go. The survey was good, but I think the survey misses a lot.
Not anything bad on you, sir. It was done well. Thank you.
But I think other important surveys are ones that we can all ask ourselves.
Aging population in back of ill. And the average cost I believe of this is around $500.
A household is that sound about correct?
Yeah, it's about $550 to $650.
I know that there's a lot of people that are struggling just to make ends meet right now.
I don't take that lightly, but there are other questions that I would ask of myself.
That would be questions like a couple of years ago.
Some don't mean, you know, kind of chased my wife down the street and she was scared.
And yelling, you know, get out here and she ran to a house.
I'm knocked on the door and they called back of ill police and they responded immediately.
The guy got away, but eventually they caught a couple hours later across town out of Starbucks, harassing young girls at the high school.
But what's that worth to get great responses like that from our first responders or your house is on fire or your kid is choking on a marble.
And, you know, if we have a decline in services or just all the problems that happened that all these different departments work with like you got a bad neighbor.
And, you know, maybe it's a drug house and you got problems and you don't know what to do and you call and we have a community that responds to that.
So I guess I would ask the people that don't want to spend the extra $500.
What would it take for you to spend that $500 would be a loss of a loved one, would it be the loss of a child or would it be a stroke that maybe it took a little bit longer to get our first responders there or would it be a really bad neighbor that you can't handle without the help of the city.
There's questions like this that I think are far more important than some of the other questions that were asked not that they're not important not that they're.
But I know that there's like myself I'm getting a little bit older and I want to know that you know some years down the road when call goes out that I'm going to be taking care of and it's not just that.
I've got I've got kids I've got I got a kid in high school I've got a daughter this 18 years old and.
The community they're going to move up the safety of our community.
The the my kids spend a lot of time at the parks playing basketball my kids spend time at the parks they they're out in the community they're involved in the community.
And to have safety for my children and to have good parks for my kids to go to and to have.
A structure community that that we can rely on so I guess it goes to me is if something goes really bad and it was preventable.
What wouldn't I pay would it be.
Would it be a hundred thousand would it be a million would it be a hundred bucks what would it be I guess it depends on the severity of whatever it is that I was dealing with at the time.
But I am I am.
Very cognizant again of people that can't afford another five hundred dollars right now, but.
But I'm also really happy with the city that I live in.
The response from.
All that makes our community all the different departments that make our community and all the money that is spent you know and and we're so intertwined with.
What the state tells us we have to do and spend money on the county.
The federal government you know and it's and it's a big it's a big ball it's a big it's a big mess you know but we are where we're at and so I'm.
I'm in favor of moving this forward and let the people decide what they want to do I just know that I love back a bill I love.
Our community I think we provide great services to our community and I'm willing to do anything I can to support.
To get the ship off of the sand bar.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I just listening to.
Mayor Carley in a council and free mouth speak it can actually by passions and he actually.
We haven't we didn't talk ahead.
But.
It reminded remind me something that you guys probably don't remember but nine months ago I just like broke down start crying and I ran out.
And that's something I think either think Mayor Carley is a trust and government there's lack of it there is.
But we have a huge expectation in the back of public safety at the back of public works and back of the first spot and it's like there's a lack of trust and government.
I'm telling you why every day and back of all.
We have this conscience or subconscious.
Super high expectation in our impact of it and what the national narrative is not the faculty narrative like we expect the best we expect this and I think a lot of people don't realize.
How much we take for granted.
I mean.
Living in one sandals I realized like I.
Had to raise that here.
Just run brother safe because they're writing down in street and I know.
Bobby speedy when you get there they're not they want to get there in time they don't have the responsibility like I know exactly where we are where we have and I and tell you.
And tell you truly understand that I think a lot of people have this false.
All perception I don't realize how good we have it.
Like, just like three-scope, my dad passed out fell, crashed to an island, pet smart.
I mean, the faculty permanors are so fast that he's already in the room at North Bay.
They probably take him in two-day of a grant, I mean, like, the speed, the speed is amazing.
And like, that just doesn't have an asset, it's practice, practice, practice, and professionals.
Like, my dad, my dad is an older, he's starting to have some of my dimension issues, now it's holding a story.
But I, I'm seeing too much now the level of service in the quality that we expect.
And I know that, you know, once that leaves, the certain things happen, like, once they realize we're understaffed, we're underpreciated, we lose our response time.
Like, people are going to like, pray on us as a soft target.
Like, I know it's going to happen, and it's like, we've an amazing city, the pit counts below, like, it's going to take a hard time to get it back to this level, if we slip.
And I don't, I don't pay a dime more, I mean, I'm in a rural state, but I don't pay anything more, but I know the cost of not is greater than the cost of not doing it.
Because I will find a way to, for the, for the, for the great to go to my family, like, I made a comment to think cheap whole Monday, like, I'm going to have us all day down town.
I never worry about my son, ride around as a bike, my daughter, I mean, like a young black male, and back to film, and being profiled, or getting, you know, I, that is something that is very unique, I know the public safety here are amazing people.
Like, there are certain things that the level of service from this chief to this chief, who they hire in the city matters too, it's not just like, I mean, this, the level of standard, it just, it's more than just something on a piece of paper, like, I never had that feeling, I'm being worried, I'm going to have some, I guess, because I know the people in the uniform are amazing, because we, because we make sure that we hold into a standard, it's like, this, me is,
this is so serious, and we have, we don't find the way to keep this around the, is it, it's like cancer is harder rid of, once it once,
problem said him, like, I, I, that's one, really think it's better than just raising expenses, it's keeping what we have, cold.
Councilmember Stockton.
I don't want to use, like, scare tactics to talk about this, and I know a lot of us and a lot of our community have huge expectations.
But I think what we really need to do is give people realistic expectations, and I think that's what we've kind of started to do tonight by addressing kind of the status of where we're at what we've done.
A two and a half percent reduction, a legislative platform to address anti-business issues happening at the state level.
I think everybody up here recognizes that gas prices are up, electrical costs are up, water went up, groceries are up, and we have a lot of people living on fixed incomes are living paycheck to paycheck.
But I do think that the people in back of it live here for a reason and a lot of that is based upon the quality of life here and a lot of that quality of life here is because of the people in this room that talked to us today about how they're going to cut their departments to an 1% just to sustain what they're doing.
So while I'm all for giving the community, you know, the option to decide whether this is the direction that they want to go.
I think that we owe it to them to make sure we're giving them realistic expectations about what it looks like for a yes or no to approve or to approve a tax measure if that's what the council decides.
But I also want to make sure that we're.
That we're being sensitive to some of the folks that that this really is going to impact I don't I'm not a millionaire out make a million dollars.
I work full time job. This is something I do on the side and there are a lot of people that are struggling.
And so I hear things like grant funding that's just a synonym for taxpayer funding right so I I really have a lot of concern about whether or not this is going to pass and I guess my next question for staff because I believe that you've given us some realistic expectations about what we can expect if we have to continue with the reductions.
Is what assurances what realistic assurances can we give the public that this money if they do decide to invest in vacabill is going to be spent responsibly.
Right what what what what does that look like because right now you know we talk about oversight but what does that look like how how how do we know that that is going to be as transparent or more transparent than what we experience measure and.
I think people deserve to have those answers before they make this decision because the reality is this is a general fund sales tax this is not a special sales tax because it would require higher percent.
And I think there's an education component and one of the things in the survey that is glaring to me is the fact that they're talking about how there's a there's a lack of understanding when it comes to the 10% sales tax.
Right and there are other entities of the county just talked about a tax measure other other groups like you know a bag the association of air governments are talking about tax incentives and we're at I think it's 8.125% right now if those other if those other entities.
Let's look at the association of Bay Area governments there we're one of nine Bay Area counties if every Solano County voter voted no but the other eight counties.
Had a vast majority to get over that threshold to impose the tax on us they would get that money.
And if that brought us all the way up to that cap we couldn't even go to our voters to ask for more money and we'd have no control over the money that what they did with the money that they took and that's just one group the counties and other group there's.
Infrastructure needs I can see something like that popping up and I don't know if they will will no very soon I think but we have to make a decision about whether we want to provide this opportunity to our community.
I think it'd be irresponsible not to provide them with that opportunity but I think that we need to also recognize that what we are looking at is a general fund sales tax.
Which means that the seven people up here are going to decide how that money gets spent so how do we make sure it doesn't get wasted or used irresponsibly is maybe a better word.
Those provisions need to be crystal clear to the community if they're going to consider doing this because everybody is hurry.
And not everybody can can bear what what this 1% is as easily as other people and so I guess I guess moving forward I'm asking for some really clear expectations about what that would look like so that voters and our community members that are going to vote on this can actually make.
Good decision not based on fear but based on realistic expectations.
So that's that's that's my ask to our city manager would you like to comment.
Yeah sure to address the communities concerned.
So our staff community and as council has provided a lot of great feedback when we did the focus groups back in November we collected data from everybody saying if you know we consider this.
This possible sales tax how would you like to spend your money and we give them four different categories.
This infrastructure community programs, internal service funds, and addressing our long-term fiscal
liabilities around our retirement's and pensions. And the community rated, and at certain tables,
each, if there are eight community members, each one of them rated, at certain tables, only one average was collected.
And then as we collected the data, then we had a city council, strategic planning session, and we requested all of you to vote,
and rate. And there was a gap of one percent between what community expected and what the council expected.
For example, for infrastructure communities, number was 34 percent, and council was 35 percent.
So we took all of that data and presented it to the council. I don't remember the exact council meeting date, but I think it was some time in February or March, where we adopted a new general fund reserve policy.
So if this tax measure were to pass and, you know, in that scenario, how would the city spend the money? And that's how we have categorized it.
The other step we have taken is as part of our city council, the strategic plan that we're adopting.
Some of those infrastructure projects are included in the plan, such as, you know, we require major upgrades on our fire stations.
We require many capital improvement projects across the city. So those are listed in there. Those would be again coming back to the council for prioritization.
So that's how we are addressing it at this time. We can't talk too much about it because, you know, we have to go through and keep our election guidelines in mind.
But we have taken steps. We will be looking at an oversight committee, typically based on, you know, looking at how other cities manage it.
So the oversight committee is typically compromised of three to five individuals that have some financial background.
And then they meet with your finance team, finance team will provide them how the tax measure language was, how we're spending that.
And then that independent oversight committee provides, basically, they meet on a quarterly basis and then they provide an annual report.
Again, the sales tax stays local. Our job is to provide factual and information to the community members. We can't either support or say anything in.
If it comes across as advocacy, so we can do that. But those are some of the steps we have taken.
I'm happy to answer any questions.
I'm not vice mayor. Are you on the line?
So.
I have to be looking for a comment or somebody else coming in.
Yeah, I'm going to be looking for everyone's comment at some point, but I just wanted to check in with you.
So I just appreciate your latest comments and different perspectives.
One thing I really want to add, I mean, I agree with a lot of what everybody said with some exceptions.
I think that it's important to know for everybody that I think we have to be very cognizant for us as elected.
We have to be very cognizant of what we put out there, what we can put out there, something was mentioned about profiling.
We still continue to see that within our community, even if somebody is an elected official.
I mean, you know, we're talking about it. How when will you generate revenue of how we take that reinvest in our communities?
We need to hold ourselves accountable to that and how we support each other and really show that when we when we all contribute to this pod.
This pod and itself is something that can go back and help address the different inequities that exist in our community.
While maintaining the quality of life that we all benefit from that, that's really on my comment. Thank you.
Any other comments?
Yeah, Councilor Chairman.
Thank you.
We've heard mentioned of the quality of life and we all, I'm going to make a statement that generals generalizing here at that.
Each of us have used the term quality of life and we each have our own definition or meaning conception of quality of life and what it actually.
What it actually means to us and hopefully we are rendering and making certain that the residents that we are offering them a great quality of life.
Whether that's meeting their basic needs, mental, physical, and finding economic in essence when we talk about safety.
When we're like the city manager was just mentioning, you can't go into detail right now as to what will be offered through this increase through throughout our ask of this one percent.
It will be revealed and writing if we as the council decide to move forward, let's say, yes, put this on the ballot. Making a ballot, not measure.
About all else we always put safety, safety first, safety of what does that mean for each of the residents to feel safe.
I've heard so many things.
It's to how people define safe. You've expressed about what Nancy, your wife, it's going through.
To feel safe knowing that the first responders going to get there in time to save one of my children or my husband or come to my need.
So, safe walking down the street, safely something different to each of us.
Where I'm going with this is from the survey and we have learned, even though it was very lengthy, but transparency.
And that's been around a long time and I feel that we have improved, we have improved and being transparent with the implementation of our PI, our public information department.
We're utilizing all means to communicate now to the community that is critical and I don't know if they understand what it has taken for the city.
That's ought to be transparent, but it's important to be able to communicate.
So, with that being said, times are very hard right now.
And to ask, to go into your pocket, we only need to increase my one percent.
For each of us we can say, what's one percent? You've even given the figures.
Can you give a $500 to a household right now? Who is wondering whether or not they're going to have a roof over there here tomorrow?
Someone has mentioned our age and community.
They, the pinch is later.
We are living a new norm since COVID, it was saying, no one knew what that norm was going to look like.
Right now, here I'm giving it a call to vote, California, how expensive we are with the highest state.
Cost of living state right now next to New York.
So, it's going to be a tough decision. I'm going to support putting the amount of the mission on the ballot.
We need to hear from the people. It's going to be close.
If it has at all. If it has at all, it's going to be very, very close.
And we have the need. We have the need.
And I know that we have increased in so many areas this year.
Every agenda has probably had a fee increase of some sort.
We've been going around and around with the developers right now just to get them to pay their fair share.
I think we're all tired of having to put this out there.
We need, but the community, we need you right now.
We're operating at a structural deficit, which is ongoing.
It's not going to, in tomorrow, it's not a revenue.
It's going to, it's going to, it's ongoing.
And we need to nip it now.
Another thing I want to point out is that it's, and the survey, I believe,
with survey, it might have been a comment regarding putting infrastructure in a project really.
The longer we push it out, the more it's going to cost.
And we have projects that we need to address now.
It's times like difficult times are very hard.
So people, it's going to be in the resident's hands.
It's up to you.
What tomorrow is going to look like?
That's all I have.
All right.
Can't remember a while.
All right, just a couple of things say, I feel that,
the need for a sales tax is a reality.
It's not something that we're just jumping to.
Let's, this is the reality.
And we have a significant gap of 11 million in the current budget.
And that really is not all would be if we had everything that we wanted.
The infrastructure that we need, the increased cost of doing business like digging a well
and doing all the other things, the increased cost of public service and public safety.
And everything that's going up does come down to a gap in the budget.
So I do feel like, you know, I attended a couple of community meetings.
It's unfortunate that more people didn't attend community meetings.
I think they do.
We did a good job offering a lot of community meetings.
But in the final, the final countdown, the voters will decide.
And we need to work to get that clear message.
So they hear the message.
And we also need to get participation.
We had a recent election.
Very slow numbers of voters in the soul scheme of who could vote.
So I am in support of putting it on the ballot.
We have work to do to get a clear message out.
So the voters see the real need and don't say things like, oh, I think someone's mismanaging.
Or I think you're asking for more than you need.
And that's sort of thing.
I appreciate those comments.
This is, yes, go ahead.
For that, is there ever something that can be passed based on incremental increase?
It's a clear advice.
For example, it's throwing out numbers 25 year one, one percent year two, something like that.
So you're asking if a tax measure can be implemented where it escalates.
I'm just want to make sure the question is clear.
So on a sales tax measure, it, because it's going to a voter, we have to tell them the exact amount.
So having a variable or an increase in amount is really unrealistic.
Additionally, once a tax measure is approved by the voters, the collection of those taxes is done through the state of California.
We have to have a agreement with them for that process.
And so having changes like that is not a realistic approach to this.
And so that is not advisable.
And I think we would be subject to legal challenge if we pursued an option like that.
Thank you.
Let's be here.
Oh, yes.
Council member.
And I would just say Council member, vice versa.
There was a discussion whether not to do a half cent versus a cent.
And if we did a half cent, we would shortly find ourselves in the same position and have to go to the voters again.
So I believe I'm speaking correctly that the decision was made to go for a full cent to then get us down the road and we would be able to not have to ask again.
So some of the information I can help put in perspective for the community and we have been sharing that at our presentation.
So for example, if you round off our budget is about $300 million and for 100,000 population that comes out to be $3,000 per resident.
If you divide it by 12 months, that's about $250 per resident.
Now daily basis for $8.30, our residents are getting police, fire, water, sewer, roads, streets, all of that infrastructure for $8.33 per resident.
So if you take just the general fund portion of it, which is about $164 million, it comes down to $4.50 per resident per day.
Well, and I certainly believe that the services that are provided in the city and I'm just going to speak from my own personal perspective and that is as back of ill.
I'm often said it is more than just a place.
I mean, it is a feeling.
You live it and you know it when you live here and we can all talk about what it's like to be elsewhere.
And I don't want to judge us against any particular city, but you know it when you feel like you're getting the service that you want to live in.
And the concern is the long term structural deficit.
I believe that giving the voters the opportunity to choose the path is the right path.
But I think it's going to be important that there is greater clarity of what I love.
A long-term structural deficit actually looks like, because sometimes what we think in happens to all of us.
You're trying to make ends meet every month, or then you're trying to look at your annual bill when you have to true up with the state and the IRS.
But when you start living your life and your ten years down the road and we can drive down the road and we can look at the neighborhood and we can see a house and you go like,
there's either a structural deficit going on that house. There's too much deferred maintenance and that's where we're at as a city.
As if you're looking long-term, a business won't last if it can't maintain its trajectory long-term.
If it's only looking for year one or a pathway to stabilize, you know, the next 36 months.
It's way different than when you start looking at CIP and you start looking at fleet and you start looking at all the deferred items.
There's no catch-up to that and I think it's going to be very important that the public actually can see what that is.
To feel the benefit of what you get to live here, but to see what that long-term is, because the challenge is, sometimes it's easy, like I see in the survey for someone to say,
almost like it doesn't matter what differences it makes to me.
Well, I understand that I can appreciate surveys, but the reality is with, you know, if this is presented to the voter, they're going to have to,
they're going to have to resonate with the voter, what's in it for me.
And do I believe what I'm being told? Two things.
And so I appreciate the process to get here.
It's going to be a lot of work to get, I think, our community.
A lot of good information is going to take a lot to get the majority of the community to actually say, yep, I see what's in it for me and I'm willing to do it.
And unfortunately, I think we all can agree, there's going to be those, and it's an average of 500 per household that may be up or down depending upon the household.
It's still an impact.
And so I think that it's going to be very imperative that we bridge that gap, but.
We've heard from all seven, is there a particular process, or because the ask is to bring this back to the next council meeting in two weeks.
Any further direction that you need?
No, I think that's the direction we need to bring back the ordinance at the next meeting.
Okay, would you like that in about.
Or did you hear clear enough from all seven of us?
I think we need about just looking for a council direction.
Well, that's from what I've listened to everyone's comments and I think you have what you need to bring back.
And this on to the next council meeting for for consideration.
So.
I'm sorry, Mayor, we do need a vote because we have a resolution attached.
I apologize.
There's a resolution attached.
Okay, so go ahead and.
Well, you need a motion.
Second motion.
So for a moment motions.
Second.
I think he's, he's second.
So, so chat on second.
And then roll call.
Council member Fremo.
Yes.
Council member Wiley.
Yes.
Council member Stockton.
Yes.
Council member Richie.
Yes.
Council member Chapman.
Yes.
Vice Mayor Silva.
Mayor.
Mayor Carley.
Yes.
So bring this back to the next council meeting.
Thank you.
And with that, we're going to take five minutes for.
So we're going.
So I want to.
Direction starts.
And the number of five minutes.
So we're going.
This is.
First on.
So we're going.
This.
So.
You
.
We're going to step back into our agenda, but we're moving to item 12D.
All right, taking notes over here.
So item 12D is resolution of the city council authorizing the submission of a homekey application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
We're funding a 52-bed trend permanent support of housing units within the victory garden support of housing development located at 5763 abandoned road.
And authorizing the city manager or designate to execute all required application documents and related agreements.
And housing and community services director Tamara Colvin is here to give the presentation.
Good evening mayor, vice mayor and council members.
Tonight, I'm here asking council to adopt a resolution authorizing staff to submit a homekey plus application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for approximately $45 million to support 52-bed trend housing units within the previously approved victory garden development at 5763 abandoned road.
We want to take a moment to acknowledge that the initial publication of the staff report had an incorrect amount of $4.5 million and actually the application will be $45 million.
A little bit of background, this site was identified in the housing element as an opportunity site for affordable housing with a military and veteran focus.
That time council has approved an exclusive negotiating rights agreement, disposition and development agreement and financing amendments intended to improve competitiveness for state funding programs.
And may of 2025 the Planning Commission approved the project entitlements allowing the development team to move into starting financing activities.
Victory gardens is a mixed income affordable housing development and while tonight's request focuses on the 52 veteran units.
It's important to note that approximately the remaining 75% of project serves working low income military focused families and households.
The 52 veteran units are supported through are also supported by with project base vouchers through the VACAville Housing Authority and will receive supportive services through insight housing.
The reason for tonight's request for application to home key to the home key program is that the state recently amended the home key plus program to encourage greater utilization of funding reserve for veterans.
These changes significantly improve the competitiveness of the project of victory gardens by allowing applications before tax credit awards are secured and by providing additional operating support for veteran housing.
So we believe the project is well positioned to compete because of its military focus the number of veteran units allocated towards the project the fact that there is the support with the project base based vouchers through the housing authority and its proximity to travel air force base.
With the project property management will be provided by mutual housing management and supportive services will be coordinated by insight for the 52 units.
All residents are required to sign leases and are subject to standard property management requirements and residents receiving project base voucher assistance must also comply with housing authority program requirements including ongoing eligibility reviews and the project the project will operate as permanent housing with standard landlord tenant protections and enforcement mechanisms.
So tonight staff is recommending approval of the resolution and that will allow staff to work with the development team to produce to submit an application to the home key funding source that supports the veteran housing component of the previously approved victory gardens development while minimizing the need for any additional local funding participation.
An alternative is that council could choose not to adopt the resolution however that's not recommended as this would.
The development team would lose access to a significant state funding opportunity specifically targeted toward veteran housing and would need to identify alternative funding sources which could delay project implementation and impact the progress towards the city's.
So with that I'm happy to take any questions or comments from council or the public and the developers here as well and with like to share additional information with council.
Thank you. I'd like to go ahead and have the developer.
To provide additional response and any presentation that the developer may have.
Either way, yeah, you can either come to the podium here and just hit the mic on for me.
Thank you so much for this opportunity and I'd also like to thank the staff for working with us.
I'm Rivathi, the project manager from Mutual Housing California. We are good developing big tree gardens with our partner inside housing.
Mutual housing is a 40 year old non-profit affordable housing developer, owner, manager and resident services provider headquartered in Sacramento.
Mutual housing management are property management company manages about 25 of our properties in the region around 90% of our residents voluntarily utilize the services that we offer.
All our properties are well managed. We have never defaulted on any property and drug use is prohibited in our leases. We also undertake strict measures to ensure that our properties are crime free.
I'd also like to show some pictures of our properties and invite all council members to visit our properties if you want to have a look at it. We would love to organize that.
Sorry, we are probably having some difficulties.
These are some of our properties in Sacramento.
With that, I'll hand it over to Insight Housing to introduce themselves.
Hello mayor, vice mayor and council members. My name is Blair Fret. I'm a project manager with Insight Housing and thank you all for letting me speak tonight.
I'm going to speak a little bit to Insight Housing. We're a co-developer with Mutual but also the lead service provider. Insight Housing has been operating continuously since 1970 with a very simple mission of ensuring that everyone in our community has a home.
We do this both through housing development but also through comprehensive social services provision and would do this across seven northern California counties.
In the interest of time, I'm going to skip over. We have two slides here about our sort of like flagship developments and interest of time. I'm going to skip those.
The hopes that are endoight way but we're always welcome to answer questions on these projects.
And also we would love to offer a tour as well so you can really see how we manage these projects, how we implement our social service provision.
You go to the next slide.
All right. So service provision is really insights. It's really our expertise. It's what we do. It's what we've been doing since 1970.
And we deliver across six core service areas. So from emergency shelter to permanent housing, daily meal services to street outreach, we provide structured wraparound services for all of our participants.
And we believe this is really what makes us a strong partner with victory gardens both as a code developer but also the lead service provider.
Our services team is going to be on site every day ensuring that each and every resident of victory gardens is stable, safe and supported.
Next slide.
And with that insight housing has a very specific focus on veterans and that's something that we take great pride in serving our veterans.
So through our road's home program, insight has been delivering wraparound services to veterans since 2011.
In this year alone, we expect to support over 2700 veterans and their families without reach housing support and other social service navigation.
And this is something that we're really proud of, but we have a 95% plus housing retention rate across our programs.
And so this is something that we're really good at. And we also have a high resident satisfaction of over 90%.
And so with this, we really believe we have the team, the experience, and this proven model to really deliver on victory gardens.
And believe this is an important next step in expanding our impact. Next slide.
Also just really wanted to highlight pictured here are some of veterans that are currently housed in insights properties that are similar to victory gardens.
Again, this is really a cornerstone of what insight does and it's something that we're really proud to be able to support and uplift our veterans.
And tonight you'll actually be able to hear from a couple of veterans who have.
We've stayed here for many hours. Really, I think a true testament to the cause and how important this is to them.
We've that we bring it back to the project next slide.
I will, Tamara already introduced the project, but I'll just run through the number of units total number of units at 206 of which currently we're talking about the 52 veteran units.
This is spread across 8.4 acres and we have four buildings, three storied.
A point that I'd like to note here is that there is no change in the population from the time we provided a response to the city's RFP way back in 2020 forward.
The next slide.
Victory gardens with house veterans and families earning up to 65,000 annually and the rent for this average 2 bedroom unit will be merely 1,470 dollars as we can see.
This is when the community is overall rent burdened.
We can see the market rents here for a 2 bedroom unit, for an average 2 bedroom market rate to unit.
It is $2,500 when the average income in Macauville is 130, 130,000.
Moving on to the funding and the project schedule.
The funding landscape in California is extremely difficult.
In spite of great scoring, we were unsuccessful last year in gaining Cal HFAs MIP funding.
The regulations for home key as Tamara mentioned have changed this year and mutual housing player an important role in the advocacy to make this happen.
The current version of the program is radically different from the motel conversions that are associated with this program.
Home key plus can now be used with tax credit financing, which is similar to any other affordable housing funding program.
This project was originally planned with VHHP funding, which was specifically for the veteran component, but unfortunately that program has since then dried up.
The home key plus is our best bet at getting this project funded and off the ground.
The funding is available only till funds last, so that's why it's really important at this stage.
And with the change in the regulations, applications have been pouring in for this particular program.
With the home key plus application, we are planning to do the application and June, which will enable us to go in for a tax credit application in September.
With an award in December, we will actually be able to start construction in June.
June of next year and the project will be fully leased up by Q1 of 2029. We can go to the next
line. Here I just want to reiterate a few key features of the home key plus funding program. The first
being that funding mandates, this funding mandates that apartments are allotted to veterans. So these 52 units
would definitely be allotted to veterans. Based on market requirements, majority of the units are going to be
one bedroom units, though we have some studios, two beds and three beds for the veterans.
The second thing is that this program is not limited to unhoused veterans, as we saw that there are
units reserved for veterans earning up to 65,000 annually. The third important point is that the
program comes with the robust operating funds. Tamara mentioned this earlier too and this would be
important as supportive services and case management will be provided by inside housing. The fourth
point is that we also have 52 project based vouchers by the VHA, which will be used towards these veteran units.
And the last being that on top of all of this operating budget always accounts for replacement
reserves and other reserves to ensure appropriate maintenance of the property.
Yeah, so of this overall, I would say that the development is going to be for low income families and veterans,
and I will leave it to Blair to sum it up for us today.
All right, so in summary, we really believe that Victory Gardens is a place for veterans. Veterans who have served our
nation and who deserve a stable and supportive place to call home, and we really hope that you'll join us tonight
and making that possible here in back of it. And in a moment, you're going to hear directly from two of
insights, current veterans, Mr. Watson and Mr. Dominguez, who have been very patiently waiting
here to really speak about the impact that a project like Victory Gardens has had on their own life.
And why we hope that it will be supported tonight. So thank you.
Yeah, thank you. And we'll hold off on the speakers what we'll do is I'll bring them allow them to come up
when I opened it up to the public. I just want to make sure that you had the extra time to present.
So just give us a few more minutes and then you both can come forward and speak.
Any questions from the council? Councilmember Stockton.
This property was donated by a family that wanted it to go toward veterans housing is that correct?
That's correct. The property, the use would have to be to support military families.
Okay. And would some of the folks like at a youngville qualified to stay in a place like this
with some of these permanent sort of units.
So with the 52 veteran units, the part of what we would have to do is with the requirements of home key is have a plan on how
we would coordinate referrals or entry into those units.
So if someone from youngville was identified as possibly being successful in like that,
would this be housing for seniors that would call it like some of the folks that would have qualified for a program like what they're doing
and young. So as long as they're veterans, then that's the targeted population.
So my understanding is in youngville that's a project for veterans.
So if anyone was interested in coming to this project and went through the referral process to coordinate entry into this project,
then they could preside at victory gardens.
Thank you.
Yes. So would it be 52 units at a minimum that would be dedicated to veterans?
So these 52 units, yes, at a minimum, are reserved specifically for veterans.
It does not mean that any of the other units would not house veterans.
It means that these 52 have to.
That is the targeted population for these units.
Thank you.
Vice Mayor Silva, do you have any questions?
We have Rocky Hill apartment.
That's dedicated to veteran housing for a minute there.
There were a lot of vacant fees.
What happens if there's vacant fees for this site?
And also, they thought your project was a current demand.
Do you feel those respective units that are being proposed?
So for the 52 units, which this funding is targeted for, they have to go to a veteran.
If there are veterans at the 30% income level that there are not enough veterans to fill those, then the units can be filled by what they called secondary veterans.
So then it would go next to veterans earning up to 50% of area median income.
And then after that, it would go up to veterans earning 80%.
But they have to be veterans.
All right, thank you.
I want to make sure we, on our veterans, do not.
Thank you.
I'm going to go ahead and open up to the public.
And this would be an opportunity for you to come speak.
I know you've been waiting a long time.
Oh, yeah.
No, it's this fine.
It's fine.
This program is really great.
It has down.
Just a little site.
I was sleeping in my truck.
And I am a kid.
And I would go sleep in my truck and wait for my job.
And wait till it worked in the morning.
You know, I found this program.
And it's just the best thing to get up happening to me.
You know, now I'm stable.
I can get some rest and get up and go to work through it.
I can go to the morning.
And I can focus on my job.
Not worry about my kids.
You know, I get cut it more.
It's not as tough anymore.
You know, life is, life is a lot easier.
It's lost less stressful.
You know, and I was telling one of my members that, you know,
to stand up here and represent this in high organization.
It's beautiful.
To show other veterans that there is help out here.
You know, that we don't have to be homeless.
We just gotta give it to the footwork because it's here for us.
And I really appreciate this in high housing.
You know, and all this stuff on it.
You know, it really has changed my life.
You know, my children, you know, they got me a house manager.
That's right around this corner from the school.
You know, and it's just, it's just, it's no worry no more.
You know, it's just getting them and going to work.
And then my kids come home.
Instead of me worrying about because like when I first had been,
I was homeless and I had to find support from my side because I didn't want to
sit in the truck with me.
And that was kind of a tough thing to go through.
But through inside housing, it all just worked out great.
I mean, you guys, this is beautiful.
You know, this is, yeah, this is, this is the best thing that could have happened to me.
You know, and I really appreciate you guys allowing me to speak.
You know, especially representing inside housing.
Because I don't know what I would be doing without them, but I still have my truck.
You know, but here I am.
And it has helped me tremendously.
And I want to thank you guys for everything you guys have doing and going to do for us veterans.
And last but not least, because they always say that there was no help out here for veterans.
And that's not true because it is all about here.
Thank you so much.
And thank you for sharing.
We're really appreciate it.
My name is John.
You're doing this.
I would like to give a brief history of my family.
We have to get some credibility.
My dad's brother is buried in Normandy.
At that time, my father was Army Eric Corb, a volunteer for Recon.
He was trapped in to Korea.
My older brother's marine.
My mom's family.
Her uncle is buried in Belgium because the tail gunner had to be 17.
He got shot down.
Her brother was a POW in the zone with the Japanese.
And I'll begin.
I was what you call a vagabond.
I got stuck in traveling.
And I got stubborn about it.
And then, about a year ago, if something said, you know, you're going to start settling down.
You're going to be 77 pretty soon.
And so I went to the VA in San Francisco and luckily, the girl in the guy referred me to the
Hope Center in Berkeley.
And I said, I'm up there long time ago.
So I was like, all right, I like Berkeley.
So I was drafted.
I was supposed to be a marine, 1966 out of high school.
But I was a devil pup when I was 14.
Because my brother was a marine at that time.
So the marital mess around.
So I wasn't in the mood for the marines.
So I kept telling my friends, they were like, we're going to the marines.
I said, well, I'm going to get drafted.
They go, how do you know?
I just know.
So anyway, when I got back, one of the reasons I got this is I never looked my age.
First time I used to go to a vet officer if they're going to help me.
And I'm like, yeah, you know, I'm going to.
So for the longest time, I did want nothing to do with a VA.
But luckily, I had friends that were vests to that said, you have to go and start taking care of your business with a VA.
Would you like it or not?
So little by little, I got into going to the vet centers.
And luckily, I was one in San Francisco, referred me to the Hope Center in Berkeley.
And it's a program where, you know, for housing and stuff.
And I had heard about it.
I didn't really understand it.
And eventually, I was told about a place in a real vista.
And I told myself, you know, it's time to start sailing down and start a different kind of life.
And this place where I'm at has been very, very beneficial.
Not only to my health, but my mentality, I find it reconnected with who I wasn't one time.
Because every time I would say, well, you know, I was going to kill my landmine.
But we trap, I caught malaria, they go, well, you're just, you know, you weren't.
But now that I finally made an effort to settle down and I've gotten this home thing.
It's been very, very beneficial to me.
I've come back to what they used to call a human being.
And I've always been a happy person.
I even want to, again, I almost got killed in Vietnam.
But these programs are very, very beneficial.
I'm putting this way also because I've talked to a few vets who, well, not talk about Vietnam.
And I would try to tell them, psychology was my major in college.
I tell them, you know, it just has to be done.
I don't want to hear it.
But for myself, I took that route.
And, oh, it's, it's, it's very beneficial.
It's, it's, uh, it's like when you're in the service, you have this camaraderie with people.
So, and why I'm at, we're all like, it's like a friend, you know.
Everybody kind of reconnects to their paths.
As whenever happy at one time, you know, no more this war thing.
And, uh, it's just, uh, I'm, I'm amazed at how I'm coming back to being happy.
And, I'm thinking it, you know, in a positive way while we do, but, you know,
standing at kind of a attitude.
And, yeah, these, these homes are very, very beneficial.
They do a lot.
Uh, give you a chance to sleep in a room by yourself.
Watch TV, interact with your friends, talk about, you know, things.
Like, where I'm at, we joke a lot.
And I forgot I used to be like that.
So, I even tell them I, well, you guys have brought me back to how I used to be.
So, for me, these, these, uh, programs are very beneficial.
They really make a difference.
Uh, but, again, some, I don't know, which was said would forget combat.
Some can't.
I could.
I guess I'm just a different character.
But, for me, it's been, uh, amazing.
It's, um, it's been a lot from my, again, my house.
I'm, I'm, I'll be 78 in October.
I don't even believe that, believe me.
But, it's, uh, probably back to my youth somewhat, in terms of how I used to feel.
Happy, and hey, I don't want to stop, you know.
Well, yes, they are beneficial.
And they do make a difference for vets.
I've already seen this, but, there's times I've earned vets.
I've earned vets that were crying out in the street.
I want to help them, but...
I thought, we've, we've, we've given up as only one came back like that.
You know, messed up.
But a lot of vets do need help.
And, uh, it'll do some form.
That's how I look at it.
It'll, it'll really make a whole difference in their life.
Some feel unwanted.
Some feel like they don't want to be heard.
But, uh, I don't know, it's just,
I don't know, it's just been very beneficial for me.
I'm doing this program and we're living here. I'm very, very happy.
Well, I really appreciate you sharing. I really do. I think your stories both of you are just, they're compelling.
And so thank you for coming and taking the time to share it with the council. I appreciate it.
I would just like to leave with this. I'm a direct descendant of the first planners in San Diego.
I grew up in a tone called Reddons. And that, that, that's telling me a lot about how to be a human being, how to interact with people, how to respect people.
And appreciate, I could just say that I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you both for your service.
Yeah.
Hello and good evening. Mayer Vice Mayor and council members. My name is Dremaine Dowdo.
I'm a German carpenter and field representative for the North Coast State's carpenter's junior.
I'm here tonight. Also before I get started, I want to say thank you.
And I respect and appreciate all our veterans is very important in those words.
I'm very, very needed and saying that the North Coast State's carpenter's are not in support of this project.
We've reached out to the developer and we have not had a conversation about if this project is going to be built responsibly.
We had a lot of conversation up here about the community and about safety and about the things that are going to make this community thrive.
And if we have a non-responsible carpenter's junior developer come in and take advantage of workers with wage staff, misclassification.
And possibly not even have workers from this county.
We'll come in and take the jobs, take the money out of this county and we get nothing.
Those things hurt us.
We need to make sure that we take a look at what's going on around us and what these projects that we can make sure we protect our workers and our communities as well.
As the North Coast State's carpenter's we also have helmets or har hats.
We definitely appreciate and lift our veterans.
It's a program that we go by.
I have a lot of young men and women on our helmets or har hats program that we do help day to day in and day out.
And I want to say I do appreciate our veterans again, but we have to make sure that these projects are built responsibly and that we're looking into these.
These jobs sites to make sure that our workers are taking care of especially when they're prevailing wage.
Thank you very much. I appreciate to demand out there again and again the North Coast State's partners do not support this project.
Thank you.
Good evening Mayor and Council members. My name is Angela Uffshaw and I am the Chief Operating Officer at Inside Housing.
And I just want to thank again our veterans for coming and speaking and really appreciate them.
It shows their dedication and my team.
Thank you all to them.
But I'm here tonight in strong support of the city moving forward with our home key plus application for victory gardens.
Inside housing has been committed to ending veteran homelessness for over a decade.
In Solano County we operate programs that connect veterans and their families to housing.
Employment, health care and stability that they have earned.
Our real vista home which you heard a little bit about tonight.
So a smaller project in scale stands as a powerful a proof of what's possible.
When veterans have safe and affordable and housing that they can thrive in.
And so do the communities around them.
Victory gardens represents an opportunity to expand that promise at a meaningful scale.
Faculty can be a part of a growing and proven national effort to in veteran homelessness.
And this home key plus application or funding is critical.
It's a critical bridge that gets us from just a project vision to actual construction.
I also want to speak to the stigma that sometimes surrounds affordable housing because this is personal for me.
I never served in the military but my family and close friends have from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
I know what service and sacrifice looks like up close.
I also know what homelessness looks like up close because I've lived it.
Affordable housing was my path out of homelessness and disability.
It changed the trajectory of my life.
And the evidence bears this out broadly.
Affordable housing strength and families.
It stabilizes local communities and economies and makes communities healthier and more resilient.
And as council member Richie mentioned earlier tonight,
I'm going to express that back of Bill is about the people in the community and that shows who is project and what we're trying to do here.
The people who will call victory gardens home come from different backgrounds and different roles to this moment.
But they share something profound.
They serve this country.
They deserve dignity and a safe and affordable and decent place to call home.
Approving this application opens a door that could change everything for dozens of veterans and their families.
So I urge you tonight to support.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
All right, I'll go ahead and bring it back to the council as I see anyone else.
Anyone else wishing to speak?
Yes, let me bring it back to the council.
Council member Stockton.
Yeah, I'm just wondering if the developer would sit down at the gentleman from the Carpeter Union at least give him a chance to explain why.
We want to talk to you about this project.
Can you hit the button, sorry.
There you go.
Yeah.
Typically, it is the GC the general contractor who appoints the subcontractors and that is not something that the developer does.
Also, we are currently in a really early stage of the project.
We're gathering funding for the development.
So we are not that far along that we would be able to actually appoint the subcontractors.
That's the only reason why we have sort of, you know, be did this conversation.
Yeah.
And I'm not telling you that you have to use them.
But but at least to offer them an opportunity to talk about this.
It sounds like they have programs that help veterans that they try to utilize.
And if that's what you're all trying to do it might it might lead to something productive it might not.
But you'll never know if we don't, you know, talk about it.
Absolutely.
Can you, can you, are you willing to exchange information with the gentleman in the back?
Yes.
Sure.
Thank you.
Yeah.
Thank you.
I appreciate you addressing that.
And I think it's important also.
Yes.
Go ahead.
I didn't, I have no control of anyone's mind.
I know.
Okay.
All right.
I normally, here's an example of why this straight guy doesn't work.
Because it can't.
All right.
So to my monitors to the right.
Apparently, I can't remember.
Finally, you were first.
Okay.
Thanks for the information.
I just have one question because in looking at that first picture, you know, it's a pretty elaborate
apartment complex.
And so usually those are done in phases.
So if phase one is, are all the 52 veteran units going to be first.
Or are you going to be like 10 of them in phase one and then 10 of them in phase two?
Do you can you answer that question?
I think I can answer and then maybe, if I don't get it right, you can correct me.
But so this project is being approved in phases.
However, the first phase is all 206 multifamily units.
And then if you remember the second phase is 15 additional single family units around the outside.
So the 52 veteran units are a part of the full 206 that will be constructed at the same time.
Okay.
Thank you.
And I just want to add additional information that the project is already approved.
What we're asking for tonight is moving forward with a home key application.
And that the annual ward of federal funding.
I'm sorry, any award of public funds, including the 52 project base vouchers,
requires prevailing wage to be paid during the construction of the project.
Okay.
Thanks.
All right.
So I think you were next.
I mean, that's all.
Somebody's planned with me.
Thank you.
My question was the same.
I just wanted to know of understanding about lack of communication with the
contractor, union.
And so understanding, you know, the preliminary work.
However, you are open to communicating with.
Okay.
And there was an exchange of information I believe.
Okay.
And you know, you handle your own business.
But I would hope that you are, you know, someone reaching out to you at least.
Respond, reply to them.
If you're not, you see, they come to the council and we have no jurisdiction at that time.
Okay.
All right.
Vice Mayor Silva.
Any questions or comments?
No, my question was just going to be, you've already asked about clarifying public
rather than wage.
Yeah.
Good to go.
Yeah.
And I was aware of that.
Thank you for bringing it up.
It is important to understand.
If you've agreed it's early on tonight's action isn't a final approval.
It's the city has to participate in a lending opportunity.
So we're very preliminary in any process.
However, it would require prevailing wage.
It's, it's all by the mandate, but if you have part of the benefit is,
and I can appreciate the perspective is every time we have projects,
we have projects, the goal is to try to advocate for our local workforce and as a developer you're
not the one's doing the building and so obviously that becomes the pass through but the key here
is you know how do we care for the very people who are trying and we know that people live here
and they're driving hours to go to work every day so the key is how do we stop that and we work
with our local professionals and so hopefully this can be a process where you can talk but if
successful this has to come back to the council anyway so I appreciate it the action on this item is
my simple motion to adopt a subject resolution I'm entertained in a motion at this one
motion a second roll call council member Stockton council member Riti council member Chapman yes
council member Fremo council member Wiley yes vice mayor Silva yeah
Mayor Carly yes I appreciate this this is the veterans housing is long overdue this has
been a project has been set aside but this is not the this is not the final action that the
council will take this is just to apply for the home key funds with that we will go ahead and move to item 12c
thank you all for coming to our bets thank you for your service and the the stories that are real
for you or heartfelt and I appreciate you taking the time and sorry that it took so long to get to to this item
so we'll move on to item 12c mmc. So this is a report on the upcoming brown act teleconferencing
in public access requirements and a resolution adopting a disruption of telephonic or internet service
during meetings policy and accordance with Senate bill 707 and public relations manager Joanna Leal
is here to assist me in presenting this item so Senate bill 707 was adopted in late 2025
going into effect in January of 2026 because it was such a heavy lift under technology and some other
items that cities had to had to be able to to do to meet the requirements some of these portions
are going into effect in July of 2026 so we're going to be focusing mostly on those the other items
are mostly cleanup items that we're in the bill and or have already gone into effect so Senate bill sorry
Senate bill 707 modernizes the brown act to reflect technology changes to promote greater public
access including requirements for specific legislative bodies. I need to adopt the disruption policy changes
to teleconferencing rules and cleanup and other minor updates next slide. One of the things SB 707 did was
create a new description under the SB 707 eligible legislative bodies are defined as a city with a population
over 30,000 which is what we are so that's why we will be adopting the 707 regulations. Next slide
Okay. 707 required us to provide access and comment opportunity to our public via a two-way
telephonic service also known as teleconferencing so that is effective July 1st and our public relations
team has been working very diligently to get the technology in place in this room so that we can meet
that mandate of whatever our first meeting in July is. My understanding is that we might have one
prior to July 28 but anyway certainly we'll have that all up and running the way we should. The city is
required to post and provide the call in option for the platform on the meeting agenda and also have a
dedicated page on the website that talks about how the public can participate. And SB 707 requires
that if the service the teleconferencing service we use provides captioning that that must also be
made available to the public. Next slide. There are some excluded meetings to this so one is when
the body is meeting at a location.
That does not accommodate teleconferencing, so if we had to have a meeting in another facility for some reason, and there was not access to internet or teleconferencing, we would not have to provide that option.
The others are very unlikely types of meetings that we have, but if the council was to inspect real or personal property, where the topic of the meeting would be limited to items directly related to that property.
We would not have to have teleconferencing, or if we were to meet in the or near facility owned by the city, where the meeting topic is limited to items again directly related to that facility, we would not need to provide teleconferencing.
There are times when the body might be have to meet for federal or state elected or appointed officials solely to discuss legislative or regulatory issues affecting the local agency and within the jurisdiction of that elected appointed official.
That would not have to be teleconferenced.
Judicial or administrative hearing or the local agency as a party would not need to be teleconferenced.
And then if the city were to have to have an emergency meeting, most brown act requirements including the teleconferencing would not be, would not be required because of the state of emergency.
Next slide.
So we are required to adopt a policy on the disruption of service, including good faith attempts to restore service for at least one hour or until the.
If if earlier, the the service disruption is is solved.
The city must announce the service disruption.
If if there is one council is required to take a recess and if there is a closed session agenda is the council can can be an enclosed session for during that recess.
And during the recess the city must be making good faith attempt to restore the service.
Next slide.
We are able to remedy this disruption within an hour.
The city may further extend the recess to restore service.
We may adjourn the meeting or we may reconvene an open session, but we must adopt a finding by roll call vote that.
Good faith efforts were taken to restore the service and the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.
So in the disruption policy there is a part where if a virtual comment or disrupts the meeting.
And a disruption is defined as rendering infeasible the orderly conduct of a meeting.
A warning consistent with brown act indicating behavior is actually disrupting the meeting and if they fail to cease the behavior it will result in removal.
And then if the commentator persists the speaker will be put on mute or removal from the platform if muting does not stop the disruptive behavior.
So the city is required to engage in unrepresented communities.
Engaged with unrepresented communities.
So we I'm going to let Joanna talk a little bit about how we're going to reach out to those communities.
Thank you.
Good evening.
So we do a number of ways that we already reach out to our community.
Folks can sign up to receive the agenda directly via email.
We posted social media posted on the website and of course outside on the board.
So in addition to that what our plan or intention is to increase the email.
The number of emails that would receive this we have several lists within the city's email database.
Where we would expand to ensure that we're reaching more of our unrepresented communities.
And then we would also continue to do the efforts that are are already underway.
And just to ensure that that access is there.
And then as far as the web pages.
We do also have translation on the web pages.
So we're going to be working more closely with eScribe just to ensure that translation is also going to reach those communities.
So that we can ensure that all of the languages spoken within the community are also receiving that.
Thank you, Joanna.
So the S S B 707 has a lot of requirements for us on our website to provide plenty of access and information for the public on how to engage with the agendas and the meeting materials.
Most of those things we already have there.
We probably have to just reorganize where they are because they do have to be.
A lot of them have to be visible from the city's main webpage and has to have a little bit more explanation on how to get the agendas and information on that.
So we will be doing a bunch of cleanup on our on our website to make sure that we have it all very clear for the public.
Next slide.
The other new mandate is that we must provide a readily accessible physical space near where we already post our agendas for the public to provide other translated agendas.
So the.
The posting board outside of the council we have found another board that we weren't utilizing very much since we've gone ahead and put that out there there is a.
There is script on there that allows people to understand that this is solely for using for translated agendas and that any other materials posted there would be removed.
And that we are not liable for the actual proper translation of the agendas so we don't have to double check the agendas that somebody post there that are translated in another language but we also are not.
Responsible for what is posted on those agendas.
And then we talked about already the making efforts to invite groups that do not usually participate and we can go to the next slide.
So we are required to accommodate translation interpretation requests which means that we have to provide assistance to anybody who wants to have a translation services at the meeting.
So if somebody is hoping to have translation services at the meeting we have to help them find a space where a translator would be able to assess them.
We need to slow the meeting down enough so that translation can occur properly for the for the individual making the request.
And maybe have a little bit extra time at the podium if they were making public comment.
We also there is a mandate to translate in post agendas if you have a language spoken by more than 20% of your jurisdiction.
As outlined by the American Community Survey published by the US Census Bureau.
The city does not meet that threshold at this time however our website does have the capability for most of it to be translated.
Unfortunately our section where our agendas are posted actually goes out to another provider and right now it doesn't have the capability of being translated.
But if anybody were to contact us and we will put information on the website.
If anybody were to contact us we would make our best effort to give them translated agenda.
There are new updates to teleconferencing requirements so the classic teleconferencing remains the same whereas if if accounts remember were.
Attending remotely such as vice versa is tonight the agenda must be posted at the location where he is he is attending from the public must be able to attend the location that he is at.
And all of the agendas that we have posted wherever we normally post them what have the information on where the location is that that other meeting is a consider that another meeting site where that is occurring.
And a quorum of the body must participate from the agency's jurisdiction and all those be taken by roll call as we did tonight.
So that remains the same the new the new legislation allows teleconferencing as a reasonable accommodation for a disability and that changes a little bit from remote participation under classic so.
The member must participate through both audio and visual technology whereas in the classic remote you only have to you can you can do both but you at the minimum can be on telephonic.
The that requirement would not stand if the person had a physical condition related to their disability so they would not have to be on video and if that was part of their disability.
And before any action can be taken the member must disclose if anyone 18 or older is in the room with them and the nature of the relationship to that person.
Their their attendance would be treated like they were at a quorum with the rest of the council and then all the other classic requirements do not apply to that individual.
So some miscellaneous updates on this AB 992 made several social media restrictions for elected officials who have pages where you could not you could not make comments or post likes or reactions on those pages that had a sunset date which has now been removed.
We are required annually by January 1st to provide elected officials with copies of the Brown Act which we did earlier this year.
And a few other little things there are no special meetings for.
Consideration of legislative bodies salary or benefits we already had restrictions on that for other executive salaries and benefits and now that extends to the legislative body as well.
And the prior language of the removal of disruptive virtual IT attendees did not acknowledge it did not acknowledge virtual attendees it only acknowledged in person attendees so that was added.
And that is pretty much all of it as quickly as I could go.
Sorry I took over myself a lot there but anyway so the recommendations where you received the report which you just did and adopt a resolution of policy of disruption of telephonic or internet service during meetings.
Thank you for the presentation. I don't have any questions I'm sure there's going to be questions as we implement this.
You can already see changes that according to the team or starting like with the screen in the back and what we started to experience on the front end.
I was assured that the technical difficulties in the computer had nothing to do with where we're going but it's going to be a little bit bumpy but.
You know we fall within that guideline so we're making progress and I appreciate the update so.
With that I'm going to open up to the public for any comment on this.
That's getting late seeing no one.
Everyone's tired.
Bring it back. This does require council action item.
If there's no other comments all in your team of motion.
I mean someone could also ask for a sign language interpreter as well that would be the same as a translation.
So if someone needs something they have to make the request and was there a certain timeframe they had to make the request before the meeting.
So there are we already have that in place for hearing assisted or ASL or you know for people who need.
So we're here.
So on the translation that the SB 707 doesn't give us a timeframe we could set our own.
I did not want to really put a restriction on it. I think we will probably try to feel that out.
I think that we could accommodate somebody all the way up to 24 hours prior after that.
It's it's a little bit more difficult but we definitely would try and insist if somebody came along and asked for us to provide the agenda translated.
There's no requirement for all the agenda packet materials to be to be translated.
Even if you are a city that meets that threshold. It's just the agenda itself.
I think we'll we'll try and see how that plays out before we put any restrictions on it because we want to be as accommodating as we.
I have two questions.
Yeah.
So there's a mandate coming from the state what.
What is the cost to a city like us on annual basis do we have any idea.
I think the cost varies depends on the depending on the city and what equipment they already had.
I think Joanna might have a little bit of an idea of what the costs have been to us and.
She can explain how the funding for that was handled.
It depends annually so I would say one of the one of the biggest ongoing costs is staff time.
So we do need an extra staff member to ensure to basically manage the zoom room and support the mayor letting people speak and so on and so forth.
So there's a management aspects for every single council meeting that we have to take into account.
As far as the hardware there's a combination of things that we have like a zoom license which is pretty nominal annually.
And some of the hardware that you visually see some of the work that happened behind the scenes.
Public works was fantastic. They came in and helped you a bunch of the wiring for us.
A lot of that one time cost.
I don't have an exact dollar amount because we're also not done with it yet, but we do is.
It's not general fund dollars for the most part. There's some licensing and software costs that are general
fund required that are most of it comes through pay, which is our government channel funding, very specific
funding that can only be used for hardware for excess, you know, making meetings like this accessible to the public.
So we're using that funding. Part of it is going to be dependent upon some of the issues that experience tonight.
So we have to kind of re-row a lot of the systems that I could not get technical with.
But if there's a lot of work that needs to be done, so that we can make this fully zoom room capable.
So that's kind of in addition to SB 707 and kind of the direction we're going with council chambers.
So as far as dollar amount, if we have to purchase the captioning, because there's a captioning requirements.
If you have to purchase captioning hardware, we're probably in total looking upwards of 80 to 100,000.
The captioning is really expensive. It's very pricey to have that like real time captioning.
If we don't have to do that, it gets a lot, you know, maybe in the 30 to 40 range depending upon that again, the hardware and how much it will cost for the consultant to come in and do all the back in programming on the system.
Thank you. And I guess the next thing would be like what I'm thinking about is controversial issues where you're going to have 60 people lined up on the phone to make comments.
And the added expense that that's going to be for each one of these cities, because now it's going to be so easy to line up 100 people.
And so can we limit, can we change our, can we limit the amount of time that somebody can have on it till a conference instead of going to three.
If we know there's 30 people stacked up on a phone, can we limit them to a minute, or is there, is there some hope that we can get out here before 4 o'clock in the morning?
Yeah, and I'll let you can go ahead and answer that, but those are the things that we're already discussing, because in some cities where that could be complicated, you can actually change business from the floor.
You wouldn't necessarily deny people right to be able to speak. What you can do is pull cards, have them have a coordinated so that it's controlled.
In some cases, just say there's an x amount of time for business from floor and beyond that it goes to the end of the meeting. There's nothing that says that that business from the floor has to occupy itself and you can't go past it.
So there's there's things that we can explore.
Thank you. Those are, those are things that we're looking at.
That's when we're stuck, and I think tonight's saw you down there.
I was just going to make a motion to prove.
Okay, so you motion.
I've tried to fix this. I was having some technical difficulties.
He's been technical difficulties.
I'm not asking at me.
So we have a motion, a second roll call.
Councilmember Richie.
Yes.
Councilmember Chapman.
Yes. Councilmember Frino.
No.
Councilmember Wiley.
Yes.
Councilmember Stockton.
Yes.
Vice Mayor Silva.
Michael.
Mayor Carly.
Yes.
Well, I appreciate it.
That's the last of our items before we adjourn.
I had said this, and I appreciate we'll have to follow up with what you're asked for us.
But in tonight's adjournment is going to be in memory of.
Chris Piazlin.
He was the ecology employee that.
I hadn't even worked for for ecology for a year.
He was tragically killed last last Friday.
And I know that one of the things that working with city staff and also with our city manager was to
allow the company to all assemble on the same day.
So, adjusting the schedule.
So, it will affect the ecology pick up and in back of the next week.
But it's unfortunate.
These accidents do happen.
And it was tragic.
I remember I was driving through through Dixon.
And just seeing the, you know, the license.
I'm not realizing I was driving right by where the man had passed.
So, it's a tragic unfortunate accident.
But tonight we're going to adjourn.
And in his honor and keep his family and our thoughts and prayers.
So, with that, can I back of it?
We'll adjourn 1143.
Wait, there's one more.
Well, okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
I knew nothing about it.
Normally it's coordinated in advance.
Okay.
So, we and I can, we can dis,
for the next week.
It would just be a lot easier.
Okay.
No, I forgot.
No.
No, I forgot.
So, anyways, can I back of them?
Okay.
Thank you.