Title
Minutes of the Special Joint City Council and SACIC Meeting Held on June 2, 2026. [SACIC] (City Clerk)
Body
UNAPPROVED
Minutes of the Joint Meeting of the City Council and Successor Agency to
the Community Improvement Commission (SACIC)
Tuesday- -June 2, 2026- -6:59 p.m.
Mayor/Chair Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Councilmember/Commissioner Boller led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll Call - Present: Councilmembers/Commissioners Boller, Daysog, Jensen, Pryor and Mayor/Chair Ezzy Ashcraft - 5.
Absent: None.
Consent Calendar
The City Clerk announced the Public Hearing for the Proposition 4 limit [paragraph no. 26-305 CC].
Councilmember/Commissioner Jensen noted the City of Alameda is under the Gann Proposition 4 limit and other California cities are not.
Councilmember/Commissioner Jensen moved approval of the Consent Calendar.
Councilmember/Commissioner Pryor seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5. [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by an asterisk preceding the paragraph number.]
(*26-304 CC/26-10 SACIC) Minutes of the Joint City Council and Successor Agency to the Community Improvement Commission Meetings Held on May 5, 2026 and May 19, 2026. Approved.
(*26-305 CC) Public Hearing to Establish the Proposition 4 (Appropriations) Limit for Fiscal Year 2026-27; and
(*26-305A CC) Resolution No. 16405, “Establishing the Appropriations Limit for Fiscal Year 2026-27.” Adopted.
Agenda Items
(26-306 CC) Resolution No. 16406, “Approving and Adopting Midcycle Changes to the City of Alameda Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27.” Adopted;
(26-11 SACIC) SACIC Resolution No.26-25, “Approving and Adopting Midcycle Changes to the City of Alameda Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27.” Adopted; and
(26-306A CC) Resolution No. 16407, “Workforce Changes and Amending the Management and Confidential Employees Association (MCEA) Salary Schedule and Amending the Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA) Salary Schedule in Fiscal Year 2026-27 Effective July 1, 2026.” Adopted.
The Budget Manager gave a Power Point presentation.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft discussed an upcoming measure that would impact Charter cities by forcing a change in their ability to collect Transfer Tax; stated Charter cities could lose anywhere from $10 to $18 million in General Fund revenue; negotiations are currently taking place in Sacramento to keep the measure off the ballot; inquired how staff is addressing the potential funding loss.
The Finance Director responded staff does not deal in hypotheticals; stated if the measure were to pass, staff would have to make significant changes and return to Council.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether staff is projecting that the Transient Occupancy Tax will remain flat, even with the Australian National Soccer Team in Alameda, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative.
In regards to Vice Mayor Pryor’s inquiry regarding the anticipated residual fund balance and the Aquatic Center’s anticipated cost increases, the Finance Director responded $6 million in anticipated costs is listed for the biannual budget; stated the amount is not projected in the estimated ending balance as of June 30, 2027; revenue is growing at a slower pace than expenditures; as that gap widens, staff must find a way to fill it, with either the fund balance or other pots of money in the short term; staff has asked to dip into the Pension Trust Fund for this biannual budget and the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund for the upcoming midcycle budget.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the money would only be used for uses authorized under the trust funds, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative; stated the OPEB Trust Fund would pay for OPEB costs of the City Pension Trust Fund would go towards CalPERS payments.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the Trust Fund can be turned to if and when the City runs into trouble a year from now when making payments out of the General Fund, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft encouraged staff to keep that in mind when discussing what hiring to approve moving forward.
Councilmember Daysog inquired whether the City is dipping into a Trust Fund that was created to pay for typical costs; stated the City should be setting aside roughly $7 million to cover the annual CalPERS bill.
The Finance Director responded the Pension Rate Stabilization Policy (PRSP) outlines what the City can pull from the Pension and OPEB trust funds; stated the PRSP allows up to 10% to be used for the required CalPERS payments; staff will be pulling roughly $3 million from the Pension Trust; staff can pull what is needed to cover OPEB costs from the OPEB Trust Fund.
Councilmember Daysog discussed a fund created by a previous Council using a formula that dealt with excess reserves; stated some of the excess reserves went into a pot of money for future CalPERS unfunded liabilities; some went to OPEB; the pots of money are separate from what Council typically pays CalPERS; if the two Trust Funds did not exist, questioned whether the City could not afford the typical $7 million CalPERS annual payment; stated the City can only pay $4 million; inquired if staff will dip into the retirement fund to make up the difference.
The Finance Director responded if the City has an excess in money at the end of the year, the PRSP requires 25% to be placed into the Trust Fund; stated staff is currently pulling $3.4 million from the money that was set aside.
Councilmember Daysog stated somehow, there is not enough money from typical revenue sources to pay the $7 million; inquired whether, to make up the difference, the City must pull from the fund, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she understands expenses are growing faster than revenues; staff is attempting to be proactive and prudent; inquired what would happen if the City is in the same situation or worse next year and whether the City would continue to pull from the Trust Funds, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative; stated the idea of having a Trust Fund is to use it if needed.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated it is not as though the Trust Funds are never ending; inquired whether it is safe to assume that money is not being added to the Trust Funds if the City is having trouble meeting basic expenses, to which the Finance Director responded in the affirmative.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated at some point, the balance may be gone; inquired whether staff has thought about how to approach said situation.
The Assistant City Manager responded staff is planning on conducing a five-year budget forecast; stated staff is responsible and thoughtful in the items presented to Council; if the City were in a dire situation, staff would return to Council with recommendations of severe cuts before emptying the Trust Funds.
Discussed the increase in the number of Parking Technicians and the impact it will have in bringing in revenues; discussed parking enforcement; stated the City should hire at least nine Parking Technicians: Mitch Ball, Alameda.
Encouraged Council to approve the new Parking Technician position requested by the Public Works Department since the position is revenue positive: Denyse Trepanier, BikeWalk Alameda.
In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s inquiry about the possible new Parking Technician, the Public Works Director stated Public Works manages a majority of the parking program; stated the Alameda Police Department (APD) also plays a roll, especially in relation to abandoned vehicles and anything that requires towing; currently, there are two full-time Parking Technicians and three part-time Technicians, as well as a Program Manager; staff is asking for a third full-time Technician, which will ensure equitable coverage across the City and allow for extended hours and coverage for parking enforcement; currently, there is no enforcement on Sundays; the current request is to hire one Parking Technician; a future request will be for a Supervisor for the parking program.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired what a Supervisor would do.
The Public Works Director responded a Supervisor would conduct oversight and coordination of schedules with the technicians and part-timers; stated the primary role for the Sarking Supervisor would be first-level reviews for parking tickets that are contested; the Department also receives many phone calls; a higher level position could help assess incoming data and determine hotspots will help the Manager focus on resource allocation and future ordinances.
Councilmember Jensen stated on Webster Street, APD has been conducting bike lane enforcement; inquired how Public Works and APD collaborate on this kind of enforcement and whether it has been effective.
The Public Works Director responded APD has every right to cite the same citations as Public Works; stated some citations can overlap and there are resources for both.
The Police Chief stated APD and Public Works collaborate; APD does has one person assigned to abandoned vehicles.
Councilmember Jensen stated what she saw on Webster Street was not so much parking enforcement as much as it was notification and advising people parked in the bike lane to move their vehicles, which seemed to be working well.
The Police Chief stated staff has heard community concerns regarding parking in bike lanes; APD has been creative in deploying resources and identifying where the issues are to address the concerns.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft discussed driving down Central Avenue seeing a UPS truck parked in a bike lane; stated that she has texted photos of the license plate to staff; inquired how it is being dealt with.
The Police Chief responded identifiers such as license plates help staff when reaching out to the business and notifying them about a concern; stated that he has written letters to businesses and residents, informing them about concerns; if the problem continues, enforcement is used.
Vice Mayor Pryor inquired what would be a good ratio of Supervisor to Parking Technicians.
The Public Works Director responded, ideally, a supervisor would oversee five people, minimum.
Vice Mayor Pryor inquired what the typical salary for the position; stated adding a Parking Technician is being offset by revenue, however, a Supervisor might add financial impact.
The Public Works Director responded while the Parking Technician position generates revenue, staff is thoughtful about the overall fund balance and ensure all parking costs are funded by the revenue, which is not the case at this point; she would not recommend a Supervisor until incoming revenue is understood, especially with new parking facilities that have come online; although enforcement is revenue generating, staff hopes people will comply with parking rules.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she is hesitant about approving workforce amendments; the City will soon know whether the transfer tax measure will be on the upcoming ballot; since the General Fund could take a major hit, she would caution Council to wait a bit longer; expressed support for the Parking Technician and Information Technology’s asks; she would like to ensure the Sustainability Manager’s salary range is where it should be and wait until after the August recess to decide on other position hirings.
Councilmember Boller stated Council gave a bit of pushback at the budget workshop in regards to the number of full-time hirings; staff returned to Council with a shortened list; in regards to workforce amendments, Council did not give pushback on that topic during the workshop; he is comfortable moving forward with the recommendations, but would like to hear from staff and his colleagues.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated Council did not delve into the possibility of losing transfer tax revenue at the workshop.
***
(26-307 CC) Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft suggested that 5 more minutes be added to Council speaking times.
Vice Mayor Pryor moved approval of adding five more minutes.
Councilmember Boller seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5.
***
Councilmember Daysog stated that he discussed his concerns at previous workshops and has nothing new to add.
Vice Mayor Pryor stated the hiring of the part-time Safety Officer and the part-time Maintenance Worker are important and have work that must get done; it is a better long-term investment to fill the positions; while the other positions are also important, she does not have a problem with waiting to fill those.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated some positions do not require a cost and are reclassifications only; Council could approve the recommendation but include direction to wait to advertise positions after the new City Manager is on board, as he may want to have input; in regards to the Aquatic Center cost increases, she will want information on the significant cost increase.
Councilmember Jensen inquired whether the suggestion is for the hirings to be deferred.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she agrees the Recreation and Parks positions are important to accept now; the Parking Technician is time sensitive; other positions are simple changes in classifications; she would like to pause the new Planning, Building, and Transportation Department positions until the new City Manager is on board.
Councilmember Jensen suggested Council accept the recommendation to hire the Parking Technician and the $4.4 million from the OPEB Trust Fund; stated perhaps the positions could return to Council once the City Manager is here and before the end of the year; she assumes Council would like to know more about the likelihood of the transfer tax measure.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated if the transfer tax measure is added to the upcoming ballot, Council would have to wait until November to know if it passes.
Councilmember Jensen stated June 27th is the last day for initiative and legislative measures to qualify to appear on the ballot; suggested the Risk Manager position be approved as it is a money-saving position.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she would like to wait to fill that position.
The City Attorney stated there are no contract funds planned for the coming fiscal year; while there was a one-time allocational funds for the current fiscal year, staff did not plan for continuation of the contract; there are no offsets for the upcoming fiscal year.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether Council could safely defer that position.
The Human Resources Director responded it will create a gap for the City in its safety program by going from having some sort of resource to address safety issues to having none; stated the full-time position would be ideal; at least with part-time, someone will be available to address the gap to make sure the safety program is moving forward.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether waiting two months would create hardship, to which the Human Resources Director responded in the negative; expressed concern about lack of resources and liabilities in the case of a major incident.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the City Attorney is concerned about the City’s liability; inquired whether the City Attorney’s Office provides assistance in risk management.
The City Attorney responded the Attorney’s Office does not have safety resources, which is what this ask is; stated one possibility, if Council desires, is to delay for two months; staff can extend the contract for two months under his authority, assuming there is money left over.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether this could be a compromise.
Councilmember Jensen responded in the affirmative; inquired whether it would provide sufficient resources for the program.
The Human Resources Director responded if the hiring were delayed two months and funding was available to help bridge the gap, from a liability perspective, it would be amenable.
The Assistant City Manager stated if something occurs with an employee and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) complaint filed, Departments are not necessarily qualified to manage an OSHA complaint and concern, which is where the position comes into place; stated none of the positions would be filled until July and the new City Manager will be in place by then.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated hiring and recruiting are separate items; she assumes the new City Manager would like a say in the recruitment process as well.
The Assistant City Manager clarified recruitment will not begin until July 1st; City Manager approval is required to open and start a recruitment.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired how it would be determined whether funds are available.
The Assistant City Manager responded staff can find out, but does not have the number on hand.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she would like to use the City Attorney’s authority to extend the contract in place.
The Assistant City Manager stated several positions, such as those in the Planning, Building, and Transportation Department, are not paid from the General Fund, but rather Fund 209, which is funded by planning fees and revenues.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she has had conversations with staff about needing to revisit some of the fees that are being charged; she has heard fees are burdensome and may need to be revisited.
Councilmember Boller stated the workforce changes show a significant investment on the General Fund, however, many are upgrades; many funds are listed in the staff report; he continues be comfortable with staff’s recommendation to approve the items; if Council had concerns, they should have been addressed at the workshop.
Vice Mayor Pryor inquired whether the $75,000 previously mentioned was what the Safety Officer would be paid yearly or whether that number is what was budgeted to pay contractors.
The City Attorney responded the existing contract is with EnviroTech Safety and is for a one-year period, with a maximum not-to-exceed of $75,000.
Vice Mayor Pryor whether the City has that contractor at this moment, to which the City Attorney responded in the affirmative.
Vice Mayor Pryor stated it makes sense to keep them until the position is filled; a full-time Safety Officer is important and would cover all departments, however, the compromise reached at the workshop was to hire a part-time Officer; expressed support for the hiring of the Safety Officer.
The Finance Director stated there is plenty of money in the current contract to continue.
Councilmember Jensen inquired whether expenditures not part of the General Fund would be approved if the workforce changes are adopted.
The Budget Manager responded two things are being discussed tonight: position upgrades or reclassifications, and the hiring of part-time positions; stated the Safety Officer would be included in the part-time positions.
Councilmember Jensen moved approval of adopting the recommendations by staff for the resolutions approving the mid-cycle changes, including the workforce amendments.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired if the motion included using the City Attorney’s authority for safety for the time being.
Councilmember Jensen inquired what positions are being deferred and when they would return to Council.
Councilmember Jensen withdrew her motion.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested clarification about how the funding would work.
The City Attorney responded the funding can be worked out later; stated the important thing is that there is still money in the contract; he could continue to exercise his authority to extend the contract while the City undergoes recruitment in the fall.
Councilmember Boller stated that he has had discussions with the Interim City Manager about a bigger emphasis on safety; the original recommendation was for full-time positions, which has since changed to part-time; inquired whether making the change affects the City’s risk profile.
The Human Resources Director responded it depends; stated if staff is able to extend the contract by two months with the remaining funds, the gap can be mitigated; expressed concern about going beyond the gap.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the annual cost of the contract was $75,000; $30,000 is left; inquired whether the leftover budget for the next two months increases staffs’ confidence level, to which the Human Resources responded in the affirmative; stated her concern lies beyond the two months and what the next steps would be once the funds are exhausted.
In response to a prior question, the City Clerk stated there is a June 25th deadline that the Secretary of State will certify the transfer tax initiative as qualified to the November ballot, unless withdrawn by the proponent prior to certification.
Councilmember Jensen stated because they would have more information regarding the measure by the time recruiting and hiring begins, she is comfortable moving forward; if needed, a budget amendment may return to Council.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated it is prudent to wait until the end of June.
Vice Mayor Pryor stated if anything had to be delayed, she would choose to delay the Aquatic Center; although she does not want to, if need be, she would rather proceed with the hirings; a lot of compromise went into reducing some of the positions from full-time to part-time.
Councilmember Boller stated if the new City Manager has concerns, he assumes everyone would be amenable to them.
Councilmember/Commissioner Boller moved approval of the budget as proposed [including adoption of the resolutions].
Councilmember/Commissioner Jensen seconded the motion.
***
(26-308 CC) Vice Mayor Pryor moved approval of adding five more minutes.
Councilmember Jensen seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5.
***
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated there will be more information on the proposed measure before the end of the month.
Councilmember Boller stated if the measure moves forward, the City will have a bigger problem than the position upgrades and the City Manager may want to have discussions with Council; he is still comfortable moving forward with the staff recommendations.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested a friendly amendment to the motion to add the caveat that everything being approved will be subject to the new City Manager’s final approval and discretion.
In response to Councilmember Boller’s inquiry about City Manager approval, the City Attorney stated the City Manager has discretion to delay at any time.
The Assistant City Manager concurred with the comments made by the City Attorney; stated it is built into the system; the City Manager approves all recruitments.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested clarification that no position would open before the arrival of the new City Manager, to which the Assistant City Manager responded in the affirmative; stated recruitments would not open until July 1st.
Councilmember Daysog stated that he will vote no on the item because it intentionally limits the number of sworn Officer positions; the recommendation would freeze staffing at no more than 76 Officers, impeding the Police Chief from hiring beyond that number; he does not support the hiring freeze; he believes there should be 88 sworn Officers.
The Police Chief responded APD would like to have as many Officers as possible; stated the Department is currently on track to have 76 Officers by the end of the year; candidates are in the background process; he plans on making timely notifications to Council in the event APD needs more than 76 Officers; it is difficult to predict and project how many Officers will join the force.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated in a previous budget workshop, it was stated that there must be enough Field Training Officers (FTO) to hire new sworn Officers, as they must spend six months with an FTO.
The Police Chief stated new Officers must spend 19 weeks with an FTO; the Police Officer Association (POA) President suggested placing Officers into other ancillary assignments before going into field training if there are insufficient FTOs; currently, the 6 FTOs can accommodate 6 trainees at a time.
On the call for the questions, the motion carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Councilmembers Boller, Jensen, Pryor and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 4. Noes: Councilmember Daysog - 1.
(26-309 CC) Resolution No. 16408, “Approving and Adopting Midcycle Operating Budget Amendment for the Rent Program to the City of Alameda Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27.” Adopted.
Councilmember Boller stated that he needs to recuse himself due to having an interest in residential rental property and left the meeting.
Vice Mayor Pryor moved adoption of the resolution.
Councilmember Daysog seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 4. [Abstentions: Councilmember Boller - 1]
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mayor/Chair Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 8:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lara Weisiger, City Clerk and Secretary, SACIC
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.