Alameda City Council Budget Workshop for FY 2025-27 – May 13, 2025

The Alameda City Council held a special budget workshop on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, continuing from a May 5 session, to provide direction on the biennial operating and capital budgets for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. The meeting ran from 6:00 PM to 8:56 PM and focused on social services restructuring, police staffing adjustments, capital improvement investments, and community input on pickleball facilities. No formal votes were taken; direction will be incorporated into adoption materials in June.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Gabriel Duncan (Alameda resident) expressed full support for adding social worker positions, urging the council to fund both positions in year one if possible.
• Lee Volin (remote speaker) strongly supported adding a full-time, skilled social worker at the main library, stating library staff need dedicated professionals to handle complex social service and behavioral challenges.
• Terry Rose (40-year resident) advocated for resurfacing the Lincoln Park pickleball courts, noting the courts are cracked from prior demolition work and serve a broad age range.
• Charles Liwson echoed the pickleball court resurfacing request, emphasizing the sport's accessibility and noting that Alameda's courts rank only "fair" compared to neighboring cities.

Discussion Items

• Social Services and Library Social Worker – Assistant City Manager Amy Woolridge presented a revised proposal to bring homeless outreach in-house by eliminating the Village of Love contract (cost savings of $76,700) and adding two full-time social workers: one for street outreach in year one and one for the library in year two. Councilmembers questioned the limited 12 hours/week of current library casework and sought faster library coverage. The council directed staff to use the $76,700 savings to enhance library social services in year one via contract or part-time positions (e.g., with Alameda Family Services), to explore MSW intern pathways, and to return at mid-cycle with an update instead of the year-two permanent position.
• Library Security Guard – Councilmember Jensen opposed adding a security guard, citing potential to make vulnerable patrons uncomfortable. Mayor Ashcraft supported it as a safety net. Staff noted it is a contract easily cancellable if later deemed unnecessary. The council provided no formal direction; the item remains in the proposed budget for evaluation.
• Police Staffing – Finance Director Ross McCarthy recommended increasing sworn officers from 70 to 72 (two-year cost ~$1.1M) and adding a victim services advocate (~$400k). Police Chief Nishant Joshi reported current sworn strength of 46, projected to drop to 44 in June, then rise to 47 with new hires. Councilmember Daysog argued that reducing authorized street officer positions from 65 (the historic baseline) to about 49-52 represented a 22% cut and required broader public discussion. Mayor Ashcraft countered that the city faces fiscal uncertainty from state and federal deficits and must be prudent, leaving room for future enhancements at mid-cycle.
• Capital Improvement Program – Public Works Director Aaron Smith presented a $86.2 million two-year capital budget, with 48% for transportation, 20% for sewers, 22% for buildings/facilities, and 2% for parks. Key projects include: Lincoln-Marshall-Pacific corridor improvements (leveraging $16M federal grant), neighborhood greenways, emergency water supply system ($400k, two trailer turntable reels), Bay Farm Island sea level rise adaptation, and library interior reimagining. Staff confirmed that the Lincoln Park pickleball court resurfacing ($100k–$150k) is already planned for year two, and Estuary Park Phase Two will add 4–6 pickleball courts.
• Sidewalk Repair Program – Director Smith shared success: 94 properties participated (70% participation rate) in a new city-led repair program, up from 20% compliance under the old model.

Key Outcomes

• Social Services Direction: The council directed staff to use the $76,700 cost savings from eliminating the Village of Love contract to enhance library social services in fiscal year 2025-26 via contract or part-time coverage, to explore MSW intern pathways (bachelor's or master's level), and to report progress at the mid-cycle budget update; the second year full-time library social worker request was removed for now.
• Police Staffing Direction: The council provided general support for the recommended 72 sworn officers and victim advocate, with the understanding that baseline police staffing is being reset from 65 to 49–52 deployed officers due to budget constraints; further increases may be revisited at mid-cycle if revenues improve.
• Capital Program Direction: Staff will proceed with the proposed $86.2M capital plan, including resurfacing Lincoln Park pickleball courts and building pickleball courts at Estuary Park, with an emphasis on safety, ADA compliance, and grant leverage.
• General Fund Allocations: The recommended $8M in general fund capital investments (e.g., street safety, building repairs, adaptation planning) are already incorporated into the projected $9.1M ending fund balance for FY 2026-27, which exceeds the required 25% reserve.
• Next Steps: Staff will finalize budget adoption materials incorporating council direction; a formal vote is scheduled for June 3 or June 17, 2025.