Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2026
Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2026
The Belmont City Council held a regular meeting on March 24, 2026, at One Twin Pines Lane. The meeting included a special presentation on the SAMTrans Connect Bay Area local investment plan (SB63), a public hearing on the 2025 housing element annual progress report, a report on workforce vacancies and recruitment, and an annual transportation and mobility update. No items were considered at 4:00 p.m. (closed session had no report). The council took action on the consent calendar and a motion to submit reports.
Consent Calendar
- The consent calendar was approved with a 4-1 vote (Councilmember Jordan recused from item 9D due to residence within 500 feet of the property). Items included routine approvals; Councilmember Latimerlow noted appreciation for formalized job descriptions (item 9C) and commended staff and UC Investments on a negotiated agreement involving field renovations and parking (item 9D).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Special Presentation (SB63): Juliana Carlini expressed strong support for the Connect Bay Area measure, stating that cars and single-user transit are subsidized ten times as much as mass transit and that passing the measure is imperative for climate goals.
- Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items: Juliana Carlini again spoke, citing transit improvements in Paris and Bordeaux as examples and urged the council to prioritize transit over cars, even if it temporarily inconveniences drivers.
Discussion Items
- SAMTrans SB63 Local Investment Plan (Item 6A): Michaela Wright Petrick, SAMTrans government affairs officer, presented the proposed half-cent sales tax measure (14 years, plus 1 cent in San Francisco) to fund transit and prevent service cuts. SAMTrans would receive about $50 million per year for local transportation improvements. Public engagement and a survey close April 30, 2026. Councilmember Pang Manganeris asked if the measure would make all transit agencies whole; Petrick responded she could not confirm but noted Caltrain faces a $75 million gap.
- Housing Element Annual Progress Report 2025 & Housing Successor Annual Report FY 2024-25 (Item 10A): Housing Manager Toby Lieberman reported that in 2025 the city issued permits for 29 ADUs and a 37-unit affordable development (Hill Street), and approved entitlements for 63 units (951 Old County Road) and 140 units (580 Masonic, including 25 affordable). 268 building permits have been issued this RHNA cycle (15% of goal), but including entitled units reaches 36%. Councilmember McCune requested future line graphs tracking RHNA progress. Councilmember Latimerlow asked about new income categories (e.g., acutely low); Lieberman noted they are tracked but not mandated. Councilmember Pang Mageneris asked about consequences of missing RHNA; staff said the state retains enforcement mechanisms but many cities will struggle. No public comment was received.
- Annual Report on Vacancies and Recruitment/Retention (Item 11A): HR staff reported 139.75 budgeted positions, average vacancy rate of 5.8% (peaked at 9.3%, low of 2.9%), and 21 vacancies in 2025 with a 7.15% turnover rate (below regional average of 10–12%). 25% of the workforce is eligible to retire now. Challenges include housing affordability, commute, and competition with private sector. Council discussed recruiting from private sector (e.g., LinkedIn, Robert Half) and the administrative services director position (80% HR, 20% IT). No public comment.
- Annual Transportation and Mobility Update (Item 11B): Senior Civil Engineer Josh Soon presented accomplishments: adaptive traffic signal system on Ralston Avenue, completion of 2025 pavement rehab (2.5 miles, PCI improved from 68 to 71), and 51 parking/traffic safety requests (59% increase from 2024). Upcoming projects include the Belmont Village Hall Crossing Project at El Camino. This item was informational only.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar approved (4-1, Jordan recused on 9D).
- Motion to submit reports (housing APR and successor report) passed unanimously.
- No action required on other items (SB63 presentation, vacancies report, transportation update); they were informational.
- The council will consider future graphs for RHNA progress and continue recruitment for the administrative services director and other hard-to-fill positions.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. So the City of Belmont City Council regular meeting. We are currently in our council chambers at one Twin Pines Lane. Please see our published city agenda for the various ways that you can participate. The public has options to participate via Comcast Cable Channel 27. We are also streamed via our city's website. There's Zoom capabilities, and of course, you can come join us in person. The published agenda also has all of the different instructions on meeting decorum how to submit a public comment. Councilmember McCune. Present. Here. Thank you. Great, thank you. We had no items at 4 7 p.m. We'll go ahead and move to uh item four Pledge of Allegiance, please rise. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To the public for which it stands. One nation, another call. All right, thank you. Item five, report from closed session, Mr. City Attorney. Good evening, Madam Mayor. We did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no report. Okay. Thank you. Item six, special presentation. 6A is SAMTrans SB63 Local Investment Plan. We've got uh guests with us today. Good evening. Yes, I'd be introduced. Please, that would be great. Wonderful. Well, good evening, Honorable Mayor and members of the City Council. My name is Ed Rickwan, and I'm your public works director. Tonight joining us is Michaela Petrick, right? Uh the government affairs officer for SAMTRANS, who will be presenting and seeking feedback on the Connect Bay Area Local Investment Plan. A proposed regional sales tax measure to support transit funding under Senate Bill 63. So welcome. Thank you. Good evening, Mayors, member of members of the City Council, and thank you so much for inviting us to present today. My name is Michaela Wright Petrick, government and community affairs officer with San Mateo County Transit District. I'm here to share an update. So here is our agenda. So I want to give some background on the ballot measure. There is state legislation that passed last year called SB63, the Connect Bay Area Measure. It may reach the November ballot via citizens initiative, which happens through a signature gathering process that's going on right now. It would require 50% plus one of total votes in five counties to pass it San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties. If it makes the ballot, voters will decide if they approve a half cent sales tax for 14 years and one cent in San Francisco only. It would provide nearly a billion dollars to transit in the Bay Area, and about 63% of the funding would go to preventing major service cuts on BART, MUNIC, Caltrain, AC Transit, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and some other smaller agencies. In San Mateo County, there would be locally administered funds to support local transportation improvements coming from that blue slice of the pie, and that's why we're here today.
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