Benicia City Council Meeting September 15, 2026: Tax Oversight Report, Employee MOUs, Depot Task Order, Marina Fishing Ban

The Benicia City Council convened at 6:00 PM on September 15, 2026, in Council Chambers at City Hall (250 East L Street, Benicia, CA), following a closed session with no reportable actions. Mayor Steve Young participated remotely from Atlanta under the exception for official city business (Bay Area Council delegation on energy equity and economic development); Vice Mayor Trevor Macenski presided, with Council Members Kari Birdseye, Lionel Largaespada, and Terry Scott present. No minutes for this meeting were available in the source materials; the agenda listed a 7:30 PM adjournment target. The council approved the consent calendar with two pulled items, received the Independent Oversight Committee's first formal evaluation of voter-approved tax measures, and introduced an ordinance restricting fishing at the Benicia Marina boat launch float.

Proclamation — Hispanic Heritage Month 2026

Vice Mayor Macenski proclaimed September 15 through October 15, 2026, as Hispanic Heritage Month on behalf of Mayor Young and the council. The proclamation noted that Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson and was expanded to a 30-day observance in 1988 under President Ronald Reagan; Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate independence on September 15, Mexico on September 16, and Chile on September 18. Martha Ramirez and Francisco Roman of Chico's Taqueria accepted the proclamation and thanked the city for recognizing and supporting Hispanic small businesses.

Presentation — Independent Oversight Committee (IOC) Tax Measure Evaluation

Bob Sachs presented the IOC's evaluation of Measure C (1% general sales tax, adopted 2014), Measure B (three-quarters of one percent general sales tax, adopted 2024), and Measure F (a specific-use measure). The committee, together for two years (started with 19 members, five of whom are original), individually scored each measure using a 0–3 rubric (0 = poor, 3 = exceeds expectations). Measure F scored highest; Measures B and C, which draw from the general fund, scored "needs improvement." Key findings: the annual tax measure report is retrospective and not timely for oversight; reaching budget documents requires multiple steps and is too hard for the average citizen; Measure B revenue is untraceable; Measure C's capital expenditure tracking and associated oversight ended in 2022 with no communication to taxpayers; and rising CalPERS costs pressure the general fund, with the unfunded actuarial liability growing significantly from 2018 to 2025. While the committee could not prove tax revenues funded the pension liability, the mere question undermined confidence. Recommendations included tax-measure landing pages (budgeted revenues, past uses, staff reports), a CalPERS strategy page, publishing plans for each measure, and using priority-based budgeting scoring data.

In discussion, Councilmember Scott questioned comparing a specific-use measure with general fund measures; each measure scored individually. Councilmember Birdseye asked about pension cost pressure; Sachs confirmed the committee discussed—but omitted from the report—a hypothesis that tax measure revenues (including an apparent correspondence with Measure F revenue) were covering pension costs. Councilmember Largaespada asked for rubric details. Mayor Young supported a transparency landing page and suggested tying Measure B revenue directly to pension payments ($8 million this year, rising to about $13 million in 2031).

Deputy City Manager Shaki presented slides prepared by City Manager Mario Giuliani (absent) showing how locally approved tax measures—utility user tax (described as Measure A, adopted 1996), business license tax (Measure R, 2004), Measure C (2014), Measure B (2024), and a transient occupancy/hotel tax adopted in 2024 (also described as "Measure A" in the transcript, an apparent naming inconsistency)—support departments; together they fund approximately one-third of city services, based on the revised FY 2024–25 budget. Examples included 21.4% of utility user tax revenue directed to police services, 19.7% of business license tax revenue to fire services, and 12.1% of Measure C revenue to public works. Mayor Young questioned the 16% "general services" allocation, which is not an actual department; staff responded that priority-based budgeting would reallocate such citywide costs to individual programs.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Nicole Newell, program manager with Sustainable Solano and a Benicia resident, promoted a countywide air quality summit on Saturday, October 17, at the Joseph Nelson Center in Suisun City (9 AM–4 PM), with lunch, Spanish translation, and a $50 stipend for the first 50 non-government-affiliated registered participants who stay the full day.
• Chris Shinfeld, who pulled consent item 14I, argued the employee MOU cost increases (health insurance, education reimbursement contributions, comp time) should be made public and should not be on the consent calendar.
• Scott Trommer, a 25-year Benicia Marina slip holder, urged approval of the fishing restriction, stating no marina he has seen permits fishing; Harbor Master Ryan supported the restriction as a safety and liability issue, noting better locations exist for fishing.

Consent Calendar

The council approved by one motion, with no removals beyond 14H and 14I: 14A (minutes of the August 18 and September 1, 2026 regular meetings); 14B (second amendment to the DC Electric Group, Inc. agreement for streetlight and facility light maintenance, increasing the not-to-exceed amount from $400,000 to $410,000); 14C (FY27 police department General Fund and Asset Forfeiture budget amendments); 14D (FY 2025/26 fourth quarter investment report); 14E (first amendment to the Beauchaine Consulting Group, LLC agreement for Tyler Resident Access implementation, $36,090, new total not to exceed $121,090); 14F (professional services agreement with TRB + Associates, Inc. for Rose Estates development review support, not to exceed $345,000); 14G (declaration of Housing Element Site 34, 1471 Park Road, as surplus land); and 14J (waiver of reading of all ordinances). The vote was unanimous.

Discussion Items

• Item 14H — Southern Pacific Railroad Depot Construction Management Task Order. Staff recommended a task order with Unico Engineering under the City's existing Master On-Call Agreement, not to exceed $90,500, for construction management and inspection for the Depot Preservation and Maintenance Project. Councilmember Largaespada said he was not persuaded the project requires 570 hours and a $90,000 construction management budget and supported the lower-cost competitor, Consor. Mayor Young called spending nearly half of the $195,000 project value on contract management for essentially re-roofing, gutters, and a paint job "crazy." A motion to award the task order to Consor passed 3–2 (Largaespada, Macenski, and Young in favor; Birdseye and Scott opposed). Staff warned that departing from its recommendation means "it's on the shoulders of the members that voted this way" if the work is not done right.
• Item 14I — Employee Association MOUs (FY 2026–27). The one-year agreements (June 21, 2026 through June 20, 2027) with the Benicia Public Service Employee Association, Benicia Supervisors and Professionals Association, Benicia Police Officer's Association, Benicia Dispatchers Association, Benicia Firefighter's Association, and unrepresented management groups were pulled for discussion. HR Director Kim Bowden reported an estimated citywide cost of about $955,000 if fully staffed, with most provisions one-time and non-pensionable (no impact on CalPERS rates or the unfunded liability). Employees had requested cost-of-living adjustments, but the city was not in a financial position to grant ongoing increases given uncertainty such as Valero; of 150 job classifications, 59 are market-surveyed, 48 are below market (averaging about 12% below by classification and about 15% on an employee-weighted basis), and vacancies run about 10% in police and 14% in management classifications versus roughly 8% typical government turnover. Mayor Young and Councilmember Birdseye said the item should have been on the business agenda; Mayor Young questioned whether health cost increases are truly one-time since premiums generally rise annually (staff explained health coverage and cost-sharing are renegotiated each year). The resolution passed unanimously (5–0).

Business Item — Ordinance Amending Chapter 12.41 (Marina Boat Launch Fishing Restriction)

City Attorney Stock introduced an ordinance extending the existing prohibition on fishing from the Ninth Street boat launch float to the Benicia Marina boat launch float, following requests from the marina and residents citing boat damage. Councilmember Birdseye moved to waive the first reading and introduce the ordinance; it passed unanimously (5–0).

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the agenda and the consent calendar unanimously; pulled and separately considered items 14H and 14I.
• Awarded the Depot construction management task order to Consor instead of staff-recommended Unico Engineering (3–2).
• Approved the FY 2026–27 employee MOUs unanimously (5–0).
• Introduced, on first reading, the ordinance prohibiting fishing from the Benicia Marina boat launch float unanimously (5–0).
• Proclaimed Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15, 2026.
• Mayor Young announced $30 million in Air District catalyst grant funding, with an additional $5 million recommended (total $35 million), plus $10 million for the school district; contracts are being negotiated, and funds are expected to become accessible in the fall. Councilmember Birdseye expressed hope the Air District board approves the additional $5 million for electrifying homes closest to the refinery.
• No reportable closed session actions; no ACT task force group updates were presented; the meeting was adjourned.