Davis City Council Meeting - June 5, 2024: Budget, Revenue Measure, Surveillance Tech Renewals
Davis City Council Meeting – June 5, 2024
The Davis City Council met on June 5, 2024 (agenda and transcript indicate the meeting was held on June 4, but the official date provided for this summary is June 5). The council approved the FY 2024/25 mid-cycle budget with a general fund reserve at 7.5%, renewed surveillance technology and military equipment policies, and directed staff to return on June 18 with ballot language for a November 2024 general sales tax measure of up to 1%. Three proclamations were presented, and lengthy public comment addressed LGBTQ+ issues, the budget, and the proposed revenue measure.
Consent Calendar
- Short-Range Transit Plan and Cost-Share Agreement – Approved resolution awarding a professional services agreement to Transportation Management & Design Inc. and authorized the city manager to sign a cost-share agreement with UC Davis.
- General Municipal Election (November 5, 2024) – Approved resolutions calling the election, requesting consolidation with the statewide election, and adopting revised district boundaries including The Promenade annexation.
- Police Accountability Commission Action and Minutes – Received annual review of the Independent Police Auditor and minutes from multiple meetings as informational.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Proclamations (Item 1) – Several speakers expressed strong support for LGBTQ+ Pride Month and gun violence awareness; others opposed the proclamations, arguing against transgender policies and criticizing the focus on Pride over veterans.
- General Public Comment (Item 3) – Residents raised concerns about district elections, commission mergers, ADA accessibility, and climate resilience. One speaker alleged conflicts of interest involving a council member’s nonprofit and business.
- Surveillance Technology (Item 5) – Public comments questioned the necessity of drones and militarized equipment, cited civil liberties concerns, and urged reconsideration of police funding. The chair of the Police Accountability Commission reported that the commission found the written report insufficient to justify certain equipment requests.
- Budget (Item 6) – Commenters criticized the rapid decline in the general fund reserve (from 21% to 7.5%), questioned the fiscal prudence of the council, and argued for redirecting police funds to social services. Others highlighted the need for transparent service-level reporting.
- Revenue Measure (Item 7) – Supporters (including Interfaith Housing Justice Davis) urged the council to put a general sales tax measure on the ballot and to dedicate funds to a housing trust fund. Opponents called the tax regressive, argued the city should first seek contributions from UC Davis, and demanded a long-term financial plan before any tax increase.
Discussion Items
- Proclamations – Councilmembers presented proclamations for Juneteenth (June 19), National Gun Violence Awareness Month (June), and LGBTQ+ Pride Month (June). Recipients spoke about the significance of each, including personal stories and calls to action.
- Surveillance Technology and Military Equipment Renewals – Police Chief Darren Pytel reviewed 20 surveillance technologies and military equipment items. No new technologies were added beyond replacements for aging equipment (e.g., drones, trail cameras). The council approved continued use after a public hearing, noting no modifications to policies and a single internal policy violation.
- FY 2024/25 Mid-Cycle Budget – Finance Director Elena Adair presented the updated budget, highlighting a $2 million interfund loan from the Water Fund to the Solid Waste Fund, a general fund reserve of 7.5% (down from 8.9% projected), and $275,000 in departmental cuts (overtime, materials, temporary staff). The council approved the budget, the Redevelopment Successor Agency budget, the interfund loan, and the appropriations limit for FY 2024/25.
- Proposed Revenue Measure – City Manager Mike Webb and Assistant City Manager Kelly Stachowicz presented a state-of-the-city overview and options for increasing revenue. A community survey showed majority support for a general sales tax increase. The council discussed the need for a simple-majority general tax (not a two-thirds special tax) and directed staff to prepare ballot language for a November 2024 measure to increase the local sales tax by 1% (generating approximately $11 million annually).
- Long-Range Calendar – Councilmember Gloria Partida requested adding a discussion on facial recognition technology to a future meeting, citing a recommendation from the Police Accountability Commission.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar – Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Surveillance Technology and Military Equipment – Approved findings and continued use of all technologies and equipment (motion by Councilmember Arnold, second by Councilmember Neville; vote 5-0).
- FY 2024/25 Mid-Cycle Budget – Approved four resolutions (budget adoption, Successor Agency budget, Water-to-Solid Waste loan, and appropriations limit) (motion by Councilmember Neville, second by Vice Mayor Vaitla; vote 5-0).
- Revenue Measure – Directed staff and the city attorney to return on June 18, 2024, with necessary documents to place a 1% local sales tax increase on the November 2024 ballot as a general tax (motion by Councilmember Partida, second by Vice Mayor Vaitla; vote 5-0).
- Long-Range Calendar – Council agreed to add facial recognition technology discussion to a future agenda.
Meeting Transcript
Try this again. Good evening, everyone. All right. Sounds like they're working. Welcome to the June 4th, 2024 Davis City Council meeting. We'll call the meeting to order and let the record show it is 6.39 p.m. Also all four of my colleagues are here, so we have a quorum. And with that, we're going to move to the uh approval agenda, and I'll accept a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. All right, we have a motion by Councilmember Devil and a second by Councilmember Arnold. Uh any further questions or uh comments regarding the agenda. Right. Seeing none, all in favor, please say aye. Opposed, abstain. Motion carries 5-0, and we have an agenda for this evening. Uh thank you. All right, we are now on to agenda item number one, uh, which is ceremonial presentations of proclamations recognizing June 19th as Juneteenth, June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month, and June as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride month. Um I will turn to uh for uh item 1A, June 19th as Juneteenth. I will turn to Councilmember Arnold. Thank you, uh Mayor. So we do have a a couple of recipients who can come on up. Uh Nikki Shannon Smith and Katrina Laws you all. So this is a proclamation recognizing and celebrating the Juneteenth Independence Day. Juneteenth commemorates the day that enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their emancipation more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation emancipation proclamation. June 19th, 2024 will mark the 159th anniversary of this historic day. Juneteenth has been honored in YOLO County for more than 20 years, and with thanks to the committee planners from the Old County Library, the UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and YOLO County's Umoja Committee with support from the City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs Program, the Friends of the Davis Public Library, and the Olo County Office of Education. The 2024 YOLO Juneteenth celebration was held June 2nd at UC Davis. While Juneteenth celebrates the liberation of African Americans, no true celebration of Juneteenth can be achieved without addressing modern day inequities. In designating Juneteenth as an official city holiday, the City of Davis has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace that values the contributions of its diverse workforce and recognizes the invaluable role that different communities play in shaping the cultural fabric of American society. Now therefore, we the Davis City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Davis do here play hereby proclaim June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth in the City of Davis and encourage the people of Davis to observe this significant milestone with commemorative ceremonies, activities, and programs, thank you. I'd like to start just by thanking everyone who was involved in making the proclamation happen. I know we had council members, organizations from the city, we had volunteers and sponsors who made this year's event possible. Um so thank you for that. As a person who loves words, when I thought about the proclamation recognizing Juneteenth, the first thing I did was look up the word proclamation, even though I knew what it meant because that's what I do. Um and the root word actually holds the meaning to shout out. And so I started thinking about shouting out and the theme of making your voice heard. And here's what I know about shouting out. It works. Words matter. We know that they matter because it is why enslaved people were not allowed to read. It is why there are people who try to silence the voices of others. It is why books are banned. It is why peaceful protests are broken up. It is why libraries are targeted in wars. Words have power and they matter. So thank you for the proclamation. As we receive with open hearts and a lot of gratitude the proclamation and celebrate progress and recognize the commitment and unity it represents in our community. Let our collective words also be accompanied by continued allyship and continued action and activism. Make your voice heard. If you're in a position of power, use it to promote and foster equity and inclusion.
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