Please call this afternoon's council meeting to order.

Thank you.

Councilmember Kaplan.

Councilmember Dickinson.

Vice Mayor Talamantes.

Councilmember Pleckybaugh.

Councilmember Maple.

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem Gatta.

Here.

Council Member Jennings.

Here.

Council Member Vang.

Here.

And Mayor McCarty.

Here.

Councilmember Vang, can you lead us in the land acknowledgement?

Yes.

Please stand if you're able.

To the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains of Mewak, Putwin and Wintu peoples, and the people of Walton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral land by choosing to gather together in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento Indigenous Peoples History Contributions and lives.

Thank you.

Please join us in the pledge.

No, we don't.

Thank you.

Okay.

Mayor we now move to the consent calendar, items one through fourteen.

I have six speakers.

Are there council members that wish to pull an item or have questions or comments?

Councilmember Dickinson.

I just have a comment on uh I think it's on item two.

Councilmember is that the one I want to comment on?

It is.

Council Member Kaplan, question on item three.

Item three.

Um Vice Mayor Talamantes, uh comment on item two.

Seeing no more cued up.

Councilmember Dickinson on item two, and then Vice Mayor Telemontis on item two.

Uh thank you, uh, I just wanted to make a quick comment that uh I have um had I have found Granicus not not to be very user-friendly during my tenure here, and uh in fact I think the last time there was an extension for it that came up I I actually voted against it.

Um I have had a chance to look at the information that that you have provided about uh the system and uh its depth and breadth in terms of processing uh not just agendas but uh a whole variety of of other elements and and components so you know uh and uh due respect to that uh with an asterisk.

I'm gonna I'm gonna support I'm gonna support this today, but but I still hope that we will press Granica's to make its system more uh more user-friendly for all of us.

Thanks.

Thank you, Councilmember, and I have to commend uh my assistant city clerk, Wendy Clock Johnson, who's working very closely with them this past year, and we've made quite a few improvements.

Um Vice Mayor Talamantes on item two.

Yeah, similar to Councilmember Dickinson.

Uh there's a lot of concerns in the community, especially from the disability um advisory commission regarding Granicus.

So if we can just push the company to to do better on ADA and to work with us to make it more accessible to the public, that'd be great.

Um, I'll still be voting on it, but with direction to see what we can do.

Thank you, Councilmember Plucky Bomb on item one.

I don't know, maybe pardon me.

Councilmember Guerra.

Yeah, on item two.

Look, I want to I hope the Granica's folks are watching because I remember when we went on this on to Granicus uh and uh made the the change in 2015.

I think it was uh and I think it's still uh you know only one platform specific.

So if you're using anything but sometimes an apple product, um the this is uh uh a very difficult um system to be able to get information off of.

Uh so I hope that they're listening very clearly, and that you know uh the clerk's office should start looking for what other options there are, but um willing to support it today.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Kaplan on item three.

Yes, I just want to confirm on item three, whoever's best uh uh answer this, the funds for HMIS operations.

Um, what exactly are is the money for and what is it covering?

Community response.

Uh the eligible uses um can be to track housing needs, service usage, and uh outcomes.

Uh, in addition on the NOFA for HAP 5, uh stated it can be used 1% can be used for the planning of the RJP.

Okay.

Just because, you know, concerns with the HMIS and getting the accurate data and getting everybody in, um, I'm just kind of wanting to stay on top of that of making sure we're continuing to push to get accurate and transparent data and push the HMIS and make sure that SAC step forward is on top of that.

That's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Mary have six speakers on consent.

Should we take those?

Yes, please.

Um, the first speaker is Regina Brink on item 12, then Carena Pullen item 12, then Matt Herman on item seven.

Can I have a verbal warning?

Oh, my time is about to end.

Yes.

Thank you.

Uh, honorable mayor and city council.

I'm here to urge you to pull item 12 concerning Sutter's Landing Park ADA from the consent calendar.

We have not been heard.

I am the first vice president of the California Council of the Blind, as well as the Director of Governmental Affairs for them, a proud member of the local ACB Capital Chapter of the Blind, but all of those titles don't mean anything because my real expertise is in being disabled.

I've been blind since I was two, and I'm really good at it.

And I know that there is funding concerns that was cited why we couldn't make ADA accessible, uh, more ADA accessible.

The plans now don't include anything for people that are blind or low vision.

It's assumed that accessibility is expensive.

We are willing to work with the city within its funding to make it truly accessible, but I will gain nothing, and the people in my community will gain nothing from the current plan.

And the city hasn't even consented to consult with us for some inexpensive and simple improvements that might allow us to enjoy nature, the beautiful river, listening to birds, sitting by myself in a clearing, and communing with my creator.

Those are basic things that perhaps people in this chamber take for granted.

I'm begging you to come to our community, talk to us, listen to us.

People say nothing without us, nothing about us without us.

It's become trite.

And it's almost like a hashtag, right?

But it's important.

If you haven't spoken to us, you don't know if you can afford to accommodate the disability community.

Some things are very simple, it's not just ramps and bathrooms.

And so please, I am 10 seconds to take it off consent and let us have some real public dialogue.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Karina Pullen, item two, Matt Herman, item seven, hello again.

My name is Corona Miller, Pullin Disability Advisory Commissioner, speaking in my individual capacity.

Um my detailed written comment about this issue that I'm about to say is in all of your inbox as well with the city clerk.

When I joined the DAC, I went to Granicus, the platform that you are being asked to renew today to review what the commission had done before me.

I could not follow the archived meetings because they were not captioned.

A commissioner this city appointed to advise on disability access, could not access the meetings on her own commission on disability access.

That is the most basic test of whether a Brown Act compliant public meeting platform works.

It failed.

That same platform was tested for accessibility on May 8th.

It failed the most basic web accessibility markers for blind and deafblind users with screen readers.

I remind you that the federal DOJ has set a web accessibility deadline of April of next year.

This contract runs through June 2029.

Don't get locked into a contract that will outlast the DOJ's deadline and open up a federal issue.

My research has identified replacement options that most that meet federal accessibility standards and can be assembled for less than granite and actually deliver the accessibility the law requires.

They run 22,000 to 55,000 a year, saving the city roughly two to three hundred thousand dollars over the three-year term.

Better accessibility, less money.

If not having an ADA coordinator is a cost-saving measure, you owe it to us to at least not spend money on things that are actively hurting us.

My ask is simple: pull this item from consent, continue it.

Direct staff to return with options that respect the city's budget and its federal obligations to Sacramentans with disabilities.

You appointed my commission to serve.

Thank you.

Then Lambert on 7 and 9.

Good afternoon.

I know I put item 7, but I can't make the budget tonight.

I have another commitment.

Some of you know me, I'm a park supervisor in District 6.

I just wanted to comment on our people that are on the chopping block.

You guys, when we go to contracting out, I've been through contracting out, and it doesn't work.

They will come in, they'll give you the lowest bid, and they'll cut corners everywhere, and we're ended up cleaning up the mess.

Um, just want you guys to know that.

And I'm gonna tell you with us losing those 26 positions, uh, you're gonna see a lot of overtime.

And the overtime is gonna cover what those 26 positions will be there.

So if you cut those people, yeah, I'm gonna make a lot more money because I'll have to cover what doesn't get taken care of.

And trust me, the last time this happened in 2008, I had 16 parks as a park leader.

Okay, and that didn't work.

And at the end of that, the city council decided, oh, we found money and brought people back because they knew things weren't getting done.

Um, I'm very passionate about it.

I have very good uh crew.

Um, today, as a matter of fact, I was at Sierra 2, and the uh whole um neighborhood bought us lunch because we're doing such a great job.

And I just want you guys to know that if you want people that are compassionate and good about doing our parks, keep us whole.

Thank you, that's all I have to say.

Next speaker's Lambert on item seven and nine.

Chris Smith on item 12, then Todd, um, Tom B.

Lee O'Neill.

I should have put six twos, but I didn't, I didn't read it.

Um these three items on consent calendar uh pertain to district two.

And I was out of town with Mother's Day weekend, and the family and the millennials told me I need to come down here and speak on this.

Um this is district two.

And for those people who aren't aware, I wasn't really aware until I grew up, but district two has over 23 communities.

No other district has more than 10.

If you know how math works, money comes into a district, the more communities you have, the weaker the dollar.

It's just simple economics.

In these, it talks about lighting, landscaping, and sewer.

If it's gonna be District 2, it doesn't really say, and I have to go study it, it doesn't say which communities this is gonna happen in.

So if it's over 23, if it's over 20 communities, I would like to know, and I'm gonna find out, uh, what could what communities does this apply to in District 2?

Lighting district, uh landscaping, and sewer.

That applies to all parts of the city, much less district two.

So we're gonna monitor how that's being spent because over the years, when my parents were here, uh it was very uh cruel how they did this type of uh dispensing of funding, and one of their descendants is alive and well in monitoring what you do with this money because it's not your money, it's the taxpayers' money.

Next speaker's Chris Smith on item 12, then Tom B.

Leone on item 12.

Afternoon, thanks for the time to speak to you.

Um Chris Smith uh just speaking as an individual.

So um on this item it states in 2023 the city was awarded a proposition 68 grant from the state of California Wildlife Conservation Board, among other things, to prepare the feasibility studies and conduct public outreach.

So those are the two things I wanted to touch on quickly.

Um I was at most of the meetings uh for this over the last several years.

Um I don't feel that the feasibility study gave adequate alternatives.

Um it just felt like the public was only given a few that weren't really um adequate uh in terms of what we could do there.

So I just don't feel like the feasibility study was adequate.

Secondly, in regard to the public outreach, there's a breakdown in communication.

Questions asked at on-site meetings with the city and Doken were promised to be answered later, but they were never answered.

Letters and comments to the city staff were not responded to in a timely manner as well.

I wasn't even aware that my letter to the city from November 23rd was responded to by the city until just a couple of weeks ago.

So I'm really kind of tight about that.

Breakdown in communication with the city.

If nothing else, and you don't pull this item, I really think the city needs to get their act together in terms of how you're working with your public and how groups and individuals are responded to when we have a concern with the city.

Um, yeah, so I think that's covers it.

Thank you.

Tom is our final speaker on the consent calendar.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Uh I live at uh Tom Biloni.

I live at uh 525th Street.

I'm a volunteer with Friends with Sutter's Landing.

Uh, I'd like to invite each of you to come visit with us, with Chris, me, and the rest of the not the entire gang, but several of our members to see first hand how these these two-dimensional drawings, how they relate to the three dimensions and the reality of on the ground at Sutter's Landing.

Uh, we are completely in favor and have supported other projects within the American River Parkway for accessibility, and starting with Sailor Bar at the top of the parkway.

Uh what we're concerned about is having a design that works within the guidelines of the 2008 American River Parkway plan, and honors that and and respects by showing or demonstrating an understanding of the difference between a wild and scenic river park in the American River Parkway, as compared to let's say uh a beautiful urban park like McKinley Village, or I'm not village, but can uh the McKinley Park.

There's a huge difference between the two, and that is what we're getting to.

What we can show you is the physical impacts and the visual impacts that this design, as proposed at this level, presents.

You've got to be there on the ground to see it.

Anyway, we'll make the time, and I understand the Brown Act, and you can't all come at once.

Uh, so if ones or twos could come, we would welcome you.

Um, please come listen to what what uh retired fish and wildlife uh trail planners, uh professionals who have worked in the world of recreational consulting in wild land settings.

Thank you very much.

Mayor, that concludes a public comment on the consent calendar.

Okay.

Thank you.

I just wanted to address this issue real quick.

Is it number 12?

Yeah.

So this was asked to be uh postponed a month ago so the public could better understand it.

So we did that.

We put it back, I think two, three weeks.

So we're here to go tonight.

Um I'm in full support of this.

I have gone down and visited the site, as you know, on many of occasions.

This has been uh one of my pri top priorities as a public official here in Sacramento, and you know, because of our prior legislation, we were able to receive tens of millions of dollars for the parkway to do two things or two co-equal goals to support the natural environment and the wild and scenic river, but also to improve public access because a lot of people in our neighborhoods don't have the chance to go to Yosemite, Tahoe, see beautiful mother nature, the rivers two three miles from them, but it might as well be a million miles away because we don't always have public access in the city core.

So I think this was a fair balance.

We wanted to increase public access.

Speaking of the prior item, talking about ADA and disabilities issues.

This is this issue to make sure that other people with AD issues can access our beautiful American River Parkway.

So I think this is a balanced approach, and our I know our city staff um had plenty of outreach with the community um with the parks with the up sea department, and there wasn't always a meeting of the eye between the the stakeholders involved, but I thought this was a fair process and the and the right approach.

So I'm in full support.

So looking for a motion on the consent calendar.

Motion a second, Councilmember Guerrero.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

You know, I I appreciate the willingness to move this forward, although uh, you know, and I appreciate that the time that was brought up, and I got a chance to look at this, but hearing the issues from folks who have uh uh visual impairment is a little personal for me, and uh if if we're not willing to continue it for a week, I'm gonna record a no vote.

Uh and only because in the in, you know, in my family, um, I mean, just about every male on my dad's side of the family, we lose our eyesight by the time they're 70.

So um, you know, if I'd like to go out there and see at least.

If not, then I'll have to record a no vote.

I did see the improvements that were done for you know access, and I appreciate that.

But you know, hearing the comments today, um, it's just it's it's personal for me at that point, and so I'd like to if I at least have a chance to meet with the folks on there on this, and uh and I do one, I I want to I want to recognize the work that was done on accessibility, and I think there has been, but for those who um, you know, uh I've you know uh uh particularly in our family, you know, um, maybe it doesn't go that way, but uh but I know that at the end of our our years, like we we tend to lose our our eyesight.

So uh I'll uh if that's an ability to move in that direction, I appreciate that.

And if not, then uh I'll just record a note.

Not for prejudice of the project.

I appreciate all the work that's been done, but I would love the opportunity to speak with some of those advocates on on the visual impairment issues.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Vang.

Yeah, I was just gonna um share the same sentiment of Mayor Pro Tam Gera.

I actually just walked over and asked uh the council member of the area if he would be okay with continuing.

He did say yeah, so um, mayor just wanted to bring that back to you because he wants to move the item.

So I want to know if we can continue it.

You want to continue for one more week?

One more week, I think would be surprised.

I won't delay it more.

Well, what more than one?

I'll make the time to go out and figure out and sit down with the advocates and um this was news new information for me on the challenges, and I thought there was a lot of good work done, but um, I'd rather I'd rather um you know uh what is it measure twice and cut once?

Thank you.

Fair enough.

Cool.

But do we have a next week opportunity?

City clerk.

Uh we do.

Um the maker of the motion is is Vice Mayor Talamantes.

Okay, so I'd like to move the consent calendar removing Sutter's item number 12, Sutter's Landing Park ADA, and continue this item.

Accept that.

Thank you.

Okay, and continue one week.

Is that a continue one week?

Okay, we have a motion on the rest of the consent calendar.

All is in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

No, nor no abstentions.

So the items passed except for the one item continued a week.

Correct.

Item 12, Sutter's Landing Park ADA River Access Trail Project Concept Plan Approvals continued for one week.

Thank you.

The remainder of the consent calendar passes.

We move to item 15, a public hearing.

Housing and dangerous buildings case fees, finding of facts for special assessment.

And at this time, I will open the public hearing.

I'd like to open the public hearing.

For item number 15.

Welcome, Sean.

Thank you.

Afternoon, Mayor, Council, City Manager, thank you.

Um I'm Sean Bartos, the code enforcement manager with the community development department.

The items before you are the neighborhood code compliance and housing and dangerous building case fees and penalties for special assessment and or personal obligation.

We're gonna hear items 15 and 16 together, however, we will have a separate vote on those.

Uh for item 15, the housing and dangerous building case fees uh staff report lists an amended total of 161 properties with a total of 284,061.85 cents of unpaid fees scheduled for liens against properties.

Nine properties listed in exhibit A of the staff report have been removed from the report and are identified as uh line numbers 15, 55 and 56, 119, 170, 171, 177, 178, 185, 219, 220, and 256.

Uh for item 16, the community development department administrative penalties and neighborhood code compliance case fees staff reports list an amended total of 240 or 424 properties with the sum of 939,636.30 cents of unpaid fees and penalties scheduled for special assessment and or personal obligation against the properties.

12 properties listed in exhibit A of the staff report have been removed from the report and are identified at line items 93, 155, 209, 231, 402, 441, and 442, 447, 448, 453, 572, 661, 672, and 673, and uh 754 through 759.

Staff recommends that city council adopt the two resolutions separately as amended to allow city to collect on unpaid fees by placing special assessment levies and or personal obligations among the properties.

Thank you.

The Vice Mayor Talamantes has opened the public hearing on both items 15 and 16.

I have one speaker in item 15, Ray Derby.

Hi, um, I'm Ray Derby.

I just own one property in Sacramento that I'm renting out.

It's uh 2200 San Castle Way.

Um I'm going through the rental housing inspection, just like any other person that rents out a house.

I passed everything in the inspection except for uh one item.

Uh, and that item just says repair, replace or repaint all dry rot uh damage around the exterior of the home, including but not limited to fascia trim.

Basically, the house is you know built in 1986 and it has some dry rot.

Uh, very common in this neighborhood.

Um my tenant pays fifteen hundred dollars currently each month.

Um honestly the the rent's probably worth about uh two thousand uh you know if the house was chaired.

Um we both agreed to that, and he was gonna fix up their property.

Anyways, uh to try and make a long story short.

Um, I I fixed up the property.

Uh it looks amazing today.

Uh my issue is I think it's very subjective that I have a bill from the city for 1,725 because they're telling me I needed to take care of this fascia trim by uh August of 2025, and I handled it in say uh January or February of this year.

Um so I have a bill for $1,725 dollars for the work that the city has performed, and basically the city has just sent me nasty letters uh for a couple months over something that I think is extremely uh subjective.

I passed everything on the inside of the home, all the you know, smoke detectors, you know, everything that's very common.

On the outside.

You know, the house needed a new roof and it needed a paint job, and it had some dry rot, and it's been taken care of.

It's just when does the city have too much control over someone's personal property?

And that's where I feel like this situation was extremely uh subjective.

And Alan Jensen could have made this not happen.

I think he failed just like he failed to go up on my roof after my roof was uh replaced.

He didn't even climb on the roof to inspect it.

And I paid for a building inspection.

Anyway, just that's it.

Uh Sean, can you come up here?

Uh so this uh concern is in my district, district three.

Um, can you enlighten us a little bit on this?

I know that there's like a 30-day period, but is there any flexibility with the city of Sacramento to help alleviate the cost, especially if he's renting the property and it all got fixed?

Is there anything in the law?

He had the opportunity to go to a hearing on it.

Um he didn't, he did go to a hearing to the board.

It was not for the violations themselves, it was for the fees.

And the um the board uh listened, listened to both sides, and they decided that um they upheld the fees.

They thought they were they're just and issued appropriately and in a decent and uh a loud amount.

Okay, and so is there any action that we can take right now, or is there anything that we can do to help work with aren't my neighbor?

I'll re uh refer to the chief on this one.

Peter Hello Council Peter Lee Mo's code and housing enforcement chief of the city of Sacramento.

Uh so when the uh determination is made by the board, it is uh forwarded to the appellant, and the appellant at that point has the opportunity to uh make payments, go into a payment plan, or um bring it to this uh board, or uh allow it to go to the tax assessment.

The time for appeal of the notice and order was months and months ago, and he did appeal.

Well, we held a hearing um for the actual cost.

So the actual cost that um was submitted was only the cost for the notes and orders, there were no penalties, inspection fees, or anything else that were charged over the close to 13 months or 12 months that it took to bring the property into compliance.

So it is the cost of the notice and order.

Um this would be the determination of the of the council if they would like to pool the agenda.

Um, but he hasn't been charged, and the um board that the council appointed had made the decision to uphold the uh fee that the city charged for the notice and order.

So basically the fee is like for the staff time that was utilized on the case, correct?

Just for that notice and order.

Um all the other inspections for unknown reasons.

The inspector did not charge their time.

Okay, sounds good, thank you.

Um with that, um, I'd like to close the public hearing and move the item.

Okay.

We have a second.

And that's item 15, Vice Mayor.

We're taking them separately, aren't we?

Correct, okay.

For item 15.

Second.

Second by Council Mayor Jennings.

Okay, motion is second on item 15.

All is in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any nose or abstentions?

None.

Next item.

Okay.

So I'd like to um close the public hearing for item number sixteen and move the item.

Sorry.

The motion is second.

Item 16.

Close the public hearing and move the item.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any noes or abstentions?

Hearing none.

Okay, motion passes.

We move to item 17, fiscal year 20 um 26, 27, citywide fees and charges.

Um, at this time, I'll open the public hearing.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members.

Uh, my name is Brian Martin, principal of budget analyst with finance.

Uh, the item before you is the proposed fiscal year 27 uh citywide fees and charges.

Uh, all fees included in this report utilize the citywide fees and charges policy as a guideline to determine cost recovery levels.

Additionally, all fees included in the report qualify as exceptions to proposition 26, which prohibits the city from increasing taxes by defining them as fees.

Staff is recommending adding 83 new fees, modifying 523 fees, and deleting 19 fees across seven departments.

This is projected to generate approximately 7.4 million dollars in revenue for the general fund and 652,000 for other funds.

The associated revenue adjustments are necessary to provide appropriate cost recovery related to city programs and services.

Any changes to items presented would affect the budget and require additional action to balance.

If staff is provided direction to amend the fee schedule, we would then fold these changes and any additional budget balancing options into the June 9th final budget adoption.

If you have any specific questions regarding items in this report, uh department staff are here and available to answer.

Thank you, Mayor.

I have five speakers on this item.

Max Sousa, Madeline Knoll, Chris Valencia, then Curtis Courier.

Hi, I'm Max Susi from Incon Image in Old Sacramento.

We have a business down there, and we are up against it because of raised tariffs, increased fuel costs, and now you're talking about raising parking fees.

We already have complaints from our customers that parking is too expensive.

As everybody here knows, parking in old Sacramento is at a premium to begin with.

We can't afford to lose more customers.

But that's what will happen if you raise parking fees.

Go back to the hourly rates instead of in the town garage, uh, the US uh city of old Sacramento Garage, to hourly rates.

Don't raise them, and also please do not increase the hours of the parking meters.

There are few people parking before 10 o'clock as it is.

Uh you're just gonna waste time and maybe collect some more fines for people that don't pay early, but that's that's punitive.

That's not um helpful at all.

So we ask you as in old Sacramento, all the merchants I've talked to have asked you please do not raise parking fees.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Madeline Knoll and Chris Valencia.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Council, City Manager, and staff.

I'm Madeline Knoll with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, a property-based improvement district representing over 100 blocks in our central city.

I want to acknowledge uh staff for bringing forward the updated fee schedule and acknowledge that the annual increases that are tied to inflation or CPI are expected and understandable, and actually prefer to see a year-over-year increase as opposed to many years passing and having one giant jump at the end.

So I do encourage maybe a strategic policy that could be in place for future for partial recovery for certain services, things that are not just necessarily just one-time transactional, but things that create long-term revenue.

So I'm talking about housing production, permitting events, these create long-term public value and ongoing revenue through property taxes, parking revenue, business activity, and the broader community activation.

So if we can incentivize them in the short run through partial covery of that administrative cost, but then make it back later on through the activity.

I would really encourage seeing that policy in place.

We also need greater transparency around the fees in and of themselves, fees that are currently being charged outside of this publicly adopted schedule.

Applicants and organizers should have a clear understanding of the potential fees when they are triggered and what policy basis exists for them.

Without that clarity, applicants are navigating a unpredictable process, and significant costs can emerge through departmental practice or administrative discretion as opposed to the policy that's put in place by you as our elected officials.

Ultimately, the goal should be to create a system that encourages more participation, more housing creators, more event producers, and more investment partners, because that increased activity can create a downstream economic impact that benefits the entire city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um Chris, then Curtis, then Kaylee Olgerson.

Good afternoon, Mr.

Mayor and members of the city council.

My name is Chris Valencia, and I'm here on behalf of the North State Building Industry Association, and it's over 500 members building housing here in Sacramento.

I do want to echo the comments of my colleague from the downtown partnership.

We definitely do understand why these fee increases are needed, and we do prefer annual over just sudden jumps.

We do caution in increasing fees in the planning department, anything that does contribute to the cost of housing.

The city already leverages over, already charges over 109,000 per 109,000 per door for every new unit in the city of Sacramento, and we do have a housing and affordability crisis.

So I ask the council to be mindful when thinking about new policies.

Thank you so very much for your time.

Hello, council and mayor.

Thanks for having me here.

So my name's Curtis.

And I just want you to think about a number, about 104%.

So two years ago, the after hours inspection fee was around 240 dollars per hour.

Last year it jumped to 432.

This proposal takes us to 441 and then locks in an automatic annual increase forever, indexed by Bay Area wages.

This isn't CPI adjustment.

This is a fundamental repricing of what it costs to produce events in Sacramento.

And the contradiction I'm asking to sit with is on Tuesday, I believe you received a strategic work plan adopted unanimously that commits the city to reducing barriers for entertainment and creative businesses.

Initiative eight specifically, that work plan promises Sacramento will be the best place in California to do business for event producers.

You cannot uh pursue both of those goals simultaneously.

Uh automatic compounding fee escalators are a barrier, full stop.

I'm not asking to freeze fees forever.

I'm just asking to reject the automatic escalator that requires any future increases to come back to council for a vote with data showing the impact on event permit applications citywide.

If the city wants a vibrant uh destination, uh it needs to know whether its fee structure is discouraging the very events that it's trying to create.

Thank you.

Caitly Olgerson is our final speaker on this item.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Council, and City Manager.

My name is Kayleigh Olgerson, and I'm here on behalf of the Sacramento Metro Chamber and our member businesses throughout the city of Sacramento.

We recognize the fiscal challenges facing the city and appreciate the difficult decisions required to maintain core services.

However, higher development and planning related fees and added costs within the CUP process, send the wrong message to employers, entrepreneurs, housing providers, and property owners considering investment in our city.

The long-term answer to Sacramento's budget challenges is not squeezing more from those already willing to invest here.

We respectfully urge the council to reconsider these increases as they relate to development and planning and instead prioritize streamlining approvals, improving predictability and making Sacramento the easiest place in our region to grow and invest.

Thank you for your consideration tonight.

Thank you.

Mayor that concludes the public comment.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Kaplan.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I don't know who is the appropriate person to respond on this, but generally, um, when we look at fee raises, have do we do an analysis on the cost benefit of specifically as we heard uh impact on housing affordability?

Does it impact you know the ability for developers to get started on the missing middle on the impact on the business and entertainment fees?

You know, did we look at okay?

So these fees have all raised, does it impact, especially when we look to small entertainment, which we just updated our entertainment permit to allow for, you know, where it's easier for somebody who's just a guitar playing a guitar in a restaurant, so it's not just downtown, but it can go elsewhere.

If other all of these other fees now is doing the reverse in making it unaffordable, where we just tried to make it affordable and streamline it.

Do when we look at fee increases, are we having the discussions with the department who is running the program?

And I don't know who's I can give the uh good good afternoon, Mayor and Council P.

Coletto finance director.

I can give kind of the general answer, and departments may want to give a little more color.

Um so typically what we try to do is what you heard some of um the commenters say, which is uh ideally what we're doing is adjusting every year kind of based on inflation so we don't have these big jumps.

Um and the other way that we look at our fees is we try to do periodic fee studies, and so you know, typically what that will entail is an analysis of what does it actually cost to um perform this service, and as you know, you can't charge more than the cost of the service, and as you know, council's policy is to try to recover costs.

Um, you know, ideally what that uh then happens with the departments is they you know look and say, hey, does this make sense from a regulatory perspective?

So what are our goals as far as you know fire inspections, for example, or some of these other things, um, but the the actual fee study will typically be done by the department and uh they'll work with the consultant on trying to set you know a reasonable fee that falls within council's policy.

So because this is one big document that has a lot.

Yes, so with each fee being proposed, like when was the most recent fee study?

Or does it differ by department?

It will differ by department.

I think um, you know, the community develop community development department did um a fee study, and so most of those uh adjustments are based on that fee study.

And the other um thing I'll just say is a fee study doesn't always mean your fee goes up.

Um sometimes that could mean your fee goes down, and so there are some of the fees there that actually saw year in year were proposing decreases to those fees uh based on the on the um time study.

Um and then so remind me, because this is the we're in the middle of the budget and I've read a lot.

When these fee studies come through, are they sent to council?

Do we see them?

Uh so this is uh so sometimes, right?

If we are establishing a new fee, so for example, when we bring um uh potentially bring the uh cannabis consumption lounge uh fee as an item, we'll bring that fee study.

Uh but we do have this public hearing every year for all our fees and charges that we're changing.

So if a member of the public actually wanted to read the fee study, where would they find it?

Uh I will defer to the community development department.

Or even entertainment or code, because we got a lot of fees going up.

Just curiosity for transparency if if we're looking at this so that community members can see are we in line, are we not in line with costs being charged?

Martha has all the answers, so maybe so.

Of course, Martha does.

Good afternoon.

Um, we there is a citywide fee study that was done, and there are certain departments that took part of it this last uh this current fiscal year, CDD was one of them.

Uh if there is a desire to read that report, I believe that CDD may have a copy of that because our consultant did provide each of the departments that participate in that with their own results.

Um, and so if CDD wanted to come up here and talk about that, they can.

Um, but there would be some individual specific information for the departments that the studies were done with.

And we could always attach that as an SBI.

Yeah, and I and I just think, you know, as we do these, and you know, things are getting more expensive everywhere.

And, you know, I I think our community members have a right to ask questions.

Like maybe it just becomes a standard that when this that if there's updated studies that the studies are included.

So if you know there are some policy, you know, wonks out there that want to read it that we're as transparent as possible of understanding the why instead of this coming and not always seeing the justification.

Um I think is just that's a great idea, and we'll do that.

Thank you.

Perfect, thank you.

Um, and then just one quick question for the response to your point, manager.

I do think this is an opportunity for us to be more transparent in how we are assessing our fees, and what fees are actually being increased, because that is a rather large document.

So we can go back and determine how we're a little bit more transparent as these fees increase.

And I think it's also an opportunity as we continue to look at streamlining how those fees go down as we continue to improve, you know, our efficiency within the departments as well.

Thank you, City Manager.

I appreciate your leadership on this.

And then just question for uh parking fines and the impacts.

Can somebody just remind how low-income residents who uh get impacted by these parking citations like boot fees?

Um, what what plans are are in place because sometimes it's our our lower income uh individuals that get heavily impacted by this.

Yes, hi everyone.

I'm Stacey Kranitz, parking manager.

Um so we do have an indigent person payment plan with the parking division.

So anybody that qualifies for that plan, which is 200% above the poverty level or below the poverty level, they are eligible for a payment plan of up to 24 months with payments no more than $25 a month.

All the late fees and penalties get waived, and they're just paying the original amount of that violation.

And then there's a $12.50 surcharge per violation.

And so, how would they go about doing that?

If you get a parking fee, but you know, you can't pay, what's the next step to access that?

Yeah, so you can contest the citation online, or you can actually go online to get information on the indigent payment plan.

You can sign up over the phone, you can come to the revenue canner here at City Hall to sign up for that.

Perfect, thank you.

No problem.

That's all, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilmember Maple.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, and thank you for the presentation.

And I want to uh say at the outset that I am really glad that we're we're doing this again year by year, um, because I think that was some feedback that we had received last time, was uh all at once is a big challenge for businesses.

So just really appreciate that we are doing this.

My question is actually really in line with what council member caplan is um was alluding to.

I was thinking about it in the context of housing.

Um, and I know you know we have our strategic priorities.

We have the the this the um priorities that we all mention up here all the time.

Housing, housing, housing.

I hear just about every day, every week, uh, especially affordable housing.

And then I look at things like increases to the housing permit, processing fee to building permits, conditional use permits, and so on.

And I'm wondering how do we balance the priority of housing and wanting to develop more and make it easier to build housing and increases of fees like this.

Like, is there is there a way for us to as you know, as staff in between departments where we review those in context of our priorities.

I don't know who the right person is.

I'm just kind of broadly putting it out there.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Matt Hurdle, interim director of the community development department.

Uh so you're right, it's really is about a balance, and it's the city manager talked about it's really wanting to maintain that service level so we can get projects moving through process quickly and continue to double down on streamlined Sacramento and look for those efficiencies, or we can, you know, have exemption, for example.

We're one of the fees we're introducing is a way to quickly exempt things.

It's a 15-minute look.

So it's a 15 minutes of our 220 fee.

So looking at things for that, we also are maintaining our zero-dollar impact fee program, which as you all are very familiar with, this allows folks that are providing housing up to workforce housing at 128% AMI, not paying any city controlled impact fees.

So that's a program that we certainly will tap into.

There's also things like we can do planning director has a discretion to reduce planning entitlement fees for affordable housing.

So absolutely, you know, prioritizing affordable housing and then looking overall about how we could continue to move projects through quickly and more efficiently director thank you for that response I do think we have to get to a point where um we're predictable um and as the director alluded to I think we have to find creative ways we can't continue to do things the way we've done them in the past and I think the more efficient we become because when we do those studies it's touch points right so you're paying for staff and really your reimbursing staff so if we could figure out how to cut down on some of that time I believe we could um figure out how we can reduce some of these costs great um I really appreciate the answer and um yeah I just want you know for everything that we do making sure that we're connected throughout our departments that are our head and our hand are connected sometimes that's really hard in government you know and so but I look at things like the leadership of the mayor and council member plucky bomb on Streamlined Sacramento and how we've embarked on these efforts um which are wonderful and I'm excited about but just want to make sure that we are matching those efforts as we talk about things like fees and fines and everything else that may come down the pipeline because we might inadvertently you know be trying to make it easier over here and then meanwhile we're raising a fee over here and that might be what prevents someone from maybe building a home.

I was really taken by Mr.

Valencia mentioning that 109,000 and I'm sure that is important we have to do those things but um I think we should just constantly be assessing how we can make it easier and cheaper to build in our city because we need more housing so that was uh that was it thank you so much.

Thank you council member plucky bomb.

Thank you mayor uh I think it's safe to say I don't want to speak for the council but none of us really want to raise fees uh especially not a parking uh it is probably the most controversial issue I face not the most important not the most impactful but we are uh hyper focused I am particularly aware of the impacts that happen to businesses to residents as we raise fees and and create uh challenges for folks in around parking if we had another strategy we would absolutely be pursuing that we are trying our level best to balance the needs of the city with the the demand for parking that we have and uh we're gonna uh continue to um work to make that a a more perfect solution uh so um I'm I'm just asking for a little bit of patience as we um continue to work work through this process.

Okay thank you council member Gera uh first yeah thank you uh appreciate that one one of the I lost my place here on the um on the document but so I'm trying to remember here but for the parking um here maybe a question for uh staff and this is also economic development uh and if you can reconcile increasing the evening garage parking rates and while the staff report says hey this brings it parity with the surface lots uh or the surface parking um I can see that rationale but please discuss with me at least the thought or a or the strategy behind trying to increase our activity in the evening um with increasing the parking rates uh how does that how do we reconcile that like maybe public works is putting this forward but has economic development responded to that because I think that's a a concern I have you know folks will have their monthly parking rates that come in and particularly capital garage and um uh and uh the other garages but you know capital garage specifically folks who work in the downtown area they're buying their monthly parking but in the evening when we're trying to draw people out after people leave how do how do we reconcile that yeah so uh good afternoon mayor members of the city council matt iron director of public works the parking rates are not steadfast right I mean we we go based on what the market um how much staffing we have is there an event going on uh our rates uh we've been given latitude by the um by the council to to use different rates uh scenarios right so when it's when it's not as busy uh it's it's not gonna cost uh as much right so in the evening time council member gera um we have a five dollar rate and you can actually go online and actually uh reserve your parking get get discounted uh parking rates uh it's it's kind of like long term long-term parking right we we designate certain parking lots that have certain discounts that support the community right so I think for us it's it's more about managing the influx of of where people are parking so we don't want everybody who's going to the golden one center to actually go to old sacramento and really kind of press press uh their customers out so we try to really spread out the the overall utilization from a traffic management perspective by using pricing right so so we do have uh affordable parking uh in fact uh we pride ourselves with with some of the lowest uh rates uh in the city so um so it's just really a strategy on where you park so I would recommend people go to our sack park website um actually go online reserve their parking uh before they even get here uh or use a different mode of transportation as well so um that's how we justify our rates we take a look at the market and we see where we we fit in the market okay and so I guess that that uh uh and when you've done that has that conversation again maybe my question was was more for the ACM or whatnot uh has is that conversation you have with economic development and our like say Tina Lee Votes who's working with our nighttime economy uh is that reconciling I understand the the movement of bodies I appreciate that but have we seen whether that is is a positive or negative yeah um you know I could speak for Department of Public Works uh we definitely uh we have uh ongoing conversations with economic development if there's a business that is uh in need of certain um assistance you know we can work with them and show them the different programs that we have whether it be a validation program that we could or which garages are hourly garages um so we do pay attention to that I'm I'm not sure if anybody from economic development and well well maybe here's a request um I I met with a couple business owners and um you know and then this is on the citation side so maybe helping them educate their customers or helping their customers but you know they're struggling to make it make it and you know uh their concern was look I I just had someone come in for lunch um and another in another conversation of someone picking up food uh and they got a ticket for parking as well um and it was more than the actual meal uh for their whole group that they were that they were there so you know the their concern is is you know I what do I tell my customers how do I help help uh help and manage this environment so I I feel like there's a disconnect there and and the at least the restaurateurs that I've talked to feel like they're not getting that that connection so uh maybe this is more of a request for public works is that what can we do to better help uh you know restaurateurs work with their customers or what can the city help to at least alleviate issues like that yeah yeah and uh the use of the curb uh curb management is really important to us and it's really dictated by the business so we'd be happy to sit with each of the businesses and discuss if they need a short term uh parking where people are just coming in to pick up food uh quickly and we do this all the time we can work with downtown partnership midtown association to actually get those messages out because the the curb uh is really designed to actually support the business so if there's a certain need like a yellow zone a white zone or a uh a quick you know five minute uh parking space we'd be more than happy to meet with uh either the business districts or the the customer okay very good and then um uh the next concern that I have uh and this is more uh more of a maybe direction to the city manager here.

You know, one of the concerns that I've had from uh uh code enforcement, and um you know, I mean, right now I think the only thing that's up here is an administrative fee for all code enforcement and abatement but um at least what I've heard most recently from the little Saigon businesses is they they feel that they've gone above and beyond trying to work with the city, their their businesses are uh they're you know, they're they're reviving, they're using their land differently, they're willing to even you know build housing where they never thought they would, but yet the code enforcement comes in, cites them for say a homeless camp that you know pops up, even though they try to maintain it, and then there's no way for them to manage it.

And so they just feel like they're being penalized, even though they're spending an enormous amount of money to clean their property over and over again as they're moving forward.

And I feel like there's a disconnect here with um, you know, uh, you know, I don't know if Peter can talk about this, about how we manage you know, uh lighted buildings versus those who are trying to make that process move forward.

Uh one example was the also you know, for a long time we've been trying to get those vacant properties up on 9th Avenue and 10th Avenue, but even though we had development fees and even though we had plans and moving forward, uh those properties are being cited over and over again as they were trying to actually make that next step forward.

So um so to me, I think there's a the uh you know there's a again a need for a uh better customer services uh with those property owners uh because if not they feel it's it's punitive.

So I don't know, Peter, if if you uh can discuss you know this because by the time it gets to a council member's office, it might already be at the hearing office officers uh point of view, and there's very little that can happen administratively once we go down the quasi-judicial process.

And I think that's a problem.

I think it's you know, the our our process should our efforts and enforcement should be about you know managing what it looks like not being punitive.

So can maybe you discuss a little bit about what we need to do to improve that relationship.

Sure.

So we have several processes in place.

So under our normal, so just speaking as a general terms of all property, so ultimately the property owners are responsible to maintain their property.

So we have processes in place, such as if we get a receive a complaint, they first step is they um receive a basically an alleged notice warning saying we have a complaint, no code officer has been there, um, your property has these violations, um, they have the opportunity to uh reach out and call speak to a code of liaison, show that the property's in compliance, and the case would be closed.

If there's no response or if it's a type of violation that may be hazardous or dangerous, then a code officer will go out, and at that point they're issued some sort of warning.

So they normally have a time to comply, they're given a warning to bring their property into compliance, and then the third step would be a uh notice and order.

So the notice and order does have a fee attached to that notice in order, um, and that would be before they would ever get the any type of penalty.

So the notice and order at that point, they have the right to appeal that, and then we to go beyond that.

Then there's even a hardship hearing.

So if it's a low-income nonprofit, something like that, they have the opportunity to go to a hearing officer just to appeal the fee as a hardship.

Still have to bring the property into compliance, but ultimately code enforcement or code compliance is a um response driven.

So we're responding to the complaints of the community and ultimately just to bring the property into compliance.

So we continue to work um on bringing processes together to work with the neighbors, make sure that we have open communication, our website.

So if they have a question to come directly to me, there's actually a space on there that says ask the chief.

Um they have plenty of opportunities to ask for extensions of time.

Um, but ultimately, yes, we do put time limits and they're reasonable and to work with the community and bring forward different processes and do outreach to the community.

Well, thank you, Peter.

Well, first let me just you know thank you know the code officers that participated in the SOS meetings at Stockton Boulevard.

And I think that's a good start.

Um, the concern I have is uh is outside of that, even if if uh if a uh business owner files a 602 application with the city, and if there's someone who sets up a um, you know, uh homeless camp in front of their business, uh, and then that person is violating their trespassing, um, you know, someone will call in the code complaint.

The business owners already called for, you know, a response to the 602 order.

DCR is uh 311 orders called it for DCR.

It might not take it might take a week or two for DCR to come in, but at that point, you know, that's the left hand working on the right hand, code enforcement has already gone inside of the the location.

And to me, the the the community only sees the city.

So what I'd like to figure out at least in areas, you know, where we have P bids, how do we how do we uh uh break that silo down?

And I feel even more concerned about areas that don't have a Pid.

You know, there are stretches of Fulson Boulevard that don't have a PVID.

There's areas of like Northgate Avenue and other areas that don't have a P bid, what they don't have that ability to have the uh those SOS meetings.

So I I think that there's a there's uh uh some if we're gonna be looking at higher uh penalty fees, uh you know, before we move in that direction and issuing them, we have to, you know, uh address this issue where we're finding people while they're trying to do the right thing and the city's not responding at appropriate time.

So that's my direction, City.

Councilman Gear, I think I can add some clarity to that as well.

Um I think we can actually go back and uh and thank you for your response.

Uh I think we can actually go back and look at some amnesty programs built into our ordinances and what that allows us to do is create um waivers uh and allows property owners to put abatement plans on file.

It uh also um help staff not to continue to be so reactionary.

Um there's a lot of properties that we need to enforce.

So maybe if we can look at adding some amnesty into our ordinances, uh maybe work with some of the business owners, property owners uh to put abatement plans on file.

Um maybe we can let that last for maybe about a year or two years, as long as they're in compliance with their abatement plan, then you know they do not get citations.

And then it also um allows us to see who are absentee landlords and property owners.

Uh so I can go back and work with the department uh and see how we can maybe look at some changes in a way.

That is a great idea, uh, city manager, uh which is makes me even more happier here.

You know, but it and I do want to thank our code officers who are doing their job uh and responding to their job.

But I I uh we need that better uh response from all our and uh all aspects of our our city because the public only sees one city.

So thank you for that recommendation.

I look forward to working with you on that.

Thank you, Councilmember Dickinson.

Well, I hadn't uh uh intended to to speak on this item, but but Matt the the Mayor, the mayor of Pro Tem got to talk about parking management.

So that reminded me of a of a question.

Uh and I I mentioned this to actually the to the city manager a week couple weeks or so ago.

Um on a Saturday morning or uh two, three weeks ago.

The Tenthan L garage was charging twenty dollars flat flat fee.

There was virtually no one parking there.

There was an event at the Capitol that was taking place that morning, but I'm just I'm curious.

Was was that a mistake or an accident?

Or uh are we charging $20 to have an empty garage?

No, it's it's uh it's not twenty dollars to have an empty garage, it's really again planning uh for each of the events that that are impacting each of the different facilities that we have.

So maybe city hall garage would have been five dollars.

And it's all based on uh attendance records.

That's how we we uh maximize our price.

So if there's 20,000 people that are gonna show up to and there could be multiple events that are happening.

Um that could there could be uh an event that's happening at the G1C and at the Capitol, and basically we would do a prepay, what what we consider a prepay.

And the reason we do prepay is uh we don't want people waiting on long lines to actually get out of the parking garage.

So it could actually take an hour to two hours to get out of a parking garage if we're charging at the exit.

So that's why we we blend these rates and we charge upfront.

And this wasn't prepay.

It wasn't prepay.

It was a flat fee of twenty twenty dollars getting charged at at exit or when you you know when you when you uh validated your ticket.

Yeah, I don't know about this certain situation, but I'd I'd be happy to look into it and get back with you.

No, I mean I uh that's why I say I wondered if it was an accident because there clearly wasn't demand.

There wasn't it's not normal how we would charge on a Saturday morning.

Yeah, it's not normal.

We wouldn't charge uh a flat rate at the exit normally.

Yeah, so uh well if if you can uh solve this mystery, I I I'd be interested to know.

Um I do think we can all uh parking management is always something you can debate uh to be sure.

And um maybe that's a discussion uh worth having.

I sometimes wonder about the old Sacramento garage under the uh uh under the freeway and and the uh uh impacts of of what we're charging there on uh certain occasions flat fees and prepay.

Um but but that that's a topic for another day.

Yeah, we we normally um would keep and we could definitely speak with the uh the shop owner.

Uh but we definitely have a hourly option there because we keep validation so you'll get five dollars off your your parking for hourly.

We try to keep the the parking meters um turning over for quick business in old Sacramento, and and so it's really just a balance of who's staying here longer than than the rest.

So um, but we'd be happy to um speak with the owner, yeah.

I mean it's it's not a burning topic for me, but it's a little bit more of an art than a science uh perhaps.

Um as I said, for another day.

Thanks, Matt.

Councilmember Jennings.

Thank you very much.

Um before you leave, I just wanted to ask a question.

And um I just want to ask a question, and I should know the answer to this, so I apologize in advance for not knowing it.

But this is related to our senior citizens who are dealing with uh rights right to appeal, bringing properties into compliance, um the abatement plans, different things that they're dealing with.

Do we have a program that supports our senior citizens and not understanding what's happening to them in their home and what's going on?

Uh you might want to speak with CDD on that, or it's not parking, right?

No, no, no, no, no.

I'm sorry.

No.

No.

The other map.

The other map.

The more important mat.

Okay.

Good afternoon, Councilmember Jennings.

Matt Hurdle, interim director of community development.

I'm sorry, can you please repeat your question, sir?

So I'm trying to figure out if we have a program or any programs that focus on our senior citizens and and in conjunction with some of the senior citizen centers that they have that can tell them how to manage their property, especially when they get in trouble, they owe money, they don't understand how the billing process, they can't get online, they may not be able to come down to downtown Sacramento.

Do we have programs that help them or are directed at them where we're working with them in the senior citizen centers?

We have, and we can look into if we have a specific connection.

If not, we can certainly explore that.

You know, our tenant protection program is one that certainly uh we would work with seniors quite a bit in terms of making sure that uh rent increases and other things affecting their um living situation wouldn't be outside the bounds of the city's tenant protection program and the state's law too.

So that's something we have in place, as well as the rental housing inspection, making sure that the units in which they live are um habitable and safe.

And we have connections with the senior citizen centers where we can have these programs on a regular basis, classes that can help them understand their rights.

I will connect with Yipsey on that and we can have a discussion to see if we can strengthen that relationship.

I absolutely would love to do that.

Great.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

No more speakers.

I have no more speakers signed up.

Okay, what's our action here we're looking for?

Um we need to close the public hearing and have a motion.

Okay, we'll close the public hearing of the item.

Okay.

Seconded by Councilmore Dickinson, motion by Vice Mayor Talamantes.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any no's or abstentions?

Hearing none.

Thank you.

So we move to item number 18 on the discussion calendar.

Update on application of budget equity tool on the community development department and finance department budget reductions.

Good afternoon, Mayor and City Manager, members of the city council, care holders online and careholders in the chambers and of course city staff and colleagues.

My name is Ami Zenzele Barnes.

I serve as the diversity and equity manager.

Pronouns are she and they.

And I'm happy to provide a brief update on the refinement and expansion of the budget equity tool that has been happening for the last couple of years.

I will be referencing supplemental information that is attached to the SAF report that hopefully that would help you as a marker and for your reference.

At the direction of the Racial Equity Committee in 2024, the budget equity tool was launched and adapted from cutting the operating and cutting the operating budget and instituting an equitable decision making environment and missed a physical crisis report that was done in collaboration of the government finance officers association and the city of Toledo.

Really simply put, we received your direction for the racial from the Racial Equity Committee to come up with a budget equity tool or lens very quickly and in a short amount of time that we developed that helps us look at budget cuts through two particular lenses, equity centered, but through service impacts and location impacts.

And just to help provide a brief history, the next three slides just really are a documentation of the intersecting cross-department dynamic and nuanced efforts that are needed and were needed and continue to be needed as we continue to apply the budget equity tool.

So the budget equity tool.

Prompts reflection, thoughtfulness, and intention, breaks down silos, and encourages cross-department support, highlights understanding by focusing on clarity and the nuance of impact, and how impact is measured.

So this involves asking critical questions, analyzing potential impacts, considering different perspectives, identify equity opportunities, not just gaps, and then helps us to promote transparency and accountability by encouraging documentation of decisions to clarify how equity was considered.

And if equity is not currently achieved, how can it be achieved for the future?

Really important for our common and collective understanding of the budget equity tool.

Let me just make sure I'm on.

Did I do that right?

There we go.

Let's talk about what the budget equity tool is.

The budget equity tool is that set of questions that help us understand at the core to prompt critical inquiry early in the process, early in the discussion phases, and also how we can involve careholders and particularly those that are impacted by the decision.

And then what it is not.

What it is not is not a magic bullet, it is not a fix-all effective use of uh, you know, just throwing all kinds of the noodles to the wall and seeing what emerges.

It is something that you have to be thoughtful and intentional.

It's not a scoring tool.

It's not to provide a numerical equity rating at this point.

It is about process and reflection.

It's not a prescriptive manual.

There are no exact steps in every scenario that our departments face.

So judgment and creativity and consultation are needed.

It is not a substitute for lived experience.

As you apply an equity lens, you do not want to not talk with community members or those who are most impacted and closest to the impact, for they are usually the ones that are able to provide the greatest and most impactful solutions.

It is not a one size fits all.

Different tools exist for different contexts, and choosing the right one is key.

And so I really wanted to highlight that is that here is the budget equity tool as it is and has been the last couple of years.

But that's to say it will take on a different shape as context of the budget changes and our work changes.

So in that brief overview, the four basic elements in from service and location impacts and the major components are four of the budget equity tool.

It's about goal setting and understanding what your project outcomes are at the beginning of the process.

Clearly identifying your intended goals and project outcomes are key.

Service impacts and available data.

It lets you understand what data are you missing, what data do you currently have, and how can you use it in order to understand the quality and the delivery of services or programs or initiatives that may be cut or augmented.

Importantly, and emphasizes the need to analyze available data to understand also demographic makeup of our communities that rely on these services and allow us to identify potential inequities, but also opportunities to help advance equity as well.

Some of the tools that our tool uses is the Sacramento Equity Explorer Design, our CGIS tool, 311 incident maps, City of Sacramento's open data portal, and Sacramento County Social Vulnerability Index.

These are all tools to help our staff understand the impacts, whether they're service or location.

And understanding these impacts is the final component that underscores the importance of ongoing evaluation.

It encourages us to assess the progress of projects, maintain strong relationships with community partners and careholders, and consider the long-term implications of our budget decisions so that we're fostering equitable outcomes.

And while we may not, and while we may not know the impact, it does help set us a chart, chart a course of a development data strategy, working with community and understanding how we can further advance equity.

So experience teaches.

What did we learn in this fiscal year in applying the budget equity tool?

So some key insights include, oh, before I do the key insights, I would like to thank the finance team, Mirthala, and Cham, supporting the budget equity tool in the Hyperion system this fiscal year.

That's extremely important, so that our staff have access to it in order to apply it.

For this year, we had an expansion of departments who submitted community development department submitted four, finance one, SAC PD submitted 39, SAC FIRES submitted seven.

Finance is the first internal servicing department to apply the budget equity tool.

Also, want to highlight that SAC PD, SACFIRE and DOU continue to apply the equity tool since their first application, beginning in 2024.

I also want to thank those departments for their efforts.

For their efforts help to provide some really key insights.

Number one, discuss the value of the equity tool in shifting perspective from purely financial and considering community impact.

You're not just looking at numbers, but you're trying to understand what those numbers mean in terms of people's lives and how they are impacted.

And particularly among vulnerable groups.

Want to highlight while it is a racial equity tool, we're not just looking at race and ethnicity, we are looking at all intersections of identity to understand our vulnerable communities.

Shared difficulties applying the tool to augmentations versus reductions.

We saw a lot more departments applying it, not to just reductions, but to augmentations, which kind of lets you know of the shifting landscape of how departments are addressing the intersection and cross department nature of changes to the budget.

And then lastly, talking with department teams and those who applied it, our team recommends integrating an equity question into all BCPs if possible and working with the city leadership and making equity analysis as more of a standard part of both reductions and augmentations.

The first department I would like to highlight and thank also is community development department.

Like to acknowledge and thank Matt Hurdle, interim director, and their team, Allison and Kim, and Phil before he retired from animal care services.

They met with us several times, and you can reference their budget equity tool on 72 of page 80.

This particular change proposal was an augmentation designed to expand access to affordable spay and neuter services across Sacramento.

The department notes that the goal is to improve animal welfare, reduce shelter overcrowding, and provide a preventative investment that ultimately lowers long-term enforcement and operational costs.

The BCP is meant to overcome access changes faced by residents who can't afford private veterinary care or who have difficulty accessing existing service locations.

The proposal reflects input from the animal well-being commission and incorporates a community-based approach informed by partnerships such as animal balance.

In applying the budget equity tool, the funding augmentation highlighted expanding access to careholders and residents who could not afford private veterinary care or who face transportation, scheduling, or service availability challenges.

These barriers contribute to animal overpopulation and increase shelter intake.

The equity analysis confirmed that the program benefits all neighborhoods citywide and is designed to reduce inequities by offering mobile or community-based clinics that reach populations with limited access to affordable veterinary services.

The approach targets residents citywide, including those in neighborhoods with high vulnerability risks, ensuring equitable access regardless of location.

The next department like to highlight this year is from our internal services department of finance, and you can find that on page 80 of 80 of your supplemental materials.

Want to acknowledge P.

Colletto and their team member Marquette as well for helping and consulting with us on applying the budget equity tool.

The budget equity tool highlights here while the service is citywide and considers and is considered geographical neutral, vulnerable groups will still be disproportionately affected by service reductions with the reduction of three full-time positions.

Many individuals who come in for resistance rely on in-person help because they struggle with technology, are older or lack English proficiency.

Potential longer wait times, slower processing, and reduce customer service quality could be a potential, therefore having an outsized impact on these vulnerable populations and careholders.

The cuts also affect processing functions such as payments, cashiering, and parking permits, which may further hinder the city's ability to effectively serve these residents.

And while the decision to reduce the staffing was made, documenting this type of impact is important to detail and understand reduction impacts within the intersection of service, geography, and system impacts on vulnerable communities.

An ongoing consultation and data collection and documentation of these intersectional impacts will continue.

Lastly, want to round out what we learned so far in real time from this physical year is that we realize the importance of involving division managers earlier and providing education on using tools like vulnerability indexes and GIS mapping for better equity analysis.

Suggest to facilitate peer learning across departments, breaking down silos, sharing approaches to the equity tool application.

Highlighted the need for future iterations of the tool to address both reductions and augmentations, and to be applicable outside of budget reduction cycles.

Plan early engagement, can't stress that enough.

Early engagement and cross-department training in future cycles.

That also aligns and is in direct relationship with the budget approval cycle for the city.

Begin to generate templates and resources in addition to the one-on-one consultations made available to departments while working on the process to complete the tool.

I think we have enough information from our departments that have used the tool these last three years to start to develop templates given certain dominant scenarios.

Continue incorporating through a phased approach into existing forms, processes, and workflow.

While equity tools are powerful, it's crucial to understand what they are not and how they are best used.

This framework and the work of our city departments have really helped to inform this budget equity application process and how we can move forward to advancing equity in the future.

The work of our departments continue to provide lessons, best practices, and nuances in how we can do this.

We look forward to the opportunity before us to align and advance the strategic priorities of the One City One Future Performance Management Strategy that was also presented last Tuesday.

And so look forward to working with you on how we're advancing this tool and how we can gain further insight in its application and its enhancement.

And that concludes my presentation.

Happy to answer any questions.

And my apologies for not advancing the slides.

Trying to move, try to keep the presentation moving.

So happy to answer any questions and thank you for your attention.

I do want to just say, like just a wonderful presentation, and you have done so much incredible work on the subject and really bringing departments along, getting them to understand equity and what it means in context of neighborhoods and finances.

And so just kudos and good job.

We're gonna take public comment first and then we'll do council comments.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

First of all, I would like to say, I would like to uh comment or compliment Ami.

She is doing a wonderful job, but she is up against incredible uh what I call institutionalizing systemic barriers at City Hall.

I have personally attended a lot of race equity meetings, and personally, I have seen no equity at this microphone until Ami and I came here today.

I've seen no one come up here and explain anything that was of color.

That's the problem.

It's institutionalized here in the city that I uh was raised in love.

Um at the last race equity meeting, it was told by uh the assistant city manager that they're not gonna have another commission meeting until June.

And I protested that because June is the budget.

If they're trying to seek funding, why wait till June?

That's a recipe for failure.

Also, where I come from, we were taught if you study too long, you're studying wrong.

How many more studies you gotta have?

How many more times you gotta go to departments that are resistant to DEI?

First of all, Donald Trump is not the problem of DEI.

There was resistance before he got here, and he's focused on project 25.

They're not playing with DEI.

They're not playing with that at all.

And it's and I saw something here that said experienced teachers.

How many more retreats you gotta have?

There was a 250,000 dollar leadership group study, and when I was at Race Equity, I said, hey, can I get a copy of the makeup of that group?

I still haven't received it.

250,000 was spent to talk to people that are probably resistant that make up this leadership group.

Vice Mayor I have no more speakers.

Thank you so much.

Councilmember Vane.

Thank you.

I just wanted to take this moment to thank Ami and the entire um team for your incredible work.

Um, you know, as we are embarking on making some tough decisions given our budget deficit, uh, it's even now more important than ever for us to operate from a racial equity lens, ensure that to ensure that we do the least harm on our most vulnerable community in the city.

And on me, I just really want to thank you for for your work.

Whether on this diets we are discussing public safety, housing, economic development, youth programs, which we're going to talk about later on this evening, and have a budget discussion, all of it should be made through a racial equity lens.

And it does require us to be very intentional on the ways in which public institution either serve or underserve various communities in the city.

I do have a question on me.

If you can come up here real quick, just for a set of uh just clarity on the budget equity tool.

I know that we've been doing this work and you've been helping to build capacity within city departments so that they can strengthen that muscle, because this is a process and an outcome.

It's both both ends.

And so I know that the budget equity tool in itself uh is a set of structural questions.

You had mentioned that.

Um, and it's a framework that helps city staff identify gaps and opportunities, um, and where um disparities continue to exist.

Um, and so um my question for you is that um every single year during budget discussion, we are handed a list of strategies that we could use for budget conversation about give and take in terms of having um in terms of positions and programs and whatnot.

Um, have these strategies, all of them that have been submitted to us gone through the budget equity tool.

So maybe that's a question for Laney too.

I just I just I'm I'm curious to know if these strategies that are proposed to us um in the beginning of the year have city staff, and I don't know if guys, I know we're still doing training and building that capacity for all departments.

My question is: have all the strategies gone through that budget equity tool?

No, they have not.

Okay.

And I want to say with context, when we designed the budget equity tool, it was right at the onset of the structural deficit that the city was beginning to experience.

And so the direction from the racial equity committee at that time was to find a tool that could be used primarily for reductions.

And so in the presentation today, really wanted to emphasize now we're seeing departments starting to use it and apply it for augmentations.

And so I think in this next year and two, I think the the tool will have to be refined.

And I would imagine now that more departments are using it, that we could come up with strategies about how to not burden the city staff.

We don't want equity to be a burden, we want it to be something that is part of their work.

So looking at those systems and how we can create that for a more seamless approach.

Um, but I think the tool would also need to be refined if we're talking about some of those strategies coming forth.

So that's where the phased approach came into because this really does take shared language, shared understanding of how an equity lens has worked.

And so I think we're very poised from 2024-2025 to now, and then looking to the next two two to three fiscal cycles where we can see some of that change.

But no, not every single strategy was uh the budget equity tool was not applied.

And it may not have been appropriate to be applied.

Right, could it be like what the tool is?

Okay, because it could be like a IT dollar resource type of thing that may not apply.

Because I remember city staff saying that it may not apply.

It may although some can argue that it it can always apply.

Yes.

I I would like to, I would like us to have generative conversations around that.

Okay.

Um, in addition, I think also uh I didn't necessarily highlight it, but I also think how do we apply equity lenses to reduction augmentation of staff?

I see.

Yeah, that's a whole nother set.

That's a whole nother conversation.

Um now where uh the current uh budget landscape is.

I think that's something that we're gonna have to think about for the future as well.

So where is I would not say that the budget equity tool is appropriate, but at the same time, you saw in the department of finance, they were able to, and they really highlighted how services would be impacted.

So I think that was a really great example that we wanted to show.

Yeah, you know, as policymakers, uh, we all listen to our constituents in our districts, and in some ways we are using the framework to think through the ways in which we will make a decision on the dias, on the budget and the programs that we want to protect or eliminate based on what we've heard from the community.

And I think for me in particular, because you've done a lot of work building capacity of staff, and um I'm always struggling when I'm looking at the strategies because it will list level one, level two, level three, and level four, and most of those determinations are done by um department chairs, right?

And I know that many of us, you know, um follow the leader of our department chairs because they know the inner workings of our city departments, but I often do wonder when a level is determined, has a budget equity tool or racial equity tool been applied to the various levels to determine what level they are, and I don't know what the answer is.

If city staff can apply, yeah.

Okay, so let me answer that question because I want to make certain that we're not coming from the framework of an I got you moment.

Um I do know that the tool was not fully baked out when uh I arrived.

And I think all of the budget staff and probably those who are actually sitting in the audience, as we were going through the reductions, I made it very clear to staff that equity would be our priority, and they can shake their head if that was not a comment that I did make uh to staff.

Um as we look at reductions, we will look at it from an equity equity perspective.

I also challenge all the budget analysts when they went back to their departments and received pushback on equity to remind them that that was the city manager's priority.

So I think over the next couple of budget cycles, we can look at this tool uh and implement it.

Um, but I do just want to be clear to the public that you know I don't want staff to come up here and feel like uh this is an I got you moment, uh, but that we are implementing equity.

Uh, but it is gonna take us some time, and I appreciate the work that you've done, Amy, to build this out, and it is a priority from the city manager's office.

Thanks, city manager.

I appreciate that.

Um, I think for me, definitely it's it's not about just like I got you moment.

Uh, I really respect the work that I mean and the team has done.

Um, this is more about just moving forward on future budgets, um, that um because we're gonna be in the red for a few more years and we're gonna continue to have budget strategies that come to us, um, it'd just be good to also understand from the dais, and this is just um a conversation, but just also as we're thinking about future budgets, um staff's rationale on level one, two, three, and four, and the ways in which it uh using this framework, I think it'd be really helpful for mayor and council to also understand staff's um level of strategy and why I think that's important because we may not know all the inner workings of the city departments, but I think that's important.

So, this is more of a just a direction and for future budgets, because uh it's a great tool.

Um, and I want to ensure that it's really being used, and it's great city manager that you know this is a priority for you and us, um, and I just want to make sure that future budget moving forward with strategies with the various strategies that comes to mayor and council that we have a better understanding where staff is coming from.

So, um, and then the second piece, um, Ami, you touched upon this as well.

I know last week um Ash walked us through a strategic work plan, and really want to commend the city manager for that work plan that was presented last week um on public safety, economic development, homelessness.

Um, and I'm really looking forward to um seeing the overlap of the budget equity tool um and how we how it actually informs the their strategic plan.

I was just looking at even looking at the strategic initiative because it's like the priority, the vision, the focus area, the objective.

Um but I also do not but, and I would say that our C tool and our BET tool should be a guide in how we actually develop that strategy because um when I'm reading a strategic initiative about streamlining, stream.

I'm using the economic development, streamlining permitting process.

I wonder if it looks different from various district.

It may look different if you're a woman compared to a business owned by a man.

So I just I think that you know it will help us inform the work that we're doing on the strategic plan.

So I just I just look forward to that work and that overlap that's gonna happen to help inform the plan.

So yeah, and we did go back and Ash is incorporating that language into the strategic plan.

That's great.

So I apologize that I did overlook that and specifically calling that out.

Thank you.

Those are all my okay.

I just wanted to to offer, is very exciting about the performance management strategy.

Um, our internal work on our race gender and equity action plan uh involves results-based accountability that's equity centered.

So I could definitely see uh just having cursorily read uh the framework that was presented last Tuesday, and that's why I mentioned it today.

Is I can see some very strong alignment in what the city manager has laid out in terms of that performance management RBA framework from Clear Impact is all about performance management and measuring how our work is impacting the lives of people, and it's really understanding that in a very clear way, and I think that that strategy the one city one future is really gonna move us in that direction.

So I can also not only with a budget equity tool, but also the internal work that equity teams uh are doing in our departments, and they're using that framework now, so I can really see some strong alignment in advancing that forward.

It's great timing, so to speak.

That's great.

Thank you, Ami for all your hard work, and really looking forward to the continued work that you're doing in the department.

So thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

All right, seeing no other members signed up to speak.

This is just a review and comment, so uh we will move along to item 19 capital improvement program.

Good afternoon, Vice Mayor and Council members.

My name is Carol Rennox.

I'm senior budget analyst with the finance department.

Um, the item before you is a 2026-2031 proposed capital improvement program, also known as the CIP.

The capital improvement program is the five-year financing plan for city infrastructure and facility needs.

The CIP reflects council adopted policies and plans and incorporates priorities identified in various master plans and deferred maintenance assessments.

The five-year proposed CIP totals 512.6 million, which funds 155 projects over the five-year plan to maintain and upgrade city facilities and capital equipment.

77.4 million is funded by the general fund over the five-year plan.

14.2 million is funded by the general fund for FY2627.

This table identifies the 2026-2031 capital funding summary.

The five-year CIP identifies approximately 2.5 billion in capital and deferred maintenance needs.

Approximately 500 million is identified, funding leading a funding gap of approximately 2 billion over the five-year plan.6 million, which supports 155 existing projects or programs.

This chart identifies funded projects for the 20 FY 2026 27 CIP by fund, totaling 129.8 million, which supports 143 existing projects or programs.

Funded projects and programs in the FY26-27 CIP include the reservoir rehabilitation program, city facility reinvestment program, safety pilot project program, advanced life support equipment program, North Natomas Community Park, all weather Field, Performing Arts Center Improvements Program.

A full list of projects can be found in the proposed CIP document, which is available on the city's website.

This chart identifies unfunded capital needs in the five-year CIP by program, totaling approximately 1.9 billion or two billion.

The city can address the unfunded capital needs and strive to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog by following strategies such as utilizing the CIP as a tool to prioritize capital investments, develop a funding plan for capital projects and deferred maintenance, adopting financial policies that facilitate infrastructure investments, pursuing additional revenue and grant opportunities.

Next steps include the FY20 2627 proposed budget deliberation and council direction later today at 5 o'clock.

The FY2627 proposed budget presentation at the Measure U Community Advisory Commission on May 18th at 5 30.

Review of the FY2627 budget at the budget and audit committee on May 26th at 11 o'clock.

And then finally, adoption of the FY2627 budget on June 9th at 5 o'clock.

Finally, I'd like to thank department staff citywide for their support in helping the finance department put together this proposed CIP.

This concludes my presentation.

Department staff and I are available to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh is there members' public comment?

I think I have one speaker, Mark Velasquez.

And Lambert Davis.

Hello, Vice Mayor and Council members.

Nice to see you all.

Um of the things that I wanted to point out, and I just heard it, I heard about 14 million of 2 billion.

I don't understand how we're ever going to fund what we need if you're putting so little into our capital improvement programs.

Because I only have a minute 30 seconds left, I want to speak specific, get specific because it's honestly something I'm running on, so I should be up here talking about it and addressing it.

Um-51 or chart N-51 and 0-38.

This is the vision zero school safety portion of our improvement plan.

You have zero for it in this proposed budget.

Um misguided to say the least.

Hopefully, that changes when we hit the five o'clock council and you talk about the budget and approve it in June.

But you're at this point, this city is not even proposing a dollar to add to it.

I think that's disgraceful.

Um there are other portions of the vision zero that are similarly situated in this proposed budget of zero dollars going into it.

Um you could kick certain things down the road for only so long, and there is one thing we know for certain about public projects that get more expensive as time goes on.

Time is not our friend when you're dealing with large projects.

Thank you.

Lambert.

Capital improvement.

I learned a lot from Mr.

Worthy, uh, about this, and since he's not here, I thought I would speak on it.

Uh I noticed in your graph that uh whenever you talk about the general fund, uh, you never talk about measure you.

Measure you was proposed by uh Mayor Steinberg, and I know for a fact because I went to many meetings, and I knew that may uh measure U was not was not proposed to the public as combining with the general fund.

If I would have known that, and I believe the people too, because I go to Measure U commissions, and the audience is empty, and it's empty because they know that you not you but whoever combined uh measure you so it's not going to the underserved communities it was supposed to go to, now it's going to different things.

That's uh what I call trichnology, that's the study of deception.

Actually, it's mastering deception.

That's what trignology means.

Uh as far as uh the capital improvement uh people should really protest the combination of measure you and uh the general fund.

I even heard Pete Coletto, who I have tremendous fondness for because of his uh graphs and surveys, because that's the type of person I am.

I can interpret anything that I can see in English.

I don't care how you put it.

Um this is a thing that's gonna haunt the city because I don't see any way you can get out of debt unless you separate them so we can audit where the money's really going.

Vice Mayor I have no more speakers.

Councilmember Kaplan.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Um, as always, uh it's important to point out that you guys as staff do an amazing job, and we need as a council to always do a better job on funding our infrastructure.

It's not the like sexiest thing that we do, but making sure that our parks and our infrastructure and our water and our sewer are as up to date as possible.

Um, you know, I think we need to look at and create a higher priority for, and that's something I have said and beat the drum on uh for years, but I do want to thank staff for all that they do because with as little money as we have, you guys find grants, you get state money, you get federal money, um, to do as much as possible for our capital improvement projects.

I just want to point out when sometimes people go, gosh darn, why is North Natomas getting something?

Well, I I will tell you it comes from our park impact fees that the residents of North Natomas pay extra for.

So that's why I have funding in to create, which is community has been asking for a long time at the North Natomas Community Park, an all-weather soccer field, because while we have parks, we actually don't have one all-weather soccer field that can be played year-round.

And then with the new parks in North Lake, I took some of the additional park impact fees to cover shade canopies because the money that the developer paid would not have covered.

And if you're in Sacramento and you're a parent and you go to a park, there is no way a parent is taking their child to a park that does not have a shade over the play structures.

So uh, you know, I want to say thank you to staff for advancing those those projects, but that's why it comes from the extra taxes we actually pay at North Natoma, so thank you.

And then just as a side note, on uh as you're looking at the capital improvement program C One, I brought it up last year and I take Ombridge with it again this year, it talks about tier one priority area sites.

Um North Manatomas Regional Park is a tier two, it is shovel ready uh for future development, and I'm not quite sure I understand why it continues to stay in tier two when it's subbed and ready to go for potential development.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Uh Councilmember Dickinson.

Thank you.

Um I um I had a question uh on a specific project, but also perhaps help me understand uh your uh charting of these as well.

So I'm I'm um looking at the um uh Mary's Bill Boulevard Vision Zero safety improvements, and I'm hoping someone can guide me through this on on uh uh Jennifer.

So I'm looking at the chart on page N4.

Well it's a yeah, the listing of all the projects.

And I if we talk about this one specifically, it might maybe it'll help me understand the chart more better anyway.

Um I think I'm on the right page.

So it's got it it's it's actually got two listings for the project.

It does.

Okay.

So is uh is the uh first listing at 171,000.

Is that the current work that's being done?

So there are two efforts.

There's the quick build, the quicker build, let's call it that one that's currently under construction.

Right.

And so that looks like that is the one that's identified with 171,000, which is probably what is remaining.

Um it started with more funding than that.

Okay, and then there's the bigger whole Marysville Vision Zero project, right?

Which is closer to a 20 million dollar project that we have not yet accumulated all the funding we need for that, um, but are working towards securing that funding.

Okay, but that if that's the one that shows that at one point two million, uh, and it's in bold, and then uh it shows on obligated uh 155, 156,000.

Does that mean that all of that 1.2 million except the 155,000 six thousand has been obligated for work to be done?

I am no fiscal expert, um, but I believe that this funding is funding 1.2 million has been allocated for design work, and that the additional 155,000 should be uh available for staff time because we can't we we organize our money in different ways.

Um and so that's the funding that's the city staff are using to move that project forward.

Okay, now I know you you all have been very very busy.

Of course, uh cobbling together grants and funding and nickels under the cushions.

Uh anything you can find for this and every other project, I know.

But this one in particular, and in fact, I I I recall there was a recent announcement of uh SACOG adding money to the I think it was SACOG adding money to the to the pot.

So you so you're not uh we're not, it's us, not you.

It's we're not at uh 20 million yet, but my recollection is that overall we were somewhere in the 10, 12, 14 range.

That's my recollection as well.

Um this is actually being managed by our partner division in engineering services, but they're not here, so I'm filling in for them because the plan came out of my team, um, and I'm still very engaged in it.

But we we did secure a while ago, we had secured funding from SACOG.

Should we receive federal funding?

We did not receive that federal funding, um, but we have continued to pursue funding with SACOG to move this project forward.

Okay, so my question is for that money that has been secured, which is you know, let's let's add these together and say that they're they're 1.4 million, the two of them together, 1.3 million, um, there's there's another 10 million or 12 million or something that you guys have all been very successful in uh getting commitments on, and yet for the out years we're showing in this uh the zero zero zero zero.

So, great, thank you.

But what can can highlight, can you highlight in understanding this?

Um former finance director, former budget manager, so I got this one.

Um we don't budget it until it's really real, and although they have committed it, we don't have any authority to we've it's not come here, we've not accepted it, they've not given it to us.

It's if it's contingent on federal funding, we don't budget it until we actually get the federal funding.

So the commitments are there, but it will not be budgeted in our CIP until it's money, we can really account for and spend.

Okay, I I understand what you're you're saying, but I don't think that explains the entirety of the money that's been committed, is it?

Yeah, so are you saying until you really have access to the effectively access to the money, you don't but put it in the budget?

So I'll give you an example.

If we get authority from the council to pursue a grant, those grant funds would not be budgeted until we get a letter back from whomever we are pursuing that grant, that those grant funds are available to us until we have signed the grant document, till we have taken a contract, right?

So or a grant agreement to this council.

So in any case where we have not taken all of those particular steps to accept to budget to come to this council to formalize the authority of those dollars, it will not be reflected in the budget.

So the CIP is our capital budget.

Alright, so you're saying that even though uh whatever the agency may be, SEGCOG, Caltrans, US DOT, whoever says, City of Sacramento, we are awarding you X dollars.

You will not reflect that in the budget until there is a signed agreement approved by the council related to that award.

That's correct.

Okay.

So I understand that that form of a essentially accounting.

How do we how do we keep track as council members?

How how can we keep track of money that has been awarded, but not but not yet.

I'll use the term obligated or con contracted.

Because I mean, then this this project's an example where there's been an award of considerably more than we're we're showing, but understand you don't want to count the chickens and until they're in uh in the in the hen house.

So, how do we keep track?

Or how or how would we know?

Great.

Someone from I was hoping Filiopolis.

How many staff can I go through on this?

Well, the the planners plan the projects, and then when we have some funding available, they come to our division.

So we we all work together to get on the CIP program.

So we're all here today.

Um so we um we can we can brief you, council member, on on how we're we set up each CIP project, and how we anticipate when the grants are coming in, um and when they're gonna be coming in.

So we keep track of that.

There's a huge spreadsheet.

We have many different projects and they're all in different stages, and all the money comes in at different times.

So we keep um we have we have a fiscal team that helps keep us on track for that.

Okay, number four.

I'm in it too.

Everyone else here, thank you.

Um the only other thing I would add is that the CIP, as you know, is as of a point in time, right?

And they will adjust.

Um, but we can uh always provide updates on specific projects as needed because they will things will change as we get grant agreements and things like that signed.

All right, I I appreciate uh all uh what all of you said.

So I'm I am uh asking uh a question of not just how do we know as council members, but if a constituent says, you know what, I thought I saw that the city got X million dollars for this project.

What can I point them to to say, oh yes, see it's here it is, it's in writing.

Is there any source that we that that we uh maintain that that could serve that purpose?

So I think uh let us think through about how we might want to um because it would typically be the CIP, but again, as you say, right, that's updated annually.

Uh but let us think about uh some ways that we might be able to present it to the public and put on our uh budget website or open data site so that it's more real time.

Okay, I mean, yeah, I appreciate that, and uh uh you know when you look at zero zero zero zero, that's pretty bleak in the in the out years, obviously, but it's not it's not really necessarily as bleak as that in this in this particular case, and so it would be nice to be able to convey that to uh constituents and the and the public that uh cross your finger there's um there's some hope.

Um, okay, I I appreciate you already.

Um, another another country heard from okay.

I did ask those same questions and ask if we could maybe build out a dashboard so the public could see uh some of our projects.

Um it's in the works amongst many other things we have to do, but I'd uh ask those uh same questions as well.

Okay, I I uh I appreciate I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Gierra.

Uh, great, thank you.

First, I just I wanted to thank uh staff on uh on the CIP, and particularly uh in the past we would we were concerned about uh granted soccer field um and uh I know we moved that already through.

Uh hopefully construction starts in June for all the weather turf.

Uh that that field has a about a 10-year lifespan.

Uh it lasted us about 13, almost 14 years, I think.

It'll uh by the time it's the time we're we get to it, it'll be fourteen years.

Um thank you, uh, former council member McCarty for for moving moving that uh first soccer field uh at that time.

Uh but what I worry here is uh is if we uh if we if we plan to do any um uh my ops uh for these all weather turf fields because I think my concern uh here is uh at some point we almost got to the point here where uh that field was no longer eligible to enter into the tournaments uh based on the condition.

And uh so I guess my concern for any all weather turfies that we have is how we're planning for that, even in uh for those areas, including if it's uh um what they contracted uh or a leased out program with the with the club.

So I guess uh that's maybe more of a direction.

I think we probably should uh look at that and have a plan with those entities that are leasing, or if it's an open field for the public because those old weather turf fields do have a standard that they have to be at, if not they uh uh they'll be ineligible for comp.

So that's all.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Okay.

That's all the questions from Council members.

Is it just a um isn't there any comment in the right direction?

Yes, we we plenty of that, yes.

So with that, uh, next item.

Mayor, we have mayor, we move to council comments ideas, questions, a b 123 reports.

Seeing none, we will um adjourn and then reconvene at 5 p.m.

We do have public comment from outers on the agenda.

I have five speakers.

The first is Lambert.

Following Lambert is Dennis O'Reardin, Mark Velasquez, LR Roberts, then Annabel Gonzalez.

Hi, my name is Dennis O'Reardin.

Uh I'm here about my brother who was murdered four years ago today in a board and care or room and board, I should say.

And I would like to know what the policy is on the oversight of these things, because what my understanding after the smoke is cleared, and I'm here now, is there is no oversight on these things.

Whereas I can go out and buy a couple homes, throw nine schizophrenics in it, collect on Social Security or Medicare, whatever they get at 1200 a month for each of them, and rack in 20 grand a month.

Throw some pizzas at them once a day, call it a day.

Okay, so where is the oversight?

Where's the vetting of these people?

And don't get me wrong, there's a lot of great people out there who do a lot of good work for these people, and God bless them.

And they were part of my people, my my mom and myself understanding God rest her soul.

That these people are supposed to take their medication on their own.

So you're telling me you're putting nine schizophrenics on a home and they're supposed to take their medication.

You're playing Russian roulette.

Where's the city or the state oversee this?

anybody come in and council once a week, T Corps, Hope, anybody?

So what's to stop me from go buying two homes and throwing them in there?

It's a cash cow.

And after hearing all this, I I should have warned my waiters because you have a bureaucracy for everything you do.

You have disagree, agree, fight, fight, fight, and nothing gets done.

That's what I heard today.

I should we show up on a drop site, 30 guys in a query, we put a building up like that.

But we don't play around, we do somebody's dead.

Okay, so what I want to know is where is the oversight in this?

That's it.

Thank you, Mr.

Red.

I I will note that um we can get your name, we have your name here.

We can follow up and help put you in the right direction.

Just uh the top level, um the city doesn't have oversight of board and care facilities.

I think it's the county or the state we uh we would respond to.

Regardless of code violation.

Well, I want to help you point in the right direction.

So it's like we'll take your information.

Thank you.

I appreciate it, Kevin.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Lambert.

Well, another thing it's not the sheriff's responsibility to take care of mentally ill people.

Because prior to after my brother, the next speaker is Lambert.

Sir, your time is complete.

Yeah, next speaker's Lambert.

Sir, please take your seat.

Thank you.

Lambert, then Mark Velasquez.

First of all, I want to thank uh Mr.

Dickerson, uh, because he asked some incredible questions.

When you look at some, when you look at something and you see zeros there, and then I watch the people come up here and try to explain it.

That's the problem.

It should never be zeros across anything in business.

What does that mean?

Zero.

But it came out.

Uh there's a lot of people that are going to be vindicated, other than myself because there's a problem here.

I heard people come up here that are getting paid very good money to try to explain why it was zero there.

You would never see zero with to the band back.

Something's gonna be there in that column, or else something's wrong.

Now, tonight, I want to thank, I want to send a shout out to the Sacramento B.

I don't know if they're still in here, but the Sacramental B, and by the way, when I was here till 11 something, the last city council, this overhead worked because the lawyer you say, could you put the overhead on?

And I'm not gonna ask you, does it work?

Because you've been telling us it's out of order, but that's gonna haunt you.

But this is why I talk about Minty Cuppy being the highest paid.

This article talks about people working remotely, and now they've caught people who were working remotely.

They've moved out of the state, and they're still collecting a check from Sacramento City or from the state, which means Minty Cuppy should be the highest paid because she was in the chamber during the pandemic.

She does not pay me to say this, but she should be on a six-year hiatus from my math from uh COVID when she was here.

But this I I'm the one brought this up about working remote, your comments, Mark Velasquez, then LR Roberts.

Oh, again.

Okay, so I've been in front of you for about a year and a half talking about public cemeteries.

I told you I'm not going away, I'm not going away.

Um I wanted to do was um thank the council members that have met to talk to me about this.

Ms.

Kaplan as she goes out, thank you very much.

Um, council members maple, Jennings, Fang, thank you for meeting with me.

I look forward to meeting the rest of you so I could get talk to you and give you a little bit about what I'm really trying to do when we're talking about a public cemetery.

It's an affordability issue, it's a public need, and um really I'm just trying to get the discussion started because I haven't that's never even happened here yet.

It's been me trying to get you to have that discussion.

And I think after if you talk to your fellow council members, uh you'll realize that I do have some things that um are good.

Um, so I look forward to meeting the rest of you and at least getting to talk to you a little bit about why we should at least move be moving this forward and at least discussing it and getting the city manager who I also have not had a chance to meet one-on-one yet, but I look forward to it to get that little bit of data from the city manager's office to all of you, so you could have that informed, educated discussion, and then from there, if you want to tell you about forever, that's the city council's prerogative, but let's at least discuss it.

Um, so thank you very much.

Thanks, speakers.

LR Roberts, then Annabelle Gonzalez.

Uh hi, I'm LR Roberts.

I'm in District five.

Um everyone talks about the financial problems of the city.

I'm appalled that the distribution, the current distribution of resources is so racist, classist, and xenophobic.

I have numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

This week I went two blocks from my house to watch a descended softball game.

Um, we had all, we all had to compete with the with the drug dealers and their clients for parking.

Then we had to walk through them to get to the ballpark.

Then we had to pass their table or for sale stolen goods.

The local cops have told me this is not happening.

Later, I went to the wrong field to watch another game, which I eventually found, but got to see the North Potomas fields.

Uh decorative arches.

Since I am the most active legal, so obviously there's a difference in how neighborhoods are treated.

Um, so I was immediately contacted when uh I'm the most active legal observer in town, apparently, and I was the most immediately contacted when eight cop cars were involved in the violent arrest to three anti-ICE demonstrators, one setting up a religious ceremony, and they were arrested for jaywalking.

Um there were three incidents of shootings in my neighborhood uh in the last couple of months.

There were three instances of a sergeant showing up the anti-ICE demonstration.

How much did that cost?

Uh the pop officers used to.

If I would talk to them about a problem, one did talk to me.

There's all kinds of social uh interactions that they would they would set up, like organizations they would contact.

This guy acted like he didn't know what I was talking about.

They don't do that anymore.

So pop officers have vastly changed from the last time I interacted with them.

Um I'm getting um no results for calling the police or the sheriff when I every single day when I go drive up and down Stockton Boulevard, I see traffic to underage girls.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Our final speaker is Annabelle Gonzalez.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Annabelle Gonzalez, and I am from North Matomas.

I want to start off with the names because the public deserves to hear what this system actually sounds like out loud.

Navigation Center, safe stay community, safe ground, tiny home community, sleeping cabin community, micro community, bridge housing, nueva vista, interim housing, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, south campus operations, encampment resolution site, non congress shelter, motel shelter, family shelter, step shelter, overnight respite center, safe camping, safe parking, safe haven, 21 different names for one issue: homelessness.

And after all those names, the average Sacramento resident still cannot answer three simple questions.

What is open?

What is working, and where is the money actually going?

Today you voted on over 270,000 for HMIS, the homeless management information system.

This system tracks beds, clients, contracts, outcomes and funding.

If the system is working, the public should be able to trace every homeless housing assistance and prevention, also known as HHAP dollar, from the state to the street.

Right now, they cannot.

On April 8th, Governor Newsom announced 31.7 million in HHAP round six funding for Sacramento.

That is a major public investment.

The public should be able to clearly see what the investment is producing.

But instead, the system feels buried in layers.

State continuum of care, Sacramento steps forward, HMIS contracts, operators, subcontractors, maybe a bed.

And the more layers you peel back, the more confusing it gets.

My ask tonight is simple.

Exact location, exact operator, exactly.

I recommend your time is complete.

Mayor, I have no more business to come before the council.

Thank you.

Uh again, with that, we will come back at 5 p.m.

We're adjourned for roughly 40 minutes.