Measure U Community Advisory Committee Meeting - August 17, 2020

The Measure U Community Advisory Committee met virtually on August 17, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 9:00 p.m. due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting included updates on financial reporting, police and fire department budgets, a proposed charter amendment, the committee's annual report, and participatory budgeting recommendations. Members expressed concerns about data timeliness, performance metrics, and the committee's advisory effectiveness.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Approved the meeting minutes from July 20, 2020, by unanimous voice vote.
• Item 2: Received and filed the Financial Reporting Schedule and Overview of Inclusive Economic Development, including a five-year sales tax forecast and budget cycle calendar.
• Item 3: Received and filed Follow-up Information on the Police Department's FY 2019/20 Overview, Objectives, and Performance Measures. Discussion included crime rate targets (target 35.25 per 1,000 residents, actual 18.51 from a six-month FBI dataset), deployment strategies, and costs for SB 1421 compliance ($625,000 in FY20, $788,000 in FY21 from Measure U).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Eleven written public comments were submitted on Items 2, 3, 5, and others. The Chair acknowledged and thanked commenters, noting the committee would consider their input in future deliberations. No phone-in public comments were received.

Discussion Items

• Item 4 (Fire Department Budget Update): Fire Chief Gary Loch and team presented the department's history, service area, and FY19/20 ($18.9 million) and FY20/21 ($21.6 million) Measure U budgets. Topics included staffing brownouts (temporary apparatus closures due to vacancies), first-responder fee recovery (~$1 million/year), and diversity initiatives (e.g., social media, youth programs, partnerships with colleges). Members questioned response efficiency (e.g., sending fire engines to medical calls) and requested cost-benefit analysis of current deployment models.
• Item 5 (Proposed Charter Amendment – Sacramento Mayoral Accountability and Community Equity Act of 2020): The committee discussed implications for its advisory role, particularly the mayoral appointee seat expiring in December 2020 and whether the committee would continue to advise both mayor and council. City Attorney Clarissa Wood confirmed the committee would remain advisory to the full city council. Members raised concerns about the timeline for responding to a potential mayoral line-item veto and recommended clarifying the committee's advisory structure.
• Item 6 (Measure U FY 2018/19 Annual Report): The committee reviewed the draft report, noting that audited carried-forward funds doubled from the initial estimate to $36.234 million, potentially increasing available funds for FY20/21. The report recommended caution about structural spending, especially personnel costs and pension obligations. The committee voted unanimously to authorize the Annual Report Ad Hoc Committee to finalize and forward the report to City Council.
• Item 7 (Participatory Budgeting Recommendations): The committee debated urgency, with members emphasizing the need for a $5 million allocation in the current fiscal year, not waiting for the charter amendment outcome. A motion passed (with one abstention) requesting the Mayor and City Council to agendize a meeting before September 30, 2020, to approve the recommendations from the committee's July 27 letter on participatory budgeting.
• Item 8 (Agenda Log): The Chair proposed future agenda items, including a budget dive into the Department of Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment (September), housing discussions with SHRA and the City's Housing Manager (September/October), website improvements, and potential collaboration with other city commissions (e.g., Police Commission on 911 response changes).

Key Outcomes

• Approved minutes from July 20, 2020.
• Received and filed financial report and police department overview.
• Received and filed fire department budget update.
• Authorized finalization and forwarding of FY 2018/19 Annual Report to City Council.
• Passed motion requesting Mayor and Council to schedule a meeting by September 30 to consider participatory budgeting recommendations.
• Identified future agenda items: Youth/Parks/Community Enrichment budget, housing presentations, website update discussion, and cross-commission process recommendations.
• Chair reported on meetings with city leadership (City Manager Howard Chan, Mayor, several councilmembers) and a joint meeting of commission chairs to improve city governance processes and feedback loops.