Measure U Community Advisory Committee Meeting - January 31, 2022

The Measure U Community Advisory Committee convened virtually on January 31, 2022, from 6:04 p.m. to 10:39 p.m. The meeting featured the election of officers, a detailed workshop to finalize the Participatory Budgeting (PB) Pilot Program Playbook, the formation of a budget ad hoc committee, and the approval of the 2022 meeting goals and consent calendar.

Consent Calendar

• The committee unanimously approved the Consent Calendar (Items 5-9), which included:
  • Approval of the November 15, 2021, meeting minutes.
  • Acceptance of the 2022 Regular Meeting Calendar.
  • Receipt and filing of the Official City Land Acknowledgement.
  • Receipt and filing of the Ad Hoc Committees Membership Roster.
  • Receipt and filing of the Final Recommendations to City Council for FY2021/22 Midyear Budget Priorities.
• The motion was made by Member Mora and seconded by Member Dickinson, passing unanimously (10-0, with Goris and Perez absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Several members of the public provided comments on the Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program Playbook (Item 2):
  • PJ expressed support for the process but strongly advocated for active measures to include historically disenfranchised voices to prevent domination by whiter, wealthier residents. They questioned the inclusion of Woodlake in the focus areas.
  • Barry Boyd (a city commissioner) requested a clear definition of "equity" and warned against government acronyms. He expressed concern that the 30-day outreach timeline was too short to reach underrepresented communities, noting he had not heard of the project until this meeting. He advocated for excluding Johnson Business Park and including Freeport Manor.
  • Keon Bliss urged the committee to ensure proposals directly benefit the most disenfranchised residents and cautioned against the process being co-opted by more affluent residents. They also advocated for compensating volunteers and proposal delegates.
  • Stevie (a local civics teacher) praised the youth voting age of 14 but pushed for specific outreach plans targeting high schools and youth representative bodies in the focus neighborhoods.
  • Rachel Minnick asked why specific high-need neighborhoods were chosen over the entire inclusive economic development map, surmising it was due to the limited $1 million budget.
  • Ryan McClinton (program manager with Public Health Advocates) commended the process and asked about alignment with existing policies like the public safety resolution and whether a weighted scale would be used to prioritize projects from underrepresented groups.

Discussion Items

• Selection of Chair and Vice Chair (Item 1): The committee unanimously re-elected Flojaune Cofer as Chair and Kimberly Williams as Vice Chair for calendar year 2022. (Note: The meeting minutes recorded Tracy Thomas as absent for these votes; the transcript indicates she was online but muted for the Chair vote, treated as an abstain, and was briefly offline for the Vice Chair vote.)
• Participatory Budgeting (PB) Pilot Program Playbook Workshop (Item 2): The PB Ad Hoc Committee led a workshop to finalize the Playbook, which outlines the rules for spending $1 million in Measure U funds. Key discussion points included:
  • Geographic Focus: The committee debated the proposed focus neighborhoods. Members Sala, Dickinson, and others successfully argued to remove the "mitten" area (Alkali Flat, Dos Rios, Richards) and to add Gardenland and Strawberry Manor to ensure the pilot targeted the most historically underinvested areas. The inclusion of Woodlake was also questioned.
  • Timeline: Several members and public commenters expressed strong concern that the proposed 30-day timeline for idea collection was too aggressive to achieve meaningful community engagement.
  • Equity: Member Thomas questioned how equity was specifically defined and operationalized in the Playbook versus other cities, expressing a need for more clarity.
  • Governance: Member Thomas raised concerns about the transparency of the Ad Hoc committee's decision-making process and the level of authority delegated to it by the full committee.
  • City Staff and Council Role: Chair Cofer clarified that the City Council retains final approval authority for projects selected through the PB process, and city staff (including NDAT) will be integrated into the proposal development process.
• FY2022/23 Measure U Budget Priorities (Item 3): The committee discussed the timeline for developing budget recommendations. Chair Cofer proposed forming a new Ad Hoc committee to develop detailed priorities for presentation at the March meeting, rather than finalizing them in January. Member Pray made a motion to create the Ad Hoc, which was seconded and passed unanimously.
• 2022 Committee Goals and Meeting Agendas (Item 4): The committee discussed and approved the updated agenda log for the year, which schedules future discussions on budget priorities and the city's budget proposal.

Key Outcomes

• Chair and Vice Chair (Item 1): Re-elected Flojaune Cofer as Chair and Kimberly Williams as Vice Chair for 2022. Unanimous.
• Participatory Budgeting Playbook (Item 2): The committee passed a motion (10-0-1, with Thomas abstaining) to approve the Playbook with key amendments:
  • Geographic areas adjusted: Gardenland and Strawberry Manor were added; the "mitten" area was removed.
  • Timeline extended: The outreach and idea collection phase was extended by at least 30 days.
• Budget Ad Hoc Committee (Item 3): A new Ad Hoc Committee was formed to develop FY2022/23 Measure U Budget priority recommendations. Members Sala, Dickinson, and Thomas volunteered to serve. The committee is to report back at the March meeting.
• Consent Calendar (Items 5-9) & Goals (Item 4): The consent calendar and the 2022 committee agenda log were approved unanimously.