Measure U Community Advisory Committee Approves Budget Recommendations on May 22, 2023
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Measure U Community Advisory Committee Special Meeting – May 22, 2023
The Measure U Community Advisory Committee held a special meeting on May 22, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Hall Complex, 915 I Street, Sacramento. The sole agenda item was to review and approve a letter to the City Council outlining the Committee's recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Measure U Budget. After public testimony and extensive deliberation, the Committee voted unanimously to forward the letter with amendments to the Budget and Audit Committee.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lambert (member of the public): Expressed support for the draft letter, encouraged the Committee to oversee the process as stated, and highlighted the need to prioritize minority-owned businesses in underserved communities. Mentioned a local cheesecake business in Del Paso Heights.
Discussion Items
- The Committee reviewed the draft letter prepared by Vice Chair Duke Cooney. Key points of discussion and proposed amendments:
- Prioritization ranking clarity: Member Macias requested clarification that the priority rankings were based on a poll of Committee members, not the public.
- Strengthening community response and public safety language: Member Sala suggested referencing the City Council's redefinition of public safety to emphasize investments in community-based organizations for violence and gang prevention. Member Paschal proposed stronger language for homelessness funding, noting a proposed drop from $11 million to $3 million in Measure U funds for homelessness and calling for increased investment in respite centers and prevention.
- Data and outcomes: Members Riviera and Sala stressed the need for measurable outcomes, demographic data by neighborhood, and program impact data. Staff acknowledged ongoing challenges but indicated input is welcome.
- Participatory budgeting: Multiple members supported stronger language asserting the pilot program's success and recommending expansion to $5 million annually, tying it to lessons learned.
- Technical corrections: Staff noted that the phrase "annual binding allocation" should be corrected to "one-time allocation" and not binding.
- Scope concerns: Member Wolf cautioned against going beyond the scope of last week's vote; Assistant City Attorney advised that substantial changes to spending allocations would require a new vote.
- The Committee agreed to incorporate feedback into the final letter, with Vice Chair Cooney authorized to make editorial revisions.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Member Wolf moved to approve the final version of Vice Chair Cooney's letter with the amendments discussed during the meeting. Member Paschal seconded.
- Vote: 8-0 in favor (Members Rueb, Sala, Macias, Wolf, Cooney, Riviera, Paschal, and Chair Dickinson; Members Goris, Byrd, and Diaz absent).
- Action: The letter was approved and will be forwarded to the Budget and Audit Committee for consideration. The meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are good evening. Welcome to the Monday, May 15th, 6 p.m. special meeting of the Measure U Community Advisory Committee. The meeting is now called to order. Will the clerk please call the roll to establish a quorum? Thank you, Chair. Members, please unmute. Member Webb here. Member Salah? Here. Member Masias. Here. Member Goris is absent. Member Wolf? Here. Member Cooney? Here. Member Riviera. Member Byrd. Is absent. Member Pascal. Here. Member Diaz. Is absent. Chair Dickinson. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. Thank you. I would like to remind members of the public and chambers that if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip when the item begins. For members of the public who wish to join virtually, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you have joined the meeting and wish to speak, raise your hand to provide public comment when the chair confirms the public comment speaking period for your desired item. If you are online, click on the raise, click on raise hand on the bottom of your screen. If you are in the mobile app, you can raise your hand by tapping the raise hand option in the more tab. If you are calling via telephone to raise your hand, dial star nine, then to unmute or mute, dial star six. Speakers will be called on by the last four digits of their phone number. You will have two minutes minutes to speak once you are called on. After the first speaker, we will no longer accept speaker slips and the raise hand feature in the Zoom will be disabled. We will now proceed with today's agenda. Please rise for the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous Peoples and Trians. To the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern May Doo Valley, and Plains Mewak, Pathwin Winton peoples, and the people of the Wilton 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 lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous Peoples history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. One Mason and Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All. We will now proceed to the discussion calendar. And I will note that today's meeting is a special meeting, and we have only one item on the agenda. Item number one is rec approval of recommendations regarding fiscal year 2324 Measure U budget priorities. And there is no staff presentation. Are there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?
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