Measure U Budget Subcommittee Meeting – March 18, 2024

The Measure U Community Advisory Committee – Budget and Policy Development Subcommittee met on Monday, March 18, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. (called to order at 4:13 p.m.) in the City Hall Complex, 915 I Street, Sacramento. Six members were present (Georgeoff, Goris, Macias, Sala, Wolf, and Chair Paschal); Member Byrd was absent. The meeting adjourned at 5:32 p.m. The subcommittee approved consent calendar items, discussed and forwarded draft recommendations for the FY2024/25 Measure U budget, and received an update on Participatory Budgeting pilot projects.

Consent Calendar

• Approved minutes of the January 22, 2024, meeting (File ID: 2024-00490).
• Approved the updated Agenda Log (File ID: 2024-00691).
• Both items passed by a single motion (Sala/Macias) with a unanimous vote (6-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke on the consent calendar or discussion items. No public comments were submitted.

Discussion Items

• Item 3: Development of Recommendations Regarding FY2024/25 Measure U Budget Priorities (File ID: 2024-00688) – Member Macias presented a draft letter summarizing the subcommittee’s budget priorities. Key discussion points included:

  • Affirming a focus on affordable housing and homelessness as top priorities, noting a current imbalance where significantly more is spent on homelessness than housing.
  • Recommending $2.5 million for Participatory Budgeting (PB) for the next fiscal year (derived as an average of members’ suggestions ranging from $1 million to $5 million).
  • Emphasizing the need for better data transparency, including objective metrics (KPIs), geographic distribution (by district), and race/ethnicity/gender data for all Measure U-funded programs.
  • Multiple members (Sala, Georgeoff, Wolf) argued the subcommittee cannot effectively evaluate Measure U spending without measurable outcomes and clearer performance indicators.
  • Member Goris cautioned against recommending cuts without careful consideration, noting the work that went into securing current funding.
  • After discussion, the subcommittee voted to forward the draft letter to the full Committee with the understanding that Member Macias would incorporate the feedback (tightening language on metrics, shortening the data recommendation section, and flagging budget reduction ideas for full committee discussion). Motion by Wolf, seconded by Goris, passed 6-0.

• Item 4: Update on Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program Project Implementation Grants and Development of a Community Outreach Strategy (File ID: 2024-00692) – Staff provided an oral update. Most grants are still in progress; anticipated end dates range from fall 2024 to early 2025. A dashboard shows project details. Members discussed:

  • The need for broader community outreach to increase voter participation (only ~800 votes were cast in the PB pilot, which the evaluation report deemed above expectations).
  • The importance of the PB process for building trust and engaging communities, even if final outcome data is not yet available.
  • No formal motion was made; the item was for discussion only.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
• FY2024/25 Budget Priorities Letter: Motion passed to forward the draft letter to the full Measure U Community Advisory Committee with revisions to strengthen data requests and shorten the recommendation on metrics. The letter is due to city council on April 2, 2024, and will be presented to the budget committee on April 9, 2024.
• Participatory Budgeting Update: No formal action taken; staff will continue to monitor project implementation.
• Member Comments: Member Macias requested that Participatory Budgeting be agendized for the next subcommittee meeting, and proposed developing recommendations to the city council on how the committee can operate more effectively (including addressing Brown Act restrictions on electronic collaboration). Chair Paschal agreed to coordinate with staff to place these items on a future agenda.