Budget & Gov Efficiency Committee Meeting, San Diego, Jan 14, 2026
Budget and Government Efficiency Committee Meeting Summary
The Budget and Government Efficiency Committee met on January 14, 2026, to consider four agenda items including consent calendar approval, a software contract extension, a low-interest loan for sewer infrastructure, and a new recruitment software contract. The committee voted unanimously (3-0, with one member absent) to approve all items.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 – Approval of Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the minutes from the December 10, 2025 meeting. The motion passed 3-0, with Councilmember Ela Rivera absent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Terry Ann Skelly (Non-Agenda Public Comment): A mother of three adult sons expressed hope that the committee would continue advocating for internship programs for teens and young adults, particularly those who are low-income, involved in the justice system, transitioning from foster care, or engaged in mental health or substance abuse treatment. She also voiced concern about marijuana advertising targeting young adults and urged the committee to include moving young adults toward public service and away from marijuana use in its financial decisions.
- Corinne Wilson (San Diego Municipal Employees Association): Spoke in support of Item 4 (NeoGov contract). She stated that the city currently relies on paper documents and manual entry, which other jurisdictions do not, and that the new software would bring efficiency, transparency, and better pipeline visibility to the hiring process.
Discussion Items
- Item 2 – Extension of Sole Source Agreement with Highland Software Inc.: Staff requested authorization to extend the current sole source agreement for OnBase software (workflow and agenda management) for two optional one-year periods, with a total additional expenditure of up to $391,000 (increasing total not to exceed $1.4 million). The extension is needed to allow time to develop a combined RFP that includes workflow, agenda management, and video solutions (currently provided by Granicus). The staff noted that other municipalities combine all three functions in one RFP for better value and compatibility. The committee voted 3-0 to approve the extension.
- Key Points: The current contract expires May 25, 2026. The combined RFP aims to reduce customization needed for system interoperability.
- Item 3 – State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan for Alvarado Trunk Sewer Phase 4 Package A: Staff requested authorization to apply for a Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan of up to $50 million at a 2.2% interest rate for a sewer capacity upgrade project (approximately one mile of trunk sewer replacement). The loan would be repaid over 30 years (estimated annual debt service of $2.3 million) from sewer system revenues. Construction is expected to start at the end of FY2026 or beginning of FY2027 and be completed by FY2029. The committee voted 3-0 to forward the item to City Council.
- Councilmember Foster asked about the bidding status and minority business participation goals. Staff confirmed the project is still out for bid and that state SRF guidelines apply. Councilmember Foster expressed a need for further discussion on managing risk related to potential federal funding changes.
- Item 4 – Ordinance Approving Contract with NeoGov for Applicant Tracking Software: Staff requested approval of a new five-year contract (with five additional one-year options) with NeoGov for applicant recruitment, tracking, and hiring software. The total cost for the initial five-year term is $1,889,566; the maximum 10-year total is $4,183,203. The new contract expands services to include the Onboard module (digitized onboarding/offboarding) and Attract (candidate relationship management). The committee voted 3-0 to forward the ordinance to City Council.
- Key Points: The current NeoGov contract expires March 31, 2026. The software covers more than 91% of the city's workforce (classified positions) and supports hiring for police and fire dispatcher testing.
Key Outcomes
- All four agenda items were approved unanimously (3-0, with Councilmember Ela Rivera absent).
- Items 2 and 3 were approved directly by the committee; Items 3 and 4 were forwarded to the full City Council for final action.
- The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Budget and Government Efficiency Committee is Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
Hello everyone. Just a quick update. We are um working with uh Councilmember uh Moreno. Um she is running just a little behind. Um unfortunately, uh Council Member Shawnee Lou Rivera Reverend got called away. Um with on a family situation, so um we'll give uh Councilmember Moreno a little more time um to see if we can take care of the business at hand that we need to today. Um and we will go from there. Thank you. Just a quick update. Oh, we're here. Be ready to give uh a couple more minutes, let the council member get set up, and then we will uh go up the night. All righty. Good morning, and welcome to the budget and government efficiency committee meeting, January 14, 2026. Our committee liaison, Natalie Kessler will provide information and instruction for the public to participate in today's meeting. Thank you, Chair. While members of the public are able to attend the meetings in person. This meeting is being televised and live streamed on the city's website, and council administration will continue to make arrangements for the public to comment using the Zoom webinar platform. Members of the public who wish to provide virtual testimony must enter the virtual queue by raising their hand before the virtual queue closes. The queue will close when the last virtual speaker finishes. Speaking or five minutes after in-person testimony ends, whichever occurs first. This will allow for better meeting management between the two platforms and ensure the committee is able to manage and conduct city business. We appreciate the public's cooperation. Chair. Natalie, please call the role. Vice Chair Moreno. President. Council President Pro Tem Lee. Here. Councilmember Eli Rivera. And Chair Foster. Here. Also attending the meetings today is Charles Monica and Lisa Byrne from the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst, Chief Deputy City Attorney Brett Badarlotta from the City Attorney's Office. Rolando Charvel, Chief Financial Officer, Matt Gek Yagan, Director of Policy from the Office of Mayor Todd Gloria, and Daniel Horton, Chief of Staff. If you're in person, please complete a speaker slip located at the entrance of chambers and place it on top of the box indicated at the speaker's lecture and near the public comment microphone. Please do so in a timely manner to ensure proper meeting management. Members of the public can join the webinar by computer, tablet, or smartphone by accessing the link listed online in the preamble language of the agenda on the city's webpage. If you need to participate by phone, please dial 1669, 2545252. Webinar ID is 160408338 pound. This information is also available on the agenda. Please note that if you're watching via City TV channel 24 or online, there may be a delay, so please participate via the audio on your phone and mute your TV or computer when it is your turn to speak. If you wish to speak on a particular item, wait for that item to be called and then raise your hand to speak by tapping the raise your hand icon. Or if you're a call and participant, press star nine on your phone. If you raise your hand during a non-comment period, your hand will be lowered. Thank you so much. A quorum is now present. We will now take up non-agenda public comment. The council members respect and appreciate the public's input and are fully committed to protecting every participant's free speech rights at council and committee meetings. Terry Ann Skelly, please unmute and begin. As a mother of three adult sons, I've noticed that your responsibilities include interest in creating a living wage and human resources. So I'm hopeful that this committee will continue to advocate for internship programs for teens and young adults as part of its economic development platform.
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