The City Council held a study session on May 11, 2026, to review the City Manager's proposed operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2026-27. Presentations covered the Neighborhood Services, Public Safety, and Strategic Support City Service Areas (CSAs), as well as fees and charges and the capital improvement program. Councilmembers asked detailed questions about specific cuts, new investments, and contingency plans. No formal votes were taken.
Please call the role. Kameh, Campos. President Tordillos. Here. Cohen. Ortiz. Present. Walkhi. Here. Duan. Here. Kendallas. Here. Casey. Foley. Mayhan. Here. You have a quorum. Okay, great. Thank you. All right. We are continuing on with neighborhood services, and I believe I'm handing it over to Jill. Yes, good morning, Mayor and City Council members. I am Jill Bourne city librarian. I'm here with my colleagues, Eric Sullivan, Director of Housing Department, John Cesarelli, Director of Parks, Recreation, Neighborhood Services, Rachel Roberts, the Assistant Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, and Angel Rios, our deputy city manager. We are here to present the overview of the fiscal year twenty six twenty-seven proposed operating budget of the neighborhood services city service area. Collectively, this CSA is responsible for such elevated and critical outcomes as providing community spaces, equitable access to opportunity, vibrant public life, and housing security. Oh. Through our wide variety of core services, the departments in the city service area are uniquely integral to our residents' quality of life. While the foundations of a city include buildings and streets and infrastructure, the foundations of community are found in connection, inclusion, and opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive, both individually and together. In the neighborhood services CSA, residents learn to read, to Zumba, to swim, to 3D print, to upskill for their next job, or even to apply online. They grow with nutrition with therapeutics, fresh air, and opportunities for youth to lead the way. And they thrive by maintaining their neighborhoods or simply finally having a room of one's own. The programs provided by the CSA create the net of services that engage and support our residents, creating meaning and authentic connection from shared knowledge, shared spaces, and shared experiences. The CSA dashboard demonstrates continued improvement in park condition assessments, positive directions on code enforcement, and maintaining high performance in library services and occupancy of temporary and interim housing solutions. Yet some positive changes to the housing and code enforcement budgets, both of which have additional funding budgeted in other city service areas. The long-term goal is for San Jose residents to enjoy a city with clean public spaces and well-maintained private property. To achieve this goal, we are addressing three problems. First, blight on private property. Code enforcement is pursuing strategies to address complaints more rapidly and effectively. Second, graffiti. We will add graffiti as one of the objects detected by our limited deployment of AI object detection cameras. And third, illegal dumping. Beautify San Jose and environmental services staff are pursuing strategies to increase usage of legal waste disposal methods and enforce against illegal dumpers. The CSA priorities for service delivery going into fiscal year 26-27 include stewardship of public spaces, encampment management and cleanup services, high-quality library access collections and programs. Continuing contracted veterinary services and care for animals through animal care and services programs, continuing to implement recommendations from code enforcement's operational assessment, and continuing to optimize the shelter system management. Okay, significant actions in the proposed budget include following the transition of animal care services to PRS department. We are also making an additional investment in low-cost spay neuter services at the animal care center. Assuming the passage of the proposed transit occupancy tax, there will be no major impacts to park maintenance, which therefore allows new investments in fire prevention in Alam Rock Park and open spaces. Savings will be entailed in the optimization of the beautify SJ program.