Measure O Citizens' Oversight Committee Special Meeting – December 1, 2025
Measure O Citizens' Oversight Committee Special Meeting – December 1, 2025
The Measure O Citizens' Oversight Committee met on December 1, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the Walnut Creek City Council Chamber to review fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25) revenue, expenditures, and audit results; elect officers; and approve prior meeting minutes. The committee unanimously approved the minutes and referred the FY25 annual report to the City Council.
Selection of Chair and Vice Chair
- Committee members elected Jonathan Bartlett as Chair and Brian Mulligan as Vice Chair for the coming year via a unanimous roll-call vote (5-0).
Approval of Minutes – April 24, 2025
- The committee unanimously approved the draft minutes from the April 24, 2025 meeting (5-0).
Discussion Item: Measure O FY25 Year-End Revenue and Expenditure Update and Audit Results
- Presented by: Kirsten LeCasse, Administrative Services Director.
- Revenue: Transaction and use tax revenue exceeded budget by approximately $150,000, and interest earnings added $480,000, bringing total revenue to $13.04 million. Overall revenues came in $620,000 higher than budgeted.
- Expenditures: Total actual expenditures were $4.86 million, under budget by $480,000. Savings were primarily in multi-year initiatives and a vacancy in arts and recreation. The police department overspent by $112,000 due to filled positions and downtown patrol overtime; the sustainability analyst overspent by $24,000 due to a fully staffed year.
- Capital Projects: Ball field lighting at Tice Valley Park and synthetic turf at Heather Farm Park were completed. A ribbon cutting for the turf fields was held later that day.
- Heather Farm Aquatic and Community Center: Construction contract was awarded November 18 for $51.58 million (phase two total $56.7 million). Funding includes $11.9 million from Measure O reserves, $55 million in lease revenue bonds (estimated 2.59% rate, 7.5-year term to align with Measure O expiration in 2033), and $8.9 million from general fund reserves.
- Audit Results: Mays and Associates performed an independent audit with no exceptions. Committee member Fite noted that the audit cover letter lacked the city's name; staff agreed to correct it. Subject to that verbal correction, the committee accepted the audit.
- Fund Balance: Beginning FY25 balance of $12.01 million increased to $20.18 million after netting revenues and expenditures. After setting aside $16 million for the Heather Farm reserve and other obligations, the estimated available year-end fund balance is $2.22 million.
- Public Comments: No public comments were made.
Key Outcomes
- Elected Jonathan Bartlett as Chair and Brian Mulligan as Vice Chair (5-0).
- Approved the April 24, 2025 meeting minutes (5-0).
- Reviewed FY25 revenues and expenditures and the independent audit findings, with a request for staff to provide cumulative multi-year spending data at future meetings and to research the committee's bond oversight responsibilities.
- Referred the FY25 annual report to the City Council with a recommendation to accept it (unanimous motion).
- Next Steps: Staff will correct the audit cover letter, provide cumulative spending data, and report on bond oversight provisions at the next meeting.
Meeting Transcript
All right, hello, everybody, and welcome to the December first, twenty twenty five meeting of the Measure O citizens Oversight Committee. The committee is conducting this meeting from the City Council chamber. This meeting is being broadcast on TV and video streamed and can be viewed live or later on the city's website or on the city's YouTube channel. Will the commission secretary's secretary please call the roll? Chair Mulligan? Here. Committee member Fife? Here. Committee member Hildreth? Here. And Committee Member Smyers. Our next item is to determine chair and vice chair. We had a very rigorous election process that included, is anybody want to do it? Uh, who's willing to be the vice chair? Um, I've enjoyed being the chair. There's so many benefits from being the chair, like the quarterly meeting seeing the mayor. Um, but at the same time, I want to make sure if there's anyone who would like to be the chair, um, that we discuss it and talk about what anybody's wants are uh I guess I'd look to the vice chair first to see if you have interest in being the chair or in another leadership position. I have interest in being the chair. Just comment, I know it from the first our first meeting, you know, I indicated that it'd be nice to kind of rotate through that, like the city council does at some point, and I maybe at some point down the road. I've got a few more years before I need to go, you know, age off here. Turn off, I think is a better word. Um, and uh so I'm I have no interest at this point. Okay, and I'm willing to be vice chair, unless again, somebody else steps up and says they want to do it. So I think we'll need a nomination for, or they need to be separate for chair and vice chair, or can they be together? We can do them together. Is there a motion? I'll move so move that uh Jonathan be elevated to chairman and Brian become the vice chair for the coming year. Second, we have a first and a second. Is there any discussion? Would you do a roll call, please? Sure. Chair Mulligan. Lastly, last and final role as a chair. Yes, I vote yes. And Vice Chair Bartlett. Aye. Committee member Fight? Yes. Committee member Hildreth? Yes. Committee member Smyers. Aye. It passes. Thank you. I'll finish this meeting, Mr. Chair, and you can take over from there. Um I think our next item is public communications. That next uh under California law, public comments at special meetings are limited to subjects on the agenda only. Therefore, public comment uh will take place during the committee consideration of the item. And do we ask for comments here?
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