Walnut Creek City Council Regular Meeting - October 20, 2026

The Walnut Creek City Council held its regular meeting on October 20, 2026, at 6:00 pm in the Council Chamber. Councilmember Cindy Silva was absent due to a planned vacation. The meeting included proclamations, presentations from youth programs, a significant discussion on park master planning, City Manager reports on El Niño preparations, and the adoption of resolutions for the FY 2026 year-end budget and the FY 2027 budget amendment. A central debate involved the allocation of Measure O funds to the Walnut Creek Downtown Association.

Consent Calendar

• Items A-F: Approved unanimously. Included approval of minutes, warrant registers, salary plans, an easement for the New Aquatic Center at Heather Farm Park, on-call tree maintenance service agreements (up to $1,250,000 over five years), acceptance of a $1,000,000 Byrne Discretionary Grant, and acceptance of a $265,000 Measure J grant.
• Item G (Pulled by Councilmember DeVinney): The $265,000 TRANSPAC Measure J Line 20a grant award for the Transportation Program. Councilmember DeVinney highlighted that the funding supports critical transportation services (minibus, lift, concierge) for seniors and people with disabilities, providing over 6,900 rides for over 350 unique riders annually. The item passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Heather Farm & Civic Park Master Planning (Item 5a): Michael Beck, a Walnut Creek resident and member of Walk Bike Walnut Creek, spoke in support of the comprehensive master planning effort. He argued that without a master plan for Civic Park, specific design and funding for projects like an east-west bicycle connection from the Iron Horse Trail to downtown cannot be achieved.
• FY 2027 Budget & Measure O Funding (Item 5c): Kathy Hemingway, Executive Director of the Walnut Creek Downtown Association (WCD), expressed strong support for continued Measure O funding. She detailed the positive economic impact of their downtown programming, citing the Locust Street Festivals (5,000–6,000 attendees each), Oktoberfest (20,000 attendees, a 5,000-person increase), and documented sales increases for participating businesses like Mellow's Italian Table.

Discussion Items

• Proclamations & Presentations: The council issued proclamations for United Against Hate Week, Substance Abuse Prevention Month/Red Ribbon Week, and National Arts & Humanities Month. Chris Farrow, Arts & Recreation Director, noted that the arts generate over $36 million in economic activity locally. The Youth Leadership Commission was introduced, and students from the Youth Ambassador Exchange Program presented on their trips to sister cities in Italy and Hungary.
• Consent Calendar Discussion: Councilmember DeVinney drew attention to Item 2G, emphasizing the importance of Measure J funding for providing mobility to vulnerable populations.
• City Manager & Councilmember Reports:
  • City Manager Dan Buckshi reported on El Niño preparations. Public Works has inspected over 4,000 storm drain inlets, sent 850 letters regarding ditch cleaning to the flood-prone Eccleston area, coordinated with the Lakewood Dam Association, and stocked five sandbag locations (Lancaster Road, Heather Farm, Larkey Park, Howe Homestead, Rudgear Park). He urged residents to sign up for WC Alert and the County Community Warning System.
  • Councilmember Darling reported that MCE rates have reached parity with PG&E for the first time in 18 months, thanks to long-term wind, geothermal, and battery storage projects. She also reminded the public of the city's safe firearm storage ordinance following a school shooting in Bend, Oregon.
  • Councilmember DeVinney gave updates on a newly formed countywide e-bike safety committee involving 10 cities, and on TransPAC efforts to create youth ride-free transit programs.
  • Mayor Pro Tem Francois reminded residents to get flu and COVID vaccines, and noted Colonel Eileen Collins would be speaking at the Lesher Center.
  • Mayor Wilk expressed concern that County Connection faces a 22% service reduction if regional transit funding (Measure RTF) fails, and announced the Broadway Plaza 75th anniversary and the upcoming Diwali Fair.
• 5a: Heather Farm Park & Civic Park Master Planning:
  • Chris Farrow presented the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Commission recommendation to combine the $250,000 Clark Pool repurposing project with a full Heather Farm Park Master Plan update and a new Civic Park Master Plan for a total of $500,000. The funding would come from reallocating the original $250,000 in Measure O funds to Civic Park and using $250,000 from the Glen at Heather Farm Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) for the Heather Farm update. Interim landscaping ($100,000) for the Clark site after demolition is already budgeted. Council discussed the extension in timeline (about one year) versus the efficiency of scale. The motion to approve the PROS recommendation passed unanimously.
• 5b: FY 2026 4th Quarter Revenue & Expenditure Report:
  • Administrative Services Director Kirsten Lacasse reported. General Fund: Revenues exceeded budget by $1.3 million, but this was driven by one-time sources ($2M Glen CBA, $600k SARA). Excluding these, revenues were $350k below budget. Sales tax was $770k below budget; property tax was $239k below budget. Expenditure savings of $1.22 million were achieved through managed vacancies. Contribution to fund balance was $357,000. The city did not need to use $1 million in budgeted pension resources. Measure O: Revenues were $1.3M higher than budget, with a $3.32 million contribution to the Measure O Reserve. Parking Fund: $669,000 contribution. Boundary Oak Golf Course: $1.09 million contribution. Public Works Director Rich Payne noted the driving range shade structure design is being revisited due to cost and functionality issues. The motion to adopt the resolution passed unanimously.
• 5c: FY 2027 Budget Amendment:
  • To address a $2.26 million sales tax shortfall, staff proposed adjusting the budgeted vacancy rate from 6% to approximately 10% (saving $2.35 million, with no change to authorized positions). The budget also authorized $2.95 million from the General Fund Facilities Reserve for urgent repairs to the 1979 City Hall veneer (total project cost $4.5 million).
  • Measure O Funding for WCD: Staff recommended $196,000 for one-time beautification projects (tree lighting, crosswalk art, etc.) and program subsidies. Councilmember DeVinney proposed an amendment to add $56,000 ($40,000 for Walnut Creek on Ice marketing and $16,000 for Locust Street Festival marketing), arguing for a more consistent level of support. Councilmember Darling and Mayor Pro Tem Francois supported the addition. Kathy Hemingway clarified that WCD was asked not to include staff time in their requests, but staffing constraints are limiting their capacity. The amendment bringing the total WCD allocation to $252,000 passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Master Planning: Unanimously approved the PROS Commission recommendation to undertake a $500,000 combined Master Plan update for Heather Farm Park and a new Master Plan for Civic Park, funded by Measure O and the Glen CBA.
• FY 2026 Budget: Unanimously adopted the resolution accepting the 4th Quarter Revenue & Expenditure Report and authorizing the allocation of the year-end fund balances.
• FY 2027 Budget & WCD Funding: Unanimously adopted the resolution amending the FY 2027 budget. The plan addresses a $2.26 million sales tax shortfall via a higher vacancy rate, provides $2.95 million for City Hall repairs, and allocates $252,000 to the Walnut Creek Downtown Association for beautification and programming.