HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-06 Finance Committee Summary MinutesFINANCE COMMITTEE
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Special Meeting
May 6, 2026
The Finance Committee of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Community Meeting
Room and by virtual teleconference at 9:00 a.m.
Present In-Person: Lauing (Chair), Burt, Lu
Absent: None
Call to Order
Councilmember Lauing called the meeting to order. The clerk announced that this meeting
would be broadcast on Channel 29 instead of Channel 26 due to scheduling conflicts.
Public Comment
John M. encouraged collaboration among the Council, Finance Committee, and Rail Committee
to accelerate the implementation of quiet zones. John M. asked whether the City would pursue
the opportunity he presented to City Manager Ed Shikada to obtain funding from the Federal
Railroad Administration for quiet zones and other safety improvements, with about $2B
available before the June 22 deadline. John M. emphasized the importance of leveraging the
City's political capital to address rail safety concerns.
Action Items
1. Summary of Day 1
Lauren Lai, the Administrative Services Director and Chief Financial Officer, delivered a slide
presentation. Yesterday's parking lot items included quiet zone construction, maintenance of
the Roth building, acceleration of certain repairs at Cubberley, the Chimalus right-of-way
project, CIP KPIs, a pilot program for an executive assistant, a nonprofit work plan, an employee
childcare pilot program, and JMZ conservation for accreditation. In response to the
Committee's comments yesterday, staff will accelerate funding for quiet zone construction to
FY27-FY28 in the CIP 5-year plan using Measure K, and rebalance resources for other projects
that were going to use Measure K. Staff was working closely with the museum regarding
maintenance for the Roth Building. The park drainage improvement project had dollars
available. Director Lai suggested moving the acceleration of certain Cubberley repairs to a
referral, since it might be more comprehensive and the dollar amount was unknown. The long-
range financial forecast encompassed the costs for the employee childcare program pilot for
2027, 2028, and 2029. Director Lai understood the Finance Committee desired to retain the
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employee childcare program. Thus, staff will incorporate the employee childcare program costs
into the long-range financial forecast from 2030 onward, and staff will mention this in the
memo to Council to memorialize the Committee's desire to retain this employee benefit.
The Finance Committee had limitations in assigning work to staff. Director Lai explained the
referral process. After Council approval of the referrals, the items come back to the Finance
Committee, Policy and Services, or the Council. The Council memo would include the Finance
Committee Recommendation for Council Referrals for a first review on Monday of the following
(as of yesterday): Referral to staff to return with a summary of the City's AI strategy; referral to
staff to return with a consultant best practice narrative, including impacts to date, as part of the
Council priority work plan for the item; referral to staff to present the Palo Alto Golf Course
profit and loss statement (P&L) more completely and evaluate golf fees, including senior
resident rates; referral to staff to explore increasing the proportion of outdoor recreation
programs at Cubberley; and evaluate the acceleration of certain capital repairs needed for
Cubberley, including potential utility infrastructure. After publication, staff found technical
adjustments necessary to ensure the adopted budget's accuracy. Director Alan Kurotori
mentioned an adjustment yesterday. Staff will provide the Finance Committee with a full list of
adjustments on May 19. The other adjustments that staff was reviewing included: continuing
the FY 2026 reductions into 2027 due to erroneously omitted FTE impacts, reconciling all
allocations across Internal Service Funds after final reductions, and realigning revenues and
costs to align with revised utility rates.
There will be an upcoming decision on a trial closure of Churchill. Councilmember Burt asked if
staff was closer to obtaining a cost estimate for a trial closure of Churchill and whether staff
could provide a placeholder or note the expense in the parking lot for the Council's budget
consideration. Councilmember Burt asked whether the funds available in the Heritage Park CIP
were sufficient to cover the Roth Building expense. Councilmember Burt advised staff to note
the amount available from the Heritage Park CIP, along with a statement that the Roth Building
maintenance cost was unknown.
City Manager Ed Shikada replied that there was currently no placeholder for a trial Churchill
closure, and the funding source needed to be identified. There had not been much change to
the preliminary estimated costs since the last Council discussion. Council will discuss on
Monday.
Brad Eggleston, Director of Public Works, stated that the Heritage Park improvement project
had about $75,000 available. It was currently unknown whether that amount was sufficient to
cover the museum's expenses. The museum will have a cost estimate by May 15.
As the Roth Building maintenance had been an ongoing discussion with the museum, City
Manager Shikada suspected there would be some back-and-forth that might require additional
time.
OSV will be discussed today after the Public Safety portion of the agenda.
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Councilmember Burt noted that the track security guards were only funded through February
and questioned whether the budget should include the pro rata share of the City’s half for the
remainder of FY27.
Director Lai said that discussion on the track crossing monitors would occur during the Public
Safety portion of the agenda.
Item 1 Public Comment: There were no requests to speak.
NO ACTION TAKEN
2. Planning and Transportation
a) Planning and Development Services
i. Community Development Block Grant
ii. Business Improvement District
iii. Impact Fee Funds
iv. Housing Funds
b) Office of Transportation
i. Parking Funds
Councilmember Lu had a disqualifying conflict of interest under the California Political Reform
Act with respect to Palo Alto Link, a service funded by Stanford University. Stanford University
employed Councilmember Lu's spouse. Councilmember Lu recused himself, will not participate
in the discussion on the item, and will leave the room until the item has concluded. City
Manager Ed Shikada echoed Councilmember Lu's comments.
Ria Hutabarat Lo, Chief Transportation Official, presented the staff's proposal for Palo Alto Link.
In 2023, the City launched Palo Alto Link as an 18-month pilot program for on-demand service,
which has since been extended. Palo Alto Link was a valuable feeder service for vulnerable
users, including low-income people and seniors. Discounts were on the honor system. Palo Alto
Link was not financially efficient at $26 per trip. The City subsidized many single-occupant
vehicle trips for people who could afford rides on Transportation Network Companies' services
or transit. Staff initially secured a Measure B Innovative Transit Grant and funding from a
couple of rounds of the Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA). The City partnered with
Stanford University for trips to and from the Stanford Research Park but there was no
guarantee that this partnership would continue. City staff received feedback from Stanford
staff, who described the Palo Alto Link service as very expensive. Palo Alto Link was not
financially sustainable without grants and funding partnerships.
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On March 2, the Council requested staff to explore a voucher program to replace Palo Alto Link.
As a result, staff recommended eliminating the Palo Alto Link service and transitioning to a
subsidized discount program to support access for vulnerable users by providing $100,000 to
expand Palo Alto Transportation Management Association (PATMA) services to low-income
residents, seniors, people with disabilities, and families with special needs children. PATMA's
services included transit passes, bike subsidies, senior rides, TNC vouchers for specific purposes,
and transportation information. Staff anticipated their proposal would result in a savings of
$176,000 in FY27 and ongoing savings of approximately $460,000. Staff will return to the
Council to amend the SRP, Link, and PATMA contracts and allow for a 90-day transition.
Councilmember Lauing requested data on the demographics served by Palo Alto Link, including
the number of users who were seniors, low-income individuals, or children attending school.
Councilmember Lauing recalled from previous discussions and residents' comments that users
were primarily individuals traveling to medical appointments. With 40 percent of users
identified as vulnerable populations, Councilmember Lauing expressed uncertainty about bike
subsidies and whether a Caltrain pass would be beneficial if many trips were for local medical
appointments.
Nate Baird, the Parking Manager, noted that a significant portion of Palo Alto Link’s midday
trips were seniors and other individuals traveling to doctors’ appointments or other daily
activities. Morning and evening commutes were predominantly to and from Stanford Research
Park (SRP). The most reliable data available came from a 2024 Via rider survey, which found
that 40 percent of riders belonged to vulnerable user groups, including seniors, low-income
workers, and youth.
Councilmember Burt sought clarification on the $176,000 in projected savings for FY27 and
anticipated ongoing savings of approximately $460,000 per year. Councilmember Burt inquired
whether TFCA funds were exclusively applicable to the Link service and whether Link would
continue until the TFCA funds were exhausted. Councilmember Burt wanted to know whether
PATMA would have a supply of VTA transit passes to distribute to low-income residents and
whether discussions with VTA on this had already taken place. Councilmember Burt mentioned
the pilot program of 500 VTA passes for workers to mitigate issues related to the El Camino
bikeway. Councilmember Burt was interested in expanding this initiative to benefit low-income
residents, particularly through collaborations with affordable housing providers near VTA
transit corridors. Councilmember Burt offered to work with staff to pursue this opportunity
with VTA, believing it to be a valuable, cost-effective service that costs the City $10 per month
for unlimited VTA transit use. VTA had a paratransit program for people with disabilities;
however, it often involved long scheduling and wait times. Councilmember Burt questioned
how PATMA would meet the needs of people with disabilities.
Councilmember Burt asked whether Stanford Research Park knew the origin and destination of
Link users. Councilmember Burt recalled an update on an MTC-sponsored shared micromobility
program at 5 or 8 locations in the region selected on a first-come, first-served basis rather than
based on potential utilization levels. Councilmember Burt mentioned that he and Caltrain had
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met with another provider interested in possibly offering services in the area. Councilmember
Burt strongly suspected that the location with the highest shared micromobility usage was at
Cal Ave, as e-bikes provided access to the Research Park. Councilmember Burt expressed his
support for the staff’s proposal.
Chief Transportation Official Lo mentioned the City had some TFCA funds carried over this year.
Savings were lower in FY27 than in future years. Chief Transportation Official Lo clarified that
TFCA funds applied only to Link and would be used during the 90-day transition period. PATMA
would have a supply of VTA transit passes to distribute but Chief Transportation Official Lo
needed to confirm whether there had been discussions with VTA on this matter. PATMA is
currently in conversation with Avenidas, which operates a senior rides program. The goal is to
enhance Avenidas' program by providing additional funding to add more drivers and increase
service. Feedback from many seniors indicated they preferred Avenidas' approach rather than
Link's app-based interface.
Parking Manager Baird said Avenidas had 10 volunteers who use their personal vehicles for
trips for seniors. Avenidas had 2 vans with 2 hired part-time drivers for wheelchair rides.
Councilmember Lauing inquired whether all Link users would be notified to access PATMA's
services. Councilmember Lauing wanted to know whether the proposal entailed spending an
additional $100,000 on PATMA; if the ongoing savings were $460,000 per year; what the
ongoing expenses associated with this proposal were; and the bottom line of this proposal over
the next three years. Councilmember Lauing asked for details on the TNC vouchers for Lyft,
including the specific purposes, who would qualify, and how the program would be funded.
Chief Transportation Official Lo confirmed Councilmember Lauing’s understanding regarding
the proposal. The savings of $460,000 would depend on whether this proposal was an ongoing
program. This proposal was under consideration for the upcoming year. If it were an ongoing
program, it would yield ongoing savings.
Budget Manager Jonathan Rewers explained that the savings for this fiscal year was $176,000,
which would have been the City's contribution because we still have the TFCA grant and
Stanford revenues. If the Palo Alto Link program were to remain, the City's expense would be at
least $460,000 starting in FY 2028. The $460,000 in yearly savings assumed that the TFCA grant
had expired and that there was no Stanford funding. The proposal to expand PATMA's services
was $100,000. Usage of PATMA's services in excess of $100,000 would require a policy
discussion by the Council.
Lauren Lai, the Administrative Services Director and Chief Financial Officer, clarified that this
proposal would result in an ongoing yearly expense of $100,000.
Justine Burt, Executive Director of PATMA, shared that in recent months PATMA had been
discussing expanding its services to include seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income
residents, in addition to the low-income workers it currently serves. PATMA input census data,
PATMA’s programs, and Caltrain and VTA schedules into the AI assistant, Claude, revealing that
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83 percent of residents worked outside Palo Alto, with many commuting along the Caltrain or
VTA 522 lines. As a result, PATMA saw a significant opportunity to assist low-income residents
by adopting Caltrain’s 80 percent AMI standard, which set an income threshold of
approximately $111,000 for a 1-person household and $129,000 for a 2-person household.
PATMA was particularly interested in helping seniors. PATMA Executive Director Burt noted
considerable potential for collaboration with Channing House to support its employees and
residents, given the parking challenges at that location. Many seniors in their 70s and 80s wish
to maintain their independence while driving but would benefit from alternative transportation
options. PATMA would offer Lyft vouchers for residents to travel to the Caltrain station or
transit center, enabling them to take Caltrain or VTA to their destinations. Currently, PATMA
provides $10 Lyft credits for up to 5 miles after hours for low-income workers who sign up for
the program. Participants receive a Lyft code, download the app, and link their credit card. Any
expenses exceeding $10, including tips, must be covered by the user.
Councilmember Burt asked whether the current proposed budget included the $176,000 in
anticipated savings for this year, as well as the ongoing $460,000 in savings. Councilmember
Burt noted that the Palo Alto Link program was one of several experimental programs for which
the VTA had provided grants to cities, despite many of those programs seeming unsustainable.
Councilmember Burt thought the staff's proposed program was more sustainable, innovative,
and comprehensive than the VTA grants and MTC initiatives. Councilmember Burt encouraged
staff to consider packaging this program to make it eligible for grants from those agencies. As
the City considered net vehicle miles traveled, traffic impacts, and greenhouse gas reductions in
its transformation to significantly more housing in our community, there was often a
misconception that new residents would primarily be working in Palo Alto. Councilmember Burt
found it interesting that PATMA Executive Director Burt mentioned that 83 percent of residents
work outside of Palo Alto, whereas previously he had heard the figure was around 70 percent.
Councilmember Burt requested that PATMA provide this information to City staff and the
Council for consideration during strategic planning for future housing. Councilmember Burt
suggested that Claude AI could help compare the average distance today's longer-distance
commuters travel with the potentially shorter distances new residents in Palo Alto travel.
Budget Manager Rewers could not recall if the long-range financial forecast included Palo Alto
Link, but he believed it did. Palo Alto Link was an ongoing, unplanned expense that contributed
to the structural deficit, so a decision needed to be made on whether to continue the service.
The proposed budget included the anticipated savings, and staff will adjust the long-range
financial forecast to reflect the proposed program's cost of $100,000 per year.
Director Lai thought the budget discussion should focus on the staff’s proposal to transition to
an expanded partnership with PATMA for a $100,000 voucher program and its funding for the
upcoming year. Director Lai asked whether the outlook for 2028 and beyond was being
included in the current conversation or if the Committee was merely expressing curiosity about
what the forecast entailed.
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Councilmember Lauing viewed this proposal as a pilot to test some new ideas. Typically, pilot
programs were not included in long-range forecasts, as their primary purpose was to gather
data. If 90 percent of the demand was for senior rides and Avenidas could accommodate that,
then there may not be a need for anything else.
Councilmember Burt considered the staff's proposal a pilot program but asked whether there
were plans for long-term funding to replace Palo Alto Link with a lower-cost, more effective
program. Councilmember Burt felt it was imprudent not to allocate any funds in the long-range
forecast unless there was an intention to discontinue the program after 1 year. To ensure
accuracy in the long-range financial forecast, Councilmember Burt strongly advocated including
a placeholder amount, with the understanding that staff could refine the amount if necessary
after this year.
Director Lai stated that the staff proposal was a pilot and that its future beyond 2028 was yet to
be determined.
Item 2 Public Comment: Justine Burt, the Executive Director of the Palo Alto TMA, reported
positive outcomes from their City-funded program. In 2025, the program led to a reduction of
482 parking spaces and 2.9M fewer vehicle miles traveled. The reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions doubled from 603 tons in 2024 to 1152 tons in 2025. There has been a dramatic
increase in transit passes, bikes, and Lyft rides since May 2020. PATMA Executive Director Burt
shared comments from Alejandra Mier, the HR director for Coupa Café, about the benefits
PATMA offers her staff, including reduced parking stress, lower commuting costs, and improved
work-life balance. PATMA Executive Director Burt related the experience of Javier, a Sunnyvale
resident, who received a refurbished bike last week for commuting to work instead of taking
Uber. Last year, PATMA Executive Director Burt dropped off 18 transit passes at Neiman
Marcus and 12 at Bloomingdale's for staff who wanted to take the train or bus, fostering a
friendly competition between the two stores over their staff's transit usage. People who work
in shops, restaurants, and hotels depend on this program, and it has enhanced job retention.
MOTION: Councilmember Burt moved, seconded by Councilmember Lauing, to recommend the
City Council:
1. Tentatively approve the Office of Transportation proposed budgets, and
2. Tentatively approve the staff proposal regarding PATMA alternative.
MOTION PASSED: 2-0-1, Councilmember Lu recused.
Councilmember Burt stated that the work Palo Alto had done through its various programs over
the years was now being expanded across the entire Caltrain corridor. Caltrain was visiting each
City in the corridor to encourage them to adopt the Caltrain Go Pass program and present Palo
Alto as a model for each City to adopt the options that worked best for them.
Councilmember Lu and City Manager Shikada returned to the meeting following their recusal.
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Budget Manager Rewers indicated that within the City Service Area, Planning & Development
and Transportation experienced an approximate 5 percent reduction in staff and a half-percent
decrease in General Fund expenses.
Jonathan Lait, the Director of Planning and Development Services, presented a slide
presentation. Planning and Development Services (PDS) had 2 primary functions. The first
involved managing land use and development activities primarily on private property, while the
second focused on advancing policy initiatives outlined in the Comprehensive Plan, the Housing
Element, and City Council objectives. Current Planning processed applications and was mostly
funded through fees. In contrast, Long-Range Planning did not recover its costs through
application fees. Development Services operated as an entirely fee-backed, cost-recoverable
operation. The Planning Department proposed budget cuts totaling over $500,000, eliminating
3.4 positions and slightly reducing on-call contract services. Current Planning proposed
eliminating 2.4 positions: the position frozen in the previous year will now be eliminated, along
with 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) position and a part-time management specialist. Advanced
Planning (long-range planning) proposed to eliminate 1 FTE senior planner position.
Development Services proposed to reclassify 2 positions from Administrative Assistant III to
Planning Coordinator I. This change aimed to better align with operations and enhance
customer service. Although this reclassification would incur a $16,000 cost to the General Fund,
it did not negatively impact the budget because it was fee-backed and would be adjusted in the
municipal fee schedule as a part of the budget process.
For the past 3 or 4 years, PDS has been one of the departments with the most objectives to
implement from the Council's work plan. For fiscal year 2027 (FY27), PDS's key initiatives
included advancing 17 of the 42 City Council Group 1 objectives, as well as working on several
Group 2 objectives. PDS was making changes to its code enforcement program in response to
feedback from Council Members and the community. Code enforcement officers will have new
procedures, operations manuals, and training, which have required significant time and
resources. Several years ago, the Council granted staff the authority to handle more
administrative approvals. PDS will ensure they maximize this authority to maintain business
vibrancy and explore opportunities to shift more applications toward administrative approvals.
PDS will leverage technology to issue more instant permits. PDS created a housing dashboard,
which has resulted in an unprecedented number of pending housing applications, totaling
about 3,300 units in the pipeline. PDS was working on a GIS-based system to identify locations
of permitted land uses.
Director Lait discussed the PDS special revenue funds. Staff identified the Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding entitlement for FY27. After the public comment
period in May, staff will present recommendations to the Council on how to allocate funds for
various programs. One of the objectives for the current fiscal year was to continue updating the
City’s impact fees, and that process was underway. Regarding fees from housing development,
approximately $9.7M was available in the housing fund, and staff had some place-marks to
fund future projects, including Lot T, which staff will present to the Council in August or
September.
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Chief Transportation Official Lo introduced Senior Management Analyst Sue-Z Gaskin, who
joined the City in November. Senior Management Analyst Gaskin holds a B.S. in accounting and
had 30 years of accounting experience, including 13 years in San Jose where she managed the
budget for a $1.4B transportation program. Chief Transportation Official Lo mentioned that
Budget Manager Rewers previously worked at SFMTA as the Chief Strategy Officer and was
formerly the Director of Finance. The OOT intended to reallocate positions from the General
Fund to the Capital Improvement Program, resulting in a $104,000 shift out of the General
Fund. The OOT planned to utilize Measure B funding for the Safe Routes to School Planner,
which would save the General Fund $70,000. On June 2, staff will return to the Finance
Committee to discuss several actions and potential near-term strategies related to the Parking
Action Plan. The goal was to improve the financial sustainability of parking operations while
achieving other City objectives, such as economic vitality.
The OOT had 2 key initiatives to improve financial efficiency. The first initiative focused on
strengthening financial oversight across all OOT programs and applying budget principles to CIP
projects, thereby facilitating grant funding and reporting. Previously, OOT had large omnibus
CIPs, making spending allocation difficult for the public to understand. The OOT will use the
omnibus approach for smaller efforts, especially those conducted in-house. The second budget
initiative aimed to facilitate the delivery of low-cost, high-value street improvements using the
following strategies: Update the City’s traffic calming policy to provide effective, easily
implemented solutions for City streets; fill vacancies and provide staff training in GIS and
AutoCAD to build design skills within OOT, enabling OOT to complete projects in-house at lower
cost and more quickly than outsourcing to consultants; and synchronize efforts with the
Pavement Management team in Public Works to improve efficiency and reduce costs. OOT staff
proposed funding the design of quiet zones in 2027 and using Measure K funding for
construction in 2028. This decision had implications for a portion of Measure K funding
originally intended for grade separation, and staff will eventually need to reconcile these
budget changes.
The City had 3 parking funds: the University Avenue Parking District Fund, the California Avenue
Parking District Fund, and the Residential Preferential Parking (RPP) program. Due to a decline
in parking demand since the pandemic, the parking program has not been self-sustaining,
resulting in lower revenue estimates. In FY 2027, the plan to increase the cost of annual permits
by 9 percent will generate $130,000 in savings for the General Fund. Staff will issue an RFP in FY
2027 for a new parking enforcement vendor contract, which will present an opportunity to
improve cost recovery and integrate performance metrics. On June 2, the OOT planned to
return to the Finance Committee for another discussion.
Councilmember Lauing noted that the decrease in OOT staffing despite the substantial amount
of work was noteworthy. According to the overall chart on Page 349, PDS had approximately 74
personnel in 2024. In contrast, the proposed FY 2027 budget included 67 positions, leading
Councilmember Lauing to wonder if there had been improvements in staff efficiency or
department reorganization to manage the PDS workload with 7 fewer employees.
Councilmember Lauing recalled there had been intense hiring competition among cities across
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California for the Housing Element. Councilmember Lauing asked whether PDS intended to
reinstate some of the eliminated positions for the next Housing Element or another surge in
workload. Councilmember Lauing expressed gratitude for the collective efforts in planning and
entitling 3,300 housing units in the pipeline.
Director Lait did not plan to add staff in the future; however, this raised the question of how
much the department could achieve with a reduced workforce, particularly in Long-Range
Planning. The reduced workforce limited the number of projects the department could take on
at any given time, as seen in the current objectives and priorities. In Group 1, PDS prioritized all
state-mandated projects with timeline-driven funding. PDS could make progress on Group 2
projects. There was a list of projects that did not advance to either Group 1 or Group 2 because
of limited resources.
Director Lai clarified the 7-person decrease in headcount from 2024 to 2027. Fire inspections
used to be within PDS. In 2024, a reorganization aligned fire inspections within the fire
department.
Director Lait mentioned that fire prevention, which had about 7 staff members, was transferred
from Development Services to the Fire Department.
Councilmember Burt requested that staff include footnotes in the budget books for
reclassifications to facilitate year-to-year comparisons. On Slide 8, Councilmember Burt asked
whether the second bullet point, "Enhanced code enforcement responses through process and
system updates," referred to an efficiency gain, a qualitative improvement, a cost reduction, or
something else.
Director Lait stated that one key initiative aimed at improving code enforcement responses
involved improvements to the 311 system. PDS collaborated with the City Manager's Office to
remap complaint routing to create a more customer-oriented approach. PDS did a lot of
backend work associated with upgrading 311 and training staff from various departments who
interact with the 311 system. The 311 system improvements have been mostly qualitative.
PDS handled complaints about leaf blowers. The City Council dedicated an FTE position to
address leaf blowers. Staff had difficulty issuing citations because of the 5-day waiting period
between identifying a violation and returning to catch the offending leaf blower in action. Staff
went to the Council and proposed code revisions to improve staff effectiveness and their ability
to issue citations. Over nearly a year, staff conducted outreach and engagement to inform the
community about the changes. Staff prepared flyers, made them available for download from
the website, and distributed them on doorsteps. Staff participated in regional discussions with
colleagues from other cities and gathered information on available rebate programs to share
with the public. Annually, PDS received about 2,000 complaints through the 311 system, with
leaf blower complaints likely exceeding 500. Late last year, PDS analyzed 311 system data to
create a heat map that showed where most complaints were occurring. This information
allowed staff to become more proactive and target neighborhoods with the greatest number of
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complaints, alternating their efforts between morning and afternoon each day of the week.
Staff issued 4 or 5 citations for leaf blower violations in 2024, 39 citations from October 2025
through the end of 2025, and 34 citations from January 2026 to the present. As a qualitative
measure, staff was interested in tracking whether these enforcement activities resulted in
fewer complaints.
Councilmember Burt asked Director Lait whether his department had the capacity to manage
the additional workload required to develop a local program if the Council chose the alternative
recommended by the staff and the ad hoc committee regarding SB 79. Councilmember Burt
expressed interest in understanding how the new initiatives described by Chief Transportation
Official Lo would alleviate some of the issues experienced with traffic calming in Crescent Park.
Councilmember Burt encouraged the staff to engage with the PTA Council and to discuss with
the PAUSD their appropriate role, both financially and otherwise, in the Safe Routes to School
program. Councilmember Burt noted a reference to the cost savings associated with the
University Avenue restrooms and inquired whether those were the same restrooms discussed
the previous day.
Director Lait answered that if the Council endorsed the ad hoc committee's recommendation
regarding SB 79, PDS could accommodate it with its existing resources.
Chief Transportation Official Lo confirmed that the toilets on University Avenue were the same
as those discussed at University Station yesterday.
Councilmember Lu requested a comparison of the costs and time required for PDS to perform
area plans and other tasks in-house versus contracting them out. Councilmember Lu
emphasized that advancements in AI and technology have made tasks such as mapping,
moderately complex coding, and GIS work much easier. Councilmember Lu offered to discuss
this further with Director Lait offline. Councilmember Lu expressed a desire to include a section
in the AI strategy summary that outlined the approach to specific tasks and contracts.
Referred to Transportation on Page 331 of the operating budget, the FY 2025 budget was
approximately $4.4M, while the proposed FY 2027 budget was around $2.9M while the staffing
levels appeared similar, and Councilmember Lu wanted to know how to interpret this budget
decrease. Councilmember Lu asked whether the Council would discuss the revised approach to
traffic calming and the updated policy along with Crescent Park, and how to streamline those
processes as a City. Councilmember Lu requested more information about the forthcoming
Parking Action Plan. Staff previously anticipated that parking would be revenue-neutral to the
General Fund. Councilmember Lu questioned whether a 9 percent increase would make a
meaningful difference and if the $1.5M to $2M per year in parking expenses would continue in
the long-range financial forecast. Councilmember Lu wanted to know if the upcoming June
Finance Committee discussion would include Economic Development and strategies for a
broader financial turnaround. Councilmember Lu was willing to consider more aggressive
actions, such as changes to pricing or parking configurations, because resolving this financial
burden could significantly impact the budget and other funding opportunities. Councilmember
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Lu noted it was increasingly common, especially in Europe, for vehicles equipped with cameras
to drive around, read license plates, and automatically enforce regulations, which was a more
cost-effective, revenue-generating, and reliable approach. Councilmember Lu inquired whether
there were any opportunities to implement such technology in the new parking enforcement
contract. Councilmember Lu stressed the importance of making this explicit when discussing
parking enforcement contracts and services with labor.
Director Lait stated that area plans represented the largest category of work conducted by PDS
and included analysis across various departments. For instance, the San Antonio Plan required
significant resources from OOT. The technical expertise needed for planning, whether for
environmental reviews or other components, was more burdensome and detracted from
processing applications and other objectives. Director Lait indicated he was not considering
reductions in area plans. In the past, PDS might have relied on a consultant to handle an entire
project. Now, for some Group 1 and 2 projects, staff took a lead role and engaged consultants
where PDS lacked in-house expertise for mapping, feasibility analyses, and rendering reviews.
Director Lait noted there were costs associated with using AI and other technologies. Many free
versions available did not provide the depth of analysis required, underscoring the importance
of understanding the cost implications of increasing AI utilization.
Budget Manager Rewers explained that when Chief Transportation Official Lo began, staff
noted that much of the work performed by personnel in 002 was related to capital
improvement projects. This year, a Measure B program will fund Safe Routes to School and
related staff instead of the General Fund. Over several budget cycles, staff had been moving
OOT staffing hours out of the General Fund and categorizing them under the appropriate
funding sources. Regarding the parking fund, as OOT revenue increased incrementally, the
ongoing yearly estimate of General Fund support in the Long-Range Financial Forecast
correspondingly decreased; however, the anticipated growth in revenues has not kept pace
with the General Fund loans. Staff had maintained the same revenue trends since the
pandemic. For this budget, staff sought to reduce expenditures and update revenue trends
based on permit data and other factors. Staff will share further information with the Finance
Committee in an update. The long-range financial forecast included ongoing support, with the
expectation that support would decrease annually. The current budget reflected a reduction in
support, with the ultimate goal of achieving revenue neutrality in the future.
Director Lai indicated that the primary trend was a reduction in contract services. Staff will
assess what has changed since 2024 before providing an answer to Councilmember Lu's
question about the Transportation budget decrease. Director Lai noted the transfer from the
General Fund to the Parking Fund in the 2027 budget had decreased. Funding relied on existing
balances in the 3 parking funds, resulting in their depletion. Consequently, there was a sense of
urgency to address this issue, as it was not financially sustainable in the long term. The transfers
from the General Fund to the Parking Fund were recorded as 10-year loans. However, at some
point, staff will present to the Council an evaluation of how realistic the repayment of those
loans was and whether those transfers should be considered permanent without repayment.
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Years 9 and 10 of the long-range financial forecast showed repayment of those General Fund
loans but the immediate focus of the long-range plan was on the near and mid-term.
City Manager Shikada thought that funding for grade separation, which in 2024 was allocated in
the operating budget, had now been transferred to capital improvement.
Chief Transportation Official Lo explained that Crescent Park was the previous approach to
traffic calming, and the City was allowing it to run its course. The City received a petition
regarding Bryant Street and, in response, was implementing some improvements and analyzing
the traffic calming policy in that corridor as part of a pilot process. Staff planned to present the
updated traffic calming policy to the Council. Staff had been gradually implementing various
components of the existing parking action plan over the past several years. One of those
initiatives in progress was the Automated Parking Guidance System (APGS), which will help
drivers locate available parking spaces in the garage and provide wayfinding. Staff made
changes to the Residential Parking Permit (RPP) program in accordance with the parking action
plan. Implementation of the downtown parking action plan in the coming year should
substantially address user concerns and improve the City's finances. Staff was prioritizing
actions in the Parking Action Plan that addressed residents' concerns about the downtown
area. Chief Transportation Official Lo mentioned that the June discussion with the Finance
Committee will include the parking action plan, with particular focus on the coming year, and
will incorporate Economic Development into the conversation. To handle parking enforcement
in the RPP zones, the City utilized license plate recognition (LPR) through an external
contractor, LAZ. The Police Department CSOs do not use LPR for parking enforcement. Privacy
issues needed to be resolved before using LPR. Of note, the Police Department's budget
proposed reducing 1 CSO.
Parking Manager Baird stated that LAZ enforced 6 of Palo Alto’s RPP programs. The Police
Department enforced the commercial programs, Cal Ave, University Avenue, College Terrace,
and Crescent Park.
Councilmember Lu questioned the lack of unification in parking enforcement and whether
there was an opportunity to unify it during the new contract negotiation.
City Manager Shikada stated that the issue was more about the meet-and-confer process with
City staff involved in parking enforcement through the Police Department, rather than the
parking enforcement contract itself. While this was not currently a proposal, it will become a
topic for discussion at the appropriate time.
Councilmember Lauing agreed that staff should include footnotes to explain significant budget
changes. Councilmember Lauing asked to what extent staff believed the parking numbers
correlated with a general reduction in driving. Councilmember Lauing wondered if there were
strategic implications for the Council to consider regarding the overall need for parking. In
Councilmember Lauing’s view, the pace of outcomes achieved by the OOT had been slow, as
commented on previously by Council Members and residents. Councilmember Lauing
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wondered whether this slow pace was due to a lack of adequate staff to expedite progress. If
this were the case, Councilmember Lauing wanted to know why the department had not
requested additional staff. Councilmember Lauing emphasized that the City should invest in
critical areas; therefore, departments should present their requests for additional staff to
resolve strategic problems more quickly.
In reply to Councilmember Lauing's question, Chief Transportation Official Lo stated that staff
would provide parking numbers in June. Staffing had been a significant issue. For instance,
there was an approach to red curbing based on AB 413; however, staff initially assigned to red
curbing were currently focused on OSV work orders and the associated permanent signage,
which has put the red curbing on hold. Public Works was incorporating red curbs into its
projects. Chief Transportation Official Lo needed to look into the staffing and timing issues
raised by Councilmember Lauing before responding. The OOT experienced vacancies in the past
year but a new project engineer will start next week and a new associate engineer will start at
the beginning of June. Filling vacancies would help alleviate some of the current challenges.
City Manager Shikada explained that financial constraints were the reason for not requesting
additional staff. However, if the Finance Committee believed that more investment in staff was
necessary, then staff could return with a revised number that would necessitate budget
adjustments elsewhere.
Director Lai suggested that the Finance Committee could include in their motion a request for
staff to provide additional information about staffing needs by May 19. Director Lai pointed out
that each position would cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars.
With limited capacity to implement initiatives such as daylighting, Councilmember Burt
emphasized the need to focus not only on quantitative measures but also on qualitative
assessments to identify the most significant problems and determine which measures were
most effective. For example, red curbs extended 120 feet in some locations and had not yet
been corrected. Councilmember Burt observed new red curbing in his neighborhood, 15 feet to
the right of where a driver would typically stop, which was of lesser value than where visibility
of oncoming traffic was obstructed around the corner. There had been longstanding
prohibitions on hedge heights at corners; however, Councilmember Burt noticed that some of
the most hazardous bicycle-vehicle locations had the worst hedge visibility. If a hedge
obstructed visibility at a critical spot, a red curb would not yield the most effective outcome.
Councilmember Burt questioned how the City could develop policies to prioritize its limited
resources effectively.
MOTION: Councilmember Lu moved, seconded by Councilmember Lauing, to recommend the
City Council:
1. Tentatively approve the Planning and Development Services and Office of
Transportation proposed Budgets, and
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2. Referral to staff to return with information regarding the marginal benefit of restoring
Office of Transportation staffing to work on critical City priorities.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
3. Public Safety
a) Police
b) Fire
c) Office of Emergency Services
Charlie Benham, Senior Management Analyst for the Office of Management and Budget,
delivered a slide presentation. For FY 2027, Public Safety (Police, Fire, and the Office of
Emergency Services) proposed a $124M General Fund budget, a 3.4 percent increase over the
FY 2026 adopted budget. This proposal reflected a net reduction of 2 FTEs, resulting from the
planned elimination of 3 FTEs, the addition of 1 FTE, and 3 position freezes.
Police Chief James Reifschneider acknowledged the ongoing shortage of qualified officers in the
region, the department's vacancies, and the ongoing and forecasted budget challenges. The
Police Department's proposals aimed to preserve core public safety services while prioritizing
responses to emergency calls, reducing crime, improving traffic safety, supporting mental
health, community engagement, recruiting dispatchers and officers, and upgrading technology
to improve Police Department operations and efficiency. Chief Reifschneider referred to the
budget summary on Page 361 of the budget book. The Police Department’s total budget for
FY27 was approximately $61M, of which $51M was for salaries and benefits and $6M was
designated for allocated charges, meaning expenses the Police Department incurred for
services received from other departments, such as IT support.
The Police Department proposed the following key changes: Freeze the Special Operations
Sergeant position and add 1 civilian Program Assistant II position to assume the administrative
duties currently handled by the Special Operations Sergeant, resulting in a net savings of
approximately $194,000. Eliminate 1 Community Service Officer (CSO) position for a savings of
about $129,000. The CSO role included a mix of daily parking enforcement and attention to
items of special interest, such as OSV enforcement. Continue mental health crisis support. The
Council recently approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Stanford University
Medical Center (SUMC) development funds covered the cost of the Psychiatric Emergency
Response Team (PERT) clinician assigned by Santa Clara County Behavioral Health. Funding for
safety guards at grade crossings was a new Police Department contract during midyear FY 2026.
Reduce program expenses, including a reduction in non-mandatory training for officers and
dispatchers, reducing the number of intersections with staffed crossing guards, lowering
uniform and equipment expenditures, and decreasing other program costs to better align with
actual needs, resulting in a cumulative savings of $72,000, primarily by reducing spending on
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contracts for radio maintenance and fleet fuel due to less vehicle usage by officers, which was
largely a result of diminished staffing levels.
The Police Department’s key initiatives included: a proposal to freeze the Special Operations
Sergeant position for the upcoming fiscal year, a pilot effort to explore the possibility of
civilianizing about half of the responsibilities currently handled by the Special Operations
Sergeant. Currently, the workload of the Special Operations Sergeant involves collaborating
with the Secret Service and CHP to plan and staff dignitary visits, reviewing and approving
special event permits, coordinating with event organizers on appropriate safety plans, traffic
management for special events such as Stanford football games and concerts, overseeing patrol
staffing, as well as forecasting staffing needs and overtime for the upcoming months. The Police
Department anticipated an increase in special event permits for entertainment zone
activations. The civilian program assistant could manage the administrative tasks involved in
reviewing and approving special event permits, as well as those related to officer staffing.
However, it was not appropriate for a civilian to handle the safety planning and logistical
aspects of dignitary visits or special event planning. Those tasks will become ancillary duties for
other officers and sergeants as assigned. Chief Reifschneider anticipated assigning dignitary
visits and special event planning to the appropriate sergeant or officer scheduled to work those
dates; thus, there would no longer be a sole point of contact.
Chief Reifschneider acknowledged the community and Council's comments and concerns
regarding the proposed reduction in crossing guard coverage. Chief Reifschneider clarified that
the 4 intersections mentioned in the staff report were not the final decision. The Police
Department chose those intersections as placeholders to apply objective criteria should they
proceed with the proposal. Chief Reifschneider stated that, based on discussions with the Office
of Transportation (OOT) and the Acting Superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District
(PAUSD), if the proposal were to advance, the final identification of affected intersections
would occur after collaborative conversations with the OOT and PAUSD to determine which
intersections would have the least impact. The Police Department explored the crossing guard
contract as a potential area for savings because it was the largest expense within the remaining
6 percent of the PD's budget after salaries, benefits, and allocations. The proposal was for a 10
percent reduction in the crossing guard contract. Over the last 10 years, PAUSD enrollment
declined by 20 percent. During that time, there were at least 2 additional intersections. Given
the reduced enrollment, the need for crossing guards at all intersections will be evaluated. The
criteria used by many neighboring agencies protected the youngest pedestrians and cyclists.
Consequently, the Police Department identified placeholder intersections that did not serve
elementary and predominantly middle school students and were not part of the City's high-
injury network.
The Police Department will vacate its current space at City Hall, allowing other City
departments to use the area and generating savings by reducing the need for leased space. The
Police Department was implementing a new collaborative computer-aided dispatch system,
purchased in conjunction with the Cities of Los Altos and Mountain View. This system will
enhance dispatch collaboration and record sharing. It will also integrate with the joint records
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information management system and align with the initiative to provide new radios for all City
departments that the Police Department serves.
Fire Chief Stephen Lindsey addressed the Committee. The Fire Department's primary concern
was to ensure there were no 911 service interruptions and to equip staff with the necessary
tools and training. The new 12-hour ambulance service will address the growing demand for
EMS during peak hours. The Fire Department has collaborated with its labor unit to develop job
descriptions, reached out to CalPERS, and equipped an ambulance with the latest heart
monitors. Recruitment for the new 12-hour ambulance service will begin in late May or early
June, pending the finalization of details with the local union. The chain of command, employee
supervision, station locations, and integration with the 911 system have been established.
In the Fire Department's $61M budget, approximately $53M was allocated to salaries and
benefits, about $4.7M to allocated charges, which left about $3.3M. Next year, the Fire
Department will reassess the necessity of the frozen EMS Manager position. The EMS
Manager's responsibilities primarily focused on assisting with onboarding and continuous
quality improvement for the new 12-hour single-role program; the Training division will now do
some of this work. Hiring is at an all-time high, allowing the Training staff sufficient capacity to
onboard new single-role employees. Training staff typically focused on maintaining
probationary firefighters but fire captains and crews have taken on a lot more of those
responsibilities. For example, fire captains will maintain records and training improvement
plans for recruits, enabling the Training staff to concentrate on onboarding the single-role
program. Part of the EMS Manager's role was continuous quality improvement and ensuring
that new staff met City, County, and career standards for EMS providers. The Fire Department
proposed an hourly employee (not full-time) to assist with ad hoc call reviews and conduct
granular CQI reviews.
A couple of budget cycles ago, firefighter trainee positions were added as part of a hire-ahead
strategy. Academies occur on a routine schedule but do not always align with the Fire
Department's needs or capacity to fill academy spots. The new job description for the hire-
ahead strategy created some labor implications that were never fully fleshed out. Staff
recommended eliminating 2 firefighter trainee positions and freezing 1 remaining position. The
Fire Department never utilized the firefighter trainee position and did not have the capacity to
accommodate additional trainees after hiring many people over the last few years. Staff
intended to revisit the hire-ahead strategy in the future.
The Fire Department operated Type 1 fire engines and Type 3 wildland fire engines, with the
latter deployed to Station 8. Type 1 engines can also go to wildland fires upon request through
the state mutual aid system. The fleet was aging. Chief Lindsey recognized the excellent service
provided by the fleet maintenance team at Public Works, which included a dedicated fire
mechanic responsible for maintaining the Fire Department's vehicles. The Fire Department has
promoted apparatus operators, using an app to perform morning DOT-related check-offs and to
track trends and issues with the apparatus. Although some vehicles in the aging fleet were
beginning to experience recurring problems, the Fire Department proactively addressed these
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issues by collaborating with Public Works to identify wear-and-tear parts and develop a phased
replacement strategy. Many of the Type 1 fire engines, dating back to 2009, were nearing the
end of their service cycle, necessitating a replacement strategy.
The Fire Department cared a lot about sustainability and climate action. The Fire Department
began electrifying fire inspector, management, and overhead team vehicles. The next phase in
electrification involved analyzing available, reliable apparatus on the market to replace Code 3
vehicles (response units with lights and sirens) with electric, hybrid, or low-carbon vehicles.
Type 1 fire engines on the market have been more proven, although this technology was still in
early development. Manufacturers were making yearly improvements in range and charging
methodologies. The price of a Type 1 hybrid apparatus designed for Palo Alto was
approximately $2.4M per unit. Palo Alto lacked nearby examples of such vehicles, making it
difficult to assess their performance in the foothills. The apparatus committee specified the
fleet to meet the unique needs of Palo Alto. For instance, the front bumpers of Palo Alto's fire
engines include hose line connections that allow access to alleyways and flag lots while
enabling diverse fire attack strategies. Palo Alto's Type 1 fire engine was equipped with an
auxiliary pump for pump-and-roll operations. Some available used apparatuses may lack those
specific features designed for Palo Alto.
Chief Lindsey believed there would always be a demand for wildfire deployment in the
foreseeable future. The base camps have fuel stations to refuel the fleet, not charging stations.
To continue participating in the statewide mutual aid system for wildfire response, the Fire
Department would need to retain at least a couple of diesel fire apparatus, possibly outfitted
with diesel particulate filters and DEF fluid to reduce emissions. Delaying the phase-in of
electric and hybrid engines until 2028 or 2029 and pursuing lower-cost diesel reserve apparatus
options could save $650,000 annually for 2 years. By waiting until 2028 or 2029, technology
would likely be more advanced and reliable, and neighboring cities may have engines we could
look at. A Level 3 charger may require a transformer upgrade, which can be a resource-
intensive, time-consuming project. When the Fire Department receives its first electric or
hybrid fire engine, it will be for Fire Station 4, which is in Phase 2 of construction and will have
the necessary infrastructure installed. Meanwhile, 2 diesel engines were on order and will, over
time, rotate into reserve status. The Fire Department had 2 reserve fire engines before Engine
64 was hit on the freeway, but now has only 1. As the Fire Department begins replacing its Type
1 fire fleet, those vehicles will transition to reserve status, available for activation if a hybrid
engine requires servicing or if an engine is deployed for wildfire response.
The Fire Department proposed a strategy to transition the hydrant maintenance program. The
Fire Department discovered that their vendor had limited capabilities, and staff found they
needed to perform clearance work and exercise the valves. The vendor primarily conducted
visual inspections. To address this, the Fire Department was collaborating with Public Works to
share the workload for $79,000. The Fire Department had GIS layers and staff who monitored
the hydrants. Staff cleared vegetation around the hydrants to maintain proper clearance. The
Fire Department’s light-duty staff marked the streets with blue dots to indicate areas where
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hydrants lacked identification, and then the Fire Department ensured those hydrants were on
the GIS layer for their response maps.
The Fire Department's key initiatives included: Deployment of a single-role, lower-cost, scalable
EMS staffing model to increase EMS transport capacity in response to service demand. Fire
Station 4 advanced-phased TCO (temporary conditions of occupancy) planning and operational
readiness to ensure a timely and seamless transition from the temporary facility to the new
station. Maintain paramedic staffing levels, which were nearly 60 percent paramedics and 40
percent EMTs. The union has raised concerns to the Council regarding the potential impact of
attrition and promotion on the number of available medics. The Fire Department was
considering strategies to address those concerns. Explore lateral hiring of experienced
paramedics who do not need to attend a fire academy for anticipated vacancies. Staff was
working on creating hiring pipelines, such as through the single-role EMS program to train EMS
providers to a high level, enabling their potential transition to a fire academy when they are
ready. This year, the Fire Department reinstated the cadet program with 3 cadets coming.
Exposure and learning what the job entailed were valuable for entering the fire service. The
cadet program allowed college interns studying fire science to gain field experience while
earning college credits. To attract talent and foster a culture that encouraged individuals to join
the department, paramedic internships were very desirable. There are more than 4 paramedic
preceptors on staff. Last year, the department brought in 4 paramedic students and assisted
them in obtaining their licenses; however, Palo Alto did not currently employ those individuals.
The Fire Department was advancing its critical care service capabilities through the rollout of
new heart monitors and related technology enhancements. The recent acquisition of state-of-
the-art heart monitors transmits data to the hospital and guides patient routing, allowing some
patients to bypass the emergency room for direct transport to a catheterization lab or stroke
center.
Chief Kenneth Dueker from the Office of Emergency Services (OES) delivered a slide
presentation. OES developed, maintained, and sustained a citywide, comprehensive, risk-based
emergency management program. OES bridged gaps between law enforcement and fire/medic
services and fostered connections with the broader community. On Monday, OES participated
in an active shooter exercise at Stanford School of Medicine with the police and fire
departments. OES has focused on understanding the hazards and threats our community faces,
building capabilities, and strategizing recovery efforts after an incident. OES transitioned to
human monitoring and will terminate its contract for the intrusion detection system (IDS),
although the physical system will remain operational. This change meant the system would no
longer serve as a frontline detection method; instead, it would act as an observation tool to
help staff monitor unsafe conditions on the tracks, such as hazardous chemical spills and suicide
prevention and mitigation efforts. Caltrain has implemented other technologies, including
RailSentry. OES will continue to explore new ways of doing business, sometimes through grant
funding, particularly for regional problem-solving approaches.
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Key OES initiatives included: Leading the development of a city evacuation plan, as required by
newly implemented AB 747 and AB 1409, with input from Planning and Transportation,
Utilities, and Public Works; however, all departments, stakeholders, and the community played
a role. OES established the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at the Public Safety Building,
with its first formal activation during Super Bowl 50 in February. Staff was finalizing with
vendors the wiring for radio and sensor systems in the new building. In collaboration with the
Police Department, OES was exploring the deployment of advanced sensor technologies for
public safety, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). OES was reviewing existing best
practices for utility line inspections in Public Works, including those for creeks. As we reduce
our reliance on fossil fuels, it is crucial to evaluate how to maintain power without creating new
risks. In cooperation with Public Works, Utilities, and other partners for S/CAP, OES will
continue to seek opportunities to enhance disaster resilience and environmental initiatives,
including exploring power microgrids and local generation and storage, particularly for critical
infrastructure such as the Public Safety building. The new citywide emergency operations plan
was recently approved. OES will continue to support the development of departmental
emergency plans to promote the integration of citywide preparedness efforts. Given the risks
to California's petrochemical refining system, we must assess the implications for the city. We
need to develop mitigation or contingency plans and determine how to connect with the State
OES, National Guard, FEMA, and other potential support sources in case such scenarios arise.
Item 3 Public Comment: There were no requests to speak.
Councilmember Lu noted a recent Weekly story on overtime. Councilmember Lu questioned
whether staff under-budgeted overtime in the 2027 forecast, and if so, what budget
adjustments or cuts might be necessary. Councilmember Lu inquired whether $1M was the net
cost after accounting for vacancy savings and overtime expenses. Councilmember Lu raised
concerns about overtime levels and the potential for staff burnout. Councilmember Lu
requested a comparison of the Special Operations Sergeant and the civilian position. The
civilian position would cover only part of the workload. The other portion involved overtime, so
Councilmember Lu asked how the cost savings balanced out. Councilmember Lu stressed the
importance of considering the financial implications and mental health effects of relying on
overtime. Councilmember Lu recalled a comment made on Monday about possibly converting 1
lieutenant position to a captain while reducing another lieutenant position, leaving room for
another officer. Councilmember Lu requested the Police Department to provide further
information on officer staffing, including the hiring pipeline, prospects, and the
lieutenant/captain situation.
Chief Reifschneider stated there was a gap between the budgeted overtime amount and the
actual anticipated overtime spend. Chief Reifschneider expected that in the coming year, the
Police Department would likely apply vacancy savings to offset the difference, as it had in
recent years. Since staffing shortages due to vacancies drove most of the Police Department's
overtime expenses, some equilibrium will be reached. The Police Department proposed to
freeze the Special Operations Sergeant position as a pilot program for the upcoming fiscal year
to assess how much could be saved by assigning half of the Special Operations Sergeant's
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responsibilities to a civilian. If the pilot demonstrates that the overtime costs of paying other
sergeants or officers to cover those duties exceed the savings from freezing this position, then
the Police Department may return to the Finance Committee next year with a recommendation
to unfreeze the Special Operations Sergeant position and eliminate the civilian position The
civilian position would be full-time and was expected to take on various administrative tasks
that the sergeant cannot dedicate as much time to currently. Chief Reifschneider clarified that
all 5 budgeted lieutenant positions and both captain positions were currently filled. Chief
Reifschneider anticipated that 1 budgeted captain position would soon become vacant due to
an impending retirement. At that point, the Police Department will likely promote an existing
lieutenant to the captain's position, providing an opportunity to reassess the need for the fifth
lieutenant position and the potential to reallocate resources.
Chief Reifschneider was optimistic about the hiring pipeline. Chief Reifschneider acknowledged
that there was a brief period at the end of calendar year 2024 and the beginning of calendar
year 2025 when, on paper, the Police Department appeared fully staffed among its sworn;
however, that number included 10 officer trainees who were either in the training program or
attending a police academy but had not yet completed their training. The department had
experienced a relatively low success rate among that group of 10 officer trainees, which
explained the current 7 budgeted officer vacancies. Chief Reifschneider reported that 2 trainees
were nearing the final phase of their field training and would become solo officers in
approximately 6 weeks. Additionally, 4 trainees were at various stages in the police academy,
with 1 graduating from the South Bay Police Academy this Friday and another set to graduate
next month from a different academy. Early reports on those trainees were promising. In
addition, 3 other candidates were nearing the end of the hiring pipeline, and the Police
Department planned to send them to an area academy in the coming months.
Compared to the pandemic and the subsequent 1 or 2 years, the Police Department had not
experienced a significant number of officers leaving for other agencies, indicating improved
retention. In FY 2021 and FY 2022, the Police Department lost 11 officer positions. With the
Council's support, 6 of those positions were recently recovered. While this was necessary from
a financial perspective, it negatively impacted the morale of existing employees and the public
perception of potential applicants. Due to those cuts and the hiring freeze at the time,
recruiting and hiring efforts came to a standstill for a couple of years, and the department had
to rebuild from scratch. Police officers were aware of public sentiment and media coverage.
Chief Reifschneider noted that the positive feedback from the Council at recent meetings
regarding their satisfaction with the Police Department's work had not gone unnoticed, helping
make the department a more desirable place for officers to remain employed and for new
officers to join.
City Manager Ed Shikada viewed the situation as an accounting issue, noting that while the
dollar amount was not officially budgeted as overtime, it effectively served the same function
when vacancy savings were applied. City Manager Shikada emphasized that the cost of the
administrative position was less than half the expense of hiring a sergeant.
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Councilmember Lauing inquired whether any further actions, such as compensation or rank
adjustments, should be considered for lateral recruitment. Councilmember Lauing emphasized
the importance of staffing the Police Department at appropriate levels, based on professional
judgment. Councilmember Lauing suggested that hiring incentives could be an effective way to
recruit critical positions. Councilmember Lauing believed that investing in public safety should
be a top priority, and he argued that trying to save money while struggling to recruit officers
was not a viable approach. Councilmember Lauing raised concerns about how staff would
assess the pilot program's risks. For example, Councilmember Lauing pointed out the risks of
not having the same personnel for dignitary visits and special events, noting that using
personnel who were unfamiliar with Secret Service expectations could lead to retraining and
overtime costs. To address those concerns, Councilmember Lauing proposed designating a
primary liaison to coordinate with the Secret Service and to adjust schedules accordingly.
Regarding the issue of crossing guards, Councilmember Lauing appreciated the data utilized in
making that decision, making it transparent to the public that safety concerns were not being
ignored and the decision was not made arbitrarily. Councilmember Lauing believed that the
decline in PAUSD enrollment was irrelevant, as it did not affect the intersections.
Councilmember Lauing requested clarification on how staff calculated the $698,078 mentioned
in Bullet 3, and whether that figure represented projected savings for 2027. Councilmember
Lauing expressed his strong support for the Palo Alto Police Department, commending the Chief
and the entire department for their efforts, and assured that they will continue to receive the
necessary support to protect our residents.
Chief Reifschneider stated it was ideal to hire qualified laterals who aligned with the Police
Department's culture. This approach had new hires up to speed more quickly in a field-training
program and reduced the risk of potential failure in the academy. The department had some
flexibility to offer additional vacation time and other forms of compensation to lateral hires
who were giving up seniority when leaving their previous agency, which were helpful tools for
recruitment. Chief Reifschneider mentioned the importance of public perception. Our existing
officers are our best advocates for attracting lateral hires, as the way our employees feel about
the department directly influences how potential candidates from other agencies perceive us.
While Chief Reifschneider did not suggest reinstating the previous, generous hiring incentives
due to current budget challenges, he noted many surrounding agencies prominently advertised
their lateral hiring incentives. The department was looking to hire half a dozen officers. A hiring
incentive that draws attention without significantly impacting the budget would put the police
department on a level playing field with comparable agencies, such as the sheriff's office. Chief
Reifschneider pointed out that the academy tuition was $10,000 or more, in addition to the
cost of salary and benefits for the 6 months while the trainee attended the police academy.
Therefore, investing $10,000 or a smaller amount as an incentive for a lateral officer who did
not need to incur expenses to attend the academy would ultimately save the department
money.
The current Special Operations Sergeant has held that position for over 5 years and is on a first-
name basis with Secret Service, CHP, and mutual aid contacts. Although there might be a lack of
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continuity, Chief Reifschneider expressed confidence that the Police Department had the in-
house talent to make it work if that was what the budget necessitated.
City Manager Shikada explained that the City used quantitative criteria to determine where to
place crossing guards. These criteria take into account the number of students crossing at each
intersection and the volume of traffic. Staff could compare these criteria with the current
activities at each intersection. In City Manager Shikada’s experience, it was very challenging to
remove an existing crossing guard from an intersection.
Senior Management Analyst Benham clarified the $698,078: The City's contribution for the
Track Watch guards was $427,000 from the General Fund, while the PERT clinician's cost was
$271,000, funded by SUMC.
Understanding that unfilled vacancies covered overtime expenses, Councilmember Burt
expressed a desire to see the Police Department's budget better align with anticipated costs.
Councilmember Burt questioned whether the reduction in overtime would offset the cost of
hiring new employees, or whether it would be more costly to cover shifts with overtime than to
hire new personnel, taking into account not only potential cost savings but also the qualitative
value of filling the positions, including the impact on morale and performance.
Chief Reifschneider stated it was generally more cost-effective to pay an employee for an hour
of overtime than to hire a full-time employee for that same hour. Chief Reifschneider
emphasized that approximately $1.5M of the overtime reported in the media and in the
published Public Safety overtime audit was related to the organized retail theft detail and fully
reimbursable by the state through grant funding.
City Manager Shikada added that benefits and other fixed costs do not increase with overtime.
Director Lai stated that everyone desired to fill vacant positions. Every midyear, staff adjusted
the overtime projections based on what had happened during the year and the projection. The
quarterly overtime report showed the overtime burn rate for the fire and police departments,
along with the primary contributing factors. The fire department conducted a true-up to adjust
the overtime allocated to operations, as reflected in the budget. The goal for 2028 was to
implement a similar approach but the vacancy numbers needed to stabilize to budget overtime
accordingly.
Councilmember Burt inquired why retail theft-related overtime was not budgeted as overtime.
Councilmember Burt believed that departments should anticipate overtime and make efforts to
narrow the gap between projected and actual overtime costs. Four years ago, the hire-ahead
approach and pipeline seemed to have benefited the Fire Department more than the Police
Department, leading Councilmember Burt to question why there were fewer vacancies in Fire
than in Police. Councilmember Burt was receptive to a moderate, focused incentive for lateral
hires, recognizing that they could save money compared to training recruits at the academy.
Councilmember Burt cautioned against excessive fueling of competition, recalling that about 5
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years ago, the area agencies' recruitment efforts focused on taking employees away from each
other rather than addressing the overall supply deficiency.
Councilmember Burt pointed out that track security guards were only budgeted through
February. Councilmember Burt desired to extend funding through the fiscal year, with the Palo
Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) continuing to contribute its share. Councilmember Burt
noted that statewide funding for school crossing guards varied: either Cities or school districts
fully funded them, and others shared costs. Councilmember Burt recalled that since the late
1980s, during the implementation of Proposition 13, the City has advanced several initiatives to
support PAUSD, including the utility user tax. Over the decades, as new board members and
administrators joined the PAUSD, the initial appreciation for the City's financial support shifted
toward a sense of entitlement; however, Councilmember Burt believed that was changing with
the current school board. Councilmember Burt observed that PAUSD's financial condition had
improved, with structural surpluses now. Property taxes continue to increase while school
enrollment has declined. Councilmember Burt emphasized the need for discussions at the
administrative and elected levels with PAUSD and the PTA Council to determine appropriate
cost-sharing strategies for some of these measures. Partners in Education, a community
fundraising nonprofit within PAUSD, was founded around 20 years ago and has raised over $5M
annually to support unmet needs. While the urgency for those funds has diminished,
Councilmember Burt suggested they could potentially contribute toward funding crossing
guards. Councilmember Burt raised questions about the efficiency provided by technology and
CAD, and whether the benefits were primarily qualitative rather than efficiency and cost
reductions.
Chief Reifschneider was unsure how overtime for the organized retail theft detail was typically
accounted for. The grant funding for this initiative will be available through the end of calendar
year 2027. Organized retail theft detail overtime may not have been specifically budgeted
because the block grant funds were for various purposes, including overtime and technology
devices. For the organized retail theft detail, the goal was to have 3 officers on duty each day
for a fixed number of hours; however, achieving this goal depended on officers' willingness and
availability to work those shifts. Consequently, the number of officers and hours worked could
vary from day to day, making it challenging to forecast overtime. Chief Reifschneider expected
CAD dispatch to go live in mid-June and had not yet drawn any conclusions regarding its
efficiencies. Operational improvements will include more effective handling of calls from
individuals near city borders. In the past, those calls were mistakenly routed to the wrong
dispatch center, requiring rerouting. With call entries within the same CAD dispatch system, the
call can be converted to a call for service assigned to the correct dispatching center, resulting in
quicker responses for individuals needing medical or police assistance. There is potential for
greater interoperability among the Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Mountain View dispatch centers,
which could lead to future staffing considerations.
City Manager Shikada mentioned that staff could review the disparity between projected
overtime and actual expenses; however, this may relate to how we handle grant accounting
and its separate budgeting.
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Councilmember Lauing asked the Fire Department for the yearly truck mileage. The City
preferred electric vehicles over gasoline ones; however, Councilmember Lauing thought that a
hybrid or diesel vehicle was not as significant when you do not drive many miles.
Chief Lindsey stated that a fire apparatus runs approximately 1 to 2 miles to and from every 911
call. Different types of apparatus had varying mileage accruals. Type 1 fire engines saw
significantly more wear and tear compared to wildland engines. Ambulances accumulate the
highest mileage because they often travel outside of our district. One of the challenges the Fire
Department has faced in ordering new apparatus has been the delay between placing an order
and receiving the equipment. Due to a bottleneck since the recovery of COVID-19, many
manufacturers have indicated it may take 3 to 4 years from the time of ordering to delivery.
Chief Lindsey thought they should purchase new apparatus now and have a plan for stopgap
solutions in the meantime, which Fire was coordinating with Public Works.
Councilmember Lu shared a personal example involving an event with candles at the Lucie
Stern Community Center, where a firefighter drove a full fire rig to inspect the candles and then
returned to the station. Councilmember Lu heard that Level 1 and 2 EV charger inspections by
the Fire Department were deemed unnecessary and would no longer be done. Councilmember
Lu inquired about any additional opportunities to reduce the Fire Department’s workload, with
the goal of reducing overtime and burnout.
Chief Lindsey expressed concern about overtime and burnout, and the management team was
aware of the challenges staff had faced over the last several years. Candle inspections were
classified as open-flame inspections, which became state-mandated following The Station
nightclub fire. To conduct those inspections, the Fire Department could either pay a fire
inspector overtime or assign a local station captain trained to perform basic life safety
inspections. To ease the Fire Department’s workload was a matter of cohesion and
collaboration with Public Safety. Chiefs Dueker, Reifschneider, and Lindsey consistently sought
ways to support one another, identify where their resources intersect, and reduce risks to the
community.
Councilmember Burt expressed support for the Fire Department's proposed vehicle
replacement program and was pleased to see progress in preventative maintenance rather
than relying solely on reactive maintenance. Although Councilmember Burt wished the
transition to electrified vehicles could happen sooner, he acknowledged the limited resources
in the climate action plan. Councilmember Burt emphasized the importance of allocating
resources to the most cost-effective options and technologies that were ready for
implementation. Councilmember Burt thought that sending a whole fire crew out in a big truck
to look at a couple of candles seemed highly inefficient. Sunnyvale had cross-staffing between
the Fire and the Police Department. Councilmember Burt inquired whether cross-training could
be an option or if it was necessary for the Fire Department personnel to conduct inspections. At
Lucie Stern, hosting large events with 100 participants had become routine, and
Councilmember Burt believed there was no need to reassess the situation every time.
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Councilmember Burt recalled previous discussion on the drone (UAS), and it seemed efficient
for all 3 Public Safety departments.
Chief Lindsey stated that the Fire Department conducted open-flame inspections due to their
training, the captain’s responsibility, and the scope of work. There were likely opportunities for
the Fire Department and Police Department to engage in more cross-training and shared
responsibilities. Special event permits were required when attendance exceeded 100 people. It
was important for fire captains and their crews to be aware of upcoming special events within
their districts because of their risk management training, which included assessing potential
hazards and planning emergency logistics. The fire captain wants to know where to position
their fire trucks in case of an emergency, how to guide ambulances, and who to contact during
a medical emergency, based on vehicle parking and the layout of booths. The Fire Department
can consider whether guidelines and policies might address risk reduction, rather than requiring
the Fire Department to go back for each event.
Chief Dueker mentioned that OES was in a support role on UAS and has attended several
product demonstrations. The longer we wait, the more affordable and capable this technology
becomes.
Chief Reifschneider stated that the department was continuing to explore the use of drones,
and was particularly interested because the Los Altos Police Department and the Los Gatos
Police Department have implemented drones in their first-responder programs within the last 3
months. The preliminary results revealed that those agencies were not achieving staff savings
or financial efficiencies, and it may actually be costing them more to operate a drone; however,
they were experiencing some operational efficiencies. For example, drones allowed them to
visualize situations more quickly and potentially deploy resources more effectively. Los Altos PD
and Los Gatos PD trained an existing detective to operate the drone as an ancillary duty,
monitoring radio traffic and deploying it as appropriate. Therefore, the police department only
deployed the drone during hours when that trained detective was available. Chief Reifschneider
planned to present a drone proposal to the Council earlier this year but that was delayed. There
was media coverage of concerns about one of the largest drone manufacturers based in China,
particularly regarding some technological interfaces. As a result, the Department of Justice
issued guidelines that largely prevented U.S. agencies from purchasing equipment from that
manufacturer, forcing the Police Department to reevaluate its vendor options. Chief
Reifschneider believed they could apply for grant funds to acquire 1 or 2 drones, and he hoped
to return to the Council this fall with more information.
Although the intrusion detection system's monitoring was discontinued, the hardware
remained in place, leading Councilmember Lu to inquire what that meant for our workflow,
security, and monitoring procedures; if staff could review the recorded footage to investigate
what occurred; and whether staff would receive real-time notifications if the intrusion system
made a detection.
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Chief Dueker explained that the intrusion detection system included hardware such as cameras
and servers. For the new fiscal year, OES proposed discontinuing the contract with an
outsourced vendor for monitoring services and shifting the expense to in-house monitoring. We
will retain the hardware since we have already invested in it, and the maintenance costs were
low and included in the budget. There was an ongoing need for additional cameras, especially
at grade crossings. Those crossings could be hazardous due to chemicals in freight cars that
pass through late at night. Staff has been in close communication with Caltrain to have their
new RailSentry system assume the role of providing automated alert notifications. Additionally,
there were on-site human monitors. The existing intrusion detection system was outdated and
did not provide automated alerts. It was a video analytic system that merely prompted human
operators to examine specific cameras when it detected something. In contrast, RailSentry
offered greater automation potential and sent alerts to Caltrain, with secondary notifications to
Public Safety and the Sheriff's office.
Councilmember Burt advocated for Caltrain to expedite RailSentry installation at all 4 of Palo
Alto's crossings. The former Chief Safety Officer concluded it was appropriate to keep the
Intrusion Detection System (IDS). Concerned about potential impacts on track security,
Councilmember Burt expressed a desire to schedule an offline briefing to better understand
how the IDS and RailSentry systems complement and integrate before he felt comfortable
supporting the proposal to discontinue the IDS monitoring service. RailSentry used video
cameras and LiDAR to detect incidents, issue notifications, and ultimately stop the train.
Unfortunately, the response was not as timely as hoped. Hopefully, the next generation of
technology will send alerts directly to Caltrain dispatch, reducing lag time. Given the high level
of concern in the community, there may be the misperception that we are scaling back our
efforts in the midst of a crisis. The Means Restrictions Advisory Committee from Project Safety
Net has never received a briefing on the effectiveness of the IDS system alone.
Chief Dueker stated that the budget constraints were primarily related to human monitoring
rather than RailSentry at this time. Preserving the IDS system allowed staff to issue a new
contract to re-implement monitoring if needed. There may be an opportunity to integrate our
cameras with RailSentry.
Director Lai expressed her concern about the lengthy referral list. Typically, referrals were not
this extensive, as they generated additional work for staff, requiring them to report back to the
P&S Committee, Finance Committee, and the Council. To remove a few items from the referral
list, Director Lai asked whether the Committee supported staff confirming that they had heard
they needed to work on an item and that it would come back in the 2028 budget. In the interest
of time management and efficiency, Director Lai did not believe the Committee intended to
create a new body of work stemming from these budget workshops. Director Lai requested the
Committee to re-evaluate the referral list.
Councilmember Burt stated that the Committee could review the referral list together with the
parking lot. Councilmember Burt explained that the Committee had been using referrals over
the past 2 days for items they wanted follow-up on in the future, either as a more formalized
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referral, as mentioned by Director Lai, or a less formal approach. Councilmember Burt
emphasized it was not appropriate to remove the referral items from the motion.
Councilmember Burt believed that the Finance Committee should examine the referrals at the
end and attempt to group them into a couple of categories.
Director Lai mentioned that the Committee would review the parking lot at 3 p.m. today.
Director Lai expressed concern about time management, noting that a discussion regarding OSV
was still needed.
Councilmember Lu suggested postponing until the FY28 budget discussions the referral items
for the consideration of Police Department lateral hiring bonuses, Police Department accurate
overtime budgeting, and evaluating potential efficiency opportunities in the Fire Department,
with the motion worded accordingly.
City Manager Shikada indicated that Council approval was necessary, typically obtained through
closed sessions and negotiations with bargaining units.
MOTION: Councilmember Lu moved, seconded by Councilmember Lauing, to recommend the
City Council:
1. Tentatively approve the Police, Fire, and Office of Emergency Services proposed
budgets, and
2. Place the following in the “parking lot”:
a. School crossing guards
b. TrackWatch
c. IDS system
3. Referral to staff to consider lateral hiring bonuses in the Police Department as part of
the FY28 budget process, and
4. Referral to staff to bring back accurate overtime budgeting for the Police Department as
part of the FY28 budget process, and
5. Referral to staff to evaluate potential efficiency opportunities in Fire Department as part
of the FY28 budget process.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
LUNCH BREAK
Item 3 Continued – Oversized Vehicles
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Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines explained that staff could provide a preliminary
estimate of OSV expenditures based on the ad hoc committee's discussions. Since the
Oversized Vehicles Ad Hoc Committee had not yet made a specific recommendation to the
Council, the staff was unable to provide detailed information on the numbers.
Assistant to the City Manager Melissa McDonough noted that next year's proposed budget
included funding for towing, regular street sweeping for the 18 affected streets, the homeless
outreach team, and the administration and implementation of OSV regulations. The budget
provided funding for Geng Road Safe Parking only through September 15. The initial Oversized
Vehicle Phase 1 effort was approved in October 2025 and expected to be completed by
February. An additional $184,000 was needed in FY 2027 to continue this effort and expand the
work. For Phase 2, the ad hoc committee was considering establishing a new safe parking site,
potentially on Caltrans property, with an estimated annual operating cost of $1M, excluding
leasing or necessary site improvements. The permit pilot under consideration for Phase 2,
depending on the scope and services offered, would range from approximately $500,000 to
$1M annually.
Councilmember Lauing asked whether the annual $266,000 cost for Geng Road Safe Parking,
which expires in September 2026, would cover the total expenses, including the additional
spaces. Councilmember Lauing inquired whether the 2027 proposal included deep cleaning.
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough replied that the $266,000 annual cost covered the
expanded safe parking spaces on Geng Road; the County paid the remaining portion.
Brad Eggleston, the Director of Public Works, stated that additional storm drain cleaning was
recommended during recent discussions. When rolling out the program, extensive street
cleaning took place on Saturdays, including street sweeping, cleaning storm drains, and tree
trimming for the new segments added. Now that "no parking" regulations were in effect and
regular street sweeping was underway, Director Eggleston did not believe there was a
continuing need for deep cleaning in those areas. Director Eggleston recommended quarterly
cleaning of storm drain catch basins and flushing lines rather than annually. The estimated cost
was $75,000 for 3 additional storm drain cleanings across all street segments currently part of
the OSV program.
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough confirmed Director Eggleston’s comment. The total
amount of $184,000 for enforcement and street sweeping included funding for towing, as well
as the time spent by a Community Services Officer and a sworn officer for enforcement during
cleanings (approximately 2 hours per street).
Councilmember Lauing asked if the budget included the items mentioned in the motion the
Council passed last October: $157,000 from the City Manager's Office for program
implementation resources, $150,000 for OOT engineering services, and approximately $95,000
for vehicle marking, enforcement, and signage. If staff expected the need for signage this year,
the cost must be allocated in the budget. Depending on the recommendations from the OSV Ad
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Hoc Committee and the Council's decisions, any changes to parking regulations may necessitate
more permanent signage in various areas of the city, so that should be on the table.
Councilmember Lauing stated that the estimated costs for Caltrans safe parking operations
should be paired with a timing estimate. The OSV Ad Hoc Committee had not provided
recommendations on the permit pilot, making it difficult to assign a specific number at this
point. Councilmember Lauing suggested that the existing Geng Road parking should be included
in the budget, along with $184,000 for street sweeping.
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough explained that the $157,000 in the budget was for a
specific position; the person filling that role was on their third day of work. Assistant to the City
Manager McDonough recently spoke with Eric Jensen, a senior analyst. The $95,000 allocated
for the marking and enforcement of vehicles was for FY26. The proposed FY27 budget did not
include the more robust towing budget reflected in the estimated $184,000 mentioned on the
slide. Assistant to the City Manager McDonough was unsure whether the proposed budget
included signage expenses. Most of the signage work was underway but if not finished by June
30, staff needed to work with the Budget Office to carry over any unspent funds from FY26 to
complete the signage.
Chief Transportation Official Ria Hutabarat Lo reported that the OOT was recruiting a part-time
assistant engineer without benefits, for which the actual cost will be less than the budgeted
amount.
Police Chief James Reifschneider stated that if the City proceeded with a concerted towing
initiative to enforce the existing signage, the budget needed to allocate funds for those
additional tows.
Director Eggleston explained that the funding from the Council motion on August 20 had been
spent on temporary signage. The funding for the work now underway to install permanent
signage was provided through the action taken in October.
Deputy City Manager Cotton Gaines said that the potential OSV permit pilot program had a
budget range of $500,000 to $1M. The total cost will vary depending on the scope of services.
The $1M estimated annual operational cost for the Caltrans lot was based on the number of
parking spaces and the current cost per space at the Geng Road site. Deputy City Manager
Cotton Gaines believed the costs would likely be prorated based on the number of operational
months, so the overall cost could be reduced by half if the program were established midyear.
Councilmember Lu felt that reserving funding for Geng Road Safe Parking, enforcement, and
street sweeping was prudent.
Councilmember Burt noted that if the Geng Road safe parking contract expired at the end of
September, it would cost three-quarters of $266,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year. Move
Mountain View was unable to provide all the case officers for a period of time, which
Councilmember Burt thought contributed to many residents staying for an average of over a
year. If our contract required Move Mountain View to have a certain number of case officers,
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Councilmember Burt questioned why the City was paying Move Mountain View the full amount
even though we were not receiving the full services we contracted for. Councilmember Burt
was unaware that the City would offer full services at the Caltrans site, similar to what we
provide at the Geng location, rather than simply using it as a parking site. Councilmember Burt
was surprised at the minimum amount of $500,000 for the pilot program. Councilmember Burt
observed a significant decline in the number of RVs. Councilmember Burt questioned whether
$184,000 was needed to maintain the number of RVs or possibly see a continued decline.
Councilmember Burt pointed out that the towing conducted so far had primarily targeted
unregistered vehicles, and we now have very few unregistered vehicles on the streets, so he
wondered why staff expected the same amount of towing moving forward. Councilmember
Burt inquired whether staff estimated the $184,000 based on our needs over the last 9 months
or what we anticipate needing going forward.
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough clarified that the funding for expanded safe parking
spaces on Geng Road would expire on September 15. Move Mountain View was providing all
services outlined in our revenue agreement with the County for the expanded safe parking
spaces at Geng Road. A recent article in the paper mentioned a separate initiative that Move
Mountain View was pursuing in Palo Alto for 2 additional caseworkers through CDBG; however,
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough did not have further information, as she was not
directly involved. The funding for those 2 caseworkers was not part of the $266,162 annual cost
for the expanded safe parking spaces at Geng Road. The City did not contract directly with
Move Mountain View; we contract with the County, and the services were within the County's
specifications. Staff was preparing to return to the Council to provide more information on
Geng Road and report outcomes.
Deputy City Manager Cotton Gaines shared that the conversations with Caltrans revolved
around the possibility of the City operating a safe parking site on Caltrans property. A scaled-
back version of this project could be for storage or parking. The ad hoc committee was
considering this option but we currently do not have permission to use the Caltrans site for safe
parking. The Caltrans site lacked a building and some of the things available at Geng Road.
Director Eggleston stated that the Public Works portion of the $184,000 was for increasing the
frequency of storm drain cleaning.
City Manager Shikada said the estimated towing expenditures included in the $184,000
reflected the projected need to maintain the current level of towing and uphold existing street
regulations throughout the city. City Manager Shikada noted that towing expenses exceeded
the ongoing budget; however, a special one-time budget allocation was made for OSVs.
Chief Reifschneider clarified that the police department established a baseline towing budget
without anticipating its application to OSV enforcement. Chief Reifschneider hoped that towing
needs would decrease from the rate we have seen over the past 6 to 8 months. Chief
Reifschneider believed progress had been made in towing grossly expired vehicles and in
addressing detached trailers. However, there was still a need for towing beyond what existed
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approximately 2 years ago when the baseline budget was created, which is what Chief
Reifschneider meant when he referred to an additional need. The additional funding requested
was to supplement the baseline towing budget, not to add to the special funding allocation.
Councilmember Lu inquired about the parking capacity of the Caltrans lot and the number of
vehicles included in the permit pilot program.
Assistant to the City Manager McDonough estimated about 40 permits for the pilot program.
City Manager Shikada thought the number was similar for the Caltrans property.
Councilmember Lu noted that the estimated total cost for accommodating up to 80 RVs per
year was between $1.5M to $2M, which was too high to incorporate now into the current
budget. Councilmember Lu suggested that the full Council discuss the potential trade-offs. If
there were another funding source beyond the $266,000, Councilmember Lu recommended
that the staff explore ways to reduce the Move Mountain View expense for next year.
Deputy City Manager Cotton Gaines confirmed the Caltrans lot could accommodate 40 to 60
OSVs.
Councilmember Lauing suggested using the Measure K fund instead of the General Fund.
Councilmember Lauing mentioned that the Caltrans site and the pilot program were under
discussion in the ad hoc committee.
Councilmember Burt believed that the Committee was not ready to take a position on the
Caltrans safe parking site and the OSV permit pilot program until they came before the Council
for deeper discussion.
Staff cautioned that the Brown Act limited what this body could weigh in on until the full
Council has heard the item. The City Attorney noted that any decision by the Finance
Committee that could affect the policy options currently under consideration by the OSV Ad
Hoc Committee could constitute a serial meeting. Items that were part of existing programs
have been presented to the Council.
City Manager Shikada calculated that three-quarters of $266,000 was almost $200,000.
MOTION: Councilmember Lauing moved, seconded by Councilmember Lu, to put OSV in the
parking lot, and recommend the City Council approve the $384,000.00 budget allocation and
consider potential alternative funding methods for the Geng Road parking site.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
4. FY 2027 Proposed Municipal Fee Schedule
Rene Escobar, Senior Management Analyst with the Office of Management and Budget,
presented the proposed Municipal Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2027. The fees for services align
with the City’s user fee cost recovery policy, which categorizes fees into low, medium, and high
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cost recovery levels based on whether the services primarily benefit individuals or the broader
community. In this update, most fees were adjusted by either the 4.59 percent general rate of
increase (GRI) or the applicable cost index; therefore, they were not individually listed in this
report. Key updates in the FY 2027 Municipal Fee Schedule include: The implementation of a
credit card processing fee. The incorporation of nearly all utility fees and the airport fee
schedule into the Citywide schedule streamlined the multiple fee processes and centralized this
information. Utilities fees included selected connection, capacity, and service-related fees. The
airport fees were in the Airport Rates and Charges Study, which the Committee reviewed a few
weeks ago. Departments continue to evaluate fees relative to the cost of service, with some
examples including the airport study, parking fee adjustments, revised golf fees, and
comprehensive updates to connection and capacity fees.
This year’s fee schedule included 13 new fees, 62 deleted fees, and 241 changed fees. Among
the 13 new fees, the primary addition in Administrative Services was the credit card processing
fee. In Community Services, veterinary fees were clarified to better align with current service
delivery. Utilities added 2 new fees for service calls performed on weekends or after hours. The
recent airport study identified new airport fees. The 62 deleted fees consisted of those that
were no longer in use, no longer offered, had been consolidated into other fee structures, or
administered externally. Deletions included the tobacco retail permit fee, certain animal care
service fees, facility rentals, and massage establishment fees. For the 241 fee changes,
departments have evaluated and will continue to assess fees based on the cost of service,
operational needs, vendor pricing, and market conditions. As appropriate, departments will
recommend increasing, decreasing, or maintaining certain fees. For example, domestic
partnership registration and candidate filing fees will remain unchanged.
Councilmember Lauing questioned if the $10,000 fee per mobilization on weekends or after
hours, as shown on the Utilities slide, applied to businesses and/or residential customers, gas
disconnections, and reports of gas odor.
Utilities Strategic Business Manager Dave Yuan explained that the fee applied to unscheduled
gas decommissioning or shutting off the gas line outside regular business hours. The fee for
scheduled gas decommissioning was approximately one-third of the weekend or after-hours
fee. For instance, turning off the gas line for construction within 10 feet of a customer's house
incurred a significantly lower fee when scheduled in advance. Typically, the Utilities' schedule
was booked during the day, which was why they charged an after-hours fee for unplanned gas
disconnections. This fee was necessary because it required personnel to perform the work after
their regular shift; otherwise, customers would have to wait for a scheduled appointment.
Utilities Strategic Business Manager Yuan will ensure there is clear language indicating that the
weekend/after-hours fee would not apply if customers smell a gas leak.
Councilmember Lu observed that the fee for EV chargers had increased slightly but remained
within the market range. Recently, the Council heard an item regarding revising certain building
permit fees for heat pump water heaters, HVAC systems, and EV chargers; however,
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Councilmember Lu was unsure whether the FY 2027 Proposed Municipal Fee Schedule included
those fees.
Steve Guagliardo, Senior Management Analyst for Planning and Development Services, replied
that the fees discussed with the Finance Committee earlier this year will be included in the fee
schedule. Those fees were not highlighted in the slide deck because they were consistent with
the fees presented this year. The staff will pursue a fee subsidy through the Utilities program
and draft an ordinance to allow us to exceed the current state cap on those fees.
Public Comment: There were no requests to speak.
MOTION: Councilmember Lauing moved, seconded by Councilmember Burt, to recommend the
City Council accept the FY 2027 Municipal Fee Schedule.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
5. Infrastructure and Environment: Capital Improvement Program (continued), Enterprise Fund
Projects & Internal Service Fund Projects
a) Information Technology
i. Technology Fund
b) Public Works
i. Airport Fund (Public Works) (C:393-415)
ii. Stormwater Management Fund (Public Works) (C:555-586)
iii. Wastewater Treatment Fund (Public Works) (C:627-666)
iv. Vehicle Replacement and Maintenance Fund (C:743-771)
c) Utilities
i. Electric Fund
ii. Fiber Optics Fund
iii. Gas Fund
iv. Wastewater Collection Fund
v. Water Fund
Budget Manager Robert Valentukonis spoke to the Committee. There were a total of 217
planned projects in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), with approximately half located
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within the Enterprise Fund. Together, the Enterprise Fund and the Internal Service Fund
account for nearly 70 percent of the total CIP planned funding.
Darren Numoto, the Director of Information Technology, presented the outlook for the
Information Technology (IT) Fund CIP. The plan included approximately $4.3M in planned
allocations, with $4M re-appropriated, which indicated that the current CIP was primarily
focused on advancing and executing ongoing projects while advancing several other high-
priority initiatives. A list of the IT Fund CIPs that had been re-appropriated was displayed; all
were active projects in progress. Notably, an additional $300,000 will support departments
impacted by the SAP S/4HANA project.
Brad Eggleston, Director of Public Works, noted that the Vehicle Replacement Fund was the
only Internal Service Fund within Public Works in the capital budget. A slide displayed the
Vehicle Replacement Fund 5-year CIP. The proposed amount for FY27, $6.9M, was higher than
in previous years, primarily due to $2.6M in re-appropriations from past annual projects, where
not all purchases had been completed. Over the last several years, supply chain issues have
hindered the availability of many vehicles; although the situation was starting to improve, it
was still an issue. The proposed project for FY27 included 22 total vehicles and pieces of
equipment: 4 trucks, 3 vans, 1 fire engine, 3 marked police patrol vehicles, a generator, 8
trailers, and 2 additional pieces of equipment, including 6 planned electric vehicles. Over the
past 3 years, the electric vehicle fleet has increased from 6 to 47 vehicles. When considering the
re-appropriated vehicles not yet purchased, along with those planned for FY27, the number of
electric vehicles was 65.
There continued to be higher costs for electric vehicles, especially larger vehicles. The baseline
budget had not increased, resulting in fewer vehicle replacements than before the efforts to
electrify the fleet. Director Eggleston highlighted this concern, emphasizing that if it were not
addressed, the plan would not be sustainable with current budgets over the long term. Based
on information relayed to Director Eggleston from the fleet manager, the current average age
of the entire fleet was 9.5 years. The goal was to replace most vehicles after 10 years. By the
end of the proposed 5-year plan, the fleet's average age was projected to be 1.5 years higher
than the current average.
Public Works had 3 Enterprise Funds with capital projects: the Stormwater Management Fund,
Wastewater Treatment Fund, and Airport Fund. The Airport Fund's approximately $40M
investment in the airport apron was completed several years ago. The proposed FY27 CIP
included the same set of projects for the last couple of years but now there is a focus on
restarting the airport master plan. The proposed projects were not dependent on the outcome
of the Master Plan; instead, they were for the necessary maintenance of existing infrastructure
and were submitted to the FAA.
Of the Stormwater Management Fund's 13 projects in the proposed 5-year CIP, 3 were
complete and 4 were actively under construction and expected to be finished around the end
of the calendar year. In response to the New Year's Eve flood of 2022, staff identified projects
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that would have improved that situation; therefore, they expedited the Hamilton Avenue and
Center Drive projects in the plan. Hamilton Avenue was currently under construction. Director
Eggleston expected Center Drive to begin construction sometime in FY27. The storm drain
management ballot measure passed by voters included an ongoing operating cost that can
increase annually based on the CPI, as well as 13 defined projects funded over 15 years, ending
in 2032. Staff analyzed the actual costs of the 3 completed projects, the original estimates, the
bids, and the expected costs for the 4 projects currently underway. This analysis included
examining cost escalations up to the midpoint of construction, then applying the 50th
percentile of those escalation rates to the remaining projects. Those projects were estimated at
$12.4M in 2017 but were now projected to cost approximately $31M when applying the
escalation rate. Staff's preliminary estimate of the source and use of projected revenues
through 2032 was around $18M, suggesting the need to reassess the remaining projects and
their scopes, as staff did not anticipate having sufficient funds to complete all 13 projects. Staff
planned to present additional information to the Finance Committee later this fiscal year,
possibly including more detailed cost estimates and escalations, as well as prioritization factors
for moving forward with projects through 2032.
Regarding the Wastewater Treatment Fund, the plant was over 50 years old and had an
extensive CIP underway but staff did not propose any new projects. The largest CIP was the
$193M upgrade of the secondary treatment system, which was in Year 3 of 5 and
approximately 81 percent complete based on construction contract expenses incurred. So far, 2
of the 4 aeration basin tanks were complete, and work on the third was underway. The
advanced water purification system project was under construction. The horizontal levee
project was nearing completion. The plant's capital team had been working on the advanced
planning process for the headworks facility replacement project and was negotiating the design
contract to proceed with the work. Staff has been working with the FAA to obtain the necessary
approvals to restart the outfall line project that had been delayed for several years, and
Director Eggleston believed they were close to getting it underway. Previously, staff proposed a
project to build a new environmental services building to house many plant functions, including
a laboratory. Since then, the approach has pivoted to leasing spaces and potentially renovating
areas within the plant. Last year, the Council approved a lease for space in a recently renovated
building across the street from the treatment plant. The laboratory will relocate to this new
space. Improvements to accommodate this move started a couple of months ago and were
expected to be complete around the end of this year.
Alan Kurotori, Director of Utilities, presented the proposed FY27 Utilities budget summary. A
key project for the Electric Fund was grid modernization, a multiyear effort to increase capacity
and replace aging infrastructure. Several of Palo Alto’s substations were built in the 1950s and
1960s and needed replacement, upgrade, and modernization. The total estimated cost for
those projects ranged from $375M to $450M. In an effort to right-size expenditures, grid
modernization will be built at the pace of electrification. In FY27, the first tranche of revenue
bonds will be approximately $80M. Colorado transformer #3 needed replacement; however,
rather than replacing it, Utilities will continue using it while more work is done at the receiving
station.
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Fiber-to-the-premises work and backbone expansion will be completed in FY27, nearly tripling
the number of fiber strands in our backbone system, enabling the City to provide fiber-to-the-
premises and expand its offerings to customers. As developments occur, staff will ensure
customers are informed about the dark fiber services we offer. When potential customers
relocate to new sites and inquire about additional electric supply, we make them aware of the
other services we provide.
In the Gas Fund, the series of gas main replacement projects was estimated at approximately
$50M over the next 5 years. The City successfully secured a $16.5M federal grant from the DOT.
Staff was exploring the possibility of obtaining an additional $10M in grants and will continue
pursuing additional grants. System models were updated for electric, water, gas, and
wastewater utilities. To decide which gas mains needed replacement, staff looked for leaks in
the system, conducted a walkthrough approximately every 3 to 5 years, with more frequent
checks in certain areas, and made necessary repairs and replacements. Investor-owned utilities
were considering electrifying some areas instead of replacing gas mains. Staff will closely track
PG&E's 5-year pilot program to see whether there were opportunities where Palo Alto shared
borders with PG&E.
Public Works managed wastewater treatment, while wastewater collection fell under Utilities.
Many projects and capital improvements take place on City property and roadways. In the
Wastewater Collection Fund, staff explored opportunities to consolidate capital projects in the
same area, potentially allowing bids on the projects together and minimizing the impact on
residents by limiting disruptions to a single visit rather than multiple visits. Utilities used their
GIS systems to coordinate with Public Works on pavement repairs and replacements, ensuring
the most efficient use of staff time and resources. Over the next several years, staff will
implement the CCTV sewer main inspection program to assess systems and prioritize necessary
repairs and replacements. At Arastradero Creek, there was flooding and undermining of
utilities. A series of projects will relocate pipelines to pathways outside the areas of
undermining. Funding was available for improvements to water, gas, and wastewater systems
in those areas. A wastewater pump station in Foothills Park needed retrofitting and repairs to
ensure we have adequate capacity. Another project was the replacement of wastewater
collection mains.
Within the Water Fund was the water main replacement program. This year, an update to the
water system master plan was essential for assessing our system capacity. The updated
hydraulic model and revised capacity projects will help staff prioritize capital expenditures. A
study is currently evaluating the costs of 2 water tank seismic retrofits in the foothills area to
determine whether we can rehabilitate the 2 water tanks instead of replacing them, and to
identify the actual storage requirements in the foothills to ensure reliable potable water
service. Palo Alto benefited from elevated water storage in the foothills, which allowed us to
provide water to the community in emergencies.
Public Comment: There were no requests to speak.
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Councilmember Burt asked what was involved with the IT City Council Chambers improvement
project and whether staff expected it to be slightly or significantly below the previously
projected $1.6M. To address expenses that exceeded the budget, potential solutions included
reducing the capital transfer and non-urgent capital projects. Councilmember Burt noted the IT
improvements made in recent years had served as a temporary fix. Councilmember Burt
inquired whether staff wanted to proceed with the planned IT improvements, even if they were
not urgent, given the momentum of incoming bids. Regarding the target 10-year average
vehicle age, Councilmember Burt questioned whether age was as crucial as mileage. Some
vehicles experienced wear and tear unrelated to mileage. The Fire Department successfully
implemented more preventive fire engine maintenance based on vehicle patterns.
Councilmember Burt wanted to know whether staff was adopting a more analytical approach to
the potential lifespan of vehicles and how to reasonably extend their lifespans without a
negative return on that investment. Councilmember Burt noted that the City's mini fleet of
electric bikes often went unused because they were typically locked up and nobody knew they
were there. Councilmember Burt asked if there was a plan to encourage City personnel to
utilize those electric bikes more. Employees of our Sister City in the Netherlands need special
permission to use a regular vehicle instead of an e-bike. Councilmember Burt highlighted the
ability for staff to notice details while using e-bikes that they might not see when driving regular
vehicles.
Regarding the airport, Councilmember Burt was unsure whether everyone was aware that
following the recent repaving of the apron, it was now wired for electrification to receive power
from onsite solar generation and for charging planes. Councilmember Burt was particularly
interested in the potential for solar energy generation. Councilmember Burt recalled previous
discussions about microgrids and that solar awnings could generate revenue by providing
weather protection while also serving as solar spaces. Councilmember Burt inquired if staff had
an active plan to solarize more of the airport. Councilmember Burt referred to Slide 14 and
asked about the fiber fund balance, cash flow from existing commercial fiber, and whether the
accumulated fund balance was the difference between revenues and expenses. Councilmember
Burt recalled hearing yesterday that the fiber fund had not seen the same level of positive cash
flow in recent years as we had in the past but there was hope for rejuvenation. Councilmember
Burt questioned whether the anticipated rejuvenation was based on expanding fiber-to-the-
premises versus expanding and rejuvenating commercial fiber.
Director Numoto mentioned that staff was actively engaging with vendors to obtain quotes for
updating technology, including audio/visual systems, displays, cameras, and the backend
systems that control the cameras. The quotes have been below the previously budgeted $1.6M,
so Director Numoto expected the total expenditure to be likely below $1M. Before the
pandemic, a redesign of Council Chambers came in at a high cost. Staff made numerous
changes to adapt to the pandemic, including integrating new technology with our existing
systems, which have continued to serve us well. The next step was to enhance the cameras and
improve their functionality. Upgrading the backend controls will help staff manage meetings
more effectively. Staff was considering whether to update the 7-year-old iPads that have served
us well or switch to other displays on the dais to enhance the Council Members’ experience.
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Staff wanted to address the front-end display monitor that goes in and out and find ways to
improve the displays for the public. Staff has received feedback that the 2 side televisions were
hard to read, particularly with smaller print. In the back, our camera systems were very old and
relied on used parts for repairs. Upgrading the cameras would significantly enhance their
quality. Staff has received feedback that the videos were not as clear as expected, especially
given the advancements in HD televisions. While this was not an urgent issue, if a camera failed
and we could not source parts, it could limit the ability to provide certain views.
IT was working with Public Works to make the public speaker podium ADA-compliant; however,
staff needed to discuss whether the current microphone portability was sufficient.
Director Eggleston explained that some vehicles used as equipment may only travel short
distances. Director Eggleston referenced the 10-year average age metric to highlight the fleet's
increasing age under current budgets, though he did not intend to imply a specific target age.
The fleet manager considered various factors when making recommendations for the
replacement program, which were then reviewed by the fleet review committee, including
Director Lai and the Assistant City Manager. The electric bikes were part of a recent limited
pilot program. There have been citywide emails, but Director Eggleston believed more
encouragement could be provided to staff to use e-bikes. The e-bikes were temporarily stored
in the flexible meeting space but plans were to relocate them to a more accessible area, most
likely in the existing police building. Adding solar panels at the airport was not currently
planned; however, it was part of the staff's discussions about the master plan. Director
Eggleston shared a message from the airport manager clarifying that, while the airport had
conduits, they were not wired. Over the past year, as part of the partnership between Public
Works and Utilities and the work done on the Reliability and Resiliency Strategic Plan, a
consultant study examined electric demand at the airport and the water quality control plant,
as well as the total potential for solar installation at the airport. Although airport solar plans
were not actively moving forward, staff wanted to incorporate them into a plan.
Utilities Strategic Business Manager Yuan reported the fiber fund had a Q3 ending balance of
approximately $32M. In the 5-year projection, the fiber fund will receive revenues from the
electric fund to build 2 separate backbones for security reasons, which Utilities Strategic
Business Manager Yuan thought was $13M total for the first 2 years. Approximately $5.5M had
been spent on the pilot project. The Council authorized up to $20M when approving the fiber-
to-the-premise plan in 2022. Staff projected Commercial fiber to generate about $3M to $3.5M
this year, along with an additional $1M in interest from reserves. Revenue from commercial
fiber has declined from about $4M to $4.5M.
Director Kurotori stated that the slide on the fiber fund for 2028 and 2029 included the revenue
coming from the electric utility.
Councilmember Lu expressed satisfaction with the iPads and technology in City Hall, noting that
while there was room for improvement, it did not seem urgent to him. The audit underway will
provide vehicle fleet metrics, but Councilmember Lu wondered whether there were internal
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minimum utilization metrics and, if so, what they were. Based on Councilmember Lu's online
research, there were guidelines on the minimum recommended vehicle usage, and those
metrics often appeared unfavorable during the City's audits. Councilmember Lu recalled staff
mentioning a reduction in fleet size compared to a previous audit benchmark. Councilmember
Lu wondered if there were opportunities for further reductions, for example, combining 2
moderately used vehicles that were slightly above the minimum utilization, or staff might
explore other creative opportunities. Councilmember Lu suggested this could be a topic of
discussion next year, once we have the auditor's findings. As vehicles were not always the most
climate-friendly, Councilmember Lu hoped that staff could dig deep into vehicle replacements.
Councilmember Lu asked when the deeper dive on stormwater would take place.
Councilmember Lu raised the possibility of combining planned stormwater projects; for
example, Juana Briones may have funding that could be moved to those projects. In reviewing
the wastewater budget, Councilmember Lu noted last year's estimate for the headworks facility
replacement was approximately $50M more in FY29. Councilmember Lu questioned whether
the $50M estimate remained accurate or needed revision. Councilmember Lu observed that
this coming year was budgeted as the final year of major capital spending on fiber-to-the-
premises. Councilmember Lu asked when the City would decide whether the fiber-to-the-
premises project was viable, needed expansion, and if it was an operational cost that the City
wanted to bear going forward.
Director Eggleston reported the mileage metric was 2,500 miles per year. A subsidiary metric
tracked the number of days each piece of equipment was operated. Each year, staff conducted
a utilization review of the entire fleet, beginning with the mileage. The fleet manager contacted
the departments and users of the vehicles to gather insights into the reasons for
underutilization. The fleet review committee then evaluated those responses. Many vehicles
and pieces of equipment were used less frequently, with typical reasons including critical
equipment or vehicles that do not have to travel far for their intended functions but which are
still important. To avoid revisiting all decisions annually, a 3-year exemption was granted for
vehicles exempt from the minimum utilization requirement. Baker Tilly, the City's contract
auditor, was currently conducting a performance audit of the overall fleet. A high-level analysis
of stormwater management was performed. Next fiscal year, staff will review stormwater
project costs and prioritization and present their findings to the Finance Committee. Director
Eggleston did not recall how the $50M was integrated into the headworks facility replacement
but the $100M estimate for 2029 seemed outdated and would likely be higher; however,
Director Eggleston did not have a developed cost estimate to adjust the budget figures.
Fleet Manager Danitra Bahlman recalled that Councilmember Lu had brought the 2010 audit to
her attention. Fleet Manager Bahlman joined the team in 2011, and since then, the fleet has
been reduced by 68 units. During the 2025 utilization review, they targeted 17 vehicles but did
not identify any units for surplus. Throughout the year, in addition to the annual utilization
review process, staff examined the replacement schedule and the department's needs to
identify opportunities to use different types of equipment, such as trailers or a storage shed.
Staff prioritized right-sizing the fleet.
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Karin North, Assistant Director of Environmental Services, explained that staff increased the
budget for the headworks project by $50M due to higher-than-expected pre-design costs but
the exact amount was unknown. As we are a regional facility, the goal was to inform our 6
partner agencies about anticipated future costs so they could forecast their rates. Once the full
design for the headworks project was complete, Assistant Director North anticipated the
project's cost would rise again due to cost escalations. The limited space presented design and
construction challenges to fit the headworks into a small, old chlorine contact tank.
Director Numoto stated that fiber-to-the-premises was in the pilot phase, focusing on a smaller
area to demonstrate that we can deliver the service reliably and affordably. The next step will
involve providing a full report around August or September, including metrics such as the take
rate. This information will help determine whether we will proceed with the larger Phase 1 area
or consider additional expansions. At that time, the staff will have the cost per subscriber.
Director Kurotori pointed out that the take rate in the pilot area was not the sole factor in
deciding whether to move forward with fiber-to-the-premise. Staff wanted to talk to customers
about the value that Palo Alto Utilities and the City could provide, as well as the benefits of
offering a single source of service for the community. Staff was gathering information on cost-
effective solutions, whether that meant using in-house staff or contractors to handle spikes in
fiber installations. More information was needed before concluding whether fiber-to-the-
premise was financially viable for the fiber utility. The decision on fiber-to-the-premise will be
made in collaboration with the community, and staff will present a report to the Council. If a
high enough take rate is achieved and there is significant community interest, additional capital
will be required for expansion. There were insufficient funds in the fiber utility for a full rollout,
so an assessment was needed of which areas to expand and the expected take rate. The fiber
hut has been constructed. Utility staff was working with the IT department to review customer
connections and get contractors.
Discussion ensued regarding the operating budget, capital budget, and potential trade-offs. City
Manager Shikada noted that the $300,000 allocated this year for electric vehicle chargers in the
airport parking lot, if the project had not already been contracted or initiated, could be
redirected to cover grade crossing monitors or mental health. City Manager Shikada gave
another example of $4.3M for an airport access road in FY28 through FY30. Although the road
was not very good, it was still usable.
Councilmember Lauing thought that the Parks Department had postponed the Rinconada
project by a year. Councilmember Lauing agreed with Councilmember Lu on continuing to use
the Council's iPads at the dais for a while longer. Councilmember Lauing hoped that the staff
would remain flexible regarding potential trade-offs.
MOTION: Councilmember Lu moved, seconded by Councilmember Burt, to recommend the City
Council tentatively approve the Capital Improvement Program (continued), Enterprise Fund
Projects, and Service Fund Projects proposed budgets.
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MOTION PASSED: 3-0
The Finance Committee took a break.
6. Closing Review
Lauren Lai, the Administrative Services Director and Chief Financial Officer, provided a recap
and displayed the parking lot and referral items. Director Lai presented KPIs on delays, cost
increases, and deferred spending by program areas within the Capital Improvement Plan, along
with the FY26 budget amount, the amount re-appropriated to FY27, and the percentage re-
appropriated. Within the major program areas of buildings and facilities, department
technology upgrades and improvements, parks and open spaces, streets and sidewalks, traffic
and transportation, and administration, there was a total of $165M capital improvement
projects in the FY26 budget, of which $50M was re-appropriated to FY27. Construction projects
spanning multiple years, along with other factors, contributed to the need for re-appropriation,
and those funds will be spent in future years. Director Lai displayed a slide showing project
deferrals from FY26 through FY31 by program area, including the projects and the reasons for
deferrals. The top-line reason for those deferrals was the need to accommodate a reduction in
the General Fund transfer. Director Lai shared a chart showing cost increases by program area
and project, along with the reasons for each increase. There was a proposed increase of $52M
from FY27 through FY31, with an anticipated revenue offset of $43M, resulting in a net cost
increase of $9.2M.
Councilmember Lauing requested that staff incorporate the slides into the Council packet.
Kristen O'Kane, the Director of Community Services, discussed the JMZ parking lot item.
Initially, staff proposed an expenditure of approximately $100,000 for 2 hourly employees and
to cover the costs of materials and supplies needed to advance conservation programs at the
zoo to meet AZA accreditation requirements. The new proposal reduced this amount by
leveraging existing conservation programs and keeping 1 hourly position for $36,000, resulting
in net savings of $64,000. The Committee reached consensus to adjust the FY27 General Fund
budget by $64,000, sourced from the JMZ parking lot item. Councilmember Lu suggested
considering consolidating the hourly JMZ position with the role of an existing program staff
member or assistant for the following year.
Director Lai asked the Committee what they wanted staff to do regarding school crossing
guards, TrackWatch, and the IDS system. The cost for TrackWatch was $307,000. Director Lai
asked if the Committee was satisfied with the presented KPIs or if further work was necessary.
Councilmember Burt believed there was a tentative consensus on TrackWatch to fund the City's
share from March through June 2027.
Councilmember Lu recommended including the KPI percentages in future budgets. Comparing
KPIs to the previous year will help assess whether capital projects were executed more
effectively and whether funds were spent in ways that avoided cost overruns or inefficient
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spending. Councilmember Lu expressed interest in seeing the numbers for parks projects on the
summary slides. If we have to defer capital projects due to a reduced general fund transfer,
Councilmember Lu suggested deferring projects that we know will be deferred, rather than
those that could provide more immediate value to the community. Councilmember Lu
recommended prioritizing more ready projects, such as the Bol Park bike path repaving, rather
than projects like the downtown parking lot, which will go out for bid at the end of the year,
given that we will likely defer several million dollars from the $13M allocated. Issuing the RFP in
July instead of June would allow for full deferral of the project. Councilmember Lu questioned
whether the staff was aware of any other projects that were highly likely to be deferred.
Councilmember Burt asked if staff could print the information for the Committee and include
the CIP KPIs as an attachment to the budget book.
Councilmember Lauing wanted the presented KPIs to serve as a model for what staff could
provide in future budgets.
City Manager Ed Shikada explained that although the majority of the downtown parking lot
expenditure will occur the following year, the entire construction appropriation must be
allocated up front. If the Committee was interested in deferral of capital projects in favor of
obtaining one-time funds, instead of identifying specific projects for deferral, City Manager
Shikada suggested that the Committee provide staff with a targeted dollar amount, and staff
would assess their ability to meet that target and return with recommendations on the projects
that would be involved.
Budget Manager Robert Valentukonis noted that each project page included a Significant
Changes section.
The Committee agreed to make a budget adjustment to the FY27 General Fund of 50 percent of
the cost of the crossing guards and TrackWatch. Staff will make an annotation stating the City’s
half was contingent on a matching amount from PAUSD.
Kenneth Dueker, the Director of the Office of Emergency Services, will address Councilmember
Burt’s questions about the IDS system on Monday at 2:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Councilmember
Burt tentatively agreed to the proposed IDS budget cut.
Councilmember Lauing understood there were currently about $75,000 dollars in the budget
for Roth Building maintenance.
Director Lai clarified that the Heritage Park CIP had been appropriated and that approximately
$75,000 in unspecified funds was available. Staff was working closely with the museum to
address any necessary work on the Roth Building. Staff will revise the text to prioritize funding
drainage improvements in the Roth Building, and the staff memo to the Council will include this
information for Monday's meeting.
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In reference to the referral for information on the marginal benefit of restoring Office of
Transportation (OOT) staffing to work on critical City priorities, Director Lai indicated that the
OOT needed time to assess potential staffing changes. Vacancies in essential engineering
positions would impact work and project allocation. City Manager Shikada noted that the OOT
would respond to the Finance Committee on May 19.
Councilmember Burt questioned why the FY27 budget would not include lateral hiring bonuses
for the Police Department. Councilmember Burt inquired about the referral for staff to improve
the accuracy of the Police Department's overtime budgeting. The audit goes to P&S; however,
since it was a financial matter, staff may need clarification from the City Attorney on whether
this and similar matters should be routed sequentially to the P&S and Finance Committees or
whether P&S should address the policy aspects while Finance examines the financial
implications.
City Manager Shikada noted that the referral in the motion was for staff to consider bonuses
for lateral hires in the Police Department as part of the FY28 budget process; therefore, the
FY27 budget would not include those bonuses. The Police Department needed to work with HR
to determine the amount of the hiring bonus. City Manager Shikada said the P&S Committee
will fully vet this as a part of the auditor’s report on Public Safety overtime, which he believed
would be discussed next week.
Councilmembers Burt and Lauing recommended that the referral state for staff to consider
lateral hiring bonuses in the Police Department for FY27.
The City Attorney advised caution when separating the discussion to avoid a serial meeting, as a
quorum of the full Council could be considering the item at different stages outside a properly
noticed meeting. The item could be moved from the P&S Committee to the consent agenda at a
Council meeting and then referred to the Finance Committee. Bringing the item before the full
Council cured a potential Brown Act violation.
The majority of the Council voted to approve funding a part-time administrative assistant for
the Council as a pilot; however, Director Lai realized she had overlooked making the
recommendation. Staff recommended allocating $30,000 from the Council's 2026 contingency
fund to cover expenses for 6 months, through December, resulting in a roll forward of $30,000
from the 2026 contingency to 2027. The total was $155,000, which included the $30,000
moved from 2026 to 2027 in addition to the $125,000.
Councilmember Burt recalled that in 2020 or 2021, the Council contingency could not roll
forward, though he was unsure.
Budget Manager Valentukonis will adjust the 2027 budget for a part-time administrative
assistant for the Council as a pilot.
Assistant City Manager Kiely Nose presented 4 nonprofit funding levels for consideration. The
proposed FY27 budget included direct allocations to Environmental Volunteers, Neighbors
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Abroad, and YCS. Assistant City Manager Kiely Nose stated that the Council previously
expressed its intention for direct allocation of funds to Magical Bridge, Music on the Avenue at
Cal Avenue, and UNAFF. The FY27 budget included $78,000 for direct allocations, plus $111,000
to fund additional direct allocations; however, no funding will be available for the Phase 1 grant
process for nonprofit work plans.
Councilmember Lauing inquired whether the proposed figures were derived from discussions
with organizations to determine their needs, or whether they were repeating last year’s
amounts without any indication of whether the organizations would have requested a different
amount. Councilmember Lauing noted that Magical Bridge received $150,000 the past 2 years.
Councilmember Lu questioned whether there had been a Council vote or any formal direction
regarding additional direct allocations to Magical Bridge, Music on the Avenue at Cal Avenue,
and UNAFF. Councilmember Lu opined that the nonprofit work plan required significant effort
and had issues, leading him to question whether continuing that process was the best use of
time. Councilmember Lu noted it seemed arbitrary to give YCS $50,000 while other groups
received amounts based on historical funding. Councilmember Lu referenced UNAFF's previous
request for $45,000 for additional year-round programming, which highlighted to him the need
for insight into the outcomes of that programming, such as event attendance and the total
number of events held. Councilmember Lu preferred a modified Option A that would maintain
the FY27 budget for direct allocations, $111,000 for partial funding of additional direct
allocations, and $150,000 or $200,000 for the nonprofit work plan to be handled by the P&S
Committee. Councilmember Lu believed his suggestion might streamline the process without
taking as much time from those organizations. Councilmember Lu concluded that distributing
$50,000 or $100,000 for the nonprofit work plan would not be worth the time invested;
therefore, he recommended allocating $150,000 or $200,000 instead.
Assistant City Manager Nose stated that during the Council's study session on April 6, 2026, the
Council identified the second group of agencies for the Finance Committee to consider
additional direct allocations during the budget process; however, no formal votes were
conducted during the study session.
Councilmember Burt highlighted issues from last year's process. The Finance Committee had
primarily allocated funding to ongoing community partners. However, Policy & Services and
staff opened the funding opportunity to all nonprofits, including those that were eligible for
funding under HSRAP. The original intent was to support nonprofits that were valued, ongoing
community partners, providing services that otherwise City staff might deliver at a higher cost
and perhaps less effectively, or services that fall outside the HSRAP scope. Cal Avenue special
events contributed to economic development and community building. Organizations such as
DreamCatchers and PTAC were school-related recipients. The Policy & Services Committee may
not have been aware that DreamCatchers previously received PAUSD funding but faced
reductions from the superintendent, prompting them to seek assistance from the City.
Councilmember Burt recommended considering ongoing community partners rather than all 70
organizations. At the City's request, Environmental Volunteers provided a service because the
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City lacked the capacity to do so, raising the question of whether this was a necessary ongoing
expense. Councilmember Burt thought that some organizations should apply under HSRAP and
that it might be necessary to reevaluate the HSRAP qualification criteria.
Councilmember Burt expressed a preference for staff's Option C or possibly Option D.
Councilmember Burt suggested Option C, potentially minus the $10,000 for Environmental
Volunteers if that service is no longer needed, bringing the total to approximately $113,000.
This fiscal year, nearly half of the Council contingency funds have been allocated.
Councilmember Burt was apprehensive about using Council contingency funds, as staff might
argue that next year's budget did not include those organizations. Councilmember Burt cited a
past issue in which staff indicated that funding would no longer be available for an organization
that did not have an ongoing contract, when Councilmember Burt believed that, instead, the
City should have offered the organization a contract extension once the 3-year contract had
terminated. Instead of rolling over funds, Councilmember Burt suggested that the Council could
distribute those funds as a grant in this fiscal year, ensuring that some funds remained
unallocated to address potential needs before the end of FY26.
City Manager Shikada stated that if Environmental Volunteers had a different proposal, they
could submit it during the Phase 1 grant process. City Manager Shikada reiterated that the FY27
budget included direct allocations of $78,000, along with an additional $111,000 for the partial
funding of additional direct allocations. Environmental Volunteers was an ongoing allocation,
meaning the budget forecast would include it each year.
Councilmember Lauing noted that without a clear process, new organizations were unable to
receive City funding. Although Councilmember Lauing did not like the staff's recommendation
to skip a year of funding, he accepted that this was not the right time. As a result, unless the
City implements a tiered system for prioritization of funding allocations, such as Tier 1 for
contractual partners, we will automatically fund last year's requests during a very tight budget
year, without knowing whether the funding amounts were appropriate. For example, we may
decide that 2 partners have to take a 5 percent cut this year to save us $100,000.
Councilmember Lauing advised that it was important to eventually review the list of
organizations to ensure the City used taxpayer money fairly.
Councilmember Burt did not think that the Committee needed to review the organizations
receiving HSRAP or the ongoing community partners that were part of the normal budget
process. Instead of reviewing all 70 organizations, Councilmember Burt recommended
considering the funding allocated last year under Phase 1 to determine whether to continue
any, some, or all of those programs and potentially add dollars to HSRAP.
Councilmember Lu reviewed the April minutes and noted there appeared to be consensus to
set aside a dollar amount for Phase 1 grants. Councilmember Lu was not part of that consensus,
and it was unclear where it came from, since no votes were taken. Councilmember Lu felt it
would not be productive for the rest of the Council if the Committee decided there would be no
Phase 1 grant following the conversation during the study session. Therefore, Councilmember
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Lu suggested that the Committee determine a grant amount for Phase 1; however, he
questioned the timing, as last year the Phase 1 process was completed before the budget
discussions. Councilmember Lu was concerned about making funding decisions without
knowing what each organization needs.
Councilmember Burt pointed out that the organizations marked with asterisks had submitted
program descriptions and applications that served as the basis for last year's allocation; they
participated in the Phase 1 program, during which they clearly outlined their objectives.
Councilmember Burt strongly advocated that all additional funding beyond the amounts for
asterisks 1 and 2 be allocated to the HRC.
City Manager Shikada anticipated the grants to occur after the budget process, around August
or September. In addition to the existing $317,000 allocation, City Manager Shikada inquired
whether the Committee wanted to specify an amount for the Phase 1 grant process, which
would enable the staff to advance it for discussion on Monday. Alternatively, Finance could set
the dollar amount and decide whether to handle it through the City Council or add it to HSRAP.
Councilmember Lauing proposed a third option of having the Finance Committee make
allocations.
Councilmember Lu thought the HRC could reasonably evaluate more arts-oriented programs,
such as UNAFF and California Ave Music, rather than making judgment calls similar to those of
the City Council. Councilmember Lu emphasized the need for a more consistent process.
Councilmember Lu proposed categorizing organizations into 2 groups: human services and non-
human services. For instance, organizations like YCS and Magical Bridge fall under human
services, while Cal Ave Music and UNAFF fall under non-human services. Essential partners such
as LifeMoves, Alta Housing, and other groups receive HSRAP funding in a very dependable
manner. Councilmember Lu advocated for consistent multiyear funding for Project Safety Net.
Councilmember Lu expressed uncertainty about how many people still watch government
meetings on cable TV and questioned whether the City had funded the Midpen Media Center
for too long.
MOTION: Councilmember Lauing moved, seconded by Councilmember Burt, to recommend the
City Council tentatively approve:
1. Option C for the appropriation modified the budget column: Add $124,000 funding for
additional direct allocations to Magical Bridge, Cal Ave Music and Special Events, and
UNAFF;
2. Parking lot item for the Council to approve Finance Committee recommendation that
any additional grant funding that may be authorized by the Council be processed
through HSRAP.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
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Councilmember Burt asked whether the direction was to resolve the deficit by reducing the
contribution to the CIP.
Councilmember Lauing recalled staff mentioning earlier that some CIPs could use Measure K
funds.
City Manager Shikada thought that a reduced contribution to the CIP was the primary way to
address the deficit.
Director Lai agreed that reducing the contribution to the CIP was a probable solution. The
favorable technical adjustments will net against this balance. Director Lai added a row in the
parking lot, indicating that part of the balancing strategy will prioritize reducing the CIP.
MOTION: Councilmember Lu moved, seconded by Councilmember Lauing, to recommend the
City Council approve recommendations outlined below.
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MOTION PASSED: 3-0
Item 6 Public Comment: There were no requests to speak.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m.