Engagement

City Council meeting, 5-20-25

Tuesday, 5-20- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1018/files/agenda/866.

There are two closed session items- a performance evaluation for the
City Clerk, and a conference with labor negotiators for AFSCME Locals 1
and 512 and the Pinole Police Employees Assocation (PPEA)- agency
representatives City Manager, Kelcey Young, City Attorney, Eric Casher,
and Human Resources Director, Stacy Shell, Gregory Ramirez, IEDA. I
expect that to take at least an hour if not several- the mayor expects the council will return at 6:30 from closed session.

There are six proclamations, honoring Affordable Housing Month (page 6),
Emergency Medical Services Week (page 7), Asian American and Pacific
Islander Month (page 8), Jewish American Heritage Month (page 9), Mental
Health Awareness Month (page 10), and Local and Community History Month
(page 11) and three presentations (most of which are not in the agenda
packet, but can be found here
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1018/files/agenda/868 ,
marked as presentation in references)- an update on the city’s vacancy
rates (pages 32-39, presentation), a presentation on the Pinole library
(pages 13-19), and one on Contra Costa’s Coordinated Outreach Referral,
Engagement (C.O.R.E) program (for assisting the homeless) (pages 2-10,
presentation).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the May 6th city council meeting, a resolution
allowing the City Manager to enter into a memorandum of understanding
with Contra Costa County to develop Pinole’s segment of the Contra Costa
Resilient Shoreline Plan through a grant program (staff report pages
59-60, fiscal impact gain of $6775/month for duration of grant page 60,
resolution pages 61-2, draft memorandum of understanding pages 63-78),
and a resolution allowing an agreement with Contra Costa County for
Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement (CORE) Homeless Outreach
services for FY2025-6 (staff report pages 79-81, fiscal impact $48,965
from housing successor fund page 81, resolution pages 82-3, agreement
pages 84-97).

There will be three public hearings, with the first on Government Code
Section 3502.3 (Vacancies, Recruitment and Retention Efforts compliance
(staff report pages 98-100), the second adopting a resolution to adopt
the 2024 Contra Costa COunty Local Hazard Mitigation Plan with Pinole’s
Annex to it (staff report pages 101-4, resolution pages 105-6, annex
pages 107-213), and the third introducing an Ordinance Designating Fire
Hazard Severity Zone maps (staff report pages 214-5, ordinance pages
216-8, fire hazard severity zones map page 219).

There will be no old or new business.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272&gt;, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1
(253)215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893
3500 0272#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by
pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also
attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St

Pinole Budget Workshop 5-13-25

Tuesday, 5-13- City Council workshop, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1034/files/agenda/859.

There will be two items under new business- the FY 2025/26 Preliminary Proposed Operating and Capital Budget (staff report pages 4-22, budget pages 23-242, budget presentation pages 243-279). The overlapping elements are similar to the baseline budget presented at the Finance Subcommittee meeting, although PCTV’s deficit has increased from $73,551 at that meeting to $207,261 in the current document (see page 14 in this agenda compared to page 120 in the finance subcommittee agenda at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844). I would also highlight table 1 on page 7 of the agenda packet, which has a direct comparison between last year’s budget and this one, and staff responses to council requests for information on pages 16-21, which includes an overview of debt financing costs for street repairs, discussion of the council’s training budget, and the general reserve policy.

And the last new business item is the FY 25-26-FY29-30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). There is a staff report on pages 281-2, the summary and projects from pages 283-337, and a presentation on pages 338-353. The fiscal breakdown shows $11,965,894 as projected for FY 2025/6, with $0 coming from the general fund directly (although $350,000 will be coming from Measure S 2006 and $711,732 from Measure S 2014) (page 283). Some projects were removed from the prior CIP to focus on the highest priority projects.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272>, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253)215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893 3500 0272#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St, or for this meeting at 123 WATERFRONT STREET, NATIONAL HARBOR, MD 20745, SUITE 721.

General produce distribution, 5-12-25

Monday, 5-12- General Produce distribution, 9-10 AM, Pinole Senior
center, in person.
“The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County will be providing bags
of fresh produce every second Monday of the month. The drive-thru
distribution is from 9 AM to 10 AM (or as supplies last) at the Pinole
Senior Center parking lot, 2500 Charles Ave. You do not need to be a
member of the Pinole Senior Center or a senior to receive food.
Quantities are limited. First come first serve. One bag of produce per
household. This will be a contact-less event, please follow the
directions from staff and volunteers when you arrive. Parking or exiting
your vehicle will not be allowed. Please open your vehicle’s trunk when
you enter the parking lot. Food items will be placed in the trunk only
by staff/volunteers. Individuals do not need to apply for this service.”
(City of Pinole website)

City Council Meeting, 5-6-25

Tuesday, 5-6- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/993/files/agenda/853.

There is one closed session item- a real property negotiation on price
and terms for 2100 San Pablo Avenue with Art Pakpour (govt code
54956.8), city negotiators Kelcey Young and Eric Casher. I expect that
to take at least 30 minutes if not an hour- but when it will occur in
the meeting I do not know, as at the last council meeting the mayor
moved closed session to the end of the meeting.

There are six proclamations, honoring Municipal Clerk’s Week (page 6),
Economic Development Week (page 7), National Public Works Week (page 8),
Police Officer Week and Peace Officer’s Memorial Day (page 9), Public
Service Recognition Week (page 10), and P-Lo Day (page 11) and two
presentations- an update from Contra Costa Animal Services (pages
12-21), and an CalPERS pension review and cost management assessment
(pages 22-47, recommendations on page 46).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the April 15th city council meeting, a resolution
adopting the Appian Village final subdivision map (staff report pages
89-91, resolution pages 92-3, civil plan set pages 94-115, planning
commission initial resolution and conditions of approval pages 116-173),
approving an agreement for a citywide copier replacement and maintenance
agreement (staff report pages 174-6 showing fiscal impact of $86,700 for
the 5 year term of the agreement, notably less than the $45,131
allocated in the current year budget for this year alone, resolution
page 177, agreement pages 178-83), a resolution authorizing RecycleMore
to enter an agreement with Republic Services for post-collection
services (staff report pages 184-5, resolution pages 186-7),

confirming the city’s financial and investment policies (staff report
pages 188-91, resolution page 192-3, policies pages 194-234)- I
personally would argue that the city’s strategic asset allocation for
the pension investment funds investments in particular should shift away
from the current 36% in equities as policy (as shown on page 223), given
the substantial current and likely ongoing volatility in the equities
market as well as the shorter expected remaining lifespan of the fund.

And for the last consent calendar item, we have a resolution to approve
a list of projects funded by SB 1 funds (staff report pages 229-231,
fiscal impact of $478,095 from the grant already accounted for,
resolution pages 232-4).

There will be one public hearing on the Financial Year (FY) 2025/6
Master Fee Schedule- staff notes notes most fees (building, planning and
engineering) would increase by Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.7% while
recreation, police (except vehicle release, which increases by $40),
wastewater utility, business license and fire prevention fees remain
unchanged due to falling under different rulesets (staff report pages
235-7, resolution pages 239-40, fee schedule pages 241-295).

Finally, there will be two items under new business- the FY 2025/26
Preliminary Proposed Operating and Capital Budget (staff report pages
296-308, budget pages 309-528, budget presentation pages 529-578, with
recommendations on page 576). The overlapping elements are similar to
the baseline budget presented at the Finance Subcommittee meeting,
although PCTV’s deficit has increased from $73,551 at that meeting to
$207,261 in the current document (see page 306 in this agenda compared
to page 120 in the finance subcommittee agenda at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844).

And the last new business item is the FY 25-26-FY29-30 Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP). There is a staff report on pages 579-80, the
summary and projects from pages 581-642, and a presentation on pages
643-653. The fiscal breakdown shows $13,766,831 as projected for FY
2025/6, with $0 coming from the general fund directly (although $350,000
will be coming from Measure S 2006 and $1,392,669 from Measure S 2014)
(page 581).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272&gt;, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1
(253)215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893
3500 0272#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by
pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also
attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Planning Commission meeting, 4-28-25

Monday, 4-28- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1035/files/agenda/848 (note the new URL).

There will be 5 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, selection of the chairperson, vice-chairperson and ad-hoc committee members for the upcoming year, a Conditional Use Permit for the sale of alcohol and outdoor dining for Diosia Restaurant (2361 San Pablo Ave) (staff report pages 19-23, resolution pages 24-6, conditions of approval pages 27-31), a staff report on the redevelopment of Appian 80 Shopping center (the safeway shopping mall), and a report back on the Planning Commissioner’s Academy.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86505375301>, entering the webinar ID 865 0537 5301 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 865 0537 5301#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Finance Subcommittee meeting, 4-24-2025

Thursday, 4-24- Finance Subcommittee meeting, 3 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844 .

There are 4 agenda items for this meeting- 1 consent (approving the prior meeting of April 18th 2024’s minutes) and 3 business items- Financial Year (FY) 2025/6 Financial and Investment Policies, FY 2025/6 Draft Operating Baseline Budget, and FY 2025/6 Draft Five Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

The Fiscal and Investment Policies are on pages 19-53, with no major changes suggested by staff (staff report on pages 15-18, presentation on pages 54-71). I personally would argue that the city’s strategic asset allocation for the pension investment funds investments in particular should shift away from the current 36% in equities as policy (as shown on page 48), given the substantial current and likely ongoing volatility in the equities market as well as the shorter expected remaining lifespan of the fund.

The FY 2025/6 draft operating baseline budget (i.e, not including capital projects or one-time revenue/expenses) staff report is on pages 72-82, presentation on pages 83-124. Some quick highlights- proposed budget is structurally balanced for the general fund with a $1,452,218 surplus. However, Recreation has a deficit of $1,068,171, Pinole Community Television (PCTV) has a deficit of $73,551, and the Building and Planning Fund has a deficit of $711,091 (page 73). These funds do not *have* to be supported from the general fund, but historically have been. You can see more details on the funds breakdown for the Recreation department on page 118, Building and Planning on page 119, and PCTV on 120.

A point of concern is a 11% increase in CalPERS (pension) costs and 10% increase in other (healthcare) costs (page 110). There are also 2 charts worth noting- one covering general fund revenue sources on page 93, and one covering general fund expenditures on page 108.

Finally, the FY 2025/6 Draft Five Year CIP has a staff report on pages 125-6, the summary and projects from pages 127-179, and a presentation on pages 180-9. The fiscal breakdown shows $13,693,831 as projected for FY 2025/6, with $80,000 coming from the general fund directly (although $350,000 will be coming from Measure S 2006 and $1,392,669 from Measure S 2014) (page 127).

A few points worth highlighting- first, these projects will generally *not* show up in the baseline budget, as that is focused on ongoing costs and these are one-time expenditures. Second, there are new projects noted in the presentation (pages 182-6) and as individual items (FA-Facilities, PA-Parks, SS-Sanitary Sewer, SW- Stormwater, RO-Streets and Roads. page 127) FA2502 upgrade of city pools (renovation) (page 128), FA2501 EV charging infrastructure (page 129), PA2501 Improvements to City Parks (annual, renovation) (page 137), SS2501 Treatment Plant Boiler Replacement (replacement) (page 142) SW2501 Stormwater Upgrade and Trash Capture (page 153), RO2508 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan Update (page 156), RO2506 Traffic calming program (page 157), RO2505 Safe Routes to Schools (page 158), RO2504 Pavement marking and signage upgrades (renovation) (page 159), RO2503 City Streetlights Upgrade (renovation) (page 160), RO2502 Pinole Signals Upgrade (renovation) (page 161), and RO2501 Accessibility Improvements Project (actually upgrading curb cuts as opposed to planning for it in RO2508) (renovation) (page 162). That’s the projects marked with 2025.

There are also 39 projects carried over from prior years, each on their own page addressing things like Mural Preservation (PA2402, page 138) and Sidewalk Rehabilitation (RO2402, page 165).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253)215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893 3500 0272#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.