From: Megan Murphy
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Item 3-C: Mid-Cycle Budget Update Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 12:54:59 PM
RE: Item 3-C: Mid-Cycle Budget Update
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Members of the Council, and Staff, I am a homeowner and parent of young children in Alameda. My family cycles to school daily on Alameda streets. I fear for their safety.
I am asking you to support the additional $250K for safe streets / Vision Zero projects in Table 6 of this Item.
Beyond daylighting, high-visibility crosswalks, public engagement and response, which specific concerns will this address?
How will we get the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure projects back on track?
Will we get the conversion of Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways project completed closer to the original timeline (as opposed to 2027, per the Strategic Plan Progress Report)?
Will we put our 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network back on track for completion by 2030? If not, what does the Staff need?
I ask that you clarify what it would take, including funding sufficient human resources if necessary, to get these and other impactful projects in our Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan delivered as originally planned. Without this step, our targets around street safety and reducing VMT (vehicle miles traveled) will very likely be missed.
This is the follow-through I expect from our leadership given our City’s Climate Emergency and Vision Zero commitments. I hope you will take this workshop and the mid-cycle budget adoption next month as opportunities to put those urgent words into action.
Sincerely,
Megan Murphy
Alameda resident and parent of AUSD students
From: Dorothy Freeman
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen Cc: Manager Manager; Lara Weisiger
Subject: [EXTERNAL] May 21 Alameda City Council Agenda Item 3C Date: Monday, May 20, 2024 1:46:07 PM
May 21 Alameda City Council Agenda Item 3C
Budget Workshop for Fiscal Year 2024-25 Proposed Mid-Cycle - Budget Update Exhibit 1
V18 Updated 5/6/2024
FY 2024-25 MID-CYCLE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS
FUND 100 - GENERAL FUND
ADDITIONAL PROPOSED CAPITIAL TRANSFERS- USE OF FUND BALANCE Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, and Council Members Vella, Spencer, and Jensen, Regarding the budget capitol item Increase Professional Services - Sweeney Park Railroad Repair for $190,000.00. The fire at the historical Sweeney Park Railroad building that was caused by homeless individuals was a very sad occurrence. Fortunately, the quick action of the Alameda Fire Department saved the building from complete destruction and left it in a repairable state.
For many years, this building was in very bad shape with graffiti all around. Fortunately, in April 2013 a community minded group at the Latter Day Saints Church (Morman) took this eyesore on as a special project to help improve this very important artifact left from the Belt Line Railroad. Since this first renovation, the public has respected the building and very little graffiti has reoccurred. The fire this year has returned the historical building to an eyesore in a fast-developing neighborhood.
The funding provided in the budget will repair the historical building for preservation until a future date when funding can be provided to make the building an active part of the park.
More important, the funding will repair the building so it is no longer an eye sore in this very active developing section of Alameda and the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park.
The Jean Sweeney Open Space Park Fund Board of Directors encourage approval of the funding necessary to repair this historical building and preserve it for future use and as a memorial of the Belt Line Rail Road land that has become this very admired park.
Respectfully,
Dorothy Freeman
Co-Chairman:
For the Board of Jean Sweeney Open Space Park Fund
cc: City Manager
City Clerk
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: Midyear budget
Date: Monday, May 20, 2024 11:59:41 AM
From: Catherine .E <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 20, 2024 11:03:00 AM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Midyear budget
Dear Ms Spencer,
City Council should use its mid cycle budget to assess the causes of the delays in implementing traffic safety improvements planned for residential side streets. Residents are not getting the programs and projects promised.
AND City Council should provide more staffing resources and budget funding to get the city’s overall transportation plans back on track.
Thank you!!
Sincerely,
Catherine Egelhoff.
From: Cyndy Johnsen
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk; [email protected]; Jennifer Ott Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 3-C: Mid-Cycle Budget Update
Date: Friday, May 17, 2024 7:35:34 AM
Attachments: 5_21_2024 CC 3C Comments_ Budget .pdf
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and Members of the City Council, Please see our comments regarding Item 3-C (the Budget workshop), attached.
Thank you in advance for your consideration,
Bike Walk Alameda
Board of Directors
Denyse Trepanier
President
Brian Fowler
Treasurer
Tim Beloney
Secretary
Cyndy Johnsen
Board Member
Maria Piper
Board Member
Lucy Gigli
Founder, non-voting
May 17, 2024
RE: Item 3-C: Mid-Cycle Budget Update
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Members of the Council, and Staff, We’ve been eagerly looking forward to this discussion and have a few thoughts we hope you will consider. First, we urge you to support the additional $250K for safe streets / Vision Zero projects in Table 6 of this Item.
Second, we urge you to get clarity around the direction you provided Staff in earlier Council meetings, which was to return during budget discussions with options to address the many transportation project delays we’ve been experiencing. It’s unclear to us whether this funding is that option, or if that step was missed.
In the event this funding is that option, we suggest you have Staff include more details about it. Beyond daylighting, high-visibility crosswalks, public engagement and response, which specific concerns will it address? For example, will it get the Safe Routes to School Infrastructure projects back on track? Will it get the conversion of Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways project completed closer to the original timeline (as opposed to 2027, per the Strategic Plan Progress Report)? Will it put our 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network back on track for completion by 2030? If not, what does Staff need?
We noted that there wasn’t a recommendation for additional transportation workforce, or even an option to consider it. Is that because Staff believes the delays will be remedied by the additional funding alone? If not, what does Staff need? We ask that you clarify what it would take, including funding sufficient human resources if necessary, to get these and other impactful projects in our Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan delivered as originally planned .
Without this step, our targets around street safety and reducing VMT (vehicle miles traveled) will very likely be missed.
This is the follow-through we expect from our leadership given our City’s Climate Emergency and Vision Zero commitments. We hope you will take this workshop and the mid-cycle budget adoption next month as opportunities to put those urgent words into action.
Sincerely,
Bike Walk Alameda Board