Cities Index.
Minutes

Menlo Park City Council
March 21, 2026

Document
Minutes
Meeting
March 21, 2026
Body
Menlo Park City Council
Pages
70
Original file
8.2 MB
Text extracted from the city's file for reading and search. Open the original on www.menlopark.gov. That file is the official record.

City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.gov City Council

SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
Date: 3/21/2026
Time: 10:00 a.m.

Locations: Teleconference and
City Council Chambers
751 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025
Special Session
A. Call To Order
Mayor Nash called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m.

B. Roll Call

Present: Combs, Nash, Schmidt, Taylor, Wise

Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Justin Murphy, Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte, City Attorney Nira Doherty, Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk Judi A. Herren C. Regular Business
C1. Annual City Council priority setting workshop (Staff Report #26-038-CC) City Manager Justin Murphy introduced the item.

Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte and Assistant Administrative Services Director Fenny Lei made a presentation (Attachment).

City Council received clarification on tax ballot measures.

Sustainability Manager Rachael Londer continued the staff presentation (Attachment).

City Council discussed including all community-based organizations (CBOs) when scoping programs, the potential Neighborhood Services Manager position and food access. • Adrian Silva spoke in support of prioritizing infrastructure projects that benefit children. • Juan Pinzon spoke in support of prioritizing safe route implementation on Middlefield Road. • Pam Jones spoke on the Environmental Justice (EJ) Element anti-displacement item and the home electrification program.
• Meredith Rohr spoke on CBOs using local approaches to focus on legacy residents. • Savita Kini spoke in support of completing projects.
• Carol Orton spoke in support of prioritizing downtown vibrancy, housing and a focus on upgrading the main library.
• Shontelle Watkins spoke on the Belle Haven Farmers Market and in support of Belle Haven Action.
• Karen Grove spoke in support of existing priorities and including protections for vulnerable City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, CA 94025 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.gov communities.
• Shirley Chui spoke in support of prioritizing public safety. • Jesse Soto spoke in support of the home electrification program and prioritizing infrastructure maintenance, pollution reduction, landscaping and safe streets in Belle Haven neighborhood. • Jesus M. Soto spoke in support of the home electrification program, keeping Belle Haven pool public and replacing trees that cause allergies.
• Linda Itskonitz spoke in support of prioritizing public safety. • Jocelyn Anaya Galvan spoke in support of the existing priorities. • Sally Cole spoke in support of safe streets remaining as top priority. • Naomi Goodman spoke on mitigating impacts.
• Ross Silverstein spoke in support of safe routes, traffic mitigation, empowering staff and quick build projects.
• Ken Kershner spoke in support of prioritizing quick build bicycle and pedestrian project pilots. • Amy Mushlin spoke in support of prioritizing the quiet zone. • David Miller spoke in support of prioritizing public safety and assistance for the unhoused.

The City Council took a recess at 11:38 a.m.

The City Council reconvened at 12:08 p.m.

Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte continued the staff presentation (Attachment).

The City Council received clarification on core functions/services versus priorities and climate action deliverables.

The City Council discussed public safety, the number of priorities, adding quality of life and planning and future funding, removing climate action, emergency and disaster preparedness, housing and safe streets from priority and retaining as cores services, staff vacancy rates and recruiting and retaining police department staff.

The City Council directed staff to agendize a study session on public safety.

The City Council removed emergency and disaster preparedness as a priority.

The City Council established the top five priorities (alphabetical order):
• Climate action – mitigation, adaptation and resilience • Downtown vibrancy
• Housing
• Public Safety
• Safe routes
D. Adjournment
Mayor Nash adjourned the meeting at 1:42 p.m.

Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk Judi A. Herren These minutes were approved at the City Council meeting April 28, 2026.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 2 of 70 ends

City Council PrioritySetting Workshop
March 21, 2026
C1-PRESENTATION City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 3 of 70 ends

Welcome and agenda
 Welcome from Mayor Nash and city manager Murphy
 Agenda:
- Fiscal year 2025-26 overview
- Financial update
- Environmental Justice (EJ) Element update
- Community input summary
- Public comment
- Top priorities for fiscal year 2026-27
- Ideas for Menlo Park centennial
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 4 of 70 ends

Workshop ground rules
 Actively listen
 Stay present and engaged
 Assume good intentions in others
 Focus on the agenda to honor our time commitment
 Seek shared citywide priorities through consensus building City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 5 of 70 ends

Bike rack
 Not all items will be
discussed today due to our
focused agenda
 Bike rack items will be
recorded for discussion at a
later time
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 6 of 70 ends

Fiscal Year 2025-26
Overview
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 7 of 70 ends

City Council work plan overview
 City Council priorities work plan is developed with the fiscal year budget and updated routinely throughout the year
 Many projects are multi-year
 Fiscal year 2025-26 work plan includes 58 items
- 16% are complete
- 74% are in progress
- 22% are ongoing activities
 City Council received updates in July 2025, October 2025, March 2026
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 8 of 70 ends

Accomplishments mentioned by City Council
 Sustainability advancements: Electrification and solar at City facilities, local code amendments
 Zero emission landscape equipment ordinance implementation  Safe routes projects: Coleman Avenue bike pilot and Middle Avenue Complete Streets Project
 Advancement of multi-year projects (e.g. Chrysler Pump Station, BHCC microgrid, SAFER Bay design)
 Strong partnership with service providers and other agencies through the Encampment Resolution Fund grant program
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 9 of 70 ends

Accomplishments mentioned by City Council
 Overall community engagement – Public Works open house, hosting students, improvements in communications and website content, public meetings accessibility policy
 Emergency preparedness improvements
 Launch of Citizen RIMS public safety data
 Approval of Parkline development
 Advancement of housing programs (e.g. anti-displacement study session)
 Many successful community events
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 10 of 70 ends

Challenges mentioned by City Council
 Structural deficit and financial sustainability
 Staff capacity; recruitment and retention issues
 Infrastructure needs and level of community requests
 Housing Element commitments
 Higher efficiency
 Public safety
 Need to produce “shovel ready” projects for funding
 New approaches to obtain funding
 Communicating expectations for when projects/milestones will occur City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 11 of 70 ends

Staff vacancies
 Citywide vacancy rate is 12.9%
 Department vacancy rates:
- Administrative Service 6.8% (2 out of 29.48)
- City Manager’s Office 14.3% (2 out of 14)
- Community Development 19.1% (6.5 out of 34)
- Library & Comm Services 4% (2.75 out of 68.25)
- Police 19.2% (14 out of 73)
- Public Works 15.2% (11 out of 72.27)
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 12 of 70 ends

Employee engagement survey
 Launched survey in February
 57% response rate; 216 of 380 employees (benefited and hourly) participated
 Employees strongly agree their work makes a difference  Employees feel people on their team care about them as a person
 Opportunities to improve engagement:
- Prioritize employee well-being and a positive culture - Improve how organizational change is managed
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 13 of 70 ends

Fenny Lei, Assistant Administrative Services Director
Financial Update
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 14 of 70 ends

Topics
 Economy and key financial challenges
 Preliminary General Fund five-year forecast
 Budget balancing strategies and impacts to forecast
 Next steps
13 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 15 of 70 ends

14 Economy and Key
Financial Challenges
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 16 of 70 ends

Economy
15 3.50%

5.50%

4.40%

0.00% 1.00% 2.00% 3.00% 4.00% 5.00% 6.00%
San Mateo County
California
United States
Regional Unemployment

0.8%

3.6%

3.3%

1.9%
-0.6%

3.8%

4.4%

1.4%
Q1 '24 Q2 '24 Q3 '24 Q4' 24 Q1 '25 Q2 '25 Q3 '25 Q4 '25 Annualized % Change
National Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
 Unfolding conflict in the Middle East
leading to higher energy prices and
potential inflation
 Real GDP growth slowed sharply
 Declining Consumer Confidence Index and
Expectation Index
 Comparatively weaker labor market in the
state (December 2025) with higher than
national unemployment rate (February
2026)
 Potential state and federal funding
reductions
 Recession risk
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 17 of 70 ends

16 Vehicle License Fee
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 18 of 70 ends

Vehicle License Fee (VLF) – Overview
17 2% VLF
$400
Assume $20,000

0.65% VLF
$130
Property tax
in-lieu of
VLF
$270
Educational
Revenue
Augmentation
Fund
(ERAF)
Pre-1999 Post-2004
State
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 19 of 70 ends

ERAF – Overview
18 Educational
Revenue
Augmentation
Fund
(ERAF)
Property
Owners
County
property
tax pool
Schools Local
governments
ERAF State
State
ERAF
Local
government
property
taxes
More non-basic
aid schools
More basic aid
schools
Local
government
property
taxes
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 20 of 70 ends

Vehicle License Fee – Shortfall
19 2% VLF
$400
Assume $20,000 value and 59% VLF shortfall

0.65% VLF
$130
VLF shortfall
$236 State backfilled only
2/3 of the shortfall,
$158
Amount owed to the City
but not guaranteed, $78
VLF Swap ERAF
$34
Pre-1999
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 21 of 70 ends

Vehicle License Fee – Shortfall
20  $3.8 million VLF revenue shortfall across fiscal year 2023-24 and 2024-25
 No VLF backfill proposed for FY 2024–25 in the Governor’s FY 2026–27 budget, despite $2 million assumed in our fiscal year 2026-27 budget
 City needs to revise its VLF assumption to assume no backfill in fiscal year 2026-27 budget cycle
 Budget reductions required to address the shortfall
 Recommend pausing the community funding program
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 22 of 70 ends

21 Other Financial Challenges
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 23 of 70 ends

Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) –
Appropriation alignment
22  Several CIP funds, including the General CIP, Measure A and Transportation Impact Fee funds, have appropriations exceeding available fund balances, resulting in projected negative balances  Staff is reviewing projects to better align planned expenditures with available funding
 Further details will be provided at the CIP study session in May City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 24 of 70 ends

Funding for vehicles and equipment
 Vehicle Replacement Internal Service Fund (ISF) contributions paused as part of budget strategy for the current fiscal year  Vehicle ISF contributions were based on short-term
replacement estimates rather than a full lifecycle replacement schedule
 Recent vehicle purchases will deplete fund balance
 Need for a right-sized fleet replacement plan with a sustainable funding strategy to rebuild reserves and follow a multi-year replacement schedule
23 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 25 of 70 ends

24 Preliminary General Fund
Five Year Forecast
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 26 of 70 ends

Fiscal Year 2026-27 – Revenue and expenditure
25 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 27 of 70 ends

Revenue forecast assumptions
 Property tax and sales tax projections based on consultant reports  Fee-related revenue and enterprise overhead based on the current fee schedule, subject to change with the new cost of service study  $1M annual transfer from Developer Special Revenue Fund (Fund 111) through FY 2030-31, with reevaluation planned in FY 2029-30  VLF shortfall projected based on prior-year County estimates and assumed 2/3 state backfill
 Successor agency debt is paid off by Dec. 31, 2029
26 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 28 of 70 ends

Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
 RDAs used tax increment financing; property owners always paid the same 1% under Proposition 13
 RDAs dissolved in 2012; successor agencies only retire existing obligations
 Tax increment flows through Redevelopment Property Tax Trust Fund (RPTTF) to pay debts; remaining funds distributed to local agencies
 Menlo Park currently receives ~$2.7M annually in passthrough; normal apportionment resumes after 2029 obligations paid  Estimated additional revenue to City after successor agency payoff:
~$900K/year
27 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 29 of 70 ends

Redevelopment Agency (RDA)
28 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 30 of 70 ends

Expenditure forecast assumptions
 Vacancy factor at 10% in fiscal year 2026-27, decreasing 2% annually until holding steady at 6%
 Personnel costs increase 3% annually
New assumptions:
 Eliminated the operating factor to align with best practices and improve budget transparency, addressing issues identified at mid-year
 $1.7 million contribution towards Vehicle ISF
 General Fund contribution to General CIP remains flat year over year
29 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 31 of 70 ends

Structural deficit (no additional budget strategies)
30 Average $8 million
annual structural deficit
80 85
90 95
100
105
110
FY26-27 Proposed FY27-28 Forecast FY28-29 Forecast FY29-30 Forecast FY30-31 Forecast Millions
Base Scenario
Total Revenues Total Expenditure
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 32 of 70 ends

Fund balance forecast
31 24
15 6
3 3
-
5 10
15 20
25 30
FY26-27 Proposed FY27-28 Forecast FY28-29 Forecast FY29-30 Forecast FY30-31 Forecast Millions
General Fund Reserve Depletion
Spendable fund balance is 0
Below minimum
reserve recommended
by GFOA, Emergency
contingency depleted
Unassigned
depleted
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 33 of 70 ends

General Fund Reserve Policy
32 Reserve
Category
Reserve Policy
%
Required
Reserve Level
as of 6/30/2025
Available
Reserve as of
6/30/2025
Over/(Short)
Emergency
contingency
reserve
15-20% of
General Fund
operating
budget

12.6 10.4 (2.2)
Economic
stabilization
reserve
20-25%
General Fund
operating
budget

16.8 13.9 (2.9)
Strategic pension
reserve
25% of surplus 0.7
 Menlo Park currently holds a AAA credit rating from Moody’s and Fitch City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 34 of 70 ends

33 Budget Balancing
Strategies
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 35 of 70 ends

Recommendations
 Update fees and overhead allocation per cost of services study and align with cost recovery policy
 Implement efforts for improved business license compliance  Reduce department operating budgets to better align with available funding
 Targeted position hiring
 Explore future revenue-generating measures
34 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 36 of 70 ends

Cost of Services Study
 No CPI adjustments for fees in last seven years, resulting in a growing gap between service costs and revenue
 Study session on March 24
 Master fee schedule public notice to be published on April 10  Public hearing on April 28
35 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 37 of 70 ends

Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2026-27
36 Surplus/(Deficit)
Fiscal year 2026-27 projection (6,975,652)
Update Master Fee Schedule based on new cost
of services study
3,500,000
Reduce department budgets 1,500,000
Reduce General Fund transfer to capital projects 1,000,000 Incorporate cost allocation plan overhead charges
into the Water Operation Fund
350,000
Improve business license compliance 140,000
New Deficit (485,652)
 These recommendations help reduce the projected General Fund deficit  All amounts are estimated based on current assumptions City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 38 of 70 ends

Structural deficit (with recommendations)
37 80
85 90
95 100
105
FY26-27 Proposed FY27-28 Forecast FY28-29 Forecast FY29-30 Forecast FY30-31 Forecast Millions
Updated with Recommendations
Total Revenues Total Expenditure
Average $1.8 million
annual structural deficit
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 39 of 70 ends

Business License Tax
 Business License Tax structure unchanged since 1978
 Cities in San Mateo other nearby cities have recently passed Business License Tax measures successfully
38 City Measure passed Projected revenue
Foster City Measure V, 2024 ~$2M
Redwood City Measure BB, 2024 ~$3M
South San Francisco Measure W, 2024 ~$2M
Union City Measure QQ, 2024 ~$2M
Santa Clara Measure H, 2022 ~$6M
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 40 of 70 ends

Structural Deficit (with Business License Tax)
39 80
85 90
95 100
105
110
FY26-27 Proposed FY27-28 Forecast FY28-29 Forecast FY29-30 Forecast FY30-31 Forecast Millions
Recommendations and Business License Tax
Total Revenues Total Expenditure
~$1.5 million structural deficit
until new business license tax
measure adopted in 2028
$1.7 million surplus beginning
FY2030-31
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 41 of 70 ends

Other revenue generating measures
 Half cent sales tax measure
 Utility user tax (reauthorization)
 Special parcel tax
 Debt issuance for infrastructure projects
40 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 42 of 70 ends

41 Next Steps
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 43 of 70 ends

Next steps
 Budget principles April 14
 Public budget workshop May 28
 Public hearing June 9
 Budget adoption June 23
42 City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 44 of 70 ends

Rachael Londer, Sustainability Manager
Environmental Justice (EJ)
Element
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 45 of 70 ends

EJ Element – Agenda
 Background
 Community-identified priorities
 Fiscal year 2025-26 highlights
 Implementation plans for fiscal
year 2026-27
 Program EJ7.L: The City Council
shall consider the communityidentified environmental justice priorities during its annual priority
and goal setting workshop.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 46 of 70 ends

Background
 Sept. 2024: Adopted first General Plan
EJ Element focused on the Belle Haven
and Bayfront neighborhoods
 The EJ Element:
- Identified underserved communities
- Undertook extensive outreach
- Developed a policy and reporting framework
to address EJ needs (Action Guide)
- Seeks to address/improve social
determinants of health
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 47 of 70 ends

Community-identified priorities
Priority #1:

Provide safe, sanitary, and stable
homes
Priority #2:

Promote access to high quality and
affordable food
Priority #3:

Reduce pollution exposure and
improve air quality Community members enjoying a meal at the Black Liberation Month Celebration, Feb. 7
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 48 of 70 ends

Implementation approach
 Collaborate across City
departments with support from
community-based organizations
 Provide annual progress report –
Planning Commission and City
Council
 Scope funding opportunities for
priority programs and actions
City staff, May 2025
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 49 of 70 ends

Webpage: menlopark.gov/EJElement
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 50 of 70 ends

Fiscal year 2025
-26 highlights
 Continuing development of the
Anti-Displacement Strategy
 Hosting outreach events with
housing resources
 Collaborating with nonprofits
and supporting veterans
 Planting trees and contracting with non-profit tree planting partner
Students at
Beechwood
Elementary
School plant
trees alongside
the Mayor in
honor of Arbor
Day, April 26
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 51 of 70 ends

Fiscal year 2025-26 highlights
 Implementing the Climate Action
Plan with air quality education and
outreach
 Providing equitable access to
Belle Haven Community Campus
(BHCC) programs
 Meeting people where they are
with City Council and Commission
meetings at the BHCC
 Offering interpretation for City
Council meetings
Home Upgrade Services Program workshop
hosted in Spanish
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 52 of 70 ends

Looking forward:

Provide safe, sanitary, and stable homes
Housing
resource
fair, 2024
 Present an Anti-Displacement
Strategy
 Host a housing and neighborhood
resource fair May 16
 Construction expected to begin for
school district employee rental
housing project at 320 Sheridan Dr.
 Construction expected to begin on
low-income homeownership project
at 335 Pierce Rd.

Habitat for
Humanity
volunteer
day at 335
Pierce Rd.,
Oct. 2025
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 53 of 70 ends

Looking forward:

Promote access to high quality and affordable food
Nutrition education at Love Our Earth Festival,
2023
 Evaluate the Environmental
Quality Commission’s
recommendations
 Neighborhood services
manager position could
support outreach regarding
food assistance programs
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 54 of 70 ends

Looking forward:

Reduce pollution exposure & improve indoor air quality
 Implement the City’s Climate
Action Plan
 Collaborate with partners for
electrification
 Electrify the Belle Haven Child
Development Center
 Plant trees while continuing to
pursue an urban forest
management plan
Belle Haven Community Development
Fund team speaking at the Menlo Park
Senior Center lunch and learn, Jan. 2026
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 55 of 70 ends

Next steps
 Annual progress report
review
- March 23, Planning
Commission
- March 24, City Council
 Feedback on EJ priority 2:
promote access to high
quality and affordable food
Home electrification workshop hosted in partnership
with Climate Resilient Communities and Peninsula
Clean Energy, Jan. 30, 2026
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 56 of 70 ends

City Council Priority Setting Workshop
The City Council will return after a
brief 15 minute recess.

City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 57 of 70 ends

Community Input
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 58 of 70 ends

Community input summary
 361 responses to online feedback form
 157 (43%) support current priorities, 184 (51%) indicate current priorities do not still apply
 Additional support for top priorities:
- Downtown vibrancy: 87
- Emergency and disaster preparedness: 18
- Safe routes: 17
- Housing: 11
- Climate action – mitigation, adaptation, and resilience: 8  Additional topics mentioned by respondents
- Crime prevention (cameras/ALPRs, patrols, burglary prevention): 87 - Ceasing downtown affordable housing project: 66
- Revisiting high density housing sites: 54
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 59 of 70 ends

Topic No. of
respondents
1 Downtown vibrancy 244
2 Emergency and disaster preparedness 175
3 Safe routes 174
4 Housing 171
5 Climate action - mitigation, adaptation and resilience 165 6 Public safety 112
crime prevention (cameras/ALPRS, patrols, burglary prevention) 87 traffic enforcement (e-bike and vehicle) 14
ICE/CBP restrictions and community protections 11
terminate use of Flock cameras 10
7 cease downtown redevelopment/housing 66
8 revisit high-density housing sites 54
9 Dumbarton rail bus line (SamTrans) 30
10 pickleball (additional/permanent/maintenance/upgrades) 22 11 maintenance of trees, trails, parks, greenspace/fields, tennis/pickleball courts 19 12 transportation/traffic mitigations (flow, access, routes, public transit) 18 13 main library improvements and increased hours 15
14 infrastructure maintenance and repair 13
Community input analysis
Community input analysis
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 60 of 70 ends

Public Comment
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 61 of 70 ends

Priority Setting for Fiscal
Year 2026-27
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 62 of 70 ends

Overview of priority setting
 Select top four to five priorities
 Acknowledge City operations and delivery of basic services is the primary focus for majority of City staff
 Elevate top priorities in City communications to tell our story as a community
 Use top priorities to inform budget development and create a City Council priorities work plan
 Ensure ongoing transparency and reporting on progress City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 63 of 70 ends

Current fiscal year 2025-26 priorities
 Climate action – mitigation, adaptation, resilience
 Downtown vibrancy
 Emergency and disaster preparedness
 Housing
 Safe routes
Website: menlopark.gov/priorities
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 64 of 70 ends

Bike rack items from 2025
 City workforce – staffing, vacancies and retention
 Economic development support citywide
 Overall communications/engagement
 Parking enforcement throughout the city (downtown, overnight, etc.)
 Services to support youth and youth engagement
 Substandard lots requirements
 Traffic enforcement throughout the city
 Use of union labor in development projects
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 65 of 70 ends

City Council discussion:

Fiscal year 2026-27 priorities
 Do current priorities still apply?
 Should any priority be removed?
 Should a new priority be added?
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 66 of 70 ends

Menlo Park Centennial
Judi A. Herren, Assistant to the City Manager/ City Clerk City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 67 of 70 ends

Centennial 2027 planning
 Centennial activities integrated into existing City events - December 2026 – November 2027
- Seven events throughout the year
 Collaboration with community partners
- Menlo Park Historical Association
- Local businesses
- Community groups
 Centennial event in November 2027
 Additional details will be provided in August
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 68 of 70 ends

Next steps
 Final workshop report
 Fiscal year 2026-27 work plan
 Fiscal year 2026-27 budget development based on top
priorities and EJ Element
 Menlo Park priorities webpage
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 69 of 70 ends

Thank you!
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
March 21, 2026

Page 70 of 70 ends
← All documents from this meeting