Adjourned City Council Meeting Minutes – May 4, 2026 Page 1 of 2
MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE MONTCLAIR
CITY COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 4, 2026, AT 5:48 P.M. IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 5111 BENITO STREET,
MONTCLAIR, CALIFORNIA
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Dutrey called the meeting to order at 5:48 p.m.
II. ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Dutrey; Mayor Pro Tem Martinez; Council Members Ruh and Mendez
City Manager/Executive Director Starr; Assistant City Manager/ Director of Human Services Richter; Director of Finance Kulbeck; Police Chief Reed; Fire Chief Dierck; Director of Information Technology Nguyen; City Attorney Robbins; City Clerk Myrick
Absent: Council Member Lopez (arrived at 5:52 p.m.)
III. COUNCIL WORKSHOP
A. Master User Fee Schedule Presentation
Eric Johnson, Revenue and Cost Specialists (RCS) presented the City of Montclair Cost of Services Study guided by a PowerPoint Presentation. He explained the purpose of the study was to determine the actual costs associated with providing City services, and to ensure that the City’s fee structures comply with California law, including Propositions 13, 4, 218, and 26.
Council Member Lopez arrived at 5:52 p.m.
Mr. Johnson advised the study restructured the City’s budget from a business perspective by identifying the full cost of services, which includes salaries, benefits, departmental overhead, administrative support, and operational costs. The analysis covered user fees, facility rentals, permits, and parking fines while excluding taxes, grants, utility rates, and impact fees. He noted the study was conducted through extensive collaboration with staff from various City departments to identify specific services, allocate staff time, calculate hourly rates for staff performing the services, and compare current fees with proposed adjustments. The report identified approximately $7.9 million in subsidized personal– choice services across the City, with the largest subsidies observed in public safety and Human Services programs. He highlighted that many fees, particularly those related to recreation and emergency response programs, are intentionally subsidized because full cost recovery would render these services unaffordable for the public.
He recommended implementing annual fee adjustments tied to increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to prevent significant future fee increases.
Mayor Dutrey thanked Mr. Johnson for the presentation and commended the thoroughness and professionalism of the study.
Council Member Mendez raised concerns about the Human Services Department's large service subsidies and asked if RCS had explored additional revenue recovery options amid budget constraints. While acknowledging the value of youth, senior, and after–school programs, he suggested future adjustments to program fees could enhance cost recovery without cutting services.
Assistant City Manager/Human Services Director Richter clarified that some Human Services programs are supported through outside grant funding, including more than $1 million in grants for afterschool programs, which offset portions of the Department’s overall service costs, and noted that some programs are intentionally offered to residents at no cost.
Adjourned City Council Meeting Minutes – May 4, 2026 Page 2 of 2 Council Member Ruh emphasized the need to keep these
educational, recreational, and nutrition programs affordable, as many families and seniors face financial hardships making the City affordable programs vital to their wellbeing.
Council Member Lopez questioned whether residents' income levels were taken into account in the analysis.
Mr. Johnson clarified that the study focused on calculating actual service costs and explained that staff assisted in evaluating reasonable fee levels based on the local market. He noted that some agencies address affordability concerns through scholarship programs or fee subsidies to low–income residents. He reiterated that determining subsidy levels is ultimately a policy decision for the City Council to make.
City Manager Starr highlighted that the City subsidizes around $8 million annually for personal–choice services, and the proposed fee increases would only cover a small portion of these costs. He advised that, without fee increases, all taxpayers, including lower– income residents, would continue subsidizing services used by and for the sole benefit of specific individuals, businesses, and developers. He also noted the City is facing financial pressures like declining sales tax revenues from online sales and urged the City Council to keep an open mind when considering fee adjustments as part of broader budget management efforts.
ACTION – COUNCIL WORKSHOP
ACTING: City Council
MOTION: Direct staff to place the proposed Master User Fee Schedule on a future City Council meeting agenda for
further discussion and consideration.
MADE BY:
SECOND BY:
Mayor Dutrey
Council Member Ruh
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
Mendez, Lopez, Ruh, Martinez, Dutrey
None
None
None
RESULT: Motion carried 5–0.
IV. PUBLIC COMMENT — None
V. ADJOURNMENT
At 6:21 p.m., the City Council was adjourned.
Submitted for City Council approval,
Andrea Myrick
City Clerk