MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
CITY OF MONTEREY
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4:00 PM
COUNCIL CHAMBER, 580 PACIFIC ST.
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
Councilmembers
Present: Barber (left at 5:45 p.m.), Garcia, Rasch, Smith, Williamson
Absent: None
City Staff
Present:
City Manager, Assistant City Manager, City Attorney, Finance Director, Community Development Director, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Parks and Recreation Director, Library & Museums Director, Public Works Director, City Clerk, Acting Assistant Fire Chief, General Services Superintendent, Public Works Administrative Services Manager, Recreation Manager, Conference Center General Manager, Senior Administrative Analyst (Public Works), Senior Administrative Analyst (Police), Management Analyst (Recreation), Sports Center Manager, Assistant Human Resources Director, Finance Manager, Finance Analyst, Parks Supervisor
Call to Order
Mayor Williamson called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. City Clerk Klein called the roll with the Council present as indicated above.
Afternoon Session Items
Presentations (Afternoon)
1. Receive Presentation from See Monterey: FY 2024-25 Mid-Year Performance & Group Sales Trends (Not a Project Under CEQA per Article 20, Section 15378 and Under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061)
Action: Received presentation
Rob O'Keefe, President and CEO of See Monterey, gave the presentation and answered Councilmembers' questions.
In the interest of time, public comment was limited to two minutes per speaker. Public comment was received from: Lauren Cohen, of My Museum, who said See Monterey supported their museum and allowed it to thrive; Paige Viren of Monterey County Hospitality Association and California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB)'s Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Management program, who said that supporting See Monterey was critical to the region; Alicia Ibarra, student of the CSUMB Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism Management program, who said that See Monterey's support of the local tourism industry had allowed her to have valuable hands-on experiences and internships; and Steven Wales, of Monterey County Hospitality Association and Fogs End Distillery, who said that See Monterey provided value by improving the quality of visitors coming to the area; and Kent Glenzer, who said that Monterey could learn from the history of the South by Southwest event n Austin Texas, and that the hospitality industry needed to do a better job of paying its workers.
The Council briefly discussed the presentation, stating that it was important to think about the workforce doing the work in the hospitality industry, and that increasing housing affordability in Monterey would contribute greatly to local quality of life.
City Council Minutes April 30, 2025
2 Study Session
2. Study Primer for FY 2025-26 Annual Budget (Not a Project under CEQA Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061)
Action: Received presentation
City Manager Uslar gave a verbal introduction, and Councilmember Smith left the Chamber from 4:57 p.m. to 4:59 p.m. Finance Director King gave the staff presentation and answered Councilmembers' questions together with City Manager Uslar.
Public comment was received from: Daniel Almandariz, who referred to one of the presentation slides and asked whether the $2M would be accounted for; and Tom Reeves, who referred to the costs for Fire personnel to respond to medical calls and asked whether the City could recover insurance funds for these services, asked if the City had considered undertaking a full cost study to ensure that City fees currently charged were sufficient, and said that the rate of the increase in expenses was concerning as compared with the increase in revenues.
On question regarding the $2M, Finance Director King said that the $10M had been an estimate and the $8M was an audited number, not that there was $2M lost or missing. On question, City Manager Uslar said that the Monterey Sports Center loan would expire on May 1, 2032. He agreed that it would be appropriate to do a comprehensive look at the City's services and fees, though he advised that it may not be popular with constituents. He stressed that the City needed to find a way to decrease its expenditures and at least not lose further revenues. He said that he anticipated that in the new Fiscal Year the staff would be working to manage the expenditures increase rate as compared with the revenues increase rate.
The Council thanked the Finance budget team and City staff. Hope was expressed that hiring an economic developer would expand the attraction of business to the area, including STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sectors. It was stressed that the City needed to expand and diversify its economy and bring more businesses in. It was stressed that the increase received by City staff had been deserved and needed in order to stay competitive with the job market. It was stated that the community engagement had been an improvement but that finding interactive ways to involve residents in budget issues would be a benefit. It was suggested to look at vacancy taxes and property transfer taxes as potential revenue boosters. It was requested to receive more context and justification for adding new City staff positions. It was requested to receive a five-year forecast for revenues vs expenditures. During the Council discussion, Councilmember Barber left the meeting at 5:45 p.m.
Adjournment
The Council adjourned at 6:02 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted, Approved,
Clementine Bonner Klein Tyller Williamson
City Clerk Mayor