PROPOSED BUDGET AMENDMENTS
Alignment with Council Presidents’ Budget Amendments•Funding for Community Safety Ambassadors in commercial corridors•Restoration of Department of Violence Prevention Contracts, •Restoration of Cultural Affairs Grants, •Funding Economic Workforce Development staff positions•Funding Public Ethics Commission staff to implement Democracy Dollars in 2026•Discretionary funds for Traffic Safety in respective Districts Overall Budget PrioritiesFund expenditures that:•Re-build public trust in City Hall, •Fund basic city services, and •Build safe neighborhoods where every resident can thrive.Increase revenue by: •Staffing up revenue-generating departments and programs•Collaborating with County, State, and Federal government for external funding opportunities Proposed Amendment 1: OPD Grant Writer•Complementary offset proposed by OPD making this effectively a cost-neutral request•Due to over-burdened General Fund, need to harness existing funding opportunities for technology, personnel, medical equipment, violence prevention•Many missed opportunities that other cities are utilizing •In line with Council President’s Policy Directive #5 re: Increased Revenue Generation from County, State, Federal Government Proposed Amendment 2: No Merger of HCD-Homelessness Services, nor Human Services-OPRYD•Do not merge either HCD w/ Homelessness Services, nor HSD w/OPRYD in FY 23-25•The only budget implication is needing to hire 1 director role•(Mayor’s budget proposes to hire HSD director, so gap to fill is OPRYD Director)•Hire consultant to commence developmental study of standalone Homelessness Department, and explore implementation in future budget cycle.•Need to wait for commitment from County on participation and support, due to recent legal and State action•Departmental functions are incredibly different. Funded vacancies should be filled with staff suited for that respective department’s need.
Proposed Amendment 3: Public Ethics Investigator•PEC Enforcement Unit is responsible for investigating misuse of City dollars•72 open cases pending for 2 enforcement staff (5x higher caseload than SF) •Case delays impact our budget, transparency of City dollars, and public trust Proposed General Fund Reductions•Freeze Vacant OPD Crime Analyst•CPRA Estimated Vacancy Savings from recent staff departures and hiring delay•DVP Estimated Vacancy Savings from DVP Director Recruitment•Slightly Reduce O&M for Cyber Security•Open to other CM suggestions Proposed Amendment 4: Public Works Tree Workers (2.0 FTE) via Measure Q•Department lost over 50% of staff in 2008 budget cuts•Critical citywide work to support maintenance of park trees, planting, pruning, etc. especially in high-equity neighborhoods•Lack of tree maintenance due to staffing cuts led to loss of hundreds of Oak trees in winter storm, and millions of dollars for damage-control via contracts (ex: DeFremery Park, Joaquin Miller)•Supports reducing wildfire risk•Entry-level roles, job opportunity and career mobility for Oaklanders