City Council
AGENDA REPORT
TO:
Honorable
Mayor and
members of
the City
Council and
the Public
FROM: Councilmember Rebecca
Kaplan
District 2
Councilmember Janani
Ramachandran
District 4
Councilmember Zachary
Unger
District 1
SUBJECT:
RESOLUTION AMENDING
RESOLUTION NO. 90326 C.M.S. AND
RESOLUTION 90585 C.M.S.
DATE: 02/20/2025
RECOMMENDATION
Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan, Janani Ramachandran, and Zachary Unger recommend that the City Council adopt:
RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 90326 C.M.S. AND RESOLUTION 90585 C.M.S., WHICH ADOPTED AND AMENDED THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025
MIDCYCLE BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE NEW REVENUE AND ADJUST
APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSE FUND (FUND 1010), AND
OTHER FUNDS, IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING BY
PROTECTING FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposal amends Resolution No. 90326 C.M.S. and Resolution No. 90585 C.M.S., which adopted and amended the Midcycle Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25, to appropriate new revenue and adjust appropriations for specified funds , as detailed in Exhibit 1, thus providing for a balanced budget. Additionally, the proposal includes restoring funding for street paving, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and other infrastructure and staffing improvements.
Moreover, Oakland City leadership seeks to use these and other identified funds to amend the previously adopted budget amendment to remove cuts to fire stations and make other changes to protect the Oakland community.
Honorable Mayor & City Council
Subject: Resolution amending resolution no. 90326 c.m.s. and resolution 90585 c.m.s.
Date: 02/20/2025 Page 2
City Council
BACKGROUND AND LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Section 806 of the City Charter provides that all monies received by the City shall be deposited in the City Treasury, and no monies shall be disbursed from the treasury without the approval of the City Administrator, or another officer duly authorized by the City Administrator, and that no expenditure of City funds shall be made except for the purposes and in the manner specified by an appropriation of the Council. On December 17, 2024, the City Council passed Resolution No. 90585 C.M.S1 amending the Midcycle budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 and affirming multiple steps to balance the budget, comply with the City’s Reserves policy, avoid a fiscal emergency, and provide for specified balancing strategies.
The actions taken in December constitute the strategy to meet the General-Purpose Fund Emergency Reserve Policy and avoid the declaration of Fiscal Emergency under the Consolidated Fiscal Policy. The City of Oakland seeks to improve service delivery, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In December, the Oakland City Council adopted the direction to continue to seek, pursue, collect, and validate additional resources and revenue sources to help protect and fund vital public services, including fire stations.
City Councilmembers have successfully worked to pursue and identify additional resources for such purposes, including by obtaining formal approval to reimburse $2.6 million to the City of Oakland, from the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority, which Oakland City Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Ken Houston serve as appointed representatives for Oakland, pursuant to Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Resolution No. 2025-03, which has come in due to improved revenue from successful sports, concerts, and other events at the Oakland Arena and Coliseum.
The authors of this proposal, in collaboration with various cross-functional department colleagues, have also successfully identified available funding, particularly special funds, which can be used to preserve core constituent services and protect community safety, as described in Exhibit 1.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
1 https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7028722&GUID=E1109821- DA15-4CFD-ADB8-E9AEC909D7A1&Options=&Search=
Honorable Mayor & City Council
Subject: Resolution amending resolution no. 90326 c.m.s. and resolution 90585 c.m.s.
Date: 02/20/2025 Page 3
City Council
The City of Oakland and cities nationwide face monumental fiscal hurdles brought on by various factors related to the markets, shifts in monetary policies, and limited funding at the state and federal levels. If the proposal is not adopted, the residents of Oakland will experience a near- tangible loss in core municipal services.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed amendments aim to protect core community needs by reallocating newly identified funds to restore services. For example, Exhibit 1, fund 1010, outlines new funding and shifts, restoring fire station services previously planned to be cut. The abovementioned actions highlight a few of the fiscal actions detailed in Exhibit 1. All actions aim to mitigate the impact on core municipal services resulting from Oakland's budgetary issues. The proposal also funds important street safety improvements that protect bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users and improve public right-of-way conditions.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST
The offices of Council co-authors, as well as other city leaders, considered the input and concerns of neighbors and community members, Oakland Department staff, community organizations, workforce and more while developing these proposals. This input includes engagement with neighborhood groups and residents. The input from dozens of community meetings, public comments, phone calls, and emails culminated in the drafting of this proposal, including Fire Closures Town Hall in January 2025 where over 400 residents voiced their concerns and perspectives. The proposed amendments rely on the groundwork laid by earlier council actions, which included input from a broader range of community leaders, organizations, agencies, and Oakland Department staff and council offices.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The proposed amendments outline new funding and reallocations to address Oakland’s fiscal challenges and enhance the city’s capacity to provide essential municipal services, including paved roads and sidewalk repairs.
Environmental: As Oakland faces shifts in weather patterns brought on by climate change, investment in building and renovating critical infrastructure and services to mitigate unprecedented weather patterns is paramount to the well-being of residents. For example, allocating funds to ease Oakland's budgetary issues, in the case of this proposal, funding for specific fire stations identified as at risk of closure. This proposal funds those particular fire stations. By taking this action, Oakland can better serve the city’s emergency services caused by climate change and residential activity.
Social Equity: The City of Oakland strives to provide core municipal services. In the past and present, Oakland has deployed projects and services across the city in the most equitably Honorable Mayor & City Council
Subject: Resolution amending resolution no. 90326 c.m.s. and resolution 90585 c.m.s.
Date: 02/20/2025 Page 4
City Council
responsible manner. This proposal does not stray from Oakland’s commitment to providing services for all residents. The actions described in this report impact and ripple across district lines by funding public safety and infrastructure services that better residents' live.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan, Janani Ramachandran, and Zachary Unger recommend adopting the following resolution:
RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 90326 C.M.S. AND RESOLUTION 90585 C.M.S., WHICH ADOPTED AND AMENDED THE FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025
MIDCYCLE BUDGET TO APPROPRIATE NEW REVENUE AND ADJUST
APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE GENERAL PURPOSE FUND (FUND 1010), AND
OTHER FUNDS, IN ORDER TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING BY
PROTECTING FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES
Respectfully submitted,
Councilmember Kaplan
District 2
Councilmember Ramachandran
District 4
Councilmember Unger
District 1