Finance and Management Committee
December 9, 2025
RECOMMENDATION
AGENDA REPORT
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt a Resolution Authorizing A Professional Services Agreement With Francisco & Associates, Inc. For Engineering Services For Various Local Measures And The City Of Oakland Landscaping And Lighting Assessment District For A Three-Year Term Effective January 1, 2026 Through December 31, 2028, With An Option To Extend For Two Additional Years Without Returning To Council, For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed $550,000; And Waiving The Local/Small Local Business Enterprise Requirements.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City requires ongoing professional engineering services to manage its special assessment and parcel tax districts. These services include identifying applicable parcels, determining land use and assessment rates, preparing annual rolls for the County Assessor, and supporting related City inquiries for the City’s Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District (LLAD) and various voter approved measures.
The California Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972 (California Streets and Highways Code Sections 22500, et seq) allows local government agencies to form assessment districts to finance the costs and expenses of landscaping and lighting in public areas. The City Council annually approves a series of resolutions: 1) initiating the process to levy the annual LLAD assessments by ordering the preparation of the Preliminary Engineer’s Report, 2) approving the Preliminary Engineer’s Report, declaring the intention to levy the annual assessments, and setting the date of the public hearing to take final action on the levying of the annual assessments; and 3) confirming the assessments after the public hearing.
The City of Oakland must also annually set the property tax levy rates and inform the County of Alameda of these rates by August 10th for inclusion on that year's property tax bill for various voter approved measures which include the Emergency Medical Services Retention Act of 1997 TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Bradley Johnson
City Administrator Finance Director
SUBJECT: Awarding a Professional Services
Agreement To Francisco &
Associates, Inc For Engineering
Services For Local Measures and the
LLAD
DATE: November 10, 2025
City Administrator Approval Date:
Jestin Johnson (Nov 24, 2025 09:17:54 PST)
11/24/2025
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Awarding a Professional Services Agreement To Francisco & Associates, Inc For Engineering Services For Local Measures and the LLAD
Date: November 10, 2025 Page 2
Finance and Management Committee
December 9, 2025
(Measure M), the Paramedic Services Act Of 1997 (Measure N), The Library Services Retention And Enhancement Act (Library Measure Q as amended by Measure C), the Children's Initiative Of 2018 (Measure AA), the 2018 Oakland Public Library Preservation Act (Measure D), the 2020 Oakland Parks And Recreation Preservation, Litter Reduction, Homelessness Support Act (Parks Measure Q), the 2022 Oakland Zoo Animal Care, Education, and Improvement Ordinance (Measure Y), the Wildfire Prevention Financing Act of 2024 (Measure MM), and the Oakland Community Violence Reduction and Emergency Response Act of 2024 (Measure NN), all of which create separate taxes on parcels within the City of Oakland.
The current contract for these services will expire at the end of 2025. The services are considered professional, technical, and temporary in nature and will not displace any current City employees. In accordance with the City’s procurement requirements, an RFP process was conducted in September 2025. Francisco & Associates, Inc. responded and was selected based on that process. Staff is recommending that the City enter into a new Professional Services Agreement with Francisco & Associates, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $550,000. Funding for the FY 2025-27 biennial budget is available in the corresponding assessment fund budgets, and additional funding for services beyond this biennial will be requested as part of the annual budget process.
Staff also recommends waiving the City’s Local/Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) requirements for this contract, pursuant to Ordinance 13647 CMS.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Summary of Special Taxes and Assessment Districts in Oakland Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District (LLAD):
• Pursuant to the California Streets and Highways Code, Sections 22500 et seq. (the Landscaping and Lighting Act of 1972), the City of Oakland established the LLAD on June 23, 1989. The District has been renewed annually with the support of an Engineer’s Report confirming assessment rates.
Library Services Parcel Taxes:
• In 1994, voters approved the Library Services Retention and Enhancement Act, establishing a parcel tax to support library services.
• In 2004, Measure Q extended and increased the tax for 20 years (through June 30, 2024).
• In 2022, Measure C renewed the tax for 30 years, with annual adjustments based on CPI or California per capita personal income.
• Measure D (2018) imposed a new parcel tax to maintain and improve library services, with annual CPI-based increases beginning FY 2019-20.
Emergency and Paramedic Services:
• In 1997, Measure M established a parcel tax to fund emergency medical services, with annual cost-of-living adjustments.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Awarding a Professional Services Agreement To Francisco & Associates, Inc For Engineering Services For Local Measures and the LLAD
Date: November 10, 2025 Page 3
Finance and Management Committee
December 9, 2025
• That same year, Measure N introduced a separate parcel tax for paramedic services, with similar adjustment provisions beginning FY 2000-01.
Children’s Services:
• In 2018, Oakland voters passed Measure AA (The Children’s Initiative), which imposed a 30‑year parcel tax to fund early childhood education, youth development, and college readiness programs. The tax includes annual increases tied to the greater of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or changes in per capita personal income.
Parks and Homelessness Services:
• In 2020, Parks Measure Q created a 20-year parcel tax to fund parks, litter reduction, homelessness services, and water quality projects. Annual increases are based on the higher of Bay Area CPI or state per capita income.
Oakland Zoo:
• In 2022, voters approved Measure Y, establishing a 20-year special parcel tax to support Oakland Zoo operations, improvements, and related administrative costs, with annual adjustments tied to cost-of-living or statewide per-capita income changes.
Wildfire Prevention:
• In 2024, Measure MM established a 20-year parcel tax in Oakland’s "wildfire prevention zone" to fund fire mitigation efforts, with annual CPI or per capita income-based adjustments.
Public Safety Services:
• Also in 2024, Measure NN established parcel and parking taxes for nine years to support police, fire, and emergency response services. Annual increases are limited to cost-of- living adjustments and require voter approval for further changes.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The recommended policy action addresses the Citywide priorities of 1) holistic community safety, and 2) housing, economic, and cultural security. The request will ensure the capacity to levy parcels appropriately beginning with the FY 2026-27 Tax Rolls by filing the assessment database by the appropriate deadline set by the Alameda County Auditor- Controller's Office. The levy of these taxes help supports programs such as retaining and enhancing emergency dispatch and medical services, paramedic emergency services, children services, library services, police and fire services, recreational services, services to address homelessness, address water quality and litter reduction, parks and landscape maintenance, and reducing wildfire risk.
The City must ensure each of these voter-approved funding measures is properly administered and implemented in compliance with state law by a firm with experience in engineering and fiscal administration of special assessments. The contractor shall provide preparation and updates to the Engineer’s Report for the LLAD, calculation of parcel assessments and levies, Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Awarding a Professional Services Agreement To Francisco & Associates, Inc For Engineering Services For Local Measures and the LLAD
Date: November 10, 2025 Page 4
Finance and Management Committee
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support for compliance with cost-of-living adjustments, and technical assistance for adjusting and recording of annual parcel tax assessments.
In September 2025, the City of Oakland conducted an RFP for these services in which the Francisco & Associates, Inc. proposal was the only one received. Francisco & Associates offers specialized expertise in this niche field with a track record of successful execution for municipalities across California, including Oakland. The City’s current contract for these services, set to expire on December 31, 2025, is with the same firm, Francisco & Associates, Inc., which was originally selected through a competitive RFP/Q process in compliance with City guidelines, leading to an agreement executed on December 20, 2017. The City Administrator is now requesting authorization from the City Council to enter into a new professional services agreement with Francisco & Associates, Inc. to continue to perform the specialized engineering services that include the updating, adjusting, and recording of annual parcel tax assessments for the City's LLAD, as well as other benefit assessments and measures approved by voters.
While the City prioritizes contracting with local and small businesses, an Availability Analysis of the City’s certified Local and Small Local Business Enterprises (L/SLBE) was conducted for Engineering Services in Connection with Assessment and Special Districting. Based on the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards review of all currently certified, ready, willing, and able firms for these major tasks, the L/SLBE requirement for this contract was set at 0%. Therefore, the staff also recommends waiving the City’s Local/Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) requirements for this contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of the proposed resolution authorizes the City Administrator to execute a professional services agreement with Francisco and Associates, Inc. for up to five years, in an amount not to exceed $550,000. Revenue generated through this work is essential to funding City services, as described above, and the contract will be fully funded by those same revenues. Sufficient funding has been allocated to cover the annual costs for the FY 2025–27 Biennial Budget and is anticipated to continue in future years, contingent upon funding availability in future budget cycles, as these services have been budgeted as ongoing expenditures to support the tax administration. The budgeted funding is distributed across the various assessed funds and allocated under the following: Revenue Administration Org (08411), Architectural and Engineering Services Account (54411), Assessment Engineer Project (1007870), and the Fiscal Management Program (IP59). The estimated annual cost per fund is approximately $11,000, which would not have a significant impact on any individual fund.
The agreement includes an annual fee of $97,500 for administration of the City’s Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District and Special Tax Measures, consistent with the City’s historical budget for these services, which has averaged approximately $100,000 per year over the past five fiscal years. Reimbursable expenses, including parking, County Assessor data and maps, and mileage, will be billed at cost plus 15%; these expenses have not surpassed $1,500 annually in each of the past two years. The total annual cost of roughly $100,000 represents about 0.05% of the estimated $196 million in revenue projected from the related assessment Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Awarding a Professional Services Agreement To Francisco & Associates, Inc For Engineering Services For Local Measures and the LLAD
Date: November 10, 2025 Page 5
Finance and Management Committee
December 9, 2025
and special tax measures in FY 2026–27. The contract also includes approximately $50,000 in capacity for as needed or ad hoc analyses, such as evaluating potential new measures during the agreement term.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The RFP was advertised through local culturally based newspapers with a diverse readership.
COORDINATION
The contracting process, including the RFP process and waiver consideration, was conducted in coordination with the Contract Compliance Division and the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards to ensure compliance with the City's contracting requirements. This report was prepared by the Finance Department and reviewed by the City Administrator’s Office and the Office of the City Attorney.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Several essential City services that serve the public greatly rely upon revenues generated from the voter-approved special tax measures.
Environmental: The timely assessment of the voter-approved special tax measures funds a variety of programs and services for parks, landscape maintenance, and projects to address water quality and litter reduction, and maintenance and cleaning of stormwater trash collection systems throughout the City of Oakland.
Race & Equity: An availability analysis found no certified Local or Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) firms ready, willing, and able to perform the required engineering services, and only one qualified contractor applied. Because no L/SLBE firms were available for this scope of work, a formal race and equity analysis is not applicable for this item.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Awarding a Professional Services Agreement To Francisco & Associates, Inc For Engineering Services For Local Measures and the LLAD
Date: November 10, 2025 Page 6
Finance and Management Committee
December 9, 2025
Bradley Johnson (Nov 19, 2025 09:29:10 PST)
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt a Resolution Authorizing A Professional Services Agreement With Francisco & Associates, Inc. For Engineering Services For Various Local Measures And The City Of Oakland Landscaping And Lighting Assessment District For A Three-Year Term Effective January 1, 2026 Through December 31, 2028, With An Option To Extend For Two Additional Years Without Returning To Council, For A Total Contract Amount Not To Exceed $550,000; And Waiving The Local/Small Local Business Enterprise Requirements.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Nicole Welch, Revenue & Tax Administrator, at (510) 238-7025.
Respectfully submitted,
BRADLEY JOSHNSON
Finance Director
Reviewed by:
Nicole Welch,
Revenue & Tax Administrator
Prepared by:
Jose Segura,
Budget and Management Analyst, Principal
Revenue Management Bureau