City of Palo Alto I 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. I www.cityofpaloalto.org ATTACHMENT F
FINANCE COMMITTEE TENTATIVE TOPICS
CALENDAR 2026
As of January 30, 2026
The Municipal Code states that the role of the Council Finance Committee is to consider and make recommendations on matters referred to it by the Council relating to finance, budget, financial audits, capital planning and debt. (§2.04.210).
See the end of the document for information on the completed 2025 referrals as well as the outstanding and on hold referrals to date.
January (6
th) (Special Meeting)
Update and Adoption of the Investment Policy (to be done by June 30 per code) Mayor appoints Committee and designates Chair; usually no FC meeting
February (3rd & 17th)
Feb 3 ‐‐ No Meeting, City Council meetings schedules for January impacts
March (3rd & 17th)
Utilities Advisory Commission Rate Forecasts and Five‐Year Financial Plans: Water, Wastewater Collection
Storm Water Management Fee
April (7th & 21st)
Utilities Advisory Commission Rate Forecasts and Five‐Year Financial Plans: Gas, Electric. Planning & Development Services ‐ Electrification State caps & fee subsidies City Fee Updates (various)
Grid Mod Financing (Tentative)
May (5th, 6th, & 19th)
Annual Budget Review: Operating and Five‐year Capital Improvement Plan Alternative meeting times (9:00am – 5:00pm) May 5 and May 6 Including Nonprofit Partnership Workplan Phase I funding
June (2
nd & 16th)
Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Report
July
No meeting; Council Break
Finance Committee Tentative Topics, Calendar 2026
As of January 2026
August
Grid modernization financing
September
Accept California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Pension Annual Valuation. Reports as of June 30, 2024.
Retiree Benefit Policy – review and update, if necessary.
October
November
Informational: Report out on Status of Committee Referrals Discussion and Recommendation to the City Council to Accept the Macias Gini & O'Connell's Audit of the City of Palo Alto's Financial Statements as of June 30, 2026 and Management Letter
Discussion and Recommendation to Approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and Approve Budget Amendments in Various Funds
December
Review and Forward the FY 2028 ‐ FY 2037 Long Range Financial Forecast First Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Report
Preliminary Utility Rate Forecast Review
Referred Topics:
A full report on the status of Finance Committee referrals and the status can be found on Item 2 on the November 18, 2025 agenda
1. Completed Referrals
1) Planning and Development Services Fee Study and Update 2) Parking Permits Pricing and Parking Permit Funds Financial Status. [scheduled for Council consideration Spring 2026]
3) Ability Path financial support [addressed in FY 2025 Mid‐Year Report] 4) Fire Emergency Medical Response Fee Analysis and Update. 5) Fire Emergency Medical Reponses; Supplemental Resources – Approved 12‐Hour Peak Ambulance with Single Role Staff (Implementation in 2026) 6) Active Recruitment Digital Marketing Services (Contract Services) – Staff discontinued request due to financial situation, available workforce due to layoffs (federal level and local tech) and limitations on digital marketing into the hard to recruit industries.
1 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=16320
Finance Committee Tentative Topics, Calendar 2026
As of January 2026
7) Establish Organizational Development & Safety Division – Without adding headcount, Staff created a merged division of organizational development and HRIS to support. 8) Explore financial, outreach, and policy processes for adding East Palo Alto to resident rates for the golf course – East Palo Alto added to resident rates for golf course, effective July 1, 2025.
In Progress/Pending Referrals:
9) Review Parks Restroom Prioritization; Specifically, Pardee Park – Incorporated into FY22026 CIP that was approved by Council on June 16, 2025, CIP PG‐19000 anticipated to begin mid‐ 2026.
10) Increasing Revenue‐ Generating CSD Programming to Meet Demand\Cost recovery policy 100% ‐‐ Further analysis and review in Spring 2026
11) Cost Recovery Policy – Update to include new 100% Category ‐ Spring 2026 12) Update Fee Cost Recovery Category for current fee cost categories – update fee categories and fees as a part of budget development – Spring 2026
13) Risk Mgt, General Liability and Insurance – Update Council on risk management, safety policies and risk transfer and claim analysis and mitigation strategies – going to Council February 2026