CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: April 20, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS
TITLE: ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. __-26 DESIGNATING CITY OFFICIALS
AND EMPLOYEES REQUIRED TO RECEIVE FISCAL AND
FINANCIAL TRAINING
SYNOPSIS
Senate Bill 827 (“SB 827”), adopted in 2025 and codified in California Government Code Section 53238, requires that any elected or appointed local agency official, or any department head or similar administrative officer, or any employee designated by a local agency governing body, must complete two hours of fiscal and financial training every two years.
DISCUSSION
SB827, now codified in the Government Code in Section 53238 and commonly referred to as “Fiscal and Financial Training,” was adopted in 2025 and requires that all local agency officials receive specified training. Government Code Section 53238(d) defines “local agency official” as any member of a local agency legislative body or any elected officer of a local agency; any official who is appointed by the governing body who, as part of their official duties, makes decisions or recommendations regarding financial administration, budgeting, or the use of public resources; a local agency executive, or other similar administrative officer of a local agency or any employee designated by a local agency governing body to receive the training.
The statute provides that training on the following topics be provided to the designated individuals:
(1) Laws and principles relating to financial administration and short- and long-term fiscal management, including, but not limited to, the role and responsibilities of financial administration, financial policies, municipal budgets and budget processes, and financial reporting and auditing. (2) Laws and principles relating to, but not limited to, capital financing and debt management, mechanisms for local agency revenues, pensions and other postemployment benefits, cash management and investments, the prudent investor standard, and the ethics of safeguarding public resources.
(3) General fiscal and financial planning principles and any pertinent laws relevant to the local agency official’s public service and role in overseeing the local agency’s operations and relevant to the local agency’s procurement and contracting practices and responsibilities.
Elected and appointed local agency officials who began their service before January 1, 2026, must complete their first fiscal and financial training before January 1, 2028. Staff who are required to complete fiscal and financial training and who were in their positions on January 1, 2026, also have a two-year deadline to complete their first fiscal and financial training (i.e., by January 1, 2028). Elected and appointed local agency officials who began their service after January 1, 2026, must complete training within six months of appointment. Staff who must receive training and who are hired after January 1, 2026, must complete training within six months of hire.
Analysis
While the statute establishes a January 1, 2028 deadline to complete training for those local agency officials and staff serving before January 1, 2026, staff recommends that the City Council require completion of required training for those individuals on the following revised timeline:
1) local agency officials including current appointees, current staff liaisons, and the City Manager and City Attorney within 90 days of adoption of the proposed resolution and every two years thereafter, as required by statute; and 2) future staff liaisons/employees within 60 days of assuming that role and every two years thereafter, as required by statute.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact is minimal to require the training, as it will be available as part of the current training platform, Vector Solutions. Additionally, the cost of paid staff time to track the training and for staff to attend two-hour biennial training is minimal.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made through posting of the City Council agenda on the City’s official notice bulletin board, at the Pleasant Hill Senior Center, and at the Pleasant Hill Police Department. The agenda and staff report are posted on the City’s web page.
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Adopt the proposed resolution.
ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDED ACTION
The City Council could choose not to adopt the proposed resolution and provide direction to staff.
ATTACHMENT(S)
Proposed Resolution
Prepared by: Ericka R. Mitchell, Chief Human Resources Officer Approved by: Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager