City Council Minutes Page 1 of 3 April 8, 2025
CITY OF PLEASANTON
CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
5:00 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Balch called the Special Meeting of the City Council to order at the hour of 5:00 p.m. from the Council Chamber located at 200 Old Bernal Avenue.
ROLL CALL
Present: Councilmembers Eicher, Gaidos, Nibert, Testa, Mayor Balch
Absent: None.
1. Public Comment - Comments are limited to only those items listed on the agenda.
Mayor Balch opened public comment. The following individuals provided comment:
Gabi Welk, David Ellis, Joe Natina, Shivswaroop Desai, Jason Hsu, Steve Morsilli, Carolyn Maoobey, Veronica Ospina, Jon Krueger, Heba Nosseir, Keri Loftus, Gary Kirscher, Michael Lin, Todd Nelson, Ethan Cheng, Mary Brito, Julie Bennett, Linda Garbarino, Jon Engelbrekston, Kay Donohue, MJ Bedegi, Alison Leung, Emma Leung, Shiroy Choksey, Robert Estimo, Dan Fellman, Joe Carlucci, Darrin Keene, Delzin Choksey for Diane Rodriguez, Zeina Abousleimo, Chloe Leung, Jim Lehrman, Lilliana Juan, Lauren Juan, Melissa Tench-Stevens, Dr. Marshall Kamena, Parsa Hassanpour, Catherine Johnson, Hans Riegels, Jasper Riegels, Samantha Riegels, Hima Duggineni, Sameeha Soora, Cindi Sabatini, Julian Duncanson, TJ McGrath, Arne Olson, Sylvia Tian, Yolanda Fintschenko, Daniel Zhao, Kurtis Dickey, Remy Marcoux, Anurag Jain, Lisa Harlow, Dhanush Gonda, Doug Miller, Debbie Wallace, Saraphina Lacey, Soha Ashraf, Arianna Barik, Sahana Doshi, Minal Doshi, Shoshannah Reed, Amy Liu, Kelly Cousins, Alfred Exner, Aidan Juan, Chris Juan, Diya, Samir R., Raghavendra Rao, Ritvik Misra, Lawrence Wong, Jasper Ding, Omid.
Mayor Balch closed the public comment.
Mayor Balch called a recess at 7:19 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
2. Receive a report on the Fiscal Years 2025/26 - 2026/27 preliminary budget reduction recommendations and provide direction to inform development of the two-year General Fund operating budget
Recommendation: Receive a report on the Fiscal Years 2025/26 - 2026/27 preliminary budget reduction recommendations and provide direction to inform development of the two-year General Fund operating budget.
City Council Minutes Page 2 of 3 April 8, 2025
Presentation by Susan Hsieh, Finance Director, and Alexa Jeffress, Deputy City Manager.
Mayor Balch called a recess at 9:30 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 9:38 p.m.
By majority consensus, the City Council provided direction on reductions for items as listed below.
1. Further Reduce General Administrative Costs - support reduction
2. Internal personnel adjustments - support reduction
3. Reduce professional services and contracts - support reduction
4. Reduce weekly Library hours - possible support
5. Combine Library & Recreation Service Desks - possible support
6. Restructure Recreation Programs & Events - possible support
7. Reduce park and trail maintenance - support reduction
8. Reduce janitorial services at City parks and facilities - possible support
9. Reduce landscaping services citywide - possible support
10. Reduce Community Support and Subsidies - possible support
11. Eliminate City-funded School Crossing Guard Program - possible support
12. Reduce Business Partner Support Funding - possible support
13. Eliminate Housing and Human Services Grants - possible support
14. Eliminate Youth and Civic Arts Grants - support reduction
15. Reduce Funding for Police Special Programs - support reduction
16. Eliminate School Resource Officers (SRO) - possible support
17. Reduce Special Enforcement and Investigation Units - possible support
18. Eliminate Neighborhood Traffic Calming program - support reduction
19. Reduce plan checking, long-range planning and permitting consultant contracts - support reduction
20. Reduce in-person permit counter service to 2.5 days/week - support reduction
21. Freeze Sustainability Manager position - possible support
22. Close the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center - do not support reduction
23. Police and Fire - Close a Livermore-Pleasanton fire station - do not support reduction
24. Police and Fire - Reduce support for non-emergency calls - do not support reduction
25. Police and Fire - Reduce or eliminate Alternative Response Unit - do not support reduction
26. Community Support and Human Services - Reduce Firehouse Arts Center hours - do not support reduction
27. Community Support and Human Services - Reduce Senior Center hours - do not support reduction
28. Parks, Streets, and Facilities - Update City sidewalk maintenance obligations - do not support reduction
City Council Minutes Page 3 of 3 April 8, 2025
For the items indicating possible support, the Council further directed that alternatives and options be provided for additional consideration at the April 10 meeting.
MOTION: It was m/s by Balch/Gaidos to continue items 2 and 3 on the agenda to a City Council meeting to be held on April 10, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber.
Motion passed by the following vote:
Ayes: Councilmembers Eicher, Gaidos, Nibert, Testa, Mayor Balch Noes: None
Absent: None
3. Receive a report on General Fund dependent capital needs and other capital/infrastructure priorities for FY 2025/26 and FY 2026/27 and provide direction to inform the development of the two-year Capital Budget and five-year Capital Improvement Program
Item continued
to a City Council meeting on April 10, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Balch
adjourned the meeting at 11:44 p.m.
______________________
Jocelyn Kwong, City Clerk