June 17, 2025
Finance Department
DATE: June 17, 2025
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shasa Curl, City Manager
Andrea Miller, Director of Finance
Subject:
Cooperative Cost Pool Agreement with Richmond Rent
Board
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The financial impact will be the annual cost pool charges that are credited to the Rent Program.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
November 8, 2016
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Cooperative Cost Pool Agreement between the City of
Richmond Rent Board and the City of Richmond.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a Cooperative Cost Pool Agreement between
the Richmond Rent Board and the City of Richmond -
City Manager’s Office (Shasa Curl 510-620-6512/Andrea
Miller 510-620-6790).
DISCUSSION:
Richmond residents passed Measure L on November 8, 2016, establishing the Richmond Fair Rent, Just Cause for Eviction and Homeowner Protection Ordinance (the “Rent Ordinance”), and creating the Rent Board to administer the Rent Ordinance.
The City imposes "cost pool charges" to cover overhead costs associated with infrastructure, administration, and risk support for all departments. The City aims to recover expenses related to supporting the Rent Board in the same manner as other departments.
AGENDA
REPORT
June 17, 2025
It is the Board’s position that these charges hinder collaboration with the City, unfairly impact special revenue funds, and place an additional burden on landlords.
To address this issue, the Board’s Executive Director and City Manager held meetings to discuss solutions, including the Board administering various City ordinances in exchange for a waiver of cost pool charges. Following these discussions, an agreement was reached to resolve the dispute over Rent Board cost pool charges.
Key terms of the Agreement include:
1. The Rent Board will administer the City’s Relocation Ordinance, Tenant Buyout Ordinance, Real Estate Disclosure Ordinance, parts of the Richmond Rental Inspection Program Ordinance and, if adopted by the Council, a Rent Board specific Lien Ordinance. City staff sought to have the Rent Board administer the City’s Fair Chance Ordinance, Anti-Harassment Ordinance and Smoking Ordinance. However, the Rent Board contends that those ordinances fall outside the Rent Board’s regulatory scope and therefore did not agree to administer those ordinances.
2. The Board will provide the City an annual report on the status of rental housing that is covered by the Rent Ordinance.
3. The City will credit any prior, unpaid cost pool charges levied against the Board.
4. The City will assist the Board in preparing and placing liens on properties that are delinquent in payment of fees, with the Board receiving 90 percent of the amount collected and the City receiving 10 percent.
5. The term of the agreement will be three years, with a mutual option to extend an additional two years.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Cooperative Cost Pool Agreement