April 28, 2026
Finance Department
DATE: April 28, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Shasa Curl, City Manager
Nickie Mastay, Deputy City Manager
Emily Combs, Director of Finance
Mubeen Qader, Deputy Director of Finance
Avinesh Nadan, Finance Manger II
Subject:
Update on Community Engagement on Limited-Term
Revenue and Authorization to Negotiate and Execute a
Contract with Dalberg Advisors
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact due to this agenda item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
January 27, 2026
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On January 27, 2026, the City Council directed the City Manager to engage a consultant to work with City staff, the City Council, and community stakeholders to conduct community engagement and gather input on a strategy
for holding and releasing funds, as well as a framework for the expenditure of new General Fund revenues
generated by limited-term revenue. The Council also
directed staff to return with an update on the proposed plan and timeline.
To carry out this direction, staff issued a competitive Request for Proposals to identify a qualified consultant with expertise in community engagement, environmental
justice, strategic financial planning, and equitable public process design.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
RECEIVE an update on community engagement efforts
related to limited-term revenues, APPROVE and
AUTHORIZE the City Manager and City Attorney to
negotiate and execute a contract award with Dalberg
AGENDA
REPORT
April 28, 2026
Advisors, subject to approval as to form by the City
Attorney – Finance Department (Shasa Curl 510-620-
6512/Emily Combs 510-620-679).
DISCUSSION:
On January 27, 2026, following discussion of agenda items P3 and P4, the City Council directed the City Manager to engage a qualified consultant to collaborate with City staff, the City Council, and community stakeholders to conduct community engagement and gather input on a strategy for holding and releasing funds associated with limited-term revenue. The City Council also requested that the consultant develop a framework for the expenditure of new General Fund revenues generated by the limited-term revenue and return with an update on the process and timeline.
To implement this direction, the Finance Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 11, 2026, through the City’s BidsOnline system (Attachment 1). The RFP outlined a comprehensive scope of work requiring the selected consultant to design and lead an inclusive community engagement process, advise on financial strategies for holding funds during the engagement period, and develop a high-level expenditure framework aligned with the City’s Just Transition, environmental justice, and equity goals.
The City notified 1,170 vendors through BidOnline system; 51 vendors downloaded the RFP and 11 proposals were received from firms with experience in community engagement, public sector governance, financial strategy, and environmental justice.
Refer attachment 2 for detailed BidsOnline Project Report.
Proposals were reviewed for responsiveness and evaluated based on the criteria outlined in the RFP and Addendum No. 1, including relevant experience, understanding of public governance, proposed methodology, facilitation capability, and cost. A multidisciplinary evaluation panel conducted a thorough review, including interviews with top-ranked proposers.
Based on this evaluation process, Dalberg Advisors was identified as the top-ranked firm. Dalberg Advisors demonstrated strong experience working with diverse communities, a clear understanding of the advisory role, and a methodology aligned with the City’s goals for transparency, equity, and meaningful community participation.
Based on the results of the competitive RFP process, City staff recommend that the City Council authorize the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate and execute a contract with Dalberg Advisors. The contract will include scope elements consistent with City Council direction, including recommendations on the community engagement process and strategies for holding and releasing limited-term revenue.
April 28, 2026
Table 1: Community Engagement Request for Proposal Draft Timeline Draft Schedule of Events Date
Request for Proposals (RFP) release February 11, 2026
Questions Due February 20, 2026, by 2:00pm PST
Response in Q&A tab & Notification February 24, 2026
RFP Due date March 11, 2026, by 2:00 pm PST
RFP Evaluation March 12-31, 2026
Interviews/Selection April 1-April 24, 2026
Update to City Council April 28, 2026
Contract Award May/June 2026
NEXT STEPS:
City staff will bring the contract award agenda item to the City Council for discussion in May/June 2026.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 - Request for Proposal
Attachment 2 – BidsOnline Project Report