TO: RULES AND OPEN
GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
FROM: Matt Loesch
Jim Shannon
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: March 10, 2026
Approved Date:
3/12/26
SUBJECT: Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog Study Session
RECOMMENDATION
Set a City Council Study Session entitled Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog for Monday, April 13, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers and approve the Study Session agenda.
PURPOSE
The City’s significant and growing Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog jeopardizes the delivery of day-to-day City services over the medium and long-term; this Study Session will provide the City Council with a solid understanding of the backlog to guide its future decision-making on strategies to reduce the backlog and the trade-off those decisions may require.
OUTCOME
The City Council’s increased understanding of the City’s Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog will help inform future budgetary discussions and decisions regarding the implementation of strategies to minimize and ultimately reduce the backlog.
BACKGROUND
In October 2007, the first comprehensive report on the City’s Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog was presented to the City Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee and then to the full City Council in a special Study Session.
This report analyzed the unfunded infrastructure and ongoing maintenance needs over RULES COMMITTEE: 3/18/26
ITEM: B.2
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
March 10, 2026
Subject: Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog Study Session
a five-year period for 14 discrete capital programs in the City. The 2007 report identified a one-time unfunded need of $915 million and an ongoing unfunded need of $45 million.
The report was updated annually since 2007 and then switched to bi-annual updates beginning in 2022. The last update was provided to the City Council in April 2024, which reported a one-time unfunded need of $1.7 billion, with an additional $129 million needed annually.
ANALYSIS
While the City Council annually approves funding for maintenance and capital rehabilitation, and the community approved Measure T in 2018 that provided $650 million to reinvest in City facilities, the backlog of deferred maintenance and infrastructure replacement continues to grow. A significant infusion of additional resources dedicated to preventative maintenance, timely repairs, and capital rehabilitation projects across a wide range of City assets – including parks, recreation centers, libraries, service yards, cultural facilities, police and fire facilities, and City Hall – is necessary in the near future to sustain basic, day-to-day community services.
A Study Session agenda accompanies this memorandum. In addition to providing an overview of the backlog, this Study Session will explain how deferred maintenance and infrastructure backlogs are created and grow, describe strategies to mitigate backlog growth and eventually reduce the backlog, and identify examples of significant, critical, near-term capital rehabilitation projects. This background information will frame City Council’s discussion for future action. The Study Session is informational, and no action by the City Council is requested at the Study Session.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office. /s/
MATT LOESCH
Public Works Director
JIM SHANNON
Budget Director
RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
March 10, 2026
Subject: Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog Study Session
For questions, please contact Matt Loesch, Director of Public Works, at [email protected] or (408) 535-8300.
ATTACHMENT
Study Session Agenda
City Council Meeting Agenda
Study Session
Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure
Backlog
Monday, April 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION:
Council Chambers, City Hall
City Council Study Session Agenda April 13, 2026
• Call to Order and Roll Call
9:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Study Session – Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog
Council Chambers, City Hall
STUDY SESSION
Purpose: The City’s significant and growing Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog jeopardizes the delivery of day-to-day City services over the medium and longterm; this Study Session will provide the City Council with a solid understanding of the backlog to guide its future decision-making on strategies to reduce the backlog and the trade-off those decisions may require.
Outcome: The City Council’s increased understanding of the City’s Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog will help inform future budgetary discussions and decisions regarding the implementation of strategies to minimize and ultimately reduce the backlog.
1. Opening Remarks
2. What is a Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog and Why Does it Matter?
3. Overview of the Current Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Backlog
4. Overview of Critical Near-Term Capital Projects
5. Potential Strategies to Address the Backlog
6. City Council Questions and Discussion
• Public Comment
Members of the public may comment on agendized items only at this Study Session.
There will be no Open Forum. Cal. Govt. Code §54954.3(a). • Adjournment