OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER · CITY COUNCIL MEETING
UPGRADING THE CITY COUNCIL
PRIORITY WORKPLAN
AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
Purpose: A ranked, community-driven Workplan integrated with a Priority-Based Budgeting (PBB) model
SAN PABLO CITY COUNCIL MEETING – July 6, 2026
Prepared by Matt Rodriguez , City Manager
THE RECOMMENDATION
What the City Manager is Asking the Council to Approve
Adopt via Minute Order: Authorize the City Manager to release an RFP and engage a qualified consultant to transform the FY 2025–27 Priority Workplan into a ranked, budget-integrated decision tool. 1 Release the RFP: Issue the executive RFP framework as the scope of services and seek a qualified consultant. 2 Evaluate & Shortlist: Score proposals against established criteria; shortlist and interview finalists. 3 Form an Ad-Hoc Subcommittee: Mayor and Vice-Mayor coordinate with the City Manager on progression and implementation.
4 Reserve Future Award & Funding: Award by future Council action; one-time funding from the City Manager Contingency Operating Reserve (Fund 190).
5 Convene First Council Workshop: Direct staff to hold the first Council priority-ranking workshop in early fall 2026. 02 WHY NOW
Revise Council Priority Workplan –W h y ?
80+
POLICY INITIATIVES
across five Major Policy Goals — listed
alphabetically, not by priority
“TBD”
FUNDING STATUS
carried by a majority of policy initiatives,
with no ranking to guide allocation
$4.4M
FY 2026-27 & FY 2027-28
STRUCTURAL DEFICIT
projected over FY 2026–27 / FY 2027–28
under a zero-based budget
The gap: without a transparent, policy-ranking framework, the Council cannot reliably align limited General Fund resources to its highest priorities. A ranked Workplan tied to Priority-Based Budgeting is needed for fiscal sustainability for next Fy 2028-29+ budget cycles.
FIVE MAJOR POLICY GOALS:
Build a Healthy Community Enhance Community
Resilience
Expand Housing
Options
Economic Development & Fiscal
Diversification Improve Public Safety
03 THE APPROACH
New Professional Services Engagement via RFP
The City Manager recommends engaging an external professional services consultant to convert the Workplan from an alphabetized inventory into a ranked, defensible, budget-integrated decision tool. 01 Rank the Priorities
A Council-driven process scores every
priority against shared criteria —
impact, mandate/legal, fiscal feasibility,
readiness, and goal alignment —
producing a tiered ranking.
02 Priority‐Based Budgeting
PBB ties each ranked initiative to a
funding pathway and tier, reinforcing
the City's revenue tiers and ZBB
framework — fully integrated beginning
FY 2028–29, and future years.
03 Prioritize Community Needs
Resident input from the City's annual
surveys is systematically captured,
validated, and weighted in scoring —
strengthening public trust and Council
consensus.
04 PRIORITY-BASED BUDGETING
Policy Intent to Fiscal Capacity (Tiered‐Ranking)
Tier I
MANDATED / COMMITTED CORE PRIORITIES
Funded within existing General Fund or grants; protected in ZBB.
Tier II
HIGH-VALUE DISCRETIONARY PRIORITIES
Funded as capacity is identified; grant-leveraged where possible.
Tier III
ASPIRATIONAL / CONTINGENT PRIORITIES
Pending new revenue or external funding (currently TBD).
Why it matters
• Connects the ranked Workplan
directly to the budget cycle.
• Reinforces the City's existing
revenue-implementation tiers
and ZBB framework.
• Gives a repeatable method to
re-prioritize as fiscal conditions
change.
• Full integration begins FY
2028–29 and future budget
cycles.
Illustrative tier structure; final tiers and criteria to be defined with Council and staff during the engagement. 05 SCOPE OF SERVICES
A Four‐Phase Engagement
PHASE 1
ASSESSMENT
Review the current Workplan,
fiscal context, and existing
survey data to baseline the
effort.
PHASE 2
FRAMEWORK DESIGN
Build the scoring criteria,
tiered-ranking model, and PBB
structure with Council and
staff.
PHASE 3
FACILITATION &
CONSENSUS
Lead Council workshops to
score, rank, and reach shared
agreement on priorities.
PHASE 4
DELIVERY &
IMPLEMENT ATION
Deliver the ranked, budget-
integrated Workplan and a
repeatable re-prioritization
method.
NOTE: The contract will include all phases funded under City Manager's budget and contract authority. 06 EVALUATION & SELECTION
How Proposals Will Be Scored
100%
WEIGHTED CRITERIA
30% Relevant Experience & Qualifications
30% Soundness of Methodology & PBB Approach
20% Community Engagement & Facilitation Capability
20% Cost & Overall Value
07 GOVERNANCE & PROCESS
Council Oversight and Proposed Timeline
Temporary Ad‐Hoc Subcommittee
Council Oversight with City Manager:
Request establishment of Temporary Ad-Hoc
Subcommittee, consisting of Mayor and Vice-
Mayor, to coordinate with the City Manager on
project implementation.
Expires: December 31, 2026.
PROPOSED TIMELINE
Jul 6, 2026:
• Council Authorizes Release of RFP by City Manager
August-September 2026:
• SRI community priority survey captures updated
resident needs
Last Summer/Early Fall 2026:
• Consultant engaged; first priority-ranking workshop
convened
Future Council Action (TBD):
• Contract award; one-time funding appropriated
FY 2028–29 and Future Years:
• PBB model fully integrated into the budget cycle
08 FISCAL IMPACT
No Cost to Act Today; Disciplined Funding Ahead
$0
TO RELEASE THE RFP
Issuing the RFP framework carries no
direct cost at this time.
CM Contingency
Fund 190
ONE-TIME FUNDING SOURCE
Future contract funded on a one-time
basis from the FY 2026–27 City
Manager Operating Reserve.
Total Costs Not to
Exceed
COST CONTROLS
All phases of contract services NOT TO
EXCEED current City Manager Budget
Authority.
BUDGET, FISCAL & LEGISLATIVE STANDING COMMITTEE: REVIEW ON JUNE 10, 2026 • BFLSC members, consisting of Mayor Pabon-Alvarado and Councilmember Ponce, failed to reach consensus and provide a formal recommendation to the City Council on June 10, 2026.
NO NEW, ONGOING FUNDING COMMITMENT:
• No new, ongoing General Fund commitment is contemplated for the remainder of the FY 2026–27 period. 09 STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Authorize the City Manager via Minute Order Action:
1). Release the RFP using the attached executive framework as the scope of services. 2). Evaluate proposals against the established criteria; shortlist and interview finalists. 3). Establish a Mayor / Vice-Mayor Temporary Ad-Hoc Subcommittee to coordinate implementation. 4). Authorize future contract award and one-time funding from the City Manager Contingency Operating Reserve (Fund 190).
5). Direct staff to convene the first priority-ranking workshop in early fall 2026.
Adopted via Minute Order · Office of the City Manager · July 6, 2026 QUESTIONS?
.