[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6283600,"mediaKeyId","2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72","parentId",2586799,"title","Moraga council adopts midyear budget changes, moves $1 million to asset-replacement and $500,000 to pension trust","audioSeconds",1953,"startMs",2031000,"endMs",3984000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72&start=2031&end=3984","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72/thumbnail_2031000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6283600/California/Moraga-council-adopts-midyear-budget-changes-moves-1-million-to-asset-replacement-and-500000-to-pension-trust","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283600-4885809e0722c32f15ee80943c181cd8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947309&Signature=QH0KthxYwo6yrqIAknvKrgGve2SbCHaVTHsiu3p9psCK8-KTYFdpiNiXq3mVa9o0Uhs3dpOLwWvS6eDH5YWI4wTr-nBGw1nWf2vRwScwcdN4IXl3b~osWEiI-n0N3rOa-~4dF3dVlbqq6IU9hnLCwmM48iXBoB9TGVPBKUHdHZkgOTMPVDGQMKpkgfYZPYchyQpxlAA~48b3YRMMBqfY-tx6Uacc8~kcClEAiwe8ehkecOQZ2vmyUH4nRdc2tLHPEha44wzur5plh2J0mdeAlJMraPj6VugLnJs5HLzQtlarxAa97aygqxRu2ls11MhIE9txxXl3ufFGrk~9WcgnSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of Moraga CA","date","2025-03-12T22:11:00Z","article","The Moraga Town Council on March 12 approved midyear adjustments to the town’s operating budgets, adopted a clarified reserve policy and directed one-time transfers of $1,000,000 to the asset replacement fund and $500,000 to a Section 115 pension trust.

The midyear budget update, presented by Administrative Services Director Katie Bruner, realigned revenue and spending estimates for the current fiscal year and recommended several modest program adjustments. Bruner told the council that updated property-tax estimates added about $50,000 and parks-and-recreation receipts had increased by roughly $66,000, driven by stronger summer-camp registration and special-event income. Parks and recreation spending was increased by about $41,000 for temporary summer staff and $25,000 for event supplies and merchandise, producing a projected general-fund operating surplus of roughly $83,000 for the year.

Why it matters: Town staff warned the council that long-term pension costs tied to CalPERS are rising and that, without new revenue or balancing actions, the general fund is projected to run annual operating deficits beginning next fiscal year. Council and staff framed the reserve-policy change and the transfers as steps to smooth future shocks while preserving flexibility for one-time needs.

Key items and context
- General-fund midyear adjustments: Bruner recommended aligning budget lines with current receipts and modestly increasing parks-and-recreation appropriations for temporary staff and event supplies. The council adopted those adjustments by motion.
- ARPA administrative cleanup: staff proposed a $32,000 transfer from the ARPA fund into capital projects to match previously obligated ARPA expenditures; the council approved the cleanup to align appropriations with earlier commitments.
- Hacienda de las Flores operating budget: staff corrected earlier accounting errors and recommended a $50,000 increase in both revenue and expenditure appropriations tied to utility costs associated with a tenant (Wedgwood). Councilmember Carrie Hillis recused from this vote because her residence is within 500 feet; the item passed 4–0 with Hillis abstaining.
- Reserve policy update and one-time allocations: staff recommended designating the general-fund reserve as a committed fund balance per GASB 54, calculating the 50% reserve on the current fiscal year’s adopted operating budget, and allowing council to allocate excess one-time balances rather than automatically moving all surpluses to asset replacement. For excess fiscal year 2023–24 unassigned fund balance, the council approved transfers of $1,000,000 to the asset replacement fund and $500,000 to the town’s Section 115 pension trust.
- 10-year general-fund forecast: staff presented a forecast showing operating expenditures outpacing revenues beginning in fiscal year 2026 under current policy and service levels. Assumptions included a 3% annual property-tax growth, a 3.3% general inflator for other revenues and wages, a 12% healthcare-cost assumption (per current MOUs), a 6.8% CalPERS discount rate for pension projections and a projected CalPERS unfunded-accrued-liability (UAL) peak in the early 2030s. The forecast was presented for council feedback; no formal budget-balancing decisions were made at the meeting.

Council direction and next steps
Council asked staff to continue refining the long-term forecast, to study possible revenue options (fee updates, districts or other sources) and to develop a policy framework for how and when the pension trust would be accessed to smooth employer pension costs. Staff will incorporate council feedback into budget development for fiscal 2025–26 and return with more detailed scenario analysis during the regular budget process.

Ending
The council adopted the staff resolutions and adjustments unanimously except where recusal was recorded for the Hacienda item. Staff said the midyear changes are administrative and intended to align appropriations with current receipts while giving council more flexibility to use one-time funds strategically.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town Council Regular Meeting - March 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Moraga Town Council on March 12 approved midyear adjustments to the town’s operating budgets, adopted a clarified reserve policy and directed one-time transfers of $1,000,000 to the asset replacement fund and $500,000 to a Section 115 pension trust.","taxTitle","Moraga Town, Contra Costa County, California","taxId",70874,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6283591,"Votes at a glance: Moraga Town Council meeting, March 12, 2025",7664,416000,8080000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72&start=416&end=8080","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72/thumbnail_416000.jpg","/articles/6283591/California/Votes-at-a-glance-Moraga-Town-Council-meeting-March-12-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283591-19ee2f8f8d88279f95887f92fafdd66d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947309&Signature=VJOn4~lOE-rmZp-oORgFnNIodIqo2ycDfue2xbjc4WlpGtqNZ6oivdwPSWCvW2EM8-YG~z8x1TvJ1Vwd-8Ol9k6GNkUWSdeen3gh~aOaGmZJJE1VbO51IOXYLGy80i2BIjFaECtLoNyO1nHL34VNhAC30-sr0SF2aJWZHU7PFMNrzHVvC-AoUJZyBU-d1ND-OH88Khhwe0-bgWhVKCDtrSuZmHzBXXD6-jkS4w4Yh26pGJkgUFLHy398~lmCCFE5NSs-HXgxd99MipYS9ygN2k5IHwNRYoB5PbQWLlBFV95R9EPlFJ~B1Gw2Hc6iR2QObljO0owwdvlmnvfOyORNww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Moraga Town Council took the following formal actions at its March 12 meeting. This list does not include ceremonial items or routine procedural votes.

Votes at a glance
- Letter of support for USDA Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant application (item 6.4): Council authorized the mayor to sign a letter of support for a joint USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grant application covering Moraga and neighboring Bridal (council document). Motion moved, seconded and passed unanimously.

- Planning Commission appointments (item 7): The council appointed Alexis Maple, Casey Rain, William Weber and Marcus Bode to two-year terms and appointed Brenda Lester to the one-year unexpired term left by a vacated seat. Motion passed unanimously.

- Parks and Recreation Commission appointment (item 7): The council appointed Julie Sanders to an additional two-year term to the Parks and Recreation Commission. Motion passed unanimously.

- General-fund midyear budget adjustments (item 9b): Council approved midyear adjustments to the FY2024–25 operating budget, including property-tax realignment and increased parks-and-recreation appropriations. Motion passed unanimously.

- Hacienda de las Flores midyear adjustments (item 9c): Council approved corrected midyear adjustments to the Hacienda operating budget, increasing revenue and appropriations by $50,000 to accommodate expected utility costs; Councilmember Carrie Hillis recused and the item passed 4–0 with one abstention.

- Reserve policy update and transfers (item 9d): Council adopted an update to the general-fund reserve policy (designating the reserve as a committed fund balance under GASB 54 and calculating the 50% level on the current-year budget) and approved transfers of $1,000,000 to the asset replacement fund and $500,000 to the Section 115 pension trust. Motion passed unanimously.

- Moraga Road–Canyon Road Complete Streets project (item 9f): Council approved the conceptual design, supporting technical studies and a CEQA categorical-exemption finding, and directed staff to move to detailed design (PS&E) and environmental clearance. Motion passed unanimously. Staff noted a SS4A federal grant covers most construction costs and that a traffic-signal warrant was met at Country Club but not at Alta Mesa under current conditions.

Notes on tallies and recusals
Where the transcript named an abstention or recusal, the table above notes it. Where the transcript recorded only “passed unanimously” and did not name the mover or second, the vote is reported as unanimous per the meeting record. If a motion’s mover or seconder was not clearly identified in the transcript, the record lists that detail as not specified.

","Summary of formal actions taken by the Moraga Town Council on March 12, 2025, including appointments, budget adjustments, grant support, reserve transfers and project approvals.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6283596,"Moraga council approves conceptual design for Moraga Road–Canyon Road complete-streets project",2346,5742000,8088000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72&start=5742&end=8088","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2586799-d665f6fd01252ad59b1b9b01ea5f3e72/thumbnail_5742000.jpg","/articles/6283596/California/Moraga-council-approves-conceptual-design-for-Moraga-RoadCanyon-Road-complete-streets-project","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283596-d4b2e9d149dd4b4317626b858a49f2df/orig.mp4?Expires=1770947309&Signature=KET7VQcjJIkPHHA~UBHU-mkfcEUOOlaDlTG~EGvOV3~JqJHptqqSD~ipLJk5zsrED6mouuGr4Oa7u1W8jl6QnCEomL7EBb7Da9d0EcpPRe6hI75FwKIQ7Yxkp7-79cv7eXJmt5x4w0eLB7vSlUavUTk6fho5vlsaacK-BVPo80CENk6guBM12t-YA0vr~ddfaxBDeJIPI2q4MXpwNwMGBTlNskRUDIyLn94yrBeu~pwZePRA-V0Ch9XfAKeQ0XZCLjJaUFM0Cdi7XpxHN7xw6ihJJ3LXhnDaG44iDxJR36tZJL2CXlNRRKOvp4Xix~3LOCw7zpzv5mC5bewsZkIhlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Moraga Town Council on March 12 approved the conceptual design and supporting technical studies for the Moraga Road–Canyon Road Complete Streets project, which will add buffered bicycle lanes, revised turn lanes at several intersections, and improved pedestrian crossings on the corridor between St. Mary’s Road and Sanders Drive.

The project, led by the town’s public-works team and traffic engineers, is funded in part by a federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant administered through the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA). Staff said the construction cost is estimated at about $4 million and that the SS4A award covers roughly $3 million of construction costs. The council approved the conceptual design and a CEQA categorical-exemption finding by minute order.

What the design does
- Adds buffered bike lanes along the project corridor and narrows 11-foot travel lanes to reduce speeds and improve comfort for people bicycling.
- Reconfigures lanes at Alta Mesa to provide dedicated turn pockets and shorten pedestrian crossing distances; staff said the redesign will not increase queueing on Moraga Road.
- Recommends a new traffic signal at the Country Club intersection after a signal-warrant analysis showed the intersection met criteria; Alta Mesa (the shopping-center driveway) did not meet signal warrants under current conditions.
- Closes several existing sidewalk gaps and improves crossings; staff noted one longer gap between Moraga Way and Alta Mesa was not closed within this project’s funding and will require a future study or development-related mitigation to complete.

Funding and schedule
Nate Levine, the town’s traffic engineer, and Sean Knapp, public works director, told the council the project is scheduled to move into detailed design (plans, specs and estimates) and environmental clearance in 2025–26, with construction expected in summer 2026 and completion by spring 2027, subject to bidding results and permitting.

Public feedback and next steps
Staff described a six-month outreach process that included a pop-up event at Canyon Club, a community meeting at Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School, and online surveys. Outreach showed broad support for improved bicycle facilities and safer pedestrian crossings but also produced requests for more-protected (class 4) bike lanes and a longer multiuse trail connecting to Moraga Commons — items staff said exceed the current grant scope and will be studied as part of a broader corridor plan and future funding efforts.

Ending
The council approved the minute order unanimously. Staff will proceed to the next design phase, pursue required environmental clearance and continue outreach with affected property owners and the public.

","Council approved conceptual designs and supporting studies for a half-mile complete-streets project that adds buffered bike lanes, narrows travel lanes, improves crossings and will add a traffic signal at Country Club; project is federally funded and scheduled for construction in 2026.","actionData","errors"]

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Moraga council adopts midyear budget changes, moves $1 million to asset-replacement and $500,000 to pension trust

Votes at a glance: Moraga Town Council meeting, March 12, 2025

Moraga council approves conceptual design for Moraga Road–Canyon Road complete-streets project