[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6551894,"mediaKeyId","5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843","parentId",5322922,"title","Council introduces updates to municipal code for administrative citations and waives first reading","audioSeconds",222,"startMs",10495000,"endMs",10717000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843&start=10495&end=10717","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843/thumbnail_10495000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6551894/Albany-City/Alameda-County/California/Council-introduces-updates-to-municipal-code-for-administrative-citations-and-waives-first-reading","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6551894-a41c99840cf15fee48c53ac8bdb20ff9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440265&Signature=gt5SEvqK7axWETAU9wcA-br6GEaoLd1~yvqTsE1tNtpyUOrkE-Jc8rYmM3QSzU8En6ACErZtW0DIjmaPRvNnE0hYhhDCYHrGzlkTurC~qJ64WyZ4VhBi7SiTnhtfCU--Ho2rrf~UjNK5Wvw3RnzwFubsORRMBvvn1Yb268stMTKOmgyqCStTvLO9yP7EXSmiMIdAOXmSO79LS9fxsDPRSbmLHct17gp~MvELYhUCEGIrf4JDnZHoTqFeGdLv0zgN2xh27kc-BbA0zw0UKW8~50m47SpsLj1XWjaf307zlu89G3pWCjtAu7331GptXnyXayia7XXhrfBycKCk-FHKcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Albany, CA","date","2025-07-08T00:40:42Z","article","Albany City Council introduced two ordinances July 8 to update municipal-code definitions and the administrative‑citation process and waived first reading for both ordinances.

Community Development Director Jeff Bond described the proposed changes as procedural updates that reflect state law and contemporary enforcement practices; the changes do not alter the range of violations subject to enforcement but modify the process for issuing civil citations.

\"An administrative citation is a civil citation. It's much like a parking ticket,\" Bond said, explaining the tool is intended to encourage compliance after outreach and courtesy notices. He emphasized staff will try problem‑solving first and avoid actions that could inadvertently displace residents in occupied housing.

Why it matters: The update is intended to give code‑enforcement, fire and public‑works staff a clarified procedural tool to address recurring code violations while providing due process protections and discretion for cases involving vulnerable occupants.

Council action and vote

The council voted to introduce and waive first reading of Ordinance 2025‑03 (amending Municipal Code Section 1‑1 definitions) and Ordinance 2025‑04 (administrative citations, Chapter 18‑1). The clerk recorded unanimous votes in favor; the items will return for a future second reading and adoption.

Implementation and safeguards

Bond said staff will use administrative citations after outreach and notices, and that departments will coordinate when inspections reveal occupant‑safety or housing‑stability concerns. Council members asked staff to be careful with occupied housing and to continue to prioritize problem‑solving and support where inability to comply is due to resource constraints.

The ordinances were introduced as a first reading; the council did not adopt final ordinances at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Albany City Council - July 7, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council introduced and waived first reading of ordinances updating Albany’s administrative-citation procedures for code violations, reflecting state law and best-practice changes; staff said the changes keep prosecution options while emphasizing caution where occupants might be displaced.","taxTitle","Albany City, Alameda County, California","taxId",72346,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6551898,"Council approves special assessments to collect delinquent solid‑waste charges",260,10157000,10417000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843&start=10157&end=10417","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843/thumbnail_10157000.jpg","/articles/6551898/Albany-City/Alameda-County/California/Council-approves-special-assessments-to-collect-delinquent-solidwaste-charges","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6551898-a62943123589a692afbcd482d09cef1b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440265&Signature=B1KhHjOgICsqpXTV2oQWDqHUC6dyORZqHu4RPeWPzi25IDmLED~hQkXngvKngofMQRVVz~tO7hHondNLi9nrDT2lW4or5celFoZ4yH8wO4rLymQ2R0q13VkgrCj8BNGP3llKO6uXAIFZ9YzieaOxq8Z3YDIQtrIWiIw2ohFfzd-jNslwlBqNNnBxheLRim7Aro7bCj~duHHfek8fzeuZbKXaDVdNAJuyinFps-SsTq3Z9sSjgiVgOtKChHk56zU7iYKEx6ltM0lb5Ad9Tj5cm9g3fA2XqXVzOz~wnJZB00RezNwSTIqqi5sCCYTjBqlS3HwHalMtCtoRsM0wt8PrvQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Albany City Council voted unanimously July 8 to authorize special assessments for a list of properties with unpaid residential solid‑waste accounts, sending the amounts to the county tax roll for collection.

The council adopted Resolution 2025‑51 after a public hearing in which staff outlined the city’s role handling delinquencies under the waste‑management franchise. Community Development Director Jeff Bond said the ordinance authorizing the practice and the franchise agreement require the city to assist in collection by placing unpaid balances as special assessments on property tax bills.

\"Those properties would each be assessed the amount due plus $50 for city costs fee city fee for the processing of the special assessment,\" Bond said, summarizing the staff recommendation. He said Waste Management mailed multiple notices to account holders and the city sent a final letter before the public hearing.

Why it matters: The assessment process provides a mechanism for the private hauler to keep providing weekly service while ensuring unpaid balances are ultimately billed to property owners through the county tax system.

Public and council discussion

A council member asked whether the $50 administrative fee was the maximum the city could legally charge; Bond said he did not know the legal maximum but that $50 was the city’s longstanding practice to cover staff processing costs. A council member noted staff had worked to make the process efficient and that the fee historically covered modest processing expenses.

Council action and vote

A council member moved adoption of Resolution 2025‑51 and the measure passed by unanimous roll call. The clerk recorded votes of yes from Mayor Robin Lopez, Vice Mayor McQuay, Council member Hans(on) Romero, Council member Jordan and Council member Mickey.

Implementation

Following the council action, staff will forward the assessment list to the county for placement on the next property‑tax roll. The county will deduct its own collection fees; the city will deduct the $50 per parcel processing fee and remit the balance to Waste Management for reconciliation of accounts.

The resolution itself lists parcel numbers and amounts; staff said notices and multiple prior mailings had been sent to affected property owners and tenants.","After a public hearing, council adopted a resolution authorizing placement of unpaid residential solid‑waste charges on property tax rolls; each parcel will be assessed the unpaid amount plus a $50 city processing fee and county collection costs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6551904,"Albany staff begin multi-year review of taxes, fees and bonds to shore up city services",1339,5065000,6404000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843&start=5065&end=6404","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5322922-8d0fdb954b1303457258accb72d8f843/thumbnail_5065000.jpg","/articles/6551904/Albany-City/Alameda-County/California/Albany-staff-begin-multi-year-review-of-taxes-fees-and-bonds-to-shore-up-city-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6551904-d91ea3f0e97cd4cefb04de99534c396c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440265&Signature=lYoAswYDRmgzZZC14EI3tJTxvcknbjxOVJpPuD7kAj-m~k-y8~x8JCBVBFFHi1bNWAucrM472W1UTaBvFD36FcgcIa6S0r8JWOq7Utvz7qbY3WHFipGKd462uzQT2gnSppHZd4NxMOGlqaljoLENA1V1GUpIHj5EaXgeB9fUUSLwSebHHSMb5oRHH~XgCIQcZdIhPRMQcTQOUikPrD8nWdU5dUVkID6oa4oq863-cjtTOUy-A8b7be7AVZf5j-hRiiJ~xPvT5zk1fURjrsc0oPavFrY41Fsw8jfavFtMSmdT9Fs1O~sVl2CHQIgMJJo1iraCFX~g63JCgOt6IAxKlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Albany City Council members heard a detailed kickoff presentation July 8 on a multi-year program of potential revenue measures and related actions intended to close structural budget gaps and fund aging infrastructure, parks and facilities.

The discussion centered on a range of options staff said could be pursued over the next three to five years: modernizing the business license tax, studying a sewer enterprise rate update, examining new or reauthorized parcel taxes for street-tree management and street lighting, exploring storm‑drain funding approaches in light of Prop 218 complexities, and investigating bonding for large building projects such as the Veterans Memorial Hall.

Finance Director Rena Schwartz told the council the presentation was intended as a “kickoff” and warned the process will be lengthy. “They are a process. This is a journey,” she said, describing the different legal and implementation rules that apply to each revenue tool and the consultants the city will engage to prepare analyses and ordinance language.

Why it matters: Albany’s operating budget is balanced for FY25–26 but staff said a structural gap persists and long‑deferred capital and maintenance needs — from pavement and sewers to parks and building systems — will require new or reauthorized revenue. Council members pressed staff on timing and structure, including whether some existing parcel or special taxes should be reauthorized with updated language to capture possessory interest properties (for‑profit developments on public or university land) and whether measures should be placed on the June 2026 primary or the November 2026 general election.

Key points from staff and council

- Staff recommended continued work on multiple fronts: begin business license modernization with consultant HDL; continue parcel- and parcel‑billing analyses and a sewer rate study (expected to return in roughly one year to be timed for the 2026–27 tax roll); investigate consultant options for street-tree and street-light funding; and study bonding options for major facilities.

- Schwartz summarized timing constraints for property or parcel taxes that must be submitted to the county tax roll: a June 2026 special tax would require final council adoption by the March 2, 2026 regular meeting to meet the county’s March 6 submission deadline, a schedule staff described as “extremely tight.” Sewer fee updates, by contrast, require public hearing and council action and do not go to voters but must meet the county’s August deadline for placement on the tax roll.

- On storm drain funding, staff said legal and litigation history makes the path unclear. “Prop 218 … was silent on storm drain,” Schwartz said, and the city’s regional NPDES permit and increasing regional requirements were driving higher compliance costs. Staff recommended the most conservative path may be to take a stormwater measure to a vote, but acknowledged that is a heavy lift.

- Council members raised specific options and priorities: a tiered property‑transfer tax modeled on Berkeley; expansion of possessory‑interest language to capture private operators of large student-housing buildings; bundling street-tree and lighting funding under a single parcel tax; and leaving active‑transportation projects (bike lanes, sidewalks) separate because they may be more controversial.

Council direction and next steps

While no formal vote was required, council members broadly supported staff continuing analyses and consultant work with several requested priorities. Multiple council members identified business-license modernization as a near-term priority; staff said HDL will be engaged immediately and that work could lead to an ordinance and a potential 2026–27 implementation. Several council members asked staff to return with refined options for combining or reauthorizing existing parcel taxes (for parks, open space, street trees, street lights and emergency medical service/ALS funding) and with more precise cost estimates before committing to an election timeline.

Finance Director Schwartz summarized the tangible next steps staff will take: start HDL work on business license modernization, continue billing and parcel analysis for sewer rates, develop cost estimates and ballot language options for street-tree and lighting measures, and return to council with recommended sequencing and a timetable for potential ballot placement. Staff also noted an upcoming ARPA update scheduled for September–October and stressed that ARPA funds are finite (through December 2026).","City staff presented a multi-year program of potential revenue measures — including business-license modernization, stormwater and sewer fees, street-tree and street-light funding, and longer-term bonds — and sought council direction on priorities and timing for possible 2026–2028 ballot or rate actions.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council introduces updates to municipal code for administrative citations and waives first reading

Council approves special assessments to collect delinquent solid‑waste charges

Albany staff begin multi-year review of taxes, fees and bonds to shore up city services