Council receives capital needs update; directs staff to return with refined cost and tax scenarios by December

City staff told the Glendora City Council on June 24 that the city faces significant facility and infrastructure needs and presented options for funding, including property tax–based measures such as general-obligation bonds and parcel taxes.

City Manager Adam Raymond led a broad presentation that synthesized previous facility assessments and new cost context. Staff said bringing all major city facilities — including the library, City Hall, police facilities, public works yard, and community centers — to modern standards could reach the low hundreds of millions of dollars (staff cited a general range of $200 million to $250 million for an extensive modernization program). The presentation also noted an estimated $50 million needed to maintain status quo and reference to a separate water-system assessment showing roughly $350 million in needs for the water system.

Raymond explained long-term fiscal pressures: historical changes from Proposition 13 and the fiscalization of land use reduced cities’ property-tax shares, and federal and state funding levels have not kept pace with local infrastructure needs. Staff presented construction-cost escalation data (construction CPI) showing large increases since the 2010s and stressed that delaying major projects will likely increase future costs. Staff emphasized prior local investments, noting more than $60 million in grant funding and about $50 million in capital projects completed in recent years, and outlined a multi-pronged approach to planning and funding going forward.

The presentation compared two common property-based options for raising revenue: general-obligation (GO) bonds and parcel taxes. Staff explained GO bonds are generally more restrictive (capital-only) and require a two-thirds vote when initiated by council as a special tax; citizen-led initiatives can, in some circumstances, require a lower threshold (50%+1) depending on the measure type. The council packet included draft sample ordinances and a citizen-survey summary indicating limited support for a countywide library-specific bond at the time of the survey. Staff also noted ongoing policy uncertainty: advocacy groups have filed proposed ballot measures that could change voter thresholds for certain local taxes.

A citizens group, the Facilities Restructuring of Glendora Committee, said it has formed a volunteer committee of 30 residents to study priorities and funding mechanisms; Steven Mateer spoke for the group and urged action to avoid passing the burden to future generations. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about the timing of additional facility assessments and design work; staff said it is working with a consultant (DLR Group) on civic-center visioning and expected additional, more detailed cost information by late summer to early fall.

Councilmember Michael moved to receive and file the report and asked staff to return no later than the December council meeting with a refined capital-needs assessment and several property-tax assessment scenarios; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously, 5-0.

Staff stated the refined materials will include updated financing information, conceptual civic-center designs, and cost scenarios tied to potential bond or parcel-tax structures. Council and staff discussed the tradeoffs between parcel tax flexibility and GO bond capital efficiency, interest-rate sensitivity, and public vote thresholds.