Pleasanton council approves revised budget engagement plan, seeks outside review and adds workshops

The Pleasanton City Council voted to adopt a revised community engagement plan for the city’s two‑year budget process and to form a citizens’ budget advisory committee, after multiple hours of a budget workshop and public comment on Jan. 9.

City leaders also added two extra council workshops to review forecast assumptions and directed staff to solicit an independent professional review of the city’s long‑range financial forecast and underlying assumptions.

The revised engagement plan combines an online engagement tool, one town‑hall style meeting, and a citizen budget advisory committee that will meet before the council adopts the two‑year budget in June. City staff emphasized that the two‑year budget is the immediate priority but that a longer‑term financial strategy — including pension and infrastructure funding — will follow.

Finance Director Susan Shea described the city’s fiscal condition during a preceding workshop, telling the council that the city faces “a structural deficit” and a sizeable backlog of deferred capital needs. Shea outlined that the general fund and enterprise funds together total roughly $240 million in operating revenue for the current fiscal year, and she said the city will present a draft financial forecast at the council’s Feb. 18 meeting.

Deputy City Manager Alexa Jeffress presented the revised outreach plan and the role of the proposed advisory committee, saying the panel would provide a public conduit for feedback on service priorities and tradeoffs while staff develops budget scenarios.

Members of the public urged care in using one‑time funds and transparency in forecast assumptions. Jan Bachelor and others asked the council to prioritize efficiency and to avoid over‑reliance on reserves; Arnie Olson and others asked staff and council to explain why 2024 closed with a surplus while the forecast had projected a deficit.

After debate, the council amended staff’s recommendation on the dais to require two additional council workshops (one focused on the forecast on Feb. 18 and one in March) and to direct staff to obtain an outside, independent opinion on the city’s long‑range financial outlook. The motion passed 4‑1 (Council Member Testa opposed).

The council separately established the budget advisory committee — an 11‑member panel with seats for a council appointee from each member, labor representatives, a management representative and two at‑large residents — by unanimous vote. The city manager will forward the committee nominees and staff will post the committee’s schedule.

Council members said the combination of broader public engagement, the advisory committee, extra workshops and an independent review was intended to rebuild public trust after the recent sales‑tax ballot measure and to give council better evidence for difficult tradeoffs expected this spring.

The council’s action does not itself adopt program cuts or new revenue; it authorizes the outreach and review process and sets additional workshop dates to inform the June budget adoption.

Votes at a glance • Approval of modified community engagement plan (online tool, town hall, budget advisory committee) with two additional workshops and direction to seek an independent review of the long‑range forecast — Vote: 4 yes, 1 no (Testa). • Establishment of Budget Advisory Committee (11 members) — Vote: unanimous. • Appointments to the Budget Advisory Committee (as read into the record by staff) — Vote: unanimous.

What happens next Staff will post the advisory committee roster and schedule. The council will receive a forecast update Feb. 18 and the additional workshop in March; staff will begin a procurement process for an independent review of forecast assumptions and will return to council with proposals for the peer review contract.

Ending Council members said they expect the next three months of workshops and committee meetings to be intensive and to focus on realistic, data‑driven options to close structural shortfalls while protecting core services and infrastructure investments.