Measure Q oversight committee hears proposed FY25–26 spending plan; staff recommends street repairs, fire equipment and police fleet/technology

City Manager Tony Lundgren and senior staff presented the Measure Q proposed fiscal year 2025–26 spending plan to the Measure Q Citizens Oversight Committee on May 28, outlining one‑time capital purchases for public safety, prioritized street repairs and a conservative reserve strategy.

Lundgren told the five‑member advisory panel that staff expects Measure Q to generate roughly $10 million to $13 million annually and said the administration used a conservative $12 million projection for planning. “If we hit that $12,000,000, then we’ll have a little bit of a fund balance,” he said, and recommended setting aside reserves while funding high‑priority one‑time public safety purchases.

Staff recommended a year‑one allocation package that, as presented, includes $2.5 million earmarked to shore up street funding tied to declining gas‑tax revenues; an additional $2.0 million for specific street projects; about $3.65 million to purchase two type‑1 fire engines and to replace aging self‑contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs); and roughly $2.5 million for police fleet replacements and technology upgrades. Staff said the remainder would be held in reserves until revenues and project timing are more certain.

Interim Police Chief Stephen Schluer described police requests as a mix of vehicles and technology: a request for 15 new police vehicles (marked and unmarked), replacement of aging Axon equipment, and an add‑on to the Axon suite called "Draft 1," an AI‑assisted draft‑report tool that staff say will reduce overtime spent on report writing. “We’ve done a test run period and it will cut down the amount of overtime needed to actually write the reports tremendously,” Schluer said.

Interim Fire Chief Dave Rudette told the committee the department’s nearly obsolete breathing apparatus are about 18 years old and increasingly difficult to maintain; he said replacing the full complement of SCBAs at once avoids training and operational problems caused by mixed model years. Rudette estimated the SCBA replacement at roughly $1 million and described a multi‑year delivery timeframe for new large apparatus: “Apparatus are now taking 3 to 4 years to be delivered,” he said.

Interim Finance Director Matt Boring and staff emphasized a conservative approach for year one: hold some funds as reserves rather than bond immediately for a new police headquarters. Lundgren said staff will continue updating fee structures (development impact fees and facility fees) to help pay a portion of long‑range projects such as a new police facility and fire stations.

Committee members sought clarifying detail and pressed staff on sequencing and fiscal sustainability. A recurring theme: Measure Q was not intended to be the sole funding source for large capital projects. “Measure Q will not be able to bear all of these costs,” Lundgren said, and staff described plans to combine Measure Q with updated fees, development agreements and other revenue sources.

Committee members also asked about timelines and where future fire stations might be sited. Rudette said the department is updating its standards‑of‑cover study and a separate fire‑facility fee study; staff told the committee that siting and staffing decisions will follow those studies and additional council direction.

Members offered near‑term procedural feedback and were invited to comment again when the city council considers the broader budget on June 3. The panel did not vote on the Measure Q allocations at the May 28 meeting; staff sought the committee’s feedback and urged members to attend the June 3 council meeting where the budget will be presented.

Separately, the committee approved a set of future meeting dates and elected its officers. The panel voted 5‑0 to set regular meetings for Oct. 1, 2025; Jan. 28, 2026; and May 27, 2026. The committee also appointed Judy Blumhorst as chair and Ben Cantu as vice chair; both appointments were adopted unanimously.