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Council directs staff to renew Downtown Brentwood Coalition MOU at $90,000 per year after broad business support
Summary
After a large public turnout of downtown business owners and coalition supporters, the City Council directed staff to return with a new MOU continuing the Downtown Brentwood Coalition partnership at $90,000 per fiscal year for two fiscal cycles and asked for clearer, consolidated accounting of city support.
The Brentwood City Council on Jan. 27 directed staff to draft a new memorandum of understanding to continue city funding of the Downtown Brentwood Coalition (DBC) at $90,000 per fiscal year for fiscal years 2026‑27 and 2027‑28.
Abraham Salinas of the City’s economic development team presented an update on the MOU, noting the current agreement — executed in 2024 — expires in June 2026. Chris Dominguez, executive director of the Downtown Brentwood Coalition, reviewed the coalition’s 2025 activities and impact: 12 community events attracting roughly 35,000 visitors, new programming (including a sold‑out oratorical and a crab feed), expanded social media reach and a DBC office. Dominguez said the coalition is transitioning to a 501(c)(3) and emphasized the executive director position was essential to rebuilding and sustaining downtown activity.
“Running 12 events in a year is a lot,” Dominguez said. “The executive director role allows us to provide the constant day‑to‑day support our downtown has come to rely on.”
More than two dozen business owners and board members testified in support of continuing MOU funding, saying DBC events drove foot traffic and helped revitalize downtown. Owners and operators cited everything from higher retail sales at event weekends to long‑term increases in downtown occupancy rates.
Council members praised the Coalition’s outcomes but debated funding buckets and transparency. Some councilmembers asked staff to return with a single, inclusive accounting of city support (direct MOU payments, economic development grants, and fee waivers) to clarify the full scope of municipal assistance to downtown programming.
Councilmember Mendoza moved and the council voted unanimously to direct staff to develop and return with a new MOU providing $90,000 per fiscal year for each of the next two fiscal cycles; staff will report back with the draft MOU and clearer budget accounting.
Next steps: staff will prepare the draft MOU and an inclusive breakdown of city support so council and the public can review precise funding sources and terms before final agreement.
