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Council reviews budget amendment package including Leonardo/Plaza 349 upgrades, pedestrian bridge, equipment and parking wayfinding
Summary
Council heard a large fiscal‑amendment package covering vehicle and trailer replacements, public lands equipment ($163,900), wildland firefighting expansion, a $250,000 emergency repair for a Glendale pedestrian bridge, $195,000 for Leonardo (old library) security and maintenance, $889,000 in general‑fund FF&E for Plaza 349/justice court build‑out, and a $584,495 request for downtown parking wayfinding signage; members debated priorities and the balance between streets maintenance and capital projects.
Council reviewed a multipart budget amendment that repurposes and requests general‑fund dollars across several city departments. Highlights discussed in the work session included:
- Fleet and equipment: replacement of a compliance vehicle ($37,000) and trailers for facilities and streets divisions ($30,000 and $58,000), and a $163,900 transfer from attrition/vacancy savings to buy public‑lands equipment (utility vehicle, trencher, aerator, small excavator) to be used primarily for trail maintenance and other operations.
- Public safety and infrastructure: $88,000 requested for wildland firefighting expansion to strengthen staffing and equipment for red‑flag days; a $250,000 one‑time general‑fund request to shore up erosion and foundations around the surplus canal pedestrian bridge at Glendale Golf Course, flagged as urgent to avoid FEMA flood‑insurance consequences.
- Leonardo (old library) and Plaza 349: $195,000 to update access control, security cameras and maintenance at the Leonardo (with $65,000 ongoing request slated for FY27) and a larger capital plan to reconfigure Leonardo and Plaza 349 to accommodate justice court personnel and other city staff; the administration proposed using accrued interest from tax‑exempt bonds for most construction, and $889,000 of general‑fund FF&E for office build‑out that cannot be funded by bond interest.
- Homeless resource center staffing: $292,833 ongoing requested in general fund to maintain Homeless Resource Center mitigation officer staff levels after a reduction in state grant funding.
- Parking wayfinding: a request of $584,495 for a comprehensive downtown parking wayfinding replacement program (repair or replace up to 54 signs; options presented for vinyl overlay or refurbishment of existing signs and $12,400 per new sign for replacements). Council debated whether signage or technology (apps, smart systems) would be more cost‑effective and asked staff to explore public‑private contributions for privately owned garage signage.
Councilmembers pressed the administration on priorities, noting deferred maintenance on streets and an ongoing need to balance capital investments. Administration representatives said some requests are urgent (bridge erosion, equipment for immediate spring work) and others are intended to buy time (Leonardo improvements to free space for a new justice court judge rather than bonding for a new administrative building now). No final votes were taken at the work session.
