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City employees press council for pay and permanency; council approves gymnastics fee increases and makes Neilan Park back'in parking permanent
Summary
At the July 14 meeting SEIU members and city staff urged the council for fairer compensation and paths to permanency for temporary employees. Council later approved a phased 10%+10% gymnastics fee increase and voted to make back'in angled parking at Neilan Park permanent; Blake Street vehicle restrictions will remain a temporary pilot while staff studies circulation impacts.
Several city employees and childcare staff used public comment at the July 14 Menlo Park City Council meeting to urge the city to address compensation and the heavy reliance on temporary/contract labor.
Sakni Tsai, introduced by the City Clerk as the first closed'session speaker, described nearly nine years with the city and said employees "love to work for Menlo Park" but deserved market'competitive pay and stability. Cesar Sanchez, speaking for SEIU Menlo Park employees, read a statement asking the council to fund a compensation study and to create pathways to permanency for temporary positions, saying current pay levels contribute to turnover that reduces service quality.
Alyssa Allen, who works at Menlo Children's Center, contrasted Menlo Park's high housing values with low starting wages at the center, said nearby cities start childcare pay at higher hourly rates and said the city'run positions often function as training pipelines rather than stable jobs.
Council discussion later in the agenda touched separate but related budget issues. On the item to revise gymnastics program fees (K2), Library & Community Services Director Nick Sedka presented options to increase fees to improve cost recovery (current recovery estimated at ~51% vs. a 70% target). The council adopted a resolution to increase gymnastics fees in two 10% steps (fall 2026 and spring 2027) rather than a single 20% jump; Vice Mayor Jennifer Wise moved the phased approach and Councilmember Drew Combs seconded. Staff noted some tools (scholarships, fee assistance) would be available to help families with need.
On regular business the council also adopted a resolution to make a back'in angled parking configuration permanent along the Neilan Park frontage, citing improved visibility, restored parking capacity (from 14 to 31 spaces relative to earlier pilot layouts) and reduced multimodal conflicts following a pilot. Council voted to make the configuration permanent.
Council also discussed the Blake Street temporary vehicular access restriction, which residents and the Complete Streets Commission recommended keeping. Staff said the restriction reduced traffic on Blake and improved pedestrian crossings but redistributed some trips onto nearby streets and that making the restriction permanent would require a circulation study, General Plan circulation element amendments and environmental review. The council directed staff to keep the pilot in place and return with a plan for assessment and funding for the required studies when feasible; council discussed a review cadence of roughly 6'12 months based on staffing and priority.
What happens next: staff will implement the fee changes as approved, maintain Neilan Park parking as permanent per the adopted resolution, continue to manage the Blake Street pilot and return with a recommended schedule and funding options for the circulation study and any General Plan amendments.
