Status: This is the posted, final (revised) agenda — not a draft. Items A and 1–17 are the
Consent Calendar; 18–20 are Council Consent; 21–22 are Action public hearings;
23a/b and 24a/b are Council Action; 25–26 are Information. All items are PROPOSED (pre-vote)
except Item A (FY 2027 Appropriations Ordinance) and Item 1 (TNC tax rate), which are on
second reading. The 4:00 p.m. Special Meeting is a worksession on the PAB/ODPA 2025 Annual Report — no fiscal items.
⚠ The FY 2027 budget was not adopted on July 7 — and it grew
Item A is the FY 2027 Annual Appropriations Ordinance, continued from July 7. Its second reading now lands on July 14 — with higher numbers than the version Council saw at first reading.
| FY 2027 AAO | As presented July 7 | As presented July 14 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross appropriations | $921,596,116 | $922,346,116 | +$750,000 |
| Net appropriations | ≈$795.8M | $796,579,332 | ≈+$779,000 |
| Ordinance number cited | 8,029-N.S. | 8,209-N.S. | digit transposition? |
What this means. Our July 7 scan recorded the AAO as being on second reading that night. It was continued instead,
so the FY 2027 budget is still not adopted as of this scan. Between the two agenda postings the ordinance grew by
$750,000 gross. The agenda face does not explain the increase — it lives in the linked staff report.
First reading passed all ayes.
The ordinance number also differs between the two agendas (8,029-N.S. vs 8,209-N.S.). One is likely a typo; we have not determined which. Moderate confidence on the delta, High on the July 14 figures (quoted verbatim).
The ordinance number also differs between the two agendas (8,029-N.S. vs 8,209-N.S.). One is likely a typo; we have not determined which. Moderate confidence on the delta, High on the July 14 figures (quoted verbatim).
Summary totals
New/amended direct spending on this agenda: ≈ $2.87M (clearly-stated new money), up to $3.27M if Item 10's full ceiling is new.
$2.87M
New / amended spending
9 items, stated increases · High
$2.74M
Incoming state grant
Future of Public Health, 3 yrs · High
$796.6M
FY27 budget (2nd reading)
Continued from 7/7 · High
3
Tax measures → Nov ballot
Arts · Public Bank · Soda · High
| Bucket | Amount | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle purchases — 10 electric Silverados (Item 16) | $790,000 | High |
| Vehicle purchases — 9 GO-4 parking enforcement vehicles (Item 17) | $550,000 | High |
| Belfor USA — emergency restoration on-call (Item 13) | +$400,000 | High |
| Bay Area Community Land Trust — capacity building (Item 8) | $400,000 | Moderate |
| Daupler, Inc. — after-hours answering (Item 15) | $375,000 | High |
| Total new / amended direct spending | $2,870,730 | High |
| Upper bound incl. Item 10's full $400K ceiling | $3,270,730 | Low |
| New Public Works Director salary — annual, recurring (Item 7) | $270,000/yr | High |
A. Spending items
| # | Title / vendor | New $ | Total NTE | Category | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Purchase order — National Auto Fleet Group | $790,000 | $790,000 | Public Works / Fleet | Ten all-electric Chevrolet Silverado trucks. Largest single spend on this agenda — ≈$79,000 per vehicle. |
| 17 | Purchase order — Turf Star, Inc. | $550,000 | $550,000 | Public Works / Parking | Nine GO-4 parking enforcement vehicles — ≈$61,000 each. |
| 13 | Amend — Belfor USA Group (32300214) | +$400,000 | $550,000 | Public Works | On-call emergency restoration, mitigation and remediation; term extended to 3/11/2028. Nearly a 3.7× increase on a $150K base. |
| 8 | Contract — Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT) | $400,000 | $400,000 | Housing | Capacity-building award from the 2026 Capacity Building RFP: $200,000/yr for FY27 and FY28 — explicitly "subject to approval in the budget process." |
| 15 | Contract — Daupler, Inc. | $375,000 | $375,000 | Public Works | After-hours answering services, three years, with two optional one-year extensions (unpriced). |
| 14 | Amend — Metro Elevator (32600081) | +$300,000 | $650,000 | Public Works / Facilities | Maintenance, repairs and emergency response for citywide elevators. |
| 11 | Amend — BOSS, Public Facilities Improvements (32600032) | +$54,480 | $249,480 | Health & Housing | Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency — a public facility improvement project; term to 6/30/2027. |
| 18 | Council office funds → Bertha Brown memorial gathering | $1,000 | $1,000 | Council Discretionary | Bartlett $1,000 to the South Berkeley Community Church Hunger Program memorial gathering and accessibility services. |
| 20 | Council office funds → RISE student advocates program | $250 | $250 | Council Discretionary | Tregub $250 to the Berkeley Public Schools Fund's RISE program; up to $250/member invited. |
| 10 | Amend — BOSS, Representative Payee Services (32400161) | unstated | $400,000 | Health & Housing | Representative payee services, term 7/1/2023–6/30/2027. The agenda gives only a $400,000 ceiling — it does not say how much of that is new money. Excluded from the headline total. |
| 7 | Appointment — Director of Public Works | $270,000/yr | recurring | Personnel | Confirms James (Jamie) Parks as Public Works Director effective 8/17/2026 at an annual salary of $270,000. Recurring personnel cost, not a one-time appropriation. |
Subtotal new/amended direct spending: $2,870,730 (High).
Note the pattern: 5 of 9 spending items are Public Works or facilities — vehicles, elevators, emergency restoration, after-hours phones.
Item 10 is excluded because its increase is not stated; if the full $400,000 ceiling were new, the total would be $3,270,730.
B. Revenue, taxes, fees & assessments
Incoming grants
| # | Source | Amount | Category | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | State of California — Future of Public Health | $2,736,639 | Public Health | $912,213 per year for FY27, FY28 and FY29. The single largest money movement on this agenda after the budget ordinance itself — and it flows in. |
| 25 | Alameda CTC Capital Investment Program 2028 / MTC OBAG Cycle 4 | info only | Transportation | Information report on grant applications. Amounts not on the agenda face — worth watching, this is the pipeline for future transportation capital funding. |
Tax rates, fees & assessments
| # | Item | Rate / amount | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2027 Transportation Network Company (Uber/Lyft) User Tax — 2nd reading | 65.1005¢ / 31.7889¢ | Sets the CY2027 rate effective 1/1/2027: 65.1005 cents per non-pooled prearranged trip originating in Berkeley, 31.7889 cents per pooled trip. First reading passed 8-0 (Bartlett absent). |
| 12 | 2018 Clean Stormwater Fee — FY 2027 levy | See report | Approves adjusted fees and orders the levy for FY27. Adjustment amount not on the agenda face. |
| 22 | FY 2027 Street Lighting Assessments (public hearing) | See report | Confirms assessments for Street Lighting Assessment District No. 1982-1 and District 2018, approves the Engineer's Reports, and levies for FY27. |
| 21 | Lease — International Child Resource Institute, 125-127 University Ave (public hearing) | See report | Five-year lease of second-floor Waterfront office space to ICRI, 9/1/2026–8/31/2031. City is lessor — this is incoming rent. Terms not on the agenda face. First reading of an ordinance. |
C. Three tax measures headed for the November ballot
Items 2, 3 and 4 are citizen initiative petitions that qualified. Council's only real choice is to submit them "without alteration" to the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election. Each is listed as "no direct fiscal impact" today — but each would reshape city revenue if passed.
| # | Measure | Mechanism | What it would do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Parcel tax to fund arts institutions and programs | New parcel tax | Creates a dedicated parcel tax for arts funding. Rate and yield are in the petition text, not the agenda face. |
| 3 | Parcel tax to fund a Public Bank | New parcel tax | Creates a dedicated parcel tax to capitalize a municipal public bank. |
| 4 | Sugar-sweetened beverage tax — doubling + conversion | $0.01 → $0.02/oz | Replaces Berkeley's existing $0.01/oz general soda tax with a $0.02/oz special tax dedicated to public health, nutrition and water access. Doubling the rate and converting general-fund revenue into restricted revenue — a two-thirds-vote special tax. |
Why "no direct fiscal impact" understates this. The Clerk is right that placing a measure on the ballot costs nothing beyond election administration. But Item 4 in particular would convert an existing General Fund revenue stream into a restricted special-tax stream while doubling the rate — a structural change to the revenue base. Read alongside Item 19, in which Council is asked to oppose ACA 22 (a state constitutional amendment that would tighten the two-thirds vote requirement for special taxes), the July 14 agenda is unusually load-bearing for Berkeley's future taxing authority.
D. Reviewed — no direct fiscal impact
| # | Item | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Position of opposition to ACA 22 (Tregub) | Opposes a state constitutional amendment restricting how local governments adopt certain taxes; letters to Newsom, Sen. Arreguín, Asm. Wicks. No direct cost — but directly about Berkeley's taxing power. |
| 5, 6 | Police Accountability Board — alternate + new member appointments | Two PAB appointments (one nominated by Mayor Ishii). "See report." |
| 23a/b | Air support & canine units — rescind Res. 51,408-N.S. (Kesarwani) / Peace & Justice Commission counter-report | Competing a/b items on lifting the 1982 helicopter and police-dog restrictions. Financial implications: "See report" / None. |
| 24a/b | Tear gas & OC spray — reinstate limited use (Kesarwani) / Peace & Justice Commission counter-report | Competing a/b items on lifting the 2020 moratorium on tear gas, smoke and OC spray for critical incidents. "See report" / None. |
| 26 | Zero Waste Commission FY 2026-27 Work Plan | Information only. |
| Special | 2025 PAB & ODPA Annual Report (4:00 p.m. worksession) | Worksession presentation. No action, no fiscal item. |
Confidence & sourcing
High — Items A, 1, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20: figures quoted verbatim from the posted agenda. The $2,870,730 subtotal is arithmetic on those figures.
Moderate — FY27 AAO delta. The +$750,000 gross change is computed against the figure printed on the July 7 agenda ($921,596,116). Our July 7 scan recorded net only as "$795.8M," so the ≈+$779K net delta is approximate. The July 14 figures themselves are exact.
Moderate — Item 8 (BACLT). $200,000/yr × 2 years is stated, but the award is expressly "subject to approval in the budget process," so it is authorized rather than appropriated.
Low — Item 10 (BOSS Representative Payee). The agenda gives a $400,000 not-to-exceed for a contract running since July 2023 but never states the increase. We excluded it from the headline rather than guess. This is the single largest ambiguity on the agenda.
Low / Unknown — Items 12 (stormwater fee), 21 (ICRI lease terms), 22 (street lighting assessments), 25 (grant applications) all say "See report" with no figure on the agenda face.