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Pleasanton Mayor-elect Jack Balch will be sworn in to his new role during a special consent calendar session Tuesday along with newly-elected councilmembers Craig Eicher and Matt Gaidos.
Following the adoption of a resolution declaring the results of the Nov. 5 general election, outgoing Mayor Karla Brown and District 2 Councilmember Valerie Arkin will also be recognized for their time on the council and will deliver their final remarks on the dais before the new council takes over for the busy Dec. 17 meeting.
According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voter’s Office’s official certified results, 18,950 of Pleasanton voters (53.94%) voted for Balch while 16,184 (46.06%) voted for Brown.
In District 2, Eicher won the race by just under 700 votes and Gaidos won the District 4 seat by 317 votes more than his opponent and fellow planning commissioner Vivek Mohan.Â
After being sworn in to their positions, the new City Council will discuss several high-level items such as the city’s upcoming budget challenges.
The City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 17). The full agenda can be accessed here.
In other business:
* During the regular portion of the meeting, the City Council will be voting on approving the city’s fiscal year 2025-26 and fiscal year 2026-27 budget engagement plan, which staff say will outline their timeline for developing the city’s budget in light of a projected structural deficit caused by decreasing revenues and increasing expenditures.
“In light of the City’s financial challenges, in-depth discussions about the City’s long-term financial sustainability and cost/service reductions will be a critical part of the upcoming two-year budget development process,” according to the Dec. 13 agenda report.
Every two years, the city manager submits a proposed budget for the next two fiscal years. But in light of Pleasanton’s failed Measure PP this past November — which aimed to raise the city’s sales tax in order to generate more revenue — staff need to develop a plan in order to find ways to make cuts.
Staff will be presenting a report on Tuesday that provides the new council and the community with an overview of the budget development timeline. As part of the recommendation, staff will also be seeking approval of a proposed public engagement plan for the upcoming budget development process.
“Staff has prepared a budget development calendar that specifies the budget preparation timeline with key dates and milestones, including important public engagement events such as a City Council priority setting session and budget workshop,” according to the Dec. 13 agenda report.
According to the report, between January and June staff will develop key documents to present to the council and will use various tools to keep the public informed about the budget development process and allow residents to provide input.
Alternatively, the council could also vote to only establish either a Budget Advisory Committee — which is also on Tuesday’s agenda — or continue following the prior budget development process. They could also eliminate the committee entirely and only focus on community engagement efforts, according to the staff report.
* The council will be voting on creating a Budget Advisory Committee that would be tasked with assisting city staff in developing the city’s 2025-26 and 2026-27 budget for City Council approval in June 2025.
Committee members, made up of city staff representatives as well as representatives from each of the city’s five districts, will also be appointed during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Given significant fiscal challenges in both operating and capital budgets, the Budget Advisory Committee will provide critical insights to help the city manager address constraints on city finances,” according to the staff report. “This committee will also serve as a mechanism for increased transparency and public engagement in compliance with the Brown Act.”
* Staff will be asking the council to adopt a Capital Improvement Program Process and Prioritization (CIPPP) strategy which, according to the staff report, will provide much needed support in planning future construction, repair and replacement projects.
“A CIP prioritization process using a systematic approach to rank projects is intended to help the City allocate resources effectively and make data-driven decisions on capital investments,” according to the staff report. “A CIP Process and Prioritization (CIPPP) strategy that aligns with the ONE Pleasanton Strategic Plan and community input is an essential step in ensuring resources are effectively allocated to the most critical projects, helping to address urgent needs, optimize funding, and meet regulatory deadlines, while acknowledging local priorities.”
* Following the Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval on Oct. 23, the council will be looking to approve the environmental review documentation for mixed-use rezoning, development plan and vesting tentative map for the new housing plans set to replace the iconic Barone’s Restaurant in downtown Pleasanton.
Barone’s Restaurant first shuttered its doors in December 2022 due to various reasons like the pandemic. It reopened in August 2023 as a pared down concept with appetizers, finger foods, cocktails and entertainment three nights a week, as well as private event rentals, before shutting down for good this past October.
The redevelopment plans for the former restaurant includes retaining and expanding the existing two-story, single-family home and demolishing all other structures in order to create a mixed-use development.
The new development across the 2.3 acre project site at 475 and 493 St. John Street would consist of 14 new detached two-and-a-half-story, single-family homes; two single-story retail or commercial buildings with a plaza and a 13-stall parking lot. The two commercial buildings would total approximately 3,125 square feet in area combined and the plaza would be about 1,568 square feet.
“The proposed development is well-designed, would preserve an existing home on-site, provide additional commercial square footage with a public plaza and parking lot and would be compatible with other residential and commercial uses in the Downtown,” according to the staff report.
* As part of the regular consent calendar, which are items considered routine in nature and are typically approved through a single vote, the council will be voting on appointing Councilmember Jeff Nibert as the city’s next vice mayor. They will also be voting on assigning council members to various boards, commissions and subcommittees for 2025.
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Many of Pleasanton’s residents disagree with the removal of 34 Heritage trees on the Barone’s property. The new development should be re-designed to keep more trees, especially the beautiful large Valley Oak on the west side of the property.
http://www.savepleasantontrees.com