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The Pleasanton City Council will be deciding Tuesday whether staff should conduct public polling to determine if there is community interest in placing one, or potentially several, revenue measures on the November 2026 ballot.
The discussion comes almost a full year after Measure PP — a half cent sales tax measure — failed to get enough votes in the 2024 election and after difficult budget reduction decisions by the council.
“The polling would provide data-driven insights to inform the City Council’s future decisions regarding the City’s long-term fiscal sustainability,” the Aug. 19 staff report states. “Results would be presented to the City Council to inform a decision on whether to pursue one or more measures.”
Over the last couple of years, the city has made significant reductions to its General Fund operating budget with some of the more recent cuts affecting things like the Pleasanton Public Library’s hours of operation. Several former and current City Council members like Julie Testa have, in recent months, said that some of these cuts could have been less significant had Measure PP passed.
Now, according to the city, there is not only a renewed focus on economic development, but also a push to identify new sources of revenue as the city continues to face an ongoing structural deficit, which initially led the past City Council to vote on placing Measure PP on the 2024 ballot.
According to Tuesday’s agenda report, staff will be seeking council direction on “whether to conduct professional voter opinion polling in fiscal year 2025/26 to assess community support for potential revenue measures to address some or all of the projected deficit.”
“Professional polling is a practical first step for agencies to understand community sentiment before investing significant resources in ballot measure development,” the staff report states. “This approach would provide objective information about voter priorities, test support levels for various revenue options, and help identify which methods are worth pursuing. By gathering this data early, the city can make informed decisions and ensure any future proposals align with community values and have the best chance for voter approval.”
Staff will present various potential revenue measure options for the council’s consideration. The proposed list of potential measures includes transient occupancy tax/hotel tax increases; sales tax alternatives; parcel taxes for specific services; and general obligation bonds for infrastructure.
According to the report, the goal is to narrow down the list of options to a maximum of three, which would be presented to the public for consideration.
“For the proposed revenue measure options, the polling would measure initial support levels, test the impact of pro and con messaging, analyze demographic variations in support, assess which city services residents value most, and help determine optimal measure structures and rates,” staff stated in the report.
If the council decides it wants to weigh multiple revenue measure options, staff said the city might need a poll before the end of this year followed by a second poll by next spring in order to “check again on the viability of the chosen approach.”
Professional polling services are estimated to cost the city anywhere from $31,000 to $50,000 depending on sample size, methodology and other factors. Funding for these polling services is available in the city manager’s professional services budget, according to staff.
“This investment in data could prevent costly ballot measure failures and ensure any future proposals align with community support,” according to the staff report.
The City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 19). The full agenda can be accessed here.
In other business:
* During the City Council’s consent calendar, which are items considered routine in nature and are typically approved through a single vote with little deliberation, the dais will look to approve the creation of a Capital Improvement Program which would fund a feasibility study and preliminary design for a potential train quiet zone in Pleasanton.
The council previously directed staff to adjust the city’s five-year CIP to add the “Quiet Zone Feasibility Study and Design Project” following months of residents asking the city to prioritize such a study.
According to the staff report, $175,000 will be moved from the city’s Repair and Replacement program in order to fund this new project.
“The estimated timeline for completion of the study will be identified based on project proposals to be solicited in fall 2025,” according to staff.
* City staff will present an operations report of the Pleasanton Pioneer Cemetery and seek council direction on a modified service model that staff hope will enhance the cemetery’s fiscal sustainability.
According to the staff report, the cemetery currently operates as an enterprise fund that is subsidized by the city’s General Fund.
“The ongoing operational costs of running the cemetery continue to exceed the revenues generated from plot sales and burials,” according to the staff report.
The long term goal is to either limit or completely eliminate the subsidy for the cemetery, according to staff, which is why the city recently conducted an operational analysis to “evaluate different operating models for the cemetery.”
“While there is an approach to managing the cemetery that decreases the city’s costs, the city should expect to continue to have to subsidize the operation and maintenance of the cemetery at this time,” staff stated in the report. “The long-term goal is to operate the cemetery with revenues matching expenditures and eliminate reliance on the City’s General Fund for operational subsidies.”
Staff will seek council input on future operations for the cemetery as part of the discussion Tuesday.
* As part of the council’s consent calendar, City Manager Gerry Beaudin is seeking authorization to execute project funding agreements with the Alameda County Transportation Commission in order to secure almost $1.3 million for two major road improvement projects.
The funding would help specifically pay for phase two of the West Las Positas Boulevard Multimodal Reconstruction Project, which aims to make improvements from Iron Horse Trail to Santa Rita Road, and the Interstate 580 Overcrossing Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Project.
* As part of the consent calendar, the council will be voting to adopt two proposed contracts: one between the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Joint Powers Authority and the union representing LPFD battalion chiefs and the other between the joint powers authority and the union representing sworn fire personnel.
Both contracts, which include various salary and benefit increases, were previously presented to the council during its July 15 meeting.
* Also during the consent calendar, staff will be requesting the council’s approval to enter into a five-year, $1,724,652 agreement with Axon Enterprise to provide “the most current technology in police body-worn cameras (BWCs), conducted energy devices (CEDs, or Tasers), and digital evidence storage,” for the Pleasanton Police Department.
The city previously entered into a similar agreement with Axon in 2015 which provided the department with body-worn cameras and digital evidence storage.
“The current agreement expires on Nov. 30, 2025, and the Taser 10 and Axon Body 4 camera, which will be included with the proposed new agreement, offer features that improve safety and effectiveness,” according to the staff report. “The agreement is a comprehensive service package that includes all hardware, operational and analytical software, training, and electronic evidence storage.”
* The Pleasanton Downtown Association will be presenting an update to the council on the economic vitality of downtown Pleasanton and ask for several downtown stakeholders who are part of the Pleasanton Downtown Association Executive Committee, to be appointed to the 2026 Downtown Pleasanton Business Improvement District assessment process and collection.
* Prior to the regular meeting, the council will convene for a closed session meeting to conduct performance evaluations for City Manager Gerry Beaudin and City Attorney Dan Sodergren. During the same closed session meeting, which starts at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the council will also meet with city labor negotiators to discuss matters regarding the Pleasanton city employees’ union, AFSCME Local 955.
I (and many) would strongly oppose any new tax or bonds on residents. The council should do the same.
The city needs to trim down its costs, reduce staff and improve efficiencies so that services are not impacted any more. Let’s explore this option first.
Additionally the city needs to incentivize and encourage business and investments in Pleasanton that can drive more revenue.
Every time – increasing tax on residents seems to be the easiest way out. (No amount of marketing / campaigning will coverup the city’s failure to reign in costs and decisions that led to this financial mess) We need new leadership in the council and city management to change the trajectory of where Pleasanton is headed.
Pleasanton Dublin Livermore
Population Population Population
71,311 78,400 78,596
25 city departments 20 city departments 20 city departments
Pleasanton is financially strained independent audit confirmed $10 million annual structural deficit over the next eight years.
Dublin has a balanced budget with a general fund of $26.6 million.
Livermore’s operating reserves are equal to 30% of expenses, which is a strong buffer against economic downturns.
Pleasanton must make real budget cuts. Dublin and Livermore have larger populations with five fewer city departments; Livermore operates an airport. Pleasanton needs to make staff cuts, follow the staff cuts to consolidate departments.
Livermore and Dublin are financially sound with larger populations and fewer city departments. Livermore operates an airport.