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The residents of Pleasanton – including those on the city council – went through an intense time trying to get to a balanced two-year operating budget. What started more than a year ago and spanned two city councils was finally approved in June.
The process didn’t have to be this contentious, divisive or time-consuming. Had the 2024 council majority focused on collaborating with the community rather than trying to push a sales tax measure that they were warned against putting on the ballot if there was opposition, we would be in a much better place.
But the council voted to put Measure PP on the ballot regardless of what the consultants they paid over $260,000 told them about the chances of it passing.
Not only would Pleasanton citizens not have been distracted (and pitted against each other), that $260,000 would have possibly helped retain employees or kept the library open a few more hours a week.
It was only after the November election – when Measure PP predictably failed and a new mayor and two new councilmembers were seated – that transparency was embraced and the work that should have been done in 2024 actually began.
The community was provided an overview of the challenges at a community meeting in February and residents were invited to review materials and provide feedback on priorities. A Budget Advisory Committee of residents, city staff and other stakeholders was formed to recommend cost-saving strategies.
Because of a lack of trust between some residents and the former city council and senior staff, a group of citizens sought verification before the election that the deficit was as dire as they were being told, but were denied.
After the November election, though, an independent audit was conducted. In February, the accounting firm completed its review of Pleasanton’s 10-year financial forecast and reported overall assumptions in regards to the city’s ongoing budget deficit seem to be correct. The firm did, however, also recommended improving communication of the city’s financial information to the public.
In March, the city received a report in which an actuarial consultant recommended not using money from the 115 Supplemental Pension Trust, but admitted they were not aware of the city’s financial situation. Because of the foresight of the council and staff who created the 115 trust in 2018, there was a policy in place that allows for the trust to be used to smooth out pension payments when there is a structural deficit.
Ultimately, the wise decision was made to use $3 million from the annual interest earned over the two-year budget cycle. While this money won’t accrue more interest, the city used money that was immediately available without touching any of the principal.
The community wanted more transparency, access to information and details, and it was provided – after the election. The community was invited to give input, and residents did – after the election.
Economic development should be Pleasanton’s top priority. There are many actions the city can take to make Pleasanton more business-friendly, such as streamlining permitting and licensing processes, creating a “concierge service” and offering incentives like tax breaks, grants or reduced fees.
Meanwhile, the community needs to shop and dine in Pleasanton to benefit our businesses and generate sales tax revenue.
It’s unfortunate that so much time and money was wasted, dissension was sown amongst neighbors and the citizen / city trust relationship was further damaged. But now it’s time to move on and come together as a community.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the city’s expenditure related to sales tax measure polling and related consultant services in 2023 and 2024. The city of Pleasanton paid consultant firm Clifford Moss $260,058 under a contract that had a maximum/”not to exceed” amount of $380,000. The Pleasanton Weekly regrets the error.
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Recent Research Suggests the Following:
Visitors to downtown Pleasanton average 1,000 to 3,000 people daily, and on weekends, 5,000 to 10,000 people. Wayside Park has fewer than 500 people per event. Many of those people are non-resident visitors. These numbers reflect 1.5 percent to less than 10 percent of Pleasanton residents.
The Pleasanton library visitors have fewer than 1000 visitors on a daily average, and many users are non-resident visitors. The Pleasanton swimming pool has 300 to 600 visitors daily, 600 to 1200 on weekends and events. Many of these visitors are non-residents. thousand weekends
Stoneridge Mall visitors number 1 to 3 thousand during weekdays, and 5 to 10 thousand on weekends. Many visitors are non-residents, and 30 to 50 percent are residents. Costco visitors number 3 to 8 thousand during the week and 10 thousand on weekends, 40 to 50 percent of visitors are residents.
Centruary house has nearly zero visitors, the skate park has a few dozen daily visitors, with perhaps one hundred users on weekends, many are non-resident users. These numbers tend to indicate where taxpayer dollars should be used on infrastructure and where not be used on infrastructure.
Note:
Research data was compiled during periods prior to January 2025.
Excellent information Mr. Austin. This would have been very useful during the long budget debate for setting priorities. It also suggests that the city has come to the correct conclusions.