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Biennial Budget Adoption

At a glance

  • What: Adoption of the Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028 Biennial Budget and the Fiscal Years 2027 to 2031 Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP), plus authority for the City Manager to advance funds to community agencies in FY 2027. Staff contact: Maricar Dupaya, Budget Manager.
  • Where it stands: Adopted June 23, 2026 as Resolution No. 72,340-N.S. (motion Humbert/Tregub, all ayes) with the Mayor's supplemental budget allocations and four CIP items moved to "unfunded and pending". An earlier motion by Kesarwani and Blackaby failed 3-5-1.
  • Next: The matching spending ordinance is in Annual Appropriations Ordinance Adoption (first reading the same night, second reading July 7, 2026).

Detail

  • Special meeting, all nine members present (Bartlett attended remotely under the Brown Act just-cause exception for a caregiving need). 92 speakers on the item.
  • Revised material from the City Manager accepted for consideration (Tregub/Taplin, all ayes).
  • After a recess (8:31 to 9:10 p.m.), a first motion (Kesarwani/Blackaby) to adopt the budget with the Mayor's allocations, but keeping $2,500,000 for Small Sites and $1,300,000 in the Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing, failed. Ayes: Kesarwani, Taplin, Blackaby. Noes: Bartlett, Tregub, O'Keefe, Lunaparra, Ishii. Abstain: Humbert.
  • The motion that carried (Humbert/Tregub) adopted Resolution No. 72,340-N.S. including the City Manager's revised material and the Mayor's Supplemental Budget Recommendations, with these changes made at the meeting:
    • Move four CIP items to "unfunded and pending" until staff and the Safe Streets Oversight Committee review them: Citywide Traffic Signal Master Plan, Transportation Design Guideline Study, Transportation Nexus Study, and Vision Zero Action Plan update Phased Implementation Roadmap.
    • Raise the Annual Ambulance Transport Revenue transfer by $200,000 in both FY 2027 and FY 2028 to fund 9.0 Fire Department positions (total $978,334 in FY 2027).
    • Treat the $25,000 FY 2028 revenue transfer for the Euclid Street Garbage Corral Design as a reduction to the District 6 office budget, not a relinquishment of funds.
    • Require that Small Sites acquisitions occur within 36 months of the nonprofit receiving City funding, or the money returns to the City.
  • Supplemental allocations recorded in the minutes:
    • Special funds, FY 2027 total $7,362,500 and FY 2028 total $662,500: Downtown Berkeley Revitalization Projects (Streets and Open Space Improvement Plan) $2,800,000; CARFREE Berkeley $662,500 in each year (referred to the LRDP funding process); Small Sites $3,800,000 (the $2.5 million FY 2026 carryover plus $1.3 million of unallocated Housing Trust Fund money); Sacred Rest / Village of Love $100,000 (LRDP process, UC Berkeley must match the $100,000).
    • General Fund direct transfer: PITCH Project to increase Telegraph and Claremont housing, $250,000 ($180,000 from FY 2026 District 8 salary savings and $70,000 from the FY 2027 District 8 office budget).
    • General Fund expenses, FY 2027 total $2,292,334 and FY 2028 $25,000: one OED position removed in the City Manager's Office reduction plan $236,000; Solano Stroll $40,000; Live Free $200,000; Downtown Berkeley Association outreach worker $38,000; Fire Inspector 1.0 FTE $238,232; 5.0 FTE Fire Fighters (Step 1) $1,109,795; 3.0 FTE Paramedics (Step 1) $380,307; Euclid Street Garbage Corral Design $50,000 ($25,000 in FY 2028).
    • Revenue transfers funding them: Mayor's FY 2026 salary savings $160,000; CAO non-personnel $52,000 (as abbreviated in the minutes); CAO FY 2026 salary savings $100,000; Voluntary Time Off $87,000; Council catering $15,000; cannabis settlement $100,000; increased ambulance transport revenue $978,334; Euclid Street Garbage Corral Design $50,000 ($25,000 in FY 2028); General Fund $750,000.
  • Written communications came from the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission, the Police Accountability Board (through the Director of Police Accountability), supplemental material from Kesarwani, Blackaby and Taplin, and well over 100 residents and groups, including the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville and a coalition of bike and housing groups.
  • Related June 30 follow-ups: a Voluntary Time Off information report was updated to add 11 VTO days per this budget action (see 2026-06-30 - City Council (regular)).

Earlier hearings, June 9 and June 16, 2026

  • June 9 (regular meeting), item 28: Public Hearing No. 1 on the Proposed Five-Year (FY 2027 to FY 2031) Capital Improvement Program. Motion (Tregub/Humbert), all ayes, to continue the item, with the City Manager's supplemental materials, to June 16. Final adoption was targeted for June 23.
  • June 16 (regular meeting), item 40a: Public Hearing No. 2 on the Proposed FY 2027 and FY 2028 Biennial Budget and Five-Year CIP, 23 speakers. Mayor Ishii's supplemental and revised materials were accepted (Ishii/Tregub, all ayes). Council twice suspended the rules to extend the meeting, to 11:45 p.m. (Ishii/Kesarwani) and then to 12:00 a.m. (Taplin/Tregub), both all ayes. The Budget Manager (Maricar Dupaya) and the Deputy City Manager presented, the Mayor introduced her budget proposal, and Council asked questions; no budget vote was taken that night.
  • June 16, item 40b: a budget referral for the Solano Avenue Stroll by Councilmember O'Keefe (co-sponsor Blackaby), reviewed by the Budget and Finance Policy Committee, asking to refer to the FY 2027-2028 budget process $81,000 a year (police $55,000, fire $14,000, waste management services $12,000) for City services to the Stroll and $57,500 a year for barricade rentals ($50,000), street closure supplies ($6,000) and zero waste fees ($1,500), plus a staff cost-benefit analysis of buying barriers instead of renting. Motion (O'Keefe/Tregub), all ayes, to take no action because the item was subsumed into the Mayor's proposed budget (the adopted budget on June 23 lists $40,000 for the Solano Stroll).
  • June 16, item 40c: Public Hearing No. 1 on the Five-Year CIP, continued from June 9; staff presented and Council asked questions and commented, with final adoption set for June 23.
  • Written communications on item 40a included supplemental material from the Mayor and the City Manager's Office and letters from residents' groups and nonprofits.

Public Hearing No. 1, May 19, 2026

  • Regular meeting item 21: Council accepted the proposed FY 2027 and FY 2028 Biennial Budget for review and held Public Hearing No. 1, with final adoption targeted for June 23. 22 speakers; hearing closed (Taplin/Tregub), all ayes. The Budget Manager (Maricar Dupaya) and the Deputy City Manager presented, followed by Council questions and discussion; no budget vote was taken.
  • Council suspended the rules twice to extend the meeting: to 11:30 p.m. (Tregub/Humbert, all ayes) and to 11:45 p.m. (Tregub/Kesarwani, 8-1, Taplin no). It adjourned at 11:36 p.m.
  • Supplemental material came from the Budget Manager, the Community Health Commission, the Homeless Services Panel of Experts and the Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Commission, along with letters from well over 100 residents and groups.

Sources

Log

2026-06-30 - City Council (regular)

Voluntary Time Off Program report received and filed with 11 added VTO days following the June 23 budget action.

2026-06-23 - City Council (special)

Budget and Five-Year CIP adopted as Resolution No. 72,340-N.S. after the Kesarwani/Blackaby alternative failed 3-5-1.

2026-06-16 - City Council (regular)

Public Hearing No. 2 on the budget (23 speakers) and CIP Hearing No. 1 (continued); Solano Stroll referral set aside as part of the Mayor's proposal; meeting ran to 11:58 p.m.

2026-06-09 - City Council (regular)

CIP Public Hearing No. 1 continued to June 16, all ayes.

2026-05-19 - City Council (regular)

Budget Public Hearing No. 1 (22 speakers); presentation and Council discussion, no vote; meeting extended to 11:45 p.m. (8-1).