CITY COUNCIL AGENDA PACKET - Laserfiche WebLink

Page 4 of 9 cities range from 39 hours per week (Union City) to 65 hours per week (Livermore). The proposed reduction would keep Pleasanton within that range. The proposed library hours reduction represents staff’s best effort to achieve significant savings (close to $1.0 million starting in Year 2) while preserving core library programs. Reductions to Park Maintenance Services Following the public discussion at the April 8 and 10, 2025, City Council budget workshops regarding the reduction in maintenance of parks and trails, staff has included a modified reduction in the Proposed Operating Budget in response to City Council's direction. Whereas the current (pre-reduction) Service Level ("A") Includes watering frequency of three to four times per week at all parks, with mowing typically occurring once a week by a contractor, and median maintenance and mulching services, the proposed reduction to park maintenance Service Level (“B”) reduces funding for outside contracts, such as median maintenance, mowing, and reallocates two full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions to offset the impacts of reduced contracts and support the ongoing maintenance and overall conditions of City parks while eliminating median mulching and fall leaf pickup. While some decrease in service levels will occur (e.g., less frequent mowing), the proposed approach aims to preserve park conditions to avoid unplanned capital replacement needs. This revised service level represents a compromise that yields significant savings for the City by eliminating contracts and freezing 2.0 FTE positions, while also reallocating existing staff resources to continue the City's standard for maintaining the park system. Potential Impacts from Utility Rate Changes Finally, it is important to note that, while the Proposed Operating Budget includes assumptions about utility rates which are a large cost driver for the City organization, there is persistent uncertainty about water and energy rates. Although the proposed reductions include some planned savings from implementing a PG&E Energy Use Reduction policy for City buildings, energy rates are continuing to rise and may offset savings. In addition, staff is continuing to refine the City’s projected water expenditures based on the recent direction set by the City Council regarding potable and recycled water rates. The adopted rate structure modifies how high-volume usage is billed, which may result in cost adjustments for City operations. However, recycled water rates are also expected to increase in the coming years, which may offset any potential savings. Change to Internal Personnel Adjustments Considered by the City Council in April One of the adjustments previously presented at the April budget workshops and subsequently incorporated into the Proposed Operating Budget - freezing of the Fire Marshal position for the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department - is now recommended to be reversed. In addition, the freezing of the Emergency Preparedness Manager is now recommended to be modified to add back a part-time position at a reduced cost to continue support of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. The City of Livermore and Pleasanton are the only two members of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Joint Powers Authority (LPFD JPA), and while these reductions were initially considered viable for streamlining operations, ultimately the changes were not supported by the City of Livermore. Due to the timing of this decision, the changes could not be incorporated into the Proposed Operating Budget. Staff will make necessary adjustments to the General Fund budget to reflect the changes and present it to the City Council as part of the final budget adoption in June. Page 267 of 682