On the agenda: budget adoption, a paramedic ballot measure and a street closure

The Richmond City Council will meet on Tuesday to adopt the city's final budget for fiscal year 2026-27, review polling on a potential November ballot measure to fund paramedic-level fire service, and revisit five items continued from its June 16 meeting. Those include a proposed permanent street closure near the San Pablo border, a drone light show proposal for Hilltop Mall, and a letter supporting state legislation aimed at refinery cleanup.

Also on the agenda are two annual landscaping assessment hearings, a new policy governing disruptions at public meetings, and a lengthy list of contracts and funding agreements.

Survey results land on a paramedic funding measure

The council will receive results from a voter survey testing support for transitioning the Richmond Fire Department to Advanced Life Support, the paramedic-level care the department currently lacks. Pollsters with SCI Consulting Group and Evitarus surveyed 800 likely voters in May on two options: a $120 million bond measure carrying an estimated average tax rate of $40 per $100,000 of assessed valuation, and a $67 annual parcel tax projected to raise about $2.15 million a year for 20 years.

Initial support landed at 65 percent for the bond and 66 percent for the parcel tax, with 28 percent and 27 percent, respectively, saying they'd "definitely" vote yes. After hearing arguments for and against, the parcel tax support fell to 64 percent, while the bond measure held closer to its starting point.

One opposition argument, as effective as a general affordability message, reminded voters that Richmond already received "over half a billion dollars" from its settlement with Chevron. The strongest messages in favor centered on bringing Richmond's paramedic service up to the same standard as the rest of Contra Costa County. Staff is asking the council to approve the findings and direct work toward "Phase 2" ballot preparation, with an August 7 filing deadline for a possible November measure.

Glenn Avenue at its connection to McBryde Avenue in Richmond, where the city plans to permanently close vehicle access between the two streets. Photo/ Linda Hemmila

A quiet end to the Glenn-McBryde cut-through

Council will consider a Public Works recommendation, continued from June 16, to permanently close the direct vehicle connection between Glenn and McBryde avenues as part of the McBryde Avenue Safe Routes to Park project. City staff says the unusual intersection configuration, limited sight lines, and years of cut-through traffic from drivers avoiding the McBryde-Amador signal have created safety concerns. Access to the neighborhood would remain available via Yuba Avenue, and the closure was coordinated with Richmond police and fire officials to maintain emergency access.

The project crosses into San Pablo, which supported the closure in writing, with conditions including encroachment permits for any ADA ramp work on its side of the boundary. A November open house at Café McBryde drew about 70 attendees against a target of 40 to 50, and staff described the feedback as generally positive.

A $637 million budget, built on a vacancy rate

The city is set to adopt the 2026-27 Operating Budget and the 2026-27 to 2030-31 Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. The general fund side projects $324.7 million in revenue against $276.2 million in expenditures, while non-general fund activity adds $271.6 million in revenue and $360.9 million in expenditures, for an all-funds total of $637 million. The roughly $48.5 million gap on the general fund side reflects the Chevron settlement money landing in the fund this year, net of the city's required set-aside to the voter-approved Kids First Initiative.

The budget leans on a vacancy rate to stay balanced. Personnel costs have risen $54 million since fiscal year 2021-22, and the city is counting on a roughly 12 percent vacancy rate to generate about $16.4 million in savings for FY 2026-27. On the capital side, council closed a $2.7 million shortfall across the Richmond Wellness Trail Phase II, the San Francisco Bay Trail at Point Molate, and change orders at Shields-Reid and Wendell parks by deferring $650,000 in planned 2026-27 fleet replacements, including $470,000 the Fire Department would have been charged for a scheduled vehicle replacement. The Wendell Park shortfall traces back to the city's roughly $433,000 Sourcewell contract for a modular restroom there, placing modern sanitation infrastructure near a stretch of 24th Street long associated with prostitution.

Refinery accountability, again

Also continued from June 16 is Councilmember Claudia Jimenez's request that the city send a letter of support for Senate Bill 1259, which would require oil refiners to file decommissioning and remediation plans with cost estimates attached.

Hilltop's drone show idea returns

Councilmember Soheila Bana's push to explore a July 3 drone light show at Hilltop Mall is back on the agenda, continued from June 16. The item directs the city manager to contact neighboring municipalities, such as Pinole and San Pablo, to see whether Richmond can piggyback on an existing regional vendor contract for discounted pricing.

A car-free pilot still waiting for a green light

Council will also revisit the proposed 23rd Street Ciclovía pilot, modeled on a Bogotá, Colombia tradition of opening car-free space for walking, biking, and community events. Staff pegged the cost of a pilot event at $79,000 to $145,000 and are asking council whether to prioritize it within the current Public Works work plan.

Finishing the Housing Equity Roadmap

A second amendment to the city's contract with Just Cities, LLC, continued from June 16, would add $49,999 for a new total payment limit of $209,994 and extend the term through December 2027. Just Cities previously authored the fair-housing appendix to Richmond's 6th Cycle Housing Element and is now developing the Housing Equity Roadmap, an implementation plan that addresses fair-housing access, land-use compatibility, and housing production.

Removing graffiti from the General Warehouse

The council will consider an $87,777 contract with All Star Painting KD Inc., continued from June 16, to remove graffiti from the exterior concrete of the General Warehouse Building at the Port of Richmond's Point Potrero Marine Terminal, where the former Historic Shipyard Number Three ships were built during World War II. The Port has already added fencing, security gates, and K-rail around the vacant building, and staff describe graffiti removal as the next step in protecting its historic character.

A policy for when the internet goes down

The is expected to adopt a new policy governing what happens if telephonic or internet service fails during a public meeting, required under state Senate Bill 707. The policy lays out when the city must pause and recess a meeting, for how long, and what findings the council must make before reconvening if service isn't restored.

Two routine assessment hearings

Council will hold public hearings on annual three percent assessment increases for the Marina Bay and Hilltop landscaping and lighting maintenance districts. Marina Bay's total assessment for 2026-27 would rise to $780,780, including $62,036 set aside for the district's reserve fund; Hilltop's would rise to $570,454.87.

The rest of the business

The council is set to approve $100,000 for the city's legal services contract with Best, Best & Krieger to help negotiate a new wastewater operator agreement. It will also sign off on a $110,000 subscription to Westlaw and CoCounsel legal research tools from Thomson Reuters, add $75,000 to the Meyers Nave contract for confidential personnel investigations, and add $200,000 to the Aleshire & Wynder contract that staffs the Community Police Review Commission.

The City Clerk's Office will ask council to formally call the Nov. 3, 2026, general municipal election, a routine step required to place city races and measures on the ballot.

Public Works will pay Veolia $586,532 to replace sodium hypochlorite tanks at the wastewater treatment plant, send a $24,000 settlement payment to the state's water pollution cleanup fund, and pay $39,000 to Earth Island Institute's KIDS for the BAY program as part of a Water Board settlement. The department will also close out its feasibility study on an automated transit network, redirecting leftover funds toward solar lighting along bus routes, pay Oakley & Oakley $21,500 to remodel an ADA-accessible restroom at the Corporation Yard, formally accept the finished Yellow Brick Road Phase II street lighting project, and remove the $200,000 annual caps on the city's paratransit contracts with Lyft and Uber, raising the combined ceiling to $920,000.

The Rent Program will set the 2026-27 rental housing fee at $261 per fully covered unit and $149 per partially covered unit. The Police Department will accept a $73,227 federal grant for safety equipment.

The Mayor's Office will bring forward board and commission appointments, including the reappointment of Myrtle Braxton to the Commission on Aging, the appointment of Paula Navin Burnett to the same board, the appointment of Catherine Bae to the Community Crisis Response Program Advisory Board, and the reappointment of Karlyn C. Neel to the Design Review Board.

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