EBC AGENDA | APRIL 13-19 | ALAMEDA scandal unfolds Monday; FREMONT tackles homelessness; HAYWARD begins budget talks

THE WEEK OF APRIL 13-19

–ALAMEDA– Special closed session meeting, Monday, April 16, 5 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–SCANDAL!– It’s been six months since the Alameda City Council hired an outside attorney to investigation claims by City Manager Jill Keimach that unnamed coucilmembers violated the City Charter by interfering with her powers to hire a new fire chief. A special closed session in late January ran five-hours-long without any resolution. Another five-hour closed session on Mar. 9 also yielded no information pertaining to the independent investigation, but surprisingly included the announcement that Keimach was placed on administrative leave. Now with news that Keimach was placed on leave after it was learned she allegedly recorded a private meeting with councilmembers things are getting hot on the island. Monday evening’s closed session will afford a third opportunity for Alameda to reach some closure on this burgeoning political scandal. Maybe a firing? Maybe a report or promise of one being released in coming days?

➤Regular council meeting, Tuesday, April 17, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–MINIMUM WAGE ORDINANCE– It’s been awhile since the minimum wage issue have been broached in Alameda. But it returns with a staff report that offers a staff recommendation asking the council to approve a community outreach effort in the fall, and two alternative plans: maintain the state’s wage increases scale to $15 an hour by 2022 or direct staff to create a draft ordinance.

–MEASURE A1 $$ FOR 78 NEW UNITS– Alameda receives $10.4 million in base allocations funds from the 2016 voter-approved Measure A1 housing bond measure. The city wants to leverage some of the proceeds to rebuild a property at Eagle and Buena Vista Avenues. “The Housing Authority anticipates all funding sources to be secured by the end of 2019. Approving the $1.67 million in City Base Allocation funds will allow the Housing Authority to secure additional funding going forward. The redevelopment of Rosefield will replace 40 pre-fabricated units with 78 new units, a net increase of 38 new affordable units.

–ACTING CITY MGR CONTRACT– With Keimach almost certainly gone from the city manager’s office, Acting City Manager Liz Warmerdam, who was named (re-named) to the position in March will have her short-term contract approved by the council Tuesday night. Warmerdam will be paid $257,403 annually through June 30, along with the possibility of extensions to the contract. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, May 1.

–ALAMEDA COUNTY– Regular board meeting, Tuesday, April 17, 10:30 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–GRANTS FOR HOMELESS– Alameda County supervisors will allocate $1,383,320 in grants as part of its Unsheltered Homeless Immediate Impact Grants Program to five cities, and two other regions containing multiple cities. Staff report here for details.

–CENSUS 2020 ISSUES– At the board’s planning meeting, which follows Tuesday’s regular meeting [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE], the federal government’s lack of interest for fully funding the 2020 Census means additional trouble for the county and its historical inability to fully count the unincorporated areas. The county estimates 413,000 of its 1.7 million residents live in “hard-to-reach” areas where responses to the Census questionnaire are below 60 percent. The most affected area happens to be centered in the unincorporated Alameda County and parts of Hayward, according to a staff memo, necessitating a “Complete Count Committee” to form this summer and begin work toward early 2020. NEXT MEETING: Apr. 24.

–OAKLAND– Regular council meeting, Tuesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE] // Resolution supporting AB 1884 plastic straw upon request // Final passage of SEIU Local 1021 contract; moratorium extension on substantial rehabilitation exemption. NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 24.

–BUDGET TALKS– “The purpose of this agenda item is to present Council with the Proposed FY 2019 Operating Budget document in advance of the April 28, 2018 Saturday work session. The Council will consider the annual budget over the coming weeks prior to the planned adoption on May 22, 2018… During the mid-year review of the FY 2018 Adopted Budget, a mid-year expenditure
adjustment of $2.15 million in the General Fund was made in order to ensure the Model was updated to reflect the FY 2017 audited actuals, FY 2018 revised revenue projections, and FY 2018 mid-year expenditure adjustments. Attachment V shows the General Fund reserve level falling below the City Council’s 20% policy level to 12.6% in 2019, 4.5% in 2020, and an exhaustion of the City’s General Fund reserve in 2021, with -6% ending fund balance.” NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, April 24.

–FREMONT– Regular council meeting, Tuesday, April 17,  (Work session, 5:30 p.m.) [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE] (Regular meeting, 7 p.m.) [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–HOMELESS SOLUTIONS–  “There have been approximately 140 reported encampments identified throughout the community, said a staff report for the early work session meeting. “Staff has recently been inspecting the known encampment locations and, of the 140 staff has re-inspected 87, 17 or approximately 20 percent are currently being occupied.” The increase in homelessness in Fremont is also demanding greater service from the police department–3,000 last year and 1,030 to date this year, according to the staff report.

–Further funding affordable housing, additional staff to aid homeless individuals, expanding temporary shelter options are some of the options offered to councilmembers Tuesday evening. Another option is to “offer monetary incentives for landlords to accept residents who have governmental housing subsidies which are available to assist lower income persons with rental payments.”