Tuesday, June 16, 2026

The council spent the bulk of a long meeting on the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, working through a $2.676 million shortfall tied to four near-finished capital projects: the Regional Wellness Trail phase two, the Point Molate Bay Trail, Shields-Reed Park, and Wendell Park. Staff recommended pulling money set aside for beach stabilization at Point Molate, since that project's design isn't finalized, to cover the trail's $1 million gap instead. Wilson pressed for reassurance that the trail wouldn't require heavy shoreline armoring like riprap before she'd support the funding; Public Works Director Chavarria said crews were still meeting with stakeholders on a final design. Bana repeatedly pushed for $260,000 in wildfire mitigation money to be split toward a second emergency exit for Hilltop Green and a home-hardening program, clashing with Curl, who said fire staff didn't have capacity to take on new work while also preparing ALS ambulance polling data. The council ultimately agreed to send unresolved items — including bike-share funding, care navigators for CORE, and two staff positions Mayor Martinez wanted in legal and planning — to what members called "the bike rack," a waiting list for future funding rather than immediate approval.

The loudest and most emotional public comment period came from roughly two dozen speakers, many current or former clients, urging the council to protect funding for Safe Organized Spaces (S.O.S.) Richmond, which runs mobile showers, laundry, job training, and outreach for unhoused residents. Speakers including Carlos Torres, Justin Wilson, Leticia Starling, and Jenny Castello described being homeless themselves and finding jobs or stability through the program, with several now working there. Jill Macklemore was the lone dissenting voice, asking that "Rock" police funding be redirected instead. Staff later clarified the budget keeps roughly $19.9 million in combined funding for homeless interventions, including more than $2 million in general fund dollars, unchanged from prior years.

Vacancy rates and staffing drew a sharp back-and-forth between city management and employee unions under a state-mandated AB 2561 hearing. HR Director Sharrone Taylor reported an 18% average vacancy rate across the city in 2025, even though the adopted budget assumed only about 9.7%; the new budget assumes a 12% vacancy rate. SEIU Local 1021 president Kevin Tisdale and colleague Josiah Brennaman said the union's vacancy rate hit 19%, calling it a hiring failure rather than a performance problem, and accused the city of using unfilled union jobs to justify contracting out work. RPOA president Ben Therriault argued the police department remains far below appropriate staffing, citing outside studies recommending 179 to 187 sworn officers compared to the department's 147 authorized and 106 actually working patrol. Robinson and Wilson both questioned why the city budgets for a lower vacancy rate than it has historically achieved; Curl said the gap stems from unresolved union contract negotiations and limited HR hiring capacity, and acknowledged the true vacancy number could settle higher once those MOUs are finalized.

The Richmond Housing Authority budget was approved as part of a joint Housing Authority/City Council session, passing unanimously with Council Member Brown absent and Commissioner Bonner briefly out of the room for one vote. The plan sets $4,154,579 in revenue against $5,439,652 in expenses, requiring a $1,260,073 subsidy from the city's general fund plus $25,000 in Hacienda sale proceeds. Executive Director Antoinette Terrill said Nystrom Village, more than 85 years old, continues to need costly rehab work, and warned that federal HUD subsidies are shrinking while operating costs climb. Pita asked whether the city could pursue outside grants to reduce dependence on HUD; staff said the housing authority's federal "FHA