Ed Smith

Budget deficit and Roadmap to Resilience workshops

Freezes 30 positions, saves ~$3.7M, uses $3.5M one-time money, and cuts rental assistance from $250K to $125K.

Encroachment permit fee reductions

Encroachment fees jump from $491 to $1,613 and traffic control from $147 to $404 starting July 1.

Ad-Hoc Community Cost-of-Living Reduction Task Force

Minimal direct cost — staff-light with no dedicated budget — though councilmembers warned about staff time burdens.

Presidio of Monterey public works funding

$7,833,288.52 in Army project awards, plus a $25,000 museum repair appropriation.

Measure S renewal for November 2026 ballot

About $12 million a year for eight years — losing it means road conditions and the pavement index start sliding immediately.

City Staffing Vacancies and Labor Concerns

Tied to a proposed $12.5 million structural deficit resolution and the $4.5 million Measure D ballot measure.

Parking tax shelved for November

If pursued later, the parking tax could raise roughly $1.1 million a year.

Permit fee increases draw homeowner complaints

One commenter reported a nearly 500% fee increase — from $594 to $2,690 per permit.

Business and Maintenance District Assessments

Annual assessments continue unchanged; Cannery Row BID alone budgets ~$237,000 in expenses.

Vacancy tax exploration

Unknown — no revenue estimate or ballot language exists yet.

Council Agendizing Process Reform

No direct fiscal impact, but the new process aims to stop staff from sinking hours into items that go nowhere.

Meeting Efficiency: Public Comment, Ceremonial Items, and Meeting Length

Mostly a time-and-staffing question — fewer presentations and consent-calendar items could shave 20 minutes off many meetings.

Stronghold Engineering Litigation

Citywide Fee Schedule and Appeal Costs

About $650,000 to nearly $1 million in new annual fee revenue for a city facing a structural deficit; appeal fees rise from $2,977 to $3,500.

Council Governance Policy Review

Councilmember Rasch noted council expenses grew from about $118,000 to $265,000 in recent years.