January 20th, 2026 City Council Meeting
The January 20, 2026, Pleasanton City Council meeting focused on the city's audited financial statements, utility system activities, and new policies for property rezoning and downtown vacancy.
Financial Reports and Audit Results
The Council accepted the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Key findings included:
Clean Audit: The city received an "unmodified" opinion, the highest level of assurance from independent auditors.
Net Position: The city’s consolidated net position increased by approximately $11.5 million to $780 million, largely driven by water rate increases and one-time development fees.
General Fund Surplus: The general fund reported a $1.3 million net surplus (excluding unrealized gains), which must be retained to meet the city's 20% reserve target.
Pension Liabilities: While liabilities decreased slightly due to investment gains in 2024, the unfunded liability for pension and retired medical totals over $180 million (net of trust assets).
Aggressive Assumptions: The audit committee noted that the city records only the minimum liability for insurance claims rather than the industry-standard 70% confidence level, an approach categorized as "aggressive" but compliant.
Utility System Activities
Staff provided a detailed update on water, sewer, and storm drain systems, emphasizing a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance:
Water System: The city delivered $13.7 million in projects under the 2024 water bond. Staff is managing nine major water regulations, including monitoring for PFAS.
Sewer Success: Pleasanton achieved zero sanitary sewer overflows in 2025. Proactive CCTV inspections (30% complete) allowed staff to catch and repair a near-failure on Danger Drive before an actual break occurred.
Storm Drain Funding Gap: Unlike water and sewer, storm drains have no dedicated enterprise fund and must compete for limited general fund resources.
Policy Direction and Matters Initiated
Development Review Policy: The Council unanimously directed staff to draft a formal policy for an "early review" workshop process for rezoning and General Plan amendments. This aims to provide developers with predictability while allowing the Council to negotiate community benefits upfront.
Downtown Vacancy: Council members discussed alternatives for mitigating downtown vacancies, with plans to workshop specific priorities and potential incentives on March 17.
Announcements and Personnel Updates
New Fire Chief: Aaron Lacy was introduced as the new Fire Chief for the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department (LPFD).
Economic Development: Abraham Salinas was introduced as the city's new Economic Development Manager.
Community Events: Youth Excellence in Arts (YEA) awards applications are open until March 1st. The city also highlighted the upcoming Point in Time count for the unhoused population on January 22nd.
