CITY COUNCIL AGENDA PACKET - Laserfiche WebLink

Page 3 of 4 While the Town Hall event was well attended, with participation from community members across the city, the 90 attendees represent only a small segment of Pleasanton's diverse community. To broaden engagement and reach more people, staff created additional online opportunities for community engagement. Online Budget Engagement Tool and Educational Budget Video In addition to the Budget Town Hall and the work of the BAC, staff has developed an online budget engagement tool and an educational budget video to enhance community participation and understanding of the City's budget. The online budget engagement tool is designed to accommodate members of the public who were not able to attend the in-person Budget Town Hall. The online budget engagement tool provides increased equitable engagement in an accessible platform to share: 1. Comments about program/service reductions 2. Ideas about other ways the City can balance the budget through reductions and revenue generation. The online budget engagement tool on the City’s website was launched on March 5 and will remain open through March 24, 2025. In the first three days, more than 70 responses were received, reflecting strong community interest in providing input. This qualitative data collected will be compiled and shared with the City Council. • Budget Engagement Tool: https://forms.office.com/g/4E36ycbfzv Additionally, a new budget educational video provides a concise, two-minute overview of the budget process, including the operating budget, capital budget, and various City funds. This video is intended to make the budget more understandable and accessible to the community by presenting key concepts in a simple and engaging format. • Budget Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1BxKG8T24U Next Steps In addition to the structured feedback gathered through the efforts outlined above, some community members have taken the initiative to develop their own versions of the proposed reductions and gather or share feedback outside of City-led efforts, including bringing their own materials to a public event and dropping off information at City Hall. These efforts highlight community interest in this topic, reinforcing the value of continued budget engagement efforts. Throughout the budget development process, the City's Budget Development webpage (https://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/our-government/finance-department/budget-development/) has been updated to serve as a primary source of information. Key opportunities for the public to continue to engage in the budget development process are scheduled through June: • March 13 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #3 • April 2 – Budget Advisory Committee Meeting #4 • April 8 -- Preliminary Budget Recommendation and Options • May 20 – Budget Workshop: Proposed Biennial Budget and 5-year CIP • June 17 – Operating and Capital Budget Adoption. EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY The budget engagement summary report and budget engagement update align with the City’s values of inclusion and sustainability by actively engaging diverse community representatives in addressing fiscal challenges to ensure recommendations reflect the broader community’s Page 24 of 348