QUESTION: How does this budget support public safety departments -- the Oakland Police Department (OPD), Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), and Oakland Fire Department (OFD)?
ANSWER: The budget includes the following key public safety elements--
- Police and Fire Academies: In order to employ sworn public safety officers the City must hold sworn academies. The budget includes one sworn fire academy in each fiscal year. The budget includes three sworn police academies in each fiscal year. The police academies are a component of a multi-year strategy to achieve the sworn officer count required under Measure NN.
- Police Staffing: This budget funds a total of 678 sworn police in both fiscal years. This is larger than the average number of officers that the City expects to have working over the course of those two fiscal years. FY 2025-26 is the first year of a multi-year plan to hire and fund the minimum number of officers under Measure NN, which is 700.
- Police Overtime: The budget provides for overtime in the amounts of $33.6 million in year one and $38.2 million in year two. Overtime will be used for backfilling 911 response, investigations of violent crime, special operations such as supporting City fairs and festivals, and responding to sideshows.
- Fire Companies: This budget provides for the Operation of 23 Fire Engine companies throughout the City. The three engine companies browned out in FY 2024-25 will all be reopened, and two ongoing engine company brownouts will be rotated throughout the City as determined by the Fire Chief based upon estimated fire hazards and medical response needs. The budget funds operation of all Fire truck companies.
- Violence Prevention: This budget maintains and expands investments in the Department of Violence Prevention with resources from the General Purpose Fund and Measure NN to enhance capacity for dealing with those most likely to commit violent crimes. The budget right sizes DVP contracts and grants within the amounts required under Measure NN and focuses them on the strategies which drive reductions in violence.
QUESTION: How many police and fire academies is the proposal budgeting?
ANSWER: The budget includes one sworn fire academy in each fiscal year. The budget includes three sworn police academies in each fiscal year.
QUESTION: Does this budget include a reduction in force, and if so, how many people will be impacted?
ANSWER: This budget does unfortunately reduce more than 400 positions that would otherwise provide needed services to Oaklanders. Of these, roughly 240 are vacant in part thanks to the hiring freeze that has been in place most of the current fiscal year. An additional approximately 85 were frozen in the current year but funded in prior years. Eighty of these positions are currently filled, and while we expect most reductions of filled positions to be offset by funded vacancies in other parts of the City, there may be reductions in force to City staff. We expect actual reductions of force to be fewer than a dozen.
QUESTION: How do pension obligations impact the budget?
ANSWER: Current required payments to CalPERS for retiree pension benefits will continue to drive the City’s budget out of structural balance each year. While the proposed budget addresses these cost increases for the coming two fiscal years, these costs will increase by an additional $68 million between now and 2031, driving new significant shortfalls each fiscal year. There are a number of options to better manage these costs, including working with CalPERS on possible alternative amortization of past pension liabilities, using one-time revenue sources and debt to level the payments over time, or restructuring pension benefits for new employees.
QUESTION: How is the city budget impacted by federal appropriations? What are the risks for reduced federal appropriations?
ANSWER: The budget continues to assume the status quo allocation of federal resources to the City; however we are aware that many of these programs are under threat. The City does not have the resources to maintain certain programs absent federal funding, and thus we are preparing to rapidly adjust in case any funding is reduced.
QUESTION: What enhancements are being made to address homelessness encampment cleanup? Are any reductions proposed to homelessness response efforts?
ANSWER: This budget maintains current key investments in illegal dumping crews, encampment clean-up crews, abandoned auto enforcement, and environmental enforcement officers to address the problems of dirty streets and public spaces.
This budget projects collaborating with Alameda County to determine clear roles and responsibilities for health and support services for homelessness. As the County is able to pick up investments in these services the City can transition resources to encampment clean up and broader clean City functions.
QUESTION: What is the city doing to increase revenue, collect all money that is owed to the city?
ANSWER: The Budget supports revenue enhancements including an audit of delinquent business taxes, pursuing efficiencies in the collections process, and enhancing parking enforcement. The budget includes additional staffing to collect delinquent business taxes, increased staff support to citywide liens and automation of citywide collections.
QUESTION: What are the budgetary impacts on public works to address illegal dumping and enforcement?
ANSWER: This budget maintains current key investments in illegal dumping crews, encampment clean-up crews, abandoned auto enforcement, and environmental enforcement officers to address the problems of dirty streets and public spaces.
QUESTION: Will the budget include fully funding summer camp and afterschool programs?
ANSWER: This budget continues current funding and operations for Oakland Parks & Recreation Summer and After School Programs and for Oakland Public Library operations. The City intends to maintain the Youth Summer Lunch Program using a combination of one-time fund balance and philanthropic contributions.
QUESTION: How does the budget support the Arts and Culture?
ANSWER: Arts grants programming is also continued to the extent it is funded by Measure C Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), however this budget initiates a process to provide this service through non-profit partners while the City retains a leading role in public art, fairs, and festivals.
QUESTION: What’s the status of HeadStart?
ANSWER: The City’s HeadStart program remains funded by the City for the coming two years. The City will need to competitively renew its current federal Head Start grant at the end of this biennial cycle, and a subsequent application will need to consider other service providers, including the new State Universal T-K program, and County resources.
QUESTION: Is the budget balanced? Does the budget solve the City's ongoing financial challenges?
ANSWER: The proposed Mayor’s budget is balanced. The GPF is balanced without use of one-time revenues for ongoing purposes. We did not get here overnight, and we cannot solve the whole problem in one budget, but we are laying down clear markers for the future while taking strong action today.
QUESTION: The City has balanced budgets in recent years using one-time solutions. How about this year?
ANSWER: This budget breaks from this troubling past practice in that GPF is balanced without use of one-time revenues for ongoing purposes. The budget makes limited use of one-time funds in various restricted funds (consistent with their requirements) but this usage is also greatly reduced in compared to prior budgets.
QUESTION: In recent years, the City's financial health has required it to suspend various fiscal policies and voter maintenance of effort requirements. What about in this budget?
ANSWER: This road map will include a return to compliance with all adopted ballot measures without waiving maintenance of effort requirements.
QUESTION: How many vacant positions are eliminated?
ANSWER: This budget eliminates roughly 240 vacant positions, along with 85 frozen positions.
QUESTION: Are current fire station brownouts continued in the proposed budget?
ANSWER: The three engine companies browned out in FY 2024-25 will all be reopened, and two ongoing engine company brownouts will be rotated throughout the City as determined by the Fire Chief based upon estimated fire hazards and medical response needs. The budget funds operation of all Fire truck companies.
QUESTION: Are bond sales assumed in the budget? And for what projects?
ANSWER: The budget incorporates planned bond sales in both fiscal years for Affordable Housing, Transportation, and Public Works including $180 million of Affordable Housing investments over two years and $50+ million each year for street paving.