Council Committee Preview, 4/09/2024

Of interest at Oakland's City Council Committee Meetings Tuesday

Finance, Tuesday 9:30am

—Consolidated Fiscal Policy 2024 Update/Revisions: The CFP governs the way Oakland spends its money and how, but the Finance Department is suggesting substantial and insubstantial changes. More on this after the committee meeting.

Public Works and Transportation, 11:30am

—Amendment of Enovity’s Contract to Access California Energy Commission Funding for Repairs to Oakland Ice Center: The City’s Ice Rink needs a rehab to switch over to a non-greenhouse emitting system. The City has contracted with Enovity to oversee the construction and access the various state funding and loan resources available for that type of thing. This resolution would allow Enovity to access a new low cost loan from the California Energy Commission of up to $3MM to shore up the funding and oversee construction.

Community and Economic Development, 1:00pm

—$50k Grant Agreement with BAMBD Funds for Oakbrite, aka the Pete Foundation, for Mortgage Assistance to Geoffrey's Inner Circle and Cultural Programming for BAMBD: The funding would be taken from already allocated carry over funds from the FY21-23 budget of $250K for the BAMBD, the long-neglected City-sanctioned Black Arts Movement and Business District. It’s not clear in the resolution how much of the $50K funding is for the mortgage assistance to Geoffrey's and how much will be for cultural programming. The grant will commit the organization into working with the City on the latter.

Oakbrite is a 501c3, but Geoffrey Pete, the owner of Geoffrey's Inner Circle is the founder and one of the directors. The organization appears to be wholly separate, however, and will have requirements on the funding through the grant.

Pete notably waged a Planning Appeal against a Tidewater development earlier this year, prevailed against one version of the development, but state laws prevented the Council from granting the second, a residential tower. Fife promised to refocus efforts on the BAMBD in the aftermath, and this appears to be a first move.

—Oakland Tourism Business Improvement District 2024 (OTBID 2024): The legislation would take the expiring OTBID, which receives funding both from Measure C and a tax assessment from participating hotels, and convert it into a new OTBID that would rely on progressively assessed payments from hotels of 50 rooms or greater. OTBID creation requires several steps and requires input from the businesses being levied, so the committee meeting will be an introduction for the 9 year new structure.

Life Enrichment [Canceled]

Public Safety, Tuesday 6pm

OPD Biannual Staffing Report From [Continued]: This report is back with some [not much] CM-requested drilled down info, including how many officers are eligible for retirement in 2024 [90].