Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Alright. It is 502. I'd like to call this meeting to order. All right. Would the city staff in person please introduce themselves?

Good, good afternoon. Sean Murphy on behalf of the city attorney's office.

Sergio Agler, deputy finance director.

You will join me in saying the pledge. Can we have the inclusion statement read?

Pursuant to the city council rules of procedure in order of business resolution, the members of all boards and commissions and the public are reminded that they must preserve order and decorum throughout the meeting. In that regard, members of the boards and commissions and the public are advised that any delay or disruption in the proceedings or a refusal to obey the orders of the board or commission where the presiding officer constitutes violation of these rules. The city of Riverside is committed to fostering a workplace that provides dignity, respect, and civility to our employees, customers, and the public they serve.

Secretary Elizabeth, if you would call the roll, please.

Of course. Commissioner Ira? Commissioner Bello? Present. Commissioner Broton? Present. Commissioner Hutchins?

Present.

Commissioner Ward? Present. Commissioner Benavides? Present. Commissioner Shirdakov? Commissioner Lagner?

Present.

Chair Williams? Present. Vice Chair Vandenberg?

Present.

We have quorum.

We will be moving item number four of the election of chair and vice chair to the first item of our agenda. We will now open the phone lines for public comment.

Public comment is now open for this item. Call (951) 826-8688 and follow the prompts to access the meeting. To request to speak, press 9. When called to speak, press 6 to unmute. You can also join via Zoom. The meeting ID can be found on the agenda. We

have no callers. Thank you.

Alright. I will read the bylaws. Annual elections will be held in the first meeting in March for the chairperson and vice chairperson positions. The election shall be the first item on the meeting agenda. If a March meeting is not held for any reason, the election will take place at the next regular or special meeting.

Motions will be made first for the chair position. Votes will be accepted only from commissioners present at the meeting. If multiple commissioners are nominated and seconded, a vote will be held. The nominee receiving the most votes will be elected as the chair. If the vote results in a tie between the top two nominees and one is the incumbent chair, the incumbent chair is reelected.

If the incumbent chair is not in the top two nominees, the departing incumbent chair will break the tie and make the appointment. After election of the chair and after election of the chair, the vice chair voting shall follow the same process with the exception of the tiebreaker. If a tie vote exist with the top two vice chair nominees, the newly elected chair will select the nominee to serve as the vice chair. Can we get a nomination for chair?

Would the chairman like to be nominated again?

Sure.

Okay. I nominate Sarelle Williams.

And I'll second that.

It has been moved and seconded that Cyrille Williams how would I how do we even phrase that? Fine. Okay. It has been moved and seconded that Cyrille Williams be elected chair of the commission. We will now vote. Wait. What? Any other Oh, are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations?

Very none. I'm not closed nominations.

Okay. Nominations are closed.

You may now begin voting. Motion passes with eight yeses.

Thank you. Okay. Do we have a nomination for vice chair? And a second.

If vice chairman Vandenberg is willing to run again, I would like to nominate Commissioner Vandenberg. I will second.

I appreciate the nomination. I do want to be fully transparent. I'm running for City Council, and the election's in June. If I win that, I'll be stepping down from this position. So, if everybody's okay with that, then then I would accept that nomination.

I move to close nominations for vice chair.

It has been moved and seconded that Rich Vandenberg be elected vice chair of the commission. We will now vote. You don't have to explain. I

can clear the vote and we can.

Commissioner Hutchins had had dyslexia at the fingers. That

one. Okay. You may now begin voting. Motion passes with eight.

Yeses. Congratulations

to co vice chair Rich Vandenberg for doing this again. Alright. Thank you. Thank you all.

Both of you. Alright. Alright.

We will now open the phone lines for public comment.

Public comment is now open for this item. Call (951) 826-8688 and follow the prompts to access the meeting. To request to speak, press 9. When called to speak, press 6 to unmute. You can also join via Zoom. The meeting ID can be found on the agenda. We

have no callers. Thank

you. Okay.

I'll move to adopt the consent calendar.

I love that about you.

Second.

Secretary maybe get a roll call vote. It has been moved and seconded to approve the consent calendar. Let us take a what?

You may now begin voting.

Thank you.

Motion passes.

Alright. Wonderful. Alright. Item five, deputy finance director update. Sergio Aguilar, deputy deputy finance director. Thank you for being here.

Alright. Good afternoon, honorable commissioners. Just a couple of quick updates. So not sure if you guys tuned in last week, but city council did take up the item to put an additional quarter percent sales tax on the next June ballot and also measures the extension. That resolution was passed, so that will be a ballot measure that will be before the voters in the city in the June, So just for awareness about that.

And then just a couple other things. So we're currently working on the development of this next biennial budget for 2026 through 2028. And so over the next three months, there's going to be a lot of different meetings that we have with different boards, commissions and committees and then, of course, eventually council on that budget. And so for the April, BC meeting will be a very important meeting. That's when we're bringing the budget workshop to the BEC and that will be April 9.

So it will be all the departments that are going to be coming and the goal there will be to discuss both the general fund and the Measure Z, which are linked in part as part of the budget. And then we're going to go to Board of Library Trustees, Board of Public Utilities, the Museum of Riverside Board. Then we'll go to Finance Committee also in April to do a workshop with the Finance Committee members. And then we will be coming back to the BC in May with the proposed version of the budget and then also doing that with council in May and then adoption in June. So, you know, definitely would encourage you all to come attend next week as that will be a very hefty meeting to go through all the proposed changes that we have for the upcoming budget.

That's it.

Thank you so much. Sergio. Commissioner Benavides.

Yes. Thank you, madam chair. Just one question. In the event the extension of measure z is passed by the voters in June, when does it take effect?

So the rule is that it's a hundred and the first quarter after a hundred and ten days after the election. So that basically would put it at July. The third quarter. So October. So third quarter of the, I guess, of the calendar year. Second quarter of the new fiscal year. So it would be October 1 is when it would, in theory, become effective if it's passed on June 2.

So do we factor possibility when we review the proposed budgets by the different departments?

No, that will not be part of that factor. Thank

you so much. Anyone else? No? Alright, moving on. Alright.

So items for future budget engagement cons commission consideration. We have the biennial workshop, the quarter two report including additional description of parking revenue, the proposed budget, the cannabis update following measure b results, quarter three and measures the engagement in October requested by commissioner Langner. And then we have our review of code of ethics and the oh, selection of chair and vice chair. That's done. Is there an item that a commissioner wants to bring up for? Yes.

Not really an item but on Saturday the first cannabis shop will be having a grand opening.

Commissioner is your mic on?

Oh no.

On.

It's on. I'm I was looking at the chair versus no. There's a grand opening on Saturday in Ward 6.

It will be nice to get this item off of off the the reoccurring item for the last five years, I swear. Okay. Well, commissioners, with that said

Wow. Was that quick?

It was that quick.

Wow.

The next regular budget engagement commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at 5PM. Thank you.

Thank you.

Meeting adjourned.