Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Pacific Grove public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
36 issues in taxes budget
City Manager Appointment
The council met in special closed session to discuss the City Manager position, the city's top appointed administrator. Details of what was discussed are confidential under state law, and any action will be reported at the next regular meeting.
Interim City Manager Appointment
The council is working on appointing a new City Manager, the person who runs the city's daily operations and answers to the council. The appointment process happened behind closed doors, which is allowed under state law for personnel matters.
Minimum Wage Ordinance
The council was scheduled to hold a public hearing on an ordinance amending the city's salary schedule to reflect minimum wage requirements. This affects city employee pay and the city budget.
IT Staffing and Software Contracts
The city added $62,844 to its contract with ClientFirst Consulting to help pick and implement a new financial/ERP system — the software that runs the city's finances.
Public Disclosure of Settlements and Cost Overruns
The council was scheduled to discuss how the city can disclose settlements, separation agreements, investigative costs, and project cost overruns as legally as possible — a government transparency matter.
Visitor Impact Mitigation and Revenue Options
The council directed staff to study how tourism affects the city — restrooms, trash, trolley use, day-trippers and overnight visitors — and bring back revenue options. This could lead to new visitor-related fees in the future, but nothing was adopted yet.
City Communication Efforts
An online participant couldn't hear most speakers, including the staff report, and complained the meeting felt like it was being conducted for the board alone. She asked staff to turn up chamber microphones and remind speakers to use them; audio improved later in the meeting.
Selecting equity metrics for the task force's framework
One proposed metric would examine whether Pacific Grove police contact falls differently across racial and ethnic groups. Members acknowledged the data may be hard to get but agreed public safety disparities are a priority given concerns raised by underrepresented communities.
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore Contract Amendment
The council approved a contract amendment with law firm Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, capped at $87,000, for professional legal services.
City credit card and travel reimbursement policy changes
The council tightened rules on how the city's credit cards can be used and how travel expenses get reimbursed. Good-government housekeeping, but it affects how council and staff spend public money.
Labor negotiations with city employee groups
Every employee group got a chance to present on staffing gaps and retention at this required annual hearing. It's information-only, but it shines a light on how fully the city is staffed.
CalHOME Reuse housing fund budget amendment
The city is lending $199,000 from reserves to fix up a qualifying homeowner's house, with loan repayments recycling into future loans. Council members called it one of the city's best programs.
City manager transition and sales tax ballot measure
Chip Reerig started as interim city manager August 24, and the permanent search is underway. The council liaison also flagged work on the George Washington Park Master Plan, Crespi Pond, the Chinese pavilion, and a housing/ADU work group.
Labor negotiations with Police Management Association
The POA salary ordinance advanced on first reading, but the MEA contract and the non-represented employee pay plan were pulled from the agenda and remain unresolved. Those pay decisions are still coming.
Conflict of Interest Code Update
A first reading of an ordinance updating the conflict of interest code adds designated employee positions and confirms the city as the responsible agency.
2025 CDBG application and Housing Division update
The city is applying for $1,444,500 in federal Community Development Block Grant money: $750,000 to keep the successful home rehabilitation loan program going, $300,000 for affordable housing studies, and $300,000 for an ADA-accessible downtown restroom. Two homes were already rehabbed before Christmas under the prior grant.
Museum financial health and performance
The museum's audited finances show a $530,000 boost in unrestricted funds, giving it more flexibility. Admissions dipped slightly but field trips, the store, sponsorships, and Adopt-a-Bird revenue all grew.
TUT Ballot Measure Ordinance Text
The council decided voters will see the full text of the ordinance behind the TUT ballot measure in the ballot pamphlet. A move to keep it short and off the pamphlet failed 3-4.
Recreation cost recovery and subsidies
A board member flagged that the recreation utility budget has ballooned from about $60,000 to roughly $250,000 a year, mostly water for parks, and asked for a breakdown by site and utility. Staff said the data is hard to generate and suggested the board may need to ask the City Council for direction.
Proposed General Transactions and Use Tax on November Ballot
About $124,000 in regional RSTP funds is designated for Pacific Grove over three years, usable for any transportation project the city chooses — the last allocation went to intersection work near the Kimpton hotel.
FY 2026-27 Budget Adoption
Council adopted the fiscal year 2026-27 budget update, locking in city spending and capital projects for the coming year. This shapes what services, road work, and programs get funded.
FY 2026-27 Budget Update
Big year for streets: a slurry seal of downtown Lighthouse Avenue, repaving 17 Mile Drive, Central and 16th Streets with new sidewalks near George Washington Park, plus a $750,000 match to fix the storm-damaged pier and a $6.7 million sewer line replacement through Pebble Beach.
November 3, 2026 Municipal Election Called
The Council formally set this fall's election for Mayor and Council seats, with Monterey County handling the voting. This is when residents choose the city's leadership for the next term.
Solid Waste Franchise RFP for 2030
The city is joining the region in putting its trash and recycling contract out to competitive bid before the Green Waste deal expires in 2030. Residents pushed hard on affordability, and council members want small-bin options, better e-waste service and the cardboard problem addressed in the next contract.
Purchasing system overhaul (Municipal Code Ch. 2.16)
The council advanced a rewrite of the city's purchasing rules on first reading — how the city buys goods and services could change after the final vote.
Recreation Board Communication with Residents
Residents complained that minutes don't record who speaks and that written comments are hard to find. The board agreed to keep publishing written comments in the agenda packet and will get a briefing next month on how its recommendations reach the city council.
FY 2026-27 Master Fee Schedule
City fees rise with the annual inflation adjustment plus other Council-directed changes. Residents questioned the increases during public comment.
City's long-term fiscal sustainability and $21 million infrastructure gap
The city's five-year forecast shows expenses growing faster than revenues, with reserves projected to drop from 41% to 21%. Staff presented possible fixes including a three-eighths-cent sales tax, higher parking meter rates, and fee increases. The Library Board was part of a citywide tour seeking community feedback.
Vacant council seat appointment process
Applications open May 7 and close May 22, with the selection hearing June 3 and the new member seated June 17. Redacted applications will be posted online within 24–48 hours — a transparency fix after complaints last time that applicants were kept secret until deliberation night.
Library Resource-Sharing Expansion to Carmel
After 30 years sharing a catalog with Monterey, the Pacific Grove library is adding Carmel, letting patrons browse and borrow across all three libraries starting this week.
Code of conduct and censure rules for council and commissions
The Council rewrote its own code of conduct, and the fight was over the censure section — one member wanted it removed, the rest kept it. It sets how elected and appointed officials can be disciplined.
Temporary IT Staffing Funding
The city is adding $55,000 to its Robert Half contract to keep temporary IT staff through August 2026, covering a gap in city tech support.
FY 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Modifications
Better-than-expected hotel and property tax revenue trimmed the projected operating deficit to about $1.5 million, and the city is still meeting its 25% reserve goal — but Council members warned big capital costs (Lovers Point breakwater, Chautauqua Hall) are coming.
Tennis Court Repair and CIP Funding Crunch
The board wants to request tennis court resurfacing, but staff warned the city's CIP budget is basically spoken for — with a crumbling $1.5 million pier, stormwater work, and rec trail slides taking priority. There's also a question of whether the shifting soil underneath means repairs would only last a couple of years.
Citywide Infrastructure Survey and Ballot Measure Prep
The city council approved about $8,000 to start a consultant survey asking residents what street and sidewalk upgrades they want — groundwork for a possible ballot measure to fund infrastructure.
Board's two-recommendation limit
Board members voiced frustration that the advisory board can formally send only two recommendations a year to the City Council, calling it limiting for a volunteer body. The fix in progress: making recorded motions of endorsement so board positions show up in the minutes and quarterly reports without burning a recommendation form.