Council Recap: June 16, 2026

Council closed the third and final public hearing on the FY 2026-27 budget and adopted Resolution CC-2606-043. The budget process began May 14 when staff published the proposed budget and the 2027-2031 Five-Year CIPCapital Improvement Program — the city's multi-year plan for infrastructure investments like road repaving, park improvements, and facility upgrades. Only the first year of the five-year plan is actually appropriated in each budget cycle., ran through three public hearings (June 2, June 9, and June 16), and produced 49 Budget Response ReportsBudget Response Reports — detailed staff analyses answering specific Council questions about the proposed budget. The 49 BRRs covered topics from police staffing levels to pickleball court costs across three hearing sessions.. BRR #1 corrections were incorporated into the final motion.

The proposed General Fund budget is balanced as presented. The CIP for FY 2026-27 includes $130.3 million in new appropriations — of which $92.9 million is for new Police and Fire Department facilities funded by Measure FPMeasure FP — a bond measure approved by Redondo Beach voters to fund new public safety facilities, including a new police headquarters and fire stations.. Combined with $69.1 million in carryover funding for 79 existing projects, the total CIP budget is approximately $199.4 million across 89 projects — 32 previously approved and 10 new.

Staff was directed to take actions necessary to implement revenue-related changes in the adopted budget, including posting revised fee rates and returning to Council in July with an ordinance for revised parking meter rates.

Council adopted Resolution CC-2606-044 (Community Development fees) and Resolution CC-2606-045 (Community Services fees) after a public hearing. The combined fee changes generate roughly $1.2 million in new annual revenue — money already baked into the FY 2026-27 budget projections.

Community Development: The biggest structural change is the shift from a valuation-based building permit model to a square-footage-based model, consistent with Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Rancho Palos Verdes. Following Council pushback at the March 17 review, staff reduced several proposed fees: appeal fees dropped from $2,810 to $600 (from $500 today), CUPs, variances, and live entertainment permits were cut 50%, and the two largest building permit increases (commercial tenant improvements and single-family additions) were cut 40%. Even with the reductions, a commercial TI permit jumps from $6,780 to $10,350 and a single-family addition from $5,690 to $10,960. Estimated revenue: $1.1 million annually.

Community Services: Six new or adjusted fees. The headline is a new Special Event Street Use Fee at $8,000 per mile per day — think BeachLife Festival and similar large-scale events that close public roads. The city currently recovers operational costs (police, public works) but charges nothing for the road space itself. Also: higher affordable housing monitoring fees, a new Dominguez Park picnic shelter rental ($125), a Hopkins Wilderness Park whole-park event fee ($1,500), and a new Veteran's Park use fee. Estimated revenue: $96,000 from the street use fee alone.

Parking meters: Not part of this resolution, but now approved through the budget. Rates will increase to $2.25/hour citywide via a separate ordinance returning in July.

Council adopted a comprehensive overhaul of its meeting procedures, replacing the April 2022 rules with a consolidated framework covering meeting conduct, public comment, commissioner roles, quasi-judicial procedures, motions, decorum, and remote participation. The update also moves Closed Session from 4:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., updates the agenda template, and establishes a formal disruption script — a protocol for when meetings are interrupted.

A key driver is SB 707Senate Bill 707 (2025) — a California state law requiring cities with populations over 30,000 to adopt written policies for handling teleconference disruptions, provide two-way audiovisual and telephone access for public meetings, and include real-time captioning for hybrid meetings. Compliance deadline: July 1, 2026. compliance. Cities with populations over 30,000 must adopt a written teleconference disruption policy by July 1, 2026. The new rules include provisions for a one-hour recess if audiovisual or phone service fails, a roll-call vote on whether to resume, and real-time captioning during hybrid meetings. This work had been in progress since September 2025 strategic planning sessions.