HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3b - Overview of the Brown Act, City 101 and City Budget Council Compensation Committee
Agenda Report
For Agenda of: 9/4/2025
Item Number: 3b
Estimated Time: 15 Minutes
FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager
Prepared By: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager
SUBJECT: OVERVIEW OF THE BROW N ACT, CITY 101 AND CITY BUDGET
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation on the Brown Act, City 101 and the City’s Budget.
DISCUSSION
The ABCs of Open Government Laws
The ABCs of Open Government Laws (Attachment A) is published by the Institute for
Local Government and provides an overview of two key California laws that promote
transparency and accountability in local government:
The Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs open meetings of local legislative
bodies, requiring that meetings be properly noticed, accessible to the public, and
conducted openly, with limited exceptions.
The California Public Records Act (CPRA), which affirms the public's right to
access records and information held by government agencies, subject to certain
exemptions.
Staff will review these laws as they apply to the Committee to ensure Committee members
understand their legal obligations regarding public access to meetings and rec ords.
City 101
Staff will provide a City 101 presentation which includes an overview of the structure,
functions, and operations of cities in California, with a focus on the City of San Luis
Obispo. The discussion will include key characteristics of a city, including governance,
essential systems, and community identity. In California, there are 483 cities, organized
as either General Law cities or Charter cities, and governed through models such as
Council-Manager, Mayor-Council, or Town Meeting forms of government.
The presentation will highlight the City’s charter, municipal code, and numerous Advisory
Bodies that guide policy on various topics including planning, transportation, cultural
heritage and financial oversight.
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Item 3b
City Budget
Staff will provide an overview of the City’s budget (Attachment B) including t he City’s
biennial Financial Plan, which includes fiscal policies, departmental budgets, and capital
improvement projects.
The City Council adopted a balanced Fiscal Year 2025–26 budget totaling $217.6 million,
which marks the first year of its two-year 2025–27 Financial Plan. Of this, approximately
$117.6 million is allocated to the General Fund.
Despite slowing revenue growth and rising operational costs, the adopted budget closed
a funding gap without cutting services for the current year, but a gap remains in future
years that will need to be addressed.
ATTACHMENTS
A – The ABCs of Open Government Laws
B – Budget in Brief
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