Skip to main content
huntington beach banner
File #: 25-451   
Type: Public Hearing Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 5/27/2025 In control: City Council/Public Financing Authority
On agenda: 6/3/2025 Final action:
Title: Consider Adopting Resolution No. 2025-42 to Adopt a Budget for the City for Fiscal Year 2025/26 and Authorize the Corresponding Appropriation and Transfer of $3.3 Million of Equipment Replacement Reserves and $1.5 Million of Section 115 Trust Fund Reserves; Resolution No. 2025-39 Establishing the Gann Appropriation Limit for Fiscal Year 2025/26; Resolution No. 2025-40 Levying a Retirement Property Tax for Fiscal Year 2025/26 to Pay for Pre-1978 Employee Retirement Benefits; Resolution No. 2025-46 Adopting an Updated Master Fee and Charges Schedule; and Resolution No. 2025-36 Acknowledging Receipt of a Report Made by the Fire Chief of the Huntington Beach Fire Department Regarding the Inspection of Certain Occupancies Required to Perform Annual Inspections in such Occupancies Pursuant to Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code; Authorize the Professional Services included in the FY 2025/26 budget to be representative of the services projected to be utilized...
Attachments: 1. Att #1 Public Hearing Notice, 2. Att #2 Resolution No. 2025-42 with Exhibits, 3. Att #3 Professional Services FY 2025-26, 4. Att #4 Resolution No. 2025-39 GANN Appropriation Limit, 5. Att #5 Resolution No. 2025-40 Employee Tax Override, 6. Att #6 Resolution No. 2025-46 Fees & Charges Schedule, 7. Att #7 Resolution No. 2025-36 HBFD Certain Occupancies, 8. Att #8 Fire Engine Quote, 9. Att #9 Ordinance No. 4337 IT Dept Name Change, 10. Att #10 PowerPoint Presentation, 11. 6/2 Sup Com, 12. 6/3 Sup Com - R. Torrez Memo, 13. 6/3 Sup Com - Torrez Memo & Revised PPT

REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION

 

SUBMITTED TO:                     Honorable Mayor and City Council Members                     

 

SUBMITTED BY:                     Travis Hopkins, City Manager                     

 

VIA:                     Robert Torrez, Interim Chief Financial Officer

 

PREPARED BY:                     Janice Eckles, Principal Finance Analyst

 

Subject:

title

Consider Adopting Resolution No. 2025-42 to Adopt a Budget for the City for Fiscal Year 2025/26 and Authorize the Corresponding Appropriation and Transfer of $3.3 Million of Equipment Replacement Reserves and $1.5 Million of Section 115 Trust Fund Reserves; Resolution No. 2025-39 Establishing the Gann Appropriation Limit for Fiscal Year 2025/26; Resolution No. 2025-40 Levying a Retirement Property Tax for Fiscal Year 2025/26 to Pay for Pre-1978 Employee Retirement Benefits; Resolution No. 2025-46 Adopting an Updated Master Fee and Charges Schedule; and Resolution No. 2025-36 Acknowledging Receipt of a Report Made by the Fire Chief of the Huntington Beach Fire Department Regarding the Inspection of Certain Occupancies Required to Perform Annual Inspections in such Occupancies Pursuant to Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code; Authorize the Professional Services included in the FY 2025/26 budget to be representative of the services projected to be utilized by departments in FY 2025/26; Authorize the City Manager or Designee to Purchase One Rosenbauer Commander Pumper Fire Engine, in the Amount of $1,500,000; and Introduce Ordinance No. 4337 to Adopt an Ordinance of the City of Huntington Beach Amending the Huntington Beach Municipal Code by Amending Chapter 2.114 Department of Information Services

body

 

Statement of Issue:

The City Charter of the City of Huntington Beach requires a Public Hearing prior to the adoption of the City’s annual budget. The City Charter further requires adoption of the annual budget by June 30, 2025, for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26. 

 

Financial Impact:

Proposed Budget: The FY 2025/26 Proposed Budget is structurally balanced. The All Funds Proposed Budget equals $555.5 million. The General Fund Proposed Budget totals $299.7 million. Individual departmental and fund-level appropriations are contained in the attachments herein.

 

Employee Tax Override: Pursuant to Chapter 3.07 of the Municipal Code, the Proposed Budget for FY 2025/26 assumes the continuation of the voter approved Retirement Tax Cap of $0.01500 per $100 of assessed value. As of the most recent audited financial statements, this tax rate resulted in $8.9 million in revenue in FY 2023/24.  This recurring revenue source is included in the Proposed FY 2025/26 Budget.

 

Citywide Master Fee and Charges Schedule: Citywide user fees and charges generate approximately $29 million in annual revenue across all funds and $25 million in the General Fund.  These funds support a wide range of City services, including public safety.  If adopted as proposed by staff, the updated schedule may generate up to $810,000 in additional annual revenue, which would benefit the General Fund.

 

Fire Rosenbauer Commander Pumper Fire Engine:  Funds in the amount of $1,500,000 are included for the purchase of the vehicle in the proposed FY 2025/26 budget in Equipment Replacement Fund 324.

 

Recommended Action:

recommendation

A)                     Adopt Resolution No. 2025-42, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting a Budget for the City for Fiscal Year 2025/26” (Attachment 2); and,

 

B)                     Authorize the Professional Services included in the FY 2025/26 budget to be representative of the services projected to be utilized by departments in FY 2025/26 (Attachment 3); and,

 

C)                     Authorize the appropriation and transfer of $3,300,000 from the General Fund Equipment Replacement Reserve to the Equipment Replacement Fund 324; and

 

D)                     Authorize the appropriation and transfer of $1,465,716 from the Section 115 Trust Fund 716 to the General Fund; and,

 

E)                      Adopt Resolution No. 2025-39, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Establishing the Gann Appropriation Limit for Fiscal Year 2025/2026” (Attachment 4); and,

 

F)                     Adopt Resolution No.2025-40, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Levying a Retirement Property Tax for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 to Pay for Pre-1978 Employee Retirement Benefits” (Attachment 5); and,

 

G)                     Adopt Resolution No. 2025-46, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting an Updated Master Fee and Charges Schedule” (Attachment 6); and

 

H)                     Adopt Resolution No. 2025-36, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, Acknowledging Receipt of a Report Made by the Fire Chief of the Huntington Beach Fire Department Regarding the Inspection of Certain Occupancies Required to Perform Annual Inspections in such Occupancies Pursuant to Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code (Attachment 7); and,

 

I)                     Authorize the City Manager or designee to purchase one Rosenbauer Commander Pumper Fire Engine in the Amount of $1,500,000 (Attachment 8); and,

 

J)                     Introduce Ordinance No. 4337, “An Ordinance of the City of Huntington Beach Amending the     Huntington Beach Municipal Code by Amending Chapter 2.114 Department of Information Services” (Attachment 9).

end

 

Alternative Action(s):

A.                     Instruct City staff regarding changes to be incorporated into the budget and adopt the

FY 2025/26 Budget and corresponding actions and resolutions as amended.

 

B.                     Continue the Public Hearing until June 17, 2025.

 

Analysis:

As required by the City Charter, the City Manager submitted the FY 2025/26 Proposed Budget to the City Council on May 20, 2025. The Proposed Budget and the Five-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) were also discussed at a City Council Study Session held on May 20, 2025. 

 

The purpose of the budget study session was to provide the City Council an opportunity to discuss the Proposed Budget with staff before proceeding with the formal Public Hearing on June 3, 2025.

 

Overview

Over the past few years, the City has addressed numerous fiscal challenges, including Workers’ Compensation and insurance increases, inflationary pressures on operating and capital costs, and increasing CalPERS pension costs. Through the leadership and support of the City Council, the City, in recent years, has implemented various cost saving measures without reductions in essential service levels. 

 

In order to balance the proposed FY 2025/26 budget, several one-time options are recommended to “bridge” a projected gap between revenues and expenditures. Recommended options include a combination of targeted reductions in operating accounts with underutilization trends, deferring transfers to other funds, maintaining vacancy savings through the managed hiring process, reductions in contractual expenses, one-time use of available reserves and a portion of the Waterfront Loan Superior Court Judgment. These stop-gap measures will buy time and enable staff to further analyze the longer-term fiscal impacts and develop measured and deliberate service adjustments, including changes to service delivery models and personnel, if necessary. The proposed budget does not contemplate deep City service level cuts that would severely impact on the community and organization.

The FY 2025/26 Proposed Budget is structurally balanced and totals $555.5 million across All Funds.  This reflects a $28.3 million, or 5 percent, increase from the FY 2024/25 Adopted All Funds Budget of $527.2 million.

 

The General Fund is the key operating fund within the City’s budget, as it provides for traditional City services such as public safety, parks, recreation, libraries, etc. The General Fund accounts for discretionary revenues and expenditures, while all other funds are used to account for enterprise activities, internal service activity, major capital improvement projects and special revenue sources that are restricted for specific purposes. FY 2025/26 General Fund revenue is projected at $300.1 million, a $1.6 million, or 0.5 percent decrease from the FY 2024/25 Adopted Budget.  Major sources of General Fund revenue include Property Tax, Sales Tax, Utility Users Tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax, among others. 

 

Following Are Highlights of Major General Fund Revenues: 

• Property Tax, the largest source of General Fund revenue, remains strong and is expected to grow $5.7 million due to gains in assessed property valuations.

• Sales Tax, the City’s second largest revenue source, is projected to decrease $762,000. This is a trend that became evident in the current FY 2024/25 fiscal year and is expected to continue into FY 2025/26, due to lower automobile sales in the City and its resultant drop in sales tax revenue.   This trend could be due to a combination of economic factors, including relatively high consumer loan rates, tariff proposals and their impact on supply chains, which could potentially push historically high vehicle prices even higher. Weakening consumer sentiment may reduce willingness to make big-ticket purchases, as well.

• Charges for Current Services are projected to decrease by $1.8 million from the prior year as the result of lower anticipated building plan reviews, lower Emergency Medical Service billings, and adjustments to cost plan allocation charges.

• Franchise Fees are decreasing $1 million due largely to lower prices for natural gas when compared to the prior year.  

• Revenue from Other Agencies is also projected to decrease $4.8 million due largely to the planned elimination of the prior-year one-time receipt of funds from the Voluntary Rate Range Intergovernmental Transfer (VRRP) Program. The VRRP allows CalOptima Health to secure additional Medi-Cal dollars for the City of Huntington Beach and other California government entities. The revenue received annually by the City is dependent on a number of factors, such as the number of program participants in the County and number of Medi-Cal calls for service. New VRRP participants have decreased the amount available funding to existing participants in FY2025/26.Revenue projections are based on conservative assumptions to ensure the City has adequate financial resources to meet obligations and complete the programs approved by the City Council. 

The Proposed General Fund Expenditure Budget totals $299.7 million and is supported by revenues of $300.1 million. The Proposed General Fund Budget has no reliance on one-time revenues to fund ongoing operations, which is critical to maintaining the City’s financial viability and success, and represents a $300,000, or 0.1% percent, decrease compared to the FY 2024/25 Adopted Budget of $300.0 million. 

 

The change in the General Fund Expenditure Budget represents the net amount of both one-time decreases from the prior year and increases and other ongoing decreases proposed for FY 2025/26.  Major expenditure variances include a $13.1 million increase to personnel services for renegotiated Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), minimum wage, base salaries (step increases), public safety overtime and leave buyout, CalPERS unfunded accrued liability (UAL) and a decrease resulting from vacancy attrition savings of $1 million.

Changes to Personnel Budget and Authorized Position Count

The proposed personnel budget includes the elimination of six positions, a downgrade of one position, the reclassification of twelve Firefighters to Firefighter Paramedics, and the upgrade of four three-quarter-time Marine Safety Specialist positions to full-time. In addition, the exchange of two Police Officer positions for one Police Sergeant during FY 2024/25 contributes to a net decrease of 6.00 authorized positions, reducing the total from 1,005.75 in FY 2024/25 to 999.75 in FY 2025/26.

Subsequent revisions to the proposed budget following the May 20 Study Session include the request to upgrade of six part-time Ambulance Operators to full-time and the restoration of funding for two previously defunded Administrative Fire Captain positions. These changes return the total authorized position count to 1,005.75 (see table below) and are described in greater detail later in this report.

FY 2025/26 FTEs by Department

Operating Reductions and Transfers

Further, a number of non-personnel operating reductions totaling $2.9 million are proposed for professional and contract services, conferences and training, equipment repairs, general supplies and other miscellaneous expenditures. In balancing the FY 2025/26 General Fund budget, it was also necessary to rely on several one-time options to “bridge the gap” of the projected deficit. Those recommended options include:

 

                     Transfer of $1.5 million from the Section 115 Trust to offset additional UAL expense, as allowed with City Council approval, per the Council’s reserve policy;

 

                     Reduction of the General Fund transfer to the Self Insurance Workers’ Compensation and Self Insurance General Liability Funds by $2.0 and $2.5 million, respectively;

 

                     Use of $3.3 million from the Equipment Replacement Reserve to offset General Fund equipment replacement costs; and,

 

                     Use of $2.4 million from the Waterfront Loan Superior Court Judgement, leaving $4.3 million remaining in the Waterfront reserve for future use.

A summary of the General Fund budget by department is provided in the table below:

Capital Improvement Program (CIP)

The CIP serves as a funding plan for public improvements, special projects and many ongoing maintenance programs. Projects in the CIP include construction and rehabilitation of arterial highways, local streets, storm drains, parks and beach improvements, facilities, and water and sewer improvements.

The FY 2025/26 CIP budget consists of $63.6 million in new appropriations ($7.9 million of which comes from the General Fund) and an estimated $7.3 million in re-appropriated funds to be carried forward from the current fiscal year for a total CIP budget of just over $70.9 million.  Specific project plans for this budget year will be discussed in more detail in the CIP section of the Budget document.  Unlike the operating budget, capital improvement appropriations are expended over multiple years due to the unpredictable nature of large construction projects that require environmental review, coordination of outside entities (public utilities) and design/policy considerations. 

 

Revisions to the Proposed Budget

 

The FY 2025/2026 Proposed Budget was initially presented to the City Council on May 20, 2025 and included revenues of $529.6 million and expenditures amounting to $554.9 million across all funds.  Within the General Fund, revenues totaled $300.1 million and expenditures totaled $299 million.  Several revisions are proposed to enhance services in the Fire Department and provide technical corrections to the Proposed Budget.

 

Fire Department

Based on feedback provided following the study session, the Fire Department has requested to include $579,000 in funding for two previously defunded Administrative Fire Captain positions - one assigned to the Fire Operations Section and one to the Professional Standards Division. These positions are proposed to enhance oversight of administrative functions, coordinate specialty units, manage station facilities and apparatus, and serve as liaisons to various County groups and committees. There is no change to the total number of authorized positions. Additionally, $162,000 is proposed to upgrade Ambulance Operations from a 14-hour Model to 24-hour Model.  The revised Operations Model will reduce response times and increase ambulance availability.  As part of this change, six ambulance operator positions will be upgraded from part-time to full-time.

 

Technical Corrections

Revised revenue and expenditure appropriations are proposed for the federally funded Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnerships Program following the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) recent announcement of allocations for FY 2025.  Additional minor technical corrections are proposed for revenues in several funds. 

 

The full list of revisions is outlined in Exhibit A-1 of Resolution No. 2025-42 (Attachment 2). 

 

Professional Services

 

As established by Administrative Regulation Number 228, each department has submitted a list of professional services that are generally contained in their Proposed Budgets (Attachment 3). Professional services contracts are subject to compliance with Administrative Regulation Number 228 and City Ordinance Chapter 3.03.

 

Gann Appropriation Limit

 

In November 1979, the California voters approved Article 13B of the State of California Constitution, which allows the City’s spending of tax proceeds to increase only by factors from the base year of 1978-1979. In June 1990, Proposition 111 was passed, which changed the way the limit is calculated and is outlined as follows.

 

The City may increase its limit annually in two ways:

                     By a percentage equal to the increase from the preceding year in county or city population (whichever is greater).

                     By an amount equal to the change in per capita personal income in California or the change in the assessment roll the preceding year due to the addition of local non-residential new construction (whichever is greater).

 

The proposed appropriation limit for FY 2025/26 was calculated as follows:

 

                     FY 2024/25 Appropriation Limit                                            $1,217,866,589

                     Multiplied by percentage growth in State Per Capita Personal Income                                               1.0644

                     Multiplied by change in County Population                                                                                              1.0017

                     Proposed FY 2025/26 Appropriation Limit                                                     $1,298,500,903

 

Appropriations of revenues controlled by the Gann Limit are primarily in the General Fund. The General Fund proposed appropriation for FY 2025/26 of $299.7 million is significantly below this appropriation limit (Attachment 4).

 

Examples of proceeds of taxes governed by the Gann Appropriation Limit are property taxes, sales taxes, utility taxes, state subventions, fines, forfeitures, interest revenue on regulatory licenses, user charges, and user fees, to the extent that those proceeds exceed the costs reasonably borne by that entity in providing the regulation, product, or service.

 

Employee Tax Override

 

On July 16, 2012, the City Council adopted an ordinance to permanently cap the tax rate at $0.01500 per $100 of assessed valuation. Therefore, the requested tax levy for FY 2025/26 reflects the same tax rate of $0.01500 per $100 of assessed valuation effective in FY 2012/13 pursuant to Chapter 3.07 of the Municipal Code. Fiscal Year 2025/26 will represent the fourteenth year of the application of the permanent cap.

The current capped Employee Tax Override results in an approximate $75 annual tax levy for a property assessed at $500,000. Revenue generated from this property tax helps the City fund public safety employee pension costs associated with pre-1978 retirement benefit levels. As such, the tax can only pay for the estimated costs associated with the public safety pension benefit formulas in place prior to the enactment of Proposition 13 on July 1, 1978. Hence, the tax can only pay for retirement benefits for all retired, current, and future public safety City employees that were contracted for prior to July 1, 1978 (such as the 2% at 50 benefit formula for Safety employees in place before enactment of Proposition 13).

Based on the most recent CalPERS actuarial valuations, the cost of pre-1978 retirement benefit levels for Safety personnel totals $29.8 million. As such, the proposed tax rate is recouping only 25 percent of eligible Safety personnel retirement costs.

Due to the County of Orange’s timeline for approving the tax rate and the city’s budget cycle, the rate must be set before the City Council takes action on its annual budget. The recommended assessment rate would maintain essential services for Fiscal Year 2025/26 (Attachment 5).

Public Hearing

The City Charter requires that a public hearing be conducted on the City budget prior to adoption.  Public Hearing notices have been published per City Charter requirements (Attachment 1). At the close of this hearing, all legal requirements for budget adoption will have been met.

 

Citywide Master Fee and Charges Schedule

Citywide user fees and charges generate approximately $29 million in annual revenue across all funds, with $25 million attributed to the General Fund. These revenues support a wide range of City services, including public safety. If adopted as proposed, the updated schedule is projected to generate up to $810,000 in additional annual revenue, which would benefit the General Fund.

 

The City’s current Master Fee and Charges Schedule was approved in 2024 and incorporates a full cost-of-service study based on FY 2023/24 budget data. Typically, a comprehensive study is conducted every three to five years, with interim updates in between to maintain alignment with actual service costs. These interim adjustments are essential to prevent erosion of cost recovery as operational costs increase. When a fee is set below full cost recovery, the General Fund typically provides a subsidy to cover the shortfall.

 

Annual Inflationary Adjustment

In the years between full cost-of-service studies, it is recommended that the City Council authorize annual inflationary adjustments to fees. These adjustments are based on the prior year’s percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area and are capped at a maximum of 5% per year.

 

The proposed update represents such an interim adjustment and includes CPI-based increases along with the addition of a new fee. A CPI adjustment of 3.00% is recommended for most development and operational permit fees, including:

 

                     Building Fees - permitting for new construction or modifications to existing structures

                     Planning Fees - entitlement review and zoning compliance

                     Land Development Engineering Fees - public improvement plan review

                     Encroachment Permit Fees - activities conducted in the public right-of-way

                     Fire Prevention Fees - compliance reviews related to new and existing developments

 

This adjustment is estimated to reduce the General Fund subsidy by $130,000 annually.

 

Other Orange County cities that have adopted similar annual CPI adjustment practices include Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Seal Beach, and Lake Forest.

 

Community and Library Services Fees

As part of the updates to the Citywide Master Fee and Charges Schedule, staff recommends the adoption of twelve new fees, along with adjustments to existing fee ranges for various Community and Library Services programs. New program fees include alternative Camp HB offerings, a peak season beach fire pit reservation program, an Adventure Playground After-Hours program, an Artist Council membership fee, Senior Fitness Center daily, weekly, and monthly pass options, pickleball and volleyball court hourly rental fees, and a new Library Subscription Materials Deactivation Fee. Combined, these new fees are projected to generate approximately $140,000 in annual revenue.

 

Proposed Specific Event Fees have been restructured into three tiers, each based on the number of attendees and the level of City support services required by the event organizer. Charges include application processing, daily permit and venue fees, late application submittal fees, and event setup and takedown charges. Additionally, ticketed event fees, ranging from $2.00 to $20.00 per ticket, will be assessed based on the ticket price set by the event organizer. A non-refundable deposit of $50,000 is also proposed for Tier 3 events, which would be credited toward the final balance due at event closeout. Estimated annual revenue from these changes is approximately $220,000.

 

Staff also recommends increasing peak season parking rates in the South Beach Attended Lots. Rates would rise from $15.00 to $20.00 on weekdays, from $30.00 to $40.00 on the 4th of July, and from $25.00 to $30.00 on two additional high-demand days associated with the holiday. These adjustments are projected to generate an additional $320,000 annually.

 

In total, the proposed changes to Community and Library Services fees are anticipated to generate $680,000 in new annual revenue.

 

Fire Department Fee - AB 38 Defensible Space Inspections

In accordance with California Civil Code Section 1102.19 (enacted through AB 38), the Fire Department is implementing a new fee of $203 for Defensible Space Inspections. These inspections are required for real estate transactions involving properties located within designated Fire Hazard Severity Zones, as identified in recently updated State fire maps. The inspection ensures compliance with state-mandated defensible space standards prior to the close of escrow. The fee supports the cost of providing these inspection services as required by law.

 

 

 

General Fund and All Funds Revenue Impact

If the Master Fee and Charges Schedule is amended as proposed, General Fund subsidization of these fees would decrease thereby increasing available discretionary General Fund revenue to be used for capital projects, equipment, and other City Council priorities providing a broad public benefit.

 

Acknowledge Receipt of Fire Inspections

California Health & Safety Code Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 require all fire departments that provide fire protection services to perform annual inspections in every building used as a public or private school, hotel motel, lodging house, apartment house and certain residential care facilities.  These inspections are performed to meet certain building standards.  Section 13146.2 of the Code requires departments to report annually to its governing body on its conformance to these requirements.  State Senate Bill 1205 requires that effective January 1, 2019, the governing body annually adopt a resolution or other formal document certifying that these inspections were completed and that this document be submitted to the State.

 

During calendar year 2024, the Huntington Beach Fire Department completed annual inspections of all buildings referenced under Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code.

 

This includes the following:

 

Occupancy Type

# in Jurisdiction

# of Inspections

%

R1s ("hotel, motel, lodging houses") 

19

19

100

R2s ("apartment houses")

2,446

2,445

100

R2.1 ("supervised residential")

5

5

100

R4s ("residential/assisted living")

1

1

100

Es (“public and private schools”)

38

38

100

TOTAL

2,509

2,508

100%

 

Inspections were completed for all R1, R2, R2.1, R4, and Es properties, achieving 100% compliance.

In conformance with Senate Bill 1205, staff recommends the adoption of the resolution shown as Attachment 7.

 

Fire Rosenbauer Commander Pumper Engine

One of the Fire Department fire engines, Pierce XT Pumper Unit 8215, manufactured in 2006, has reached its 20-year operational lifespan and needs replacement. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) offers best practice recommendations for the fire service, emphasizing several factors for replacing fire apparatus. According to NFPA Standard 1911-100 - Annex D, page 103:

 

In the last 10 to 15 years, much progress has been made in upgrading functional capabilities and improving the safety features of fire apparatus. Apparatus more than 15 years old might include only a few of the safety upgrades required by the recent editions of the NFPA fire department apparatus standards or the equivalent Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) standards. Because the changes and upgrades, and fine tuning to NFPA 1901 have been truly significant, especially in the area of safety, fire departments should seriously consider the value (or risk) to firefighters of keeping fire apparatus more than 15 years old in first-line service.

 

The cost for purchasing one fire engine is $1,166,648, with an additional 7.75% sales tax of $90,415, bringing the total vehicle purchase price to $1,257,063 (Attachment 8). Pricing was obtained through Sourcewell, a national cooperative purchasing program that complies with Municipal Code 3.02.190. An additional $134,497 is estimated for required equipment and upfitting (customization) to meet operational standards.

The vendor has committed to honoring 2024 pricing for this purchase in 2025, resulting in estimated cost savings of $100,000 below the amount previously included in the proposed budget.  However, due to ongoing volatility, the vendor has advised that up to 6% in tariffs may still apply to the contract price. To account for these potential cost increases and ensure full funding for the vehicle and associated outfitting, staff is requesting authorization of $1,500,000 for the purchase and complete deployment of the fire engine.

 

Department Name Change - Information Services to Information Technology Services

As part of the FY 2025/26 Budget Adoption, the Information Services Department is proposing a name change to Information Technology Services (ITS) to reflect the department’s scope, mission, and professional identity more accurately. The current name has led to confusion both internally and externally, often implying a focus on informational content rather than the delivery of critical technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, systems support, and digital innovation.

 

The proposed change aligns with industry standards and will clarify the department’s role in enabling and securing City operations. It also supports recruitment efforts by ensuring the department’s title resonates with information technology professionals seeking roles in technology, rather than general information services. This change will be codified through a companion ordinance included with the budget adoption materials, which will require two readings for adoption. The second reading is scheduled for June 17, 2025. A draft of the ordinance is provided as Attachment 9.

 

Environmental Status:

Not applicable.

 

Strategic Plan Goal:

Community Engagement

Homelessness and Behavioral Services Response

Economic Development & Housing

Infrastructure & Parks

Fiscal Sustainability, Public Safety and Other

 

Attachment(s):

1.                     Public Hearing Notice

2.                     Resolution No. 2025-42, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting a Budget for the City for Fiscal Year 2025/26”

3.                     Professional Services included in the Fiscal Year 2025/26 Budget

4.                     Resolution No. 2025-39, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Establishing the Gann Appropriation Limit for Fiscal Year 2024/2025”

5.                     Resolution No. 2025-40, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Levying a Retirement Property Tax for Fiscal Year 2024/2025 to Pay for Pre-1978 Employee Retirement Benefits”

6.                     Resolution 2025-46, “A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Adopting an Updated Master Fee and Charges Schedule”

7.                     Resolution No. 2025-36, “A Resolution of the Huntington Beach City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California Acknowledging Receipt of a Report Made by the Fire Chief of the Huntington Beach Fire Department Regarding the Inspection of Certain Occupancies Required to Perform Annual Inspections in such Occupancies Pursuant to Sections 13146.2 and 13146.3 of the California Health and Safety Code”

8.                     Rosenbauer Commander Pumper Engine Quote

9.                     Ordinance No. 4337, “An Ordinance of the City of Huntington Beach Amending the Huntington Beach Municipal Code by Amending Chapter 2.114 Department of Information Services”

10.                     PowerPoint Public Hearing Budget Adoption