Fleet Replacement, Refuse Collection and Pavement Repair Top Public Works’ Proposed $110.8 Million 2027 Budget

The Pasadena Public Works Department will present its recommended Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget of $110.8 million to the Municipal Services Committee on Tuesday, May 12, a plan that would direct major investments toward fleet replacement, refuse collection equipment, and continued progress on the city’s Pavement Condition Index, according to a staff presentation prepared for the meeting.

The recommended budget would represent an 11 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2026 adopted budget. Because the Municipal Services Committee is a strictly advisory body, it can only consider and recommend budget items to the Pasadena City Council, which retains final authority over all departmental appropriations.

The department’s total Fiscal Year 2027 recommended budget is $110,826,446, compared to $99,624,140 adopted for Fiscal Year 2026. Personnel costs would rise 5 percent to $45.5 million, with no new positions requested and 33 current vacancies. The personnel increase reflects a 56.3 percent jump in general liability costs ($835,722), a 10.4 percent rise in medical costs ($483,062), and memorandum of understanding and cost-of-living adjustments totaling $866,281, or 4.3 percent.

Services and supplies would grow 4 percent to $37.7 million, driven by a 24 percent ($459,000) increase in fleet maintenance contracts and a 10.5 percent ($541,148) rise in electricity costs for streetlights and traffic signals, partially offset by a 23 percent ($313,000) decrease in fuel and gasoline costs. Capital outlay would surge 93 percent to $14.4 million, including $10.4 million for fleet replacement (Fund 503) and a $3.92 million enhancement for seven Refuse Compressed Natural Gas side loader trucks (Fund 406). Internal service charges would rise 6 percent to $13.2 million, including an 8 percent ($600,000) increase in Building Systems and Fleet Management Division charges.

The department’s organizational structure for Fiscal Year 2027 would maintain a total of 282 full time employees, distributed across five divisions: Administration Services (17), Engineering (51), Building Systems and Fleet Management (74), Resource Recovery and Recycling (63), and Street Maintenance (75).

The largest enhancement request is $5,724,311 in additional Fleet Replacement Fund (503) vehicle purchases, which would increase Fiscal Year 2027 vehicle purchases from $4.7 million to $10.4 million using available fund balance. The Resource Recovery and Recycling Division is requesting $3,928,276 for seven side loader refuse trucks, $300,000 for additional refuse containers, $42,000 for residential refuse fleet cameras, $18,000 for commercial refuse fleet cameras, and ongoing annual monitoring costs of $105,000 for residential and $45,000 for commercial vehicle-mounted cameras. Two grant-funded vehicle purchases — $45,000 for a new Code Compliance Officer vehicle and $50,000 for a new Stormwater group vehicle — are funded through Air Quality Management District grants. Total department enhancement requests would total $10,327,587.

The Street Maintenance Division is requesting $15,000 in safety equipment for a Lumens diesel-powered light tower, $30,000 for Bobcat skid steer cold planer attachments, and $25,000 for asphalt and concrete disposal.

The proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Pavement Condition Index Key Performance Indicator targets a score of 58.40, a 1.04-point increase over the projected Fiscal Year 2026 score of 57.36, supported by $10.8 million in funding. The presentation describes the long-term goal as raising the citywide PCI to 80. Six-year trend data shows the PCI rose from 56.19 in Fiscal Year 2024 to 56.26 in Fiscal Year 2025, then to 57.36 in Fiscal Year 2026, with corresponding annual appropriations of $11.1 million, $10.2 million, and $13.3 million, respectively.

Fiscal Year 2026 accomplishments cited in the presentation include resurfacing 16 centerline miles through the Annual Resurfacing Project, completing Phase 1 and 1A of the Central Library Retrofit project, maintaining 17,322 streetlights and 341 signalized intersections, replacing 102,000 square feet of sidewalk at 850 locations, pruning 14,000 trees and planting 600 trees, removing 12,000 incidents of graffiti, purchasing 41 vehicles, issuing 2,000 Public Works permits, conducting 3,100 engineering inspections, issuing 1,000 Code Compliance citations and 1,700 warnings, and completing 4,966 fleet maintenance orders and 5,883 building work orders.

The Fiscal Year 2027 annual work plan would include continuing efforts to increase the PCI by an additional point or more, continuing Phase 2 of the Central Library Seismic Retrofit, beginning Fiscal Year 2027 annual resurfacing of 12 centerline miles of streets citywide including the Rose Bowl pedestrian loop, performing 500,000 linear feet of sewer mainline cleaning and televising, relining 35,000 linear feet of sewer pipe, coating 120 manholes, replacing City Hall moat lights with energy-efficient fixtures, installing a Building Automation System demonstration project at the City Hall Council Chambers, launching an in-house GIS-based sidewalk inspection program, and launching an in-house GIS-based street tree inventory.

Additional work plan items include planting 600 trees and pruning 14,000 trees, beginning the Shoppers Lane parking lot LED project, beginning the Traffic Signal Retroreflective Back Plate project, completing the Altadena Drive High Voltage Street Light Circuit Conversion project, installing 1,000 additional parking signs for new parking meters in the Playhouse, Old Pasadena and Civic Center districts, and continuing community education and enforcement for the SB 1383 organics recycling program.

The General Fund portion of the Public Works budget would total $18,485,895, a 7 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2026 adopted level. The Refuse Collection Fund (406) would grow 7 percent to $29,983,988, the Sewer Construction and Maintenance Fund (205) would rise 11 percent to $3,247,823, and the Fleet Replacement Fund (503) would more than double to $10,716,791 — a 102 percent increase.

The Municipal Services Committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, in the Pasadena City Hall Council Chamber, Room S249, 100 North Garfield Avenue, in Pasadena. For more information call (626) 744-7311 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas/.