PREPARED BY: ARTURO E. CASTILLO DATE OF MEETING: 10/05/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF BAY AREA GOVERNMENTS (ABAG) FISCAL YEAR 2026-27 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,962 FROM GENERAL FUND ACCOUNT NO. 100-1110-43300
CEQA: This proposed action is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution
Body
FY 2025-27 council priority workplan statement
This action is not in the City Council’s Priority Workplan, but is necessary for the ongoing fiscal resilience of the City, and Continue Best Management Practices with Fiscal Resilience, Fiscal Excellence, and Fiscal Transparency is item #410 on the FY 2025-27 City of San Pablo City Council Priority Workplan adopted April 7, 2025 via Resolution 2025-044, as most recently amended on April 20, 2026 via Resolution 2026-063.
BACKGROUND
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is the comprehensive regional planning agency and council of governments for the nine counties and 101 cities and towns of the San Francisco Bay region, serving a population of more than 7 million residents. ABAG was formed in 1961 as the first council of governments in California. Membership is voluntary, and the City of San Pablo is a member agency. Since 2017, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) staff also serve as staff to ABAG under a “contract for services” model; ABAG and MTC nevertheless remain separate regional entities with their own statutory authorities, policy positions, budgets, and local collaborative programs.
Pursuant to Resolution 2026-007 (City Council Assignments), Vice Mayor Rita Xavier serves as the City’s primary representative to the ABAG/MTC Board and Councilmember Abel Pineda serves as the alternate representative.
ABAG FY 2026-27 Budget and Membership Dues
On June 18, 2026, the ABAG Executive Board adopted the FY 2026-27 ABAG Budget and Work Program via ABAG Resolution No. 5-2026, which established the approved FY 2026-27 membership dues schedule for all member jurisdictions. ABAG dues are assessed under a uniform, population-based formula using estimated population as of January 1, 2025, and are applied consistently across all member agencies.
Region-wide, total ABAG membership dues increased 3.0%, from $3,233,918 in FY 2025-26 to $3,330,936 in FY 2026-27, an increase of $97,018. The City of San Pablo’s dues were calculated on an estimated population of 31,507 and increased by the same 3.0% factor, from $10,643 in FY 2025-26 to $10,962 in FY 2026-27, an increase of $319.
Benefits of Continued Membership
Continued ABAG membership provides the City with access to regional programs, technical assistance, and cost-effective member services that would be substantially more expensive to procure independently. These include the Regional Housing Technical Assistance (RHTA) Program, which has delivered more than 40 live webinars to over 4,500 local agency staff and consultants since 2020 and assisted 106 Bay Area jurisdictions in achieving substantial compliance with state Housing Element law as of March 2026; Plan Bay Area 2050+, adopted in March 2026, and its successor Plan Bay Area 2060; the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), which provides energy efficiency rebates and technical assistance to residents, small businesses, and local governments; the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and the Doorway Housing Portal; ABAG’s data platforms, including Vital Signs, the Bay Area Spatial Information System (BASIS), and the Housing and Land Use Viewer; resilience and environmental planning support, including Priority Conservation Area designations and the San Francisco Estuary Partnership; and state and federal legislative advocacy on behalf of Bay Area local governments.
FISCAL IMPACT
The FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28 Biennial Budget, adopted by the City Council on June 15, 2026, includes an appropriation in General Fund Account No. 100-1110-43300 (City Council - Memberships/Subscriptions), of which $11,100 is identified for ABAG annual membership dues.
|
Account No. |
Description |
FY 2026-27 Adopted |
Proposed Expenditure |
Remaining Balance |
|
100-1110-43300 |
City Council - Memberships/Subscriptions (ABAG line item) |
$11,100 |
$10,962 |
$138 |
|
|
TOTAL |
$11,100 |
$10,962 |
$138 |
ATTACHMENTS
Att A. Resolution 2026-### Association of Bay Area Governments FY 26-27 Annual Membership