That’s a Wrap! - After Action Report Town Council Meeting of July 22, 2026

Full agenda · video recording · meeting ran 7:00–8:31 pm, July 22

Details of each item can be found in the Agenda

The City Council met for the Regular Meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm. The Council began moving through the agenda with a Commemoration honoring the life, leadership, and enduring legacy of former Portola Valley Mayor Edward C. “Ted” Driscoll. Council members shared personal remembrances — recalling Ted's vision and leadership in creating the Town Center that is the cultural heart of Portola Valley today — and presented a proclamation to his family.

The Council then received the Town Manager Report that included the following information:

• The next Summer Concert Series evening is Wednesday, August 6 at the Town Center — arrive early to claim a spot on the lawn.
• The Housing Element Amendment has been submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development, which has 60 days to respond (expected mid-September) with either a comment letter or certification, after which it would return to the Council. The amendment removes the Dorothy Ford Park and Open Space site from the Housing Element and replaces it with three other sites.
• The August 12 Council meeting has been cancelled; the next meeting of the Town Council will be August 26. Town Hall remains open. Watch (7:08 pm) 

The Council moved on to the Consent Agenda (~7:10 pm). Items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine in nature and are generally considered in one motion and adopted by a single vote of the Council. Please see the Agenda for this month's Consent Agenda. No items were pulled, and the Council approved all items.

Next up was the Regular Agenda (~7:11 pm), which included two items.

Council approved additional funding so auditor Maze & Associates can complete the FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 audits concurrently on an aggressive schedule — statements targeted for Oct. 15 and Council acceptance Oct. 28. The first two milestones have already been met, and Council thanked the finance team for the hours invested in clearing the backlog. Watch (7:11)

The Council voted unanimously to place a local funding measure on the ballot to help maintain public safety, protect local control, and address resident service needs and priorities.

The Council's action followed more than a year of budget cuts and community engagement, including The Portola Valley Conversation and a scientifically designed community survey in which residents identified protecting the Town's financial stability and preserving local autonomy among their highest priorities. Residents also identified maintaining wildfire prevention and preparedness including brush management and clearance, maintaining 911 emergency response times and police patrols, repairing deteriorating storm drains, and preventing a County takeover of local zoning and planning services as top funding priorities. If enacted, all funds from the general tax measure must be utilized for the Town of Portola Valley. No funds could be taken by the County, Sacramento or the Federal Government.

The proposed measure would allow voters to decide whether Portola Valley should become a Charter Town and establish a locally controlled Real Property Transfer Tax. Becoming a Charter Town is required under state law before the Town can adopt this type of local funding measure. Both proposals would require majority voter approval to take effect. If approved by voters, the measure would establish a Real Property Transfer Tax of $10 per $1,000 of a property's sale price, paid by buyers or sellers at the time of sale, to provide locally controlled funding for essential Town services and long-term financial stability. Watch the discussion (7:29)

The last item on the Agenda was the Subcommittee, Liaison Committee, and Regional Agency Report (~8:28 pm). The Council heard a wildfire update: One Shoreline is evaluating Portola Valley's participation in a county pilot program — alongside Hillsborough and a coastal community — aimed at helping with wildfire insurance through home hardening and vegetation clearance at a neighborhood scale (a minimum of 25 households). The pilot is not expected to cost the town. Residents who are on the FAIR Plan are encouraged to let the town know, so the Wildfire Preparedness Committee can identify where participation would make the most sense.

Having cleared the entire Agenda, at approximately 8:31 pm, that — as they say — was a wrap!

The next meeting of the Town Council is a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 7:00 pm (note: the August 12 meeting has been cancelled).

Thanks for reading!
 
Darcy Smith
Town Manager
Town of Portola Valley
dsmith@portolavalley.net

That’s a Wrap! - After Action Report Town Council Meeting of July 8, 2026

Regular Meeting at 7:00 pm

Highlights: The Council took its first close look at a real property transfer tax that would help close the town's budget gap, and it's on track for the November 3 ballot. No decisions were made yet — that comes at the next meeting. The Council also accepted a long-awaited financial audit

Council Meeting Date: July 8, 2026 (Full Agenda link) 

Video Link: Town Council Meeting Video Recording 

Details of each item can be found in the Agenda

The City Council met for the Regular Meeting on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 at 7:00 pm. Following Roll Call the Council began moving through the agenda beginning with the

Town Manager Report (~7:59 pm) that included the following information:

• The Summer Concert Series kicks off this Thursday at the Town Center (first up: a steel guitarist), with two more evenings to follow, and PV Palooza returns on August 29 — the lineup is set and postcards went out to residents.
• The recent Emergency Preparedness & Safety Day drew a strong turnout, with volunteers even making ham-radio contact as far away as the Dakotas — a small but real test of how we'd stay connected in an emergency. Thanks went to the fire department and our preparedness partners.
• Around town, crews wrapped up several projects: fire-district tree work, a sinkhole repair, and the replacement of old, crumbling parking wheel stops that had become a trip hazard.
• Keep an eye on your mailbox — the quarterly Portola Valley Post newsletter was just delivered, with details on the ongoing "Portola Valley Conversation" about town services and priorities.

The Council moved on to the Consent Agenda (~7:07 pm) consisting of items a through d. Items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine in nature and are generally considered in one motion and adopted by a single vote of the Council.  Please see the Agenda for this month's Consent Agenda.  The Council approved all items.

Next up was the Regular Agenda (~7:16 pm), which included two items.

1. Consider Acceptance of the FY 2022-23 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

Staff made a presentation, and the Council asked questions of staff and answers were provided. The Council accepted the town's audited financial statements for fiscal year 2022–23, which received a clean ("unmodified") opinion — meaning the auditors are confident the books fairly reflect the town's finances. The year showed the general fund balance down about $1.26 million, and auditors flagged one new housekeeping item – the Town’s bank-account signers not updated promptly during a period of staff turnover, though the town always had an authorized signer in place)

The bigger story is the turnaround behind it. Our finance team has been reconstructing years of records — tracking down lost checks, fixing old accounting errors, and rebuilding basic controls. Checks are now logged, scanned, and deposited within 7–10 days, and the finance staff has grown from two people to four. Council members thanked the team warmly, and staff expects the remaining overdue audits to move much faster now that this "over-the-hump" year is done

2. Receive Information and Provide Direction on the Draft Ordinance Amending Chapter 3.12 of Title 3 (Revenue and Finance) of the Portola Valley Municipal Code Regarding the Real Property Transfer Tax

Staff made a presentation, and the Council asked questions of staff and answers were provided. The Council provided direction to proceed with the Ordinance. This was a study session — a working discussion, with no vote.

The town is running a structural budget deficit. Reserves have been drawn down to 20% (from 60% in healthier years), and a long list of needs has been deferred. The proposed ballot measure would convert Portola Valley to a "charter town," which would let it replace its very old documentary transfer tax (55 cents per $1,000, essentially unchanged since 1967) with a modern real property transfer tax. The tax is only paid when a home changes hands. Importantly, this revenue would stay entirely with the town, and the rate the Council studied sits squarely within what state law currently allows.

Staff walked through why the money is needed, with examples rather than a fixed shopping list: wildfire resilience and an evacuation plan the town can't currently afford to carry out; a storm-drain master plan (the last one dates to 1970) with repairs likely in the millions; the rising sheriff's contract costs; aging IT and facilities; investments in emergency backup power; and road maintenance the town is required to fund or risk losing state dollars. All told, staff estimated ongoing and capital needs in the range of $2.3–3 million a year.

Two points drew particular attention. First, the draft Town Charter keeps things deliberately simple — no new exemptions beyond those already in state law — with the Council keeping the ability to fine-tune later. Second, it includes flexibility to reduce or repeal the tax without another election if the town ever collects more than it needs. Council members were broadly supportive and comfortable with the range, and had already agreed 5–0 to pursue a transfer tax rather than a parcel tax. If the ballot measure is not successful, the Town faces reducing consultant costs and wildfire mitigation, pausing capital investment, and potentially reducing staff — and might have to declare a fiscal emergency to try again at a costly special election. 

The last item on the Agenda was the Subcommittee, Liaison Committee, and Regional Agency Report. (~8:46 pm).

Having cleared the entire Agenda, at approximately 8:52 pm, that as they say - was a wrap! 

The next meeting of the City Council is a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm.

For more information and calendar of events, visit the Town's website.

Thanks for reading!
 
Darcy Smith
Town Manager
Town of Portola Valley
dsmith@portolavalley.net