What Brea is about to decide
The council meets Tuesday, closed session 6:00 PM, study session 6:15 PM, general session 7:00 PM, Council Chambers, 1 Civic Center Circle. These are pending decisions from the posted agenda — not outcomes. Every item links to the official record.
Source: official agenda (PDF) · Full documents: horizon.agendalink.app
✅ What actually passed (per the city’s adopted minutes): Per the minutes of the July 21 meeting, which the council approved “as written” on August 18, the entire consent calendar (Items 4A–4K) passed 5-0 on one motion — moved by Mayor Pro Tem Simonoff, seconded by Council Member Stewart; Hupp, Simonoff, Marick, Stewart and Vargas in favor. The minutes do not record any item being pulled for separate discussion. That vote adopted Resolution No. 2026-58 approving the Memorandum of Understanding with the Brea Fire Association and Resolution No. 2026-59 approving the side letter with the Brea Police Association; approved Amendment No. 1 to City Manager Kristin Griffith’s employment agreement; and adopted Resolution No. 2026-56 “increasing the campaign contribution limit for elective city offices to $5,900 per person.” It also approved the backup ambulance agreement with Emergency Ambulance Services, Inc., the InspectionReportsOnline.net (IROL) agreement, the one-year office lease with the Brea-Olinda Unified School District, Resolution No. 2026-55 (Amendment Seven to the county CDBG cooperation agreement) and Resolution No. 2026-57 (the SB 1205 inspection report). In study session, the council appointed Mayor Hupp as voting delegate and Mayor Pro Tem Simonoff as alternate for the League of California Cities conference. On the City Attorney contract and lease, no vote was taken: the minutes say the council “concurred to transmit the agreements to RWG for review and bring the agreements for consideration at the August 18 City Council meeting.” The minutes contain no report from the closed session. Nine people spoke during non-agenda public comment, all of them about the Costco development — some in support, others raising traffic, outreach and the tax sharing agreement.
The headline: On consent — meaning no separate discussion unless a member pulls it — the council will consider $700,241 in new two-year labor contracts with its fire and police associations, a City Manager salary increase, and a resolution raising the city's own campaign contribution limit. Separately, closed session covers three anticipated-litigation matters — including outside legal threats from Urban Habitat and Brea4All — plus one existing lawsuit.
💰 Labor costs & fees
- $700,241 in new labor costs: the council will consider a Memorandum of Understanding with the Brea Fire Association (two-year term, 2.5% raises each year plus $150–$550/month health-benefit increases depending on family status) with an estimated net General Fund impact of $475,241 through FY2027-28, and a side letter with the Brea Police Association extending the same benefit increases at an estimated $225,000 net impact for FY2026-27. Both associations have already ratified their agreements. Item 4.I
- City Manager Kristin Griffith's pay would rise under Amendment No. 1 to her employment agreement: base monthly salary to $29,135 effective July 1, 2026, then to $29,864 effective July 1, 2027 — an estimated net monthly General Fund impact of $1,440. Item 4.C
- The council's own campaign contribution limit would rise from $4,900 to $5,900 per person for elective city offices, matching the state's current default limit for local jurisdictions (Resolution No. 2026-56). Item 4.E
🚑 Contracts & agreements
- Ambulance backup services: the council will consider a new two-year agreement (July 21, 2026 – July 20, 2028) with Emergency Ambulance Services, Inc. for backup Basic Life Support transport, at $68.00 per 15-minute interval. The FY2026-27 budget already accounts for $78,000 for this. The background materials note Brea Fire Department is taking over as the primary provider of BLS/ALS transport, with the contractor used only for surge and backup capacity. Item 4.G
- A new fire-inspection reporting platform: the council will consider a three-year Software as a Service agreement (renewable up to five more one-year terms) with InspectionReportsOnline.net (IROL), Inc. There is no cost to the city; contractors would pay IROL $35.00 per inspection report, and IROL would pay the city $17.00 of that per report as a quarterly revenue share. Total annual revenue to the city "cannot be precisely estimated at this time," per the staff report. Item 4.H
- Office space leased to the Brea-Olinda Unified School District: the council will consider a one-year lease (optional 11-month extension), which would generate $3,801.67 per month ($45,620.04 annually) in revenue already budgeted in the FY2026-27 General Fund. Item 4.B
- Continued participation in the county's CDBG program: the council will consider Amendment Seven to the Orange County Cooperation Agreement for the Community Development Block Grant and HOME programs, covering fiscal years 2027-28 through 2029-30. The staff report states that without this amendment, "the City will no longer be eligible for future CDBG and HOME funding." Item 4.D
⚖️ Closed session & legal matters
- The council will meet in closed session to discuss anticipated litigation over an "Urban Habitat Claim," a separate unnamed potential case, and a cease-and-desist demand letter from Brea4All via the law firm Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP. Closed 1.C–1.E
- The council will also discuss existing litigation, City of Brea v. Schwarze Industries (Case No. 30-2024-01437243-CU-BC-CJC). Closed 1.F
- A study session item will cover the City Attorney's contract and a lease agreement, though the agenda gives no further detail on what will be discussed. Item 2.E
🗳️ Also on the agenda
- The council will consider accepting the 2025 California State Fire Marshal mandated inspection report under SB 1205 (Resolution No. 2026-57). Item 4.F
- Study session: the council will discuss designating a voting delegate and up to two alternates for the League of California Cities Annual Conference and Expo, September 23-25, 2026, in Anaheim. Item 2.D
- A proclamation is scheduled for Parks Make Life Better Month. Item 3.D
Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.
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