City of Gilroy City Council Meeting | October 5, 2026

At its October 5, 2026 City Council meeting, the City of Gilroy approved a development-services fee schedule effective January 1, 2027, by a 7–0 vote. The schedule is projected to generate about $558,000 in additional annual cost recovery, with reduced fees for certain minor residential work; state-mandated caps of $150 for water-heater permits and $200 for HVAC permits were discussed. Council also approved, 7–0, a three-year firefighters’ labor agreement for July 2026–June 2029, including a 5% salary increase effective September 1, 2026, a 3% cost-of-living plus 2% market adjustment in January 2029, and annual 5% increases to the city’s medical and dental contribution. The associated salary schedules were approved separately, also 7–0.

Council approved the 2026 Civic Center Master Plan and certified its environmental impact report, 7–0. The plan includes replacement civic facilities, a recreation and aquatics center, and a multigenerational center; its estimated cost is $230 million, but approval does not appropriate funds or commit the city to construction. Staff expects implementation could be phased and may be considered in the upcoming five-year capital improvement program. On the proposed Gilroy Sports Park ice-skating facility, staff reported an estimated $64 million cost for the preferred base design, a $49 million estimated bonding capacity, and about $10 million in city infrastructure obligations; the project was described as financially infeasible at present, with a pause recommended while annexation proceeds. Council also adopted a 45-day urgency moratorium on specified detention and custodial facility applications, 7–0. A separate proposed policy barring use of city property for civil immigration enforcement staging received no second and failed to advance; a proposal for a federal-agency viewpoint likewise died without council support.