A roll call?

Councilmember Adele Harris.

Here, Davis, Down Calvio.

Present.

Holmes.

And Mayor Amara.

Present.

Thank you very much.

Now we have the would you please stand with me as the Auburn Police Department presents the colors.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God.

Thank you.

Please receive it.

Now we have public comment.

This is the time provided so that persons may speak to the council on any item not on the agenda.

Please make your comments as brief as possible.

The council cannot act on items not included on this agenda.

However, the items will automatically be referred to staff.

Do I have any public comment?

From the council?

From the public.

Okay, I don't see any.

So we'll move on.

And the next item is um, oh, I'm on.

Remarks from the outgoing mayor.

So here we are.

It's not really that long.

Um, first of all, I want to um give a really big big thanks to Dirk Amara and for his support, his patience, his humor, and his dinners on Monday night that I always missed.

Um and I want to thank all my four children, their spouses, my mom, who I missed a lot of Mondays with them.

Um I appreciate their support, their understanding, and most of all their encouragement.

And most of all, actually, I really want to thank everyone in Auburn who supported me and trusted in me.

Thank you very much.

Um, I just want to say, as my time is mayor, as your mayor comes to a close.

I sit here tonight with mixed emotions.

There will be fewer calls and emails about potholes and electrical outages and noise and parking issues and neighbors arguing with neighbors, but I will miss my role as the primary spokesperson, advocate, and facilitator of the government operations for our little city of Auburn.

Serving this wonderful community has been a true honor and a privilege for which I am forever grateful.

And it's a role filled with challenges, some temporary setbacks, but especially great forward progress.

And first and foremost, I want to thank all of the members of our city council for all your support throughout the year.

Some of you may have thought I was a little too speedy in terms of how I ran our city council meetings.

But with that being said, I think we all work together in a nonpartisan manner to accomplish many things for the betterment of our community.

Additionally, I want to thank our entire city staff.

I don't want to leave out anyone.

And with that being said, I'm not going to mention anyone except for one person who I work very closely with on a weekly, daily, nightly, morning basis, Sean Rebe, our city manager.

And finally, I would like to thank all of the many dedicated volunteers who have spent countless hours with a shared commitment to make this town an even better place to live.

As with any small town, there's always been disagreements as to the best path forward, with civil debate being an essential part of our system.

Whether it be April Maynard using the advocating for using the Dais as a forum for the arts, or Dallas Drake requesting more lights for downtown, or Kathy Baxter advocating against narrowing Auburn Folsom.

We all have a shared commitment in making this town an even better place to live.

I know over the years I've been referred to as the goat lady for advocating for utilizing sheep and goats for weed suppression and the solar queen for my advocacy of the desire to save energy costs for our city by utilizing solar.

But I think our council has done a great service to move us forward in a meaningful way, not only with my priorities, but with their own.

And some of our accomplishments include first, passing of Measure F.

We imposed a fair tax on hotels and Airbnbs on out of town users, and this will bring us the much needed revenue for our city.

Second, solar installation projects across our city facilities.

By taking advantage of the NEM2 window, Auburn will save hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long-term operating cost and invest in a more sustainable future.

Third, facilitating the influx of many new businesses to increase our tax revenue for the future.

These include, among many others, many new restaurants, retail establishments, and plans for a dispensary, which, even though it was somewhat controversial, will be implemented with rigid safeguards and geographical constraints so as to be true be a true benefit in the long run for our economic security.

Auburn is the first city in Placer County to approve the entertainment zone, which will bolster our local economy in the long run.

This will occur the beginning of 2026 and will hopefully be impetus for additional dedicated bike lanes to help make Auburn an even more attractive destination for bikers throughout Placer County.

Additionally, we have authorized the eventual creation of the of a drought-resistant educational landscape in front of City Hall.

And finally, I want to mention, even though many of us thought that a vacancy tax on owners of commercial buildings who did not rent out or maintain their buildings in a timely manner would be beneficial.

The fact that it did not pass has spurred productive discussion so that it will continue to be on the table in the near future.