Auburn City Council Regular Meeting – February 9, 2026

The Auburn City Council met in regular session on February 9, 2026, at 1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA. The meeting opened with a Black History Month proclamation, then proceeded through the consent calendar, a contested short-term rental appeal for 180 Greenfield Avenue, the FY 2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report presentation, and council reports.

Proclamation

• Mayor Kelly Davis proclaimed February 2026 as Black History Month in Auburn and encouraged residents to honor Black history, achievements, and inclusion.

Consent Calendar

• All six consent calendar items were approved by a single 5-0 roll call vote with no items pulled for separate discussion. The items were:
  • Second amendment to a professional services agreement with Barry Miller.
  • Declaration of Fire Department vehicle E-800, a 1987 Spartan/Van Pelt fire engine, as surplus property.
  • Purchase of a new Ford F-150 pickup truck for use as the Fire Chief’s command vehicle.
  • Declaration of Police Department vehicle PD-17 as surplus property.
  • Contract award to Krajewski Flow Monitoring Solutions in an amount not to exceed $125,000.
  • Amendment No. 1 to the Solar PV Systems Project agreement with Foothill Electric, Inc.

Public Hearing: Appeal of Planning Commission Decision – 180 Greenfield Avenue

• Planning Director Tia Klump explained that the Planning Commission approved the short-term rental permit on October 21, 2025, after the application was submitted May 20, 2025, and three letters of objection were received during the 100-foot noticing period. An appeal was timely filed on October 30, 2025.
• Staff described the City Council’s review as de novo and outlined options: approve the permit, approve with conditions, deny the permit, remand, or continue the item.
• Applicant Doug Houston, owner of 180 Greenfield Avenue, stated he has about 24 bed-nights per year, with roughly 45% long-term rentals, 35% endurance athletes, and 20% other guests. He said he requires a three-night minimum, often blocks weekends for personal use, and offered to direct guests to use only the driveway and garage for parking.
• Appellant David Sterling, a neighbor for 42 years, argued the neighborhood is a small community of long-term residents and opposed the commercial use. He contended parking is not code-compliant, saying the code requires five on-site spaces for a three-bedroom short-term rental but the property has four, and that the frontage spaces are neither on-site nor off-street. He also raised concerns about trash, unpermitted operation, and a potential hazard from steps built into the concrete parking area.
• Public commenters:
  • Kelly Marino, a Firewise community team lead from Forest Hill Avenue, opposed the permit, citing high fire danger, trash problems, the risk of more short-term rentals, and issues seen in other communities.
  • Chuck Heiselman, a 25-year resident at 161 Greenfield Avenue, said he has repeatedly picked up trash, described parking and pedestrian safety concerns, asked the city to consider expanding the 100-foot notification radius to include nearby county residents, and requested a full accounting of potential back TOT payments, penalties, and fines.
• Council discussion included questions about code enforcement consequences, parking requirements, fire safety, and the economic benefits of short-term rentals. Staff confirmed there were no code compliance cases on record for this property.
• Several council members stated they were inclined to approve the permit with added conditions, citing the city’s existing short-term rental ordinance, potential mitigation of impacts, and benefits to local businesses and transient occupancy tax revenue.

FY 2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR)

• Finance Director Gretchen Hoskins introduced the report, noting the audit was the city’s second with Eide Bailly, LLP, and that the general fund deficit was officially eliminated as of June 30, 2025.
• Eide Bailly reported a clean, unmodified opinion on the financial statements, no internal control issues in the transaction cycles reviewed, and no disagreements with management.
• The audit identified 21 corrected misstatements, compared with six in the prior year; 12 were related to FY 2024-25, with common themes around grant handling, new accounting regulations, procedure changes, and human error.
• Because of the number of adjustments and a required restatement, the auditor reported a material weakness. The restatement related to implementing a new accounting standard for compensated absences.
• The auditor noted significant risks around pension, other post-employment benefits, revenue recognition, grants, and management override of controls, and said the single audit for federal awards was expected to be issued by March 31, 2026.
• The item was a presentation only; no council action was taken.

City Manager Report

• The City Manager provided updates on the strategic planning process, including a session on March 2, 2026, and a mid-year budget update scheduled for February 23, 2026.
• He announced an economic development town hall for February 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall to discuss sales tax and business support.
• Personnel and awards noted included Buck Sim as Firefighter of the Year, a sergeant promoted to lieutenant, and other staff promotions and service milestones.

Future Agenda Items and Committee Reports

• Councilmember Holmes requested that the city pursue Certified Local Government status.
• The Mayor reported work with the City Manager to bring forward legislative principles for future letters of support.
• Committee reports included SACOG meetings and a clean SACOG audit, Pioneer Community Energy activities, a youth commission concert planned for May 16, 2026, at School Park Preserve to benefit the Humane Society, and selection of a council member as chair of the Placer County air pollution control board.

Key Outcomes

• The consent calendar was approved unanimously, 5-0.
• The City Council voted 5-0 to approve the short-term rental permit for 180 Greenfield Avenue, denying the appeal and affirming the Planning Commission decision, with three additional conditions read into the record by the city attorney:
  1. Guests shall not park vehicles on the street and shall only park off street on the property’s driveway or in the garage.
  2. Trash shall be kept in the garage except as needed for collection by the city’s franchise hauler.
  3. Guests shall not allow open flames or fire ignition sources outdoors.
• The ACFR was received as an informational presentation; no formal action was taken.