OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting – October 8, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, October 8, 2024
BodyBelmont, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 8, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:36

Okay.

1:39

Good evening.

1:40

Welcome to the City of Belmont City Council meeting.

1:44

We are here in City Council Chambers.

1:47

One City Wind Pines Lane.

1:49

It is Tuesday, October 8th at 7 p.m.

1:53

The meeting attendance rules are that the council meetings, unless otherwise noted, are broadcast live to Belmont residents on Comcast Cable Channel 27.

2:03

They're streamed live via the city's website at Belmont.gov.

2:07

They're also available via Zoom, and you can raise your hand and make a public comment through Zoom, or again, attend the meeting in council chambers.

2:15

Public comment, if you would like to make a public comment, raise your hand feature to speak on Zoom for dial-in comments.

2:22

You can also make comment through punching in asterisk six seven.

2:28

And all public comments are subject to a three-minute time limit.

2:31

If you would like, you can also fill out a comment card here in the chambers.

2:35

And just so everyone remembers the audience decorum and rules for public comment are posted right above the comment cards in the chambers.

2:45

So item number one on the agenda is call to order.

2:48

Item two is roll call.

2:50

Madam Clerk, can we please have the roll?

2:52

Good evening, everyone.

2:53

Councilmember McCune.

2:55

Present.

2:58

President.

2:58

Vice Mayor Loud Merlow.

3:00

Here.

3:00

And Mayor Mates.

3:01

Here.

3:01

All present.

3:02

Thank you.

3:03

Thank you.

3:03

Item three is the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:05

If you are a softball player, if you could rise and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, that would be great.

3:32

Great job, thank you.

3:34

Item four is closed session.

3:39

We did not have a study session this evening.

3:44

Do you have any reports out?

3:45

Report outs from the non-closed session.

3:47

We have no report else tonight, Madam Mayor.

3:49

Okay, great.

4:07

A few of the little bit of the proclamation here.

4:11

It's designating October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, whereas more than one in three women and one in four men, and one in two transgender individuals experience some form of physical or sexual violence and or stalking by their intimate partner in their lifetime.

4:48

Whereas in San Mateo County, 94 adults and children were provided emergency shelter, and sixty seventy-six households were provided longer-term rental assistance to escape their abusers last year.

5:00

And whereas intimate partner violence continues to be among the most underreported crimes, and Belmont is committed to eliminating all forms of intimate partner abuse.

5:09

Whereas Belmont, as part of San Mateo County, recognized the critical need for countywide services to support our residents.

5:15

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Julia Mates, mayor of the city of Belmont, on behalf of the Belmont City Council, do hereby designate the month of October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month to raise awareness about and encourage all residents to do their part to help rid our community of intimate partner violence.

5:34

I think we have with us accepting the proclamation tonight, Karen Ferguson, executive director of CORA.

5:40

Thank you for joining us.

5:44

Thank you, Mayor and City Council members.

5:47

My name is Maria Vastarlo.

5:48

I'm here in representation of Karen.

5:51

It is my honor to receive this proclamation as a representative of Cora.

5:58

And the reason why this type of proclamations are important and critical is because it's an opportunity for the community to see what's happening, and that usually happens behind closed doors, like domestic violence and intimate partner abuse.

6:13

Oftentimes when we go out in the community and do tabling events and other events, we hear from people who tell us, yeah, that was my sister.

6:22

My sister was going through domestic violence, or that was me, and like I didn't know Cora existed.

6:27

And so you mentioned some of the services that we offer, um, like our 24 hour hotline.

6:32

Um we have two confidential shelters in the community that can house up to 28 children and adults.

6:41

And we also offer um over a million dollars in HUD funding, state funding to support with transitional housing.

6:50

One of the programs that I want to highlight tonight is our speak up program.

6:55

It is a program that started after the homicides happened in the county.

6:59

And here in Belmont, we started a few weeks ago, actually, uh, conducting outreach uh under this program.

7:07

And this program focuses on providing a 15 minute training to businesses in the community to provide information on how to recognize red flags of someone who is experiencing abuse, what to say and what not to say to a survivor of intimate partner abuse, and how to help someone who might be in an abusive situation.

7:32

Thank you for the ongoing support from the city of Belmont to make this program happen and to raise awareness of all of the CORA resources.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs████████████████████20%
Parks and Recreation███████████████████19%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Safety█████5%
Domestic Violence████4%
Senior Programs████4%
Facility Management████4%
Traffic Safety████4%
Land Use Planning████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting – October 8, 2024

The Belmont City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, starting at 6:00 PM per the agenda, though the transcript notes a 7:00 PM start. The meeting included special presentations, a consent calendar, a public hearing, and councilmember reports. Key actions included approving a memory care facility at 1041 Hill Street and adopting the consent calendar (with one item pulled for further work).

Special Presentations

  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation: Mayor Mates read a proclamation designating October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, citing statistics: more than 1 in 3 women, 1 in 4 men, and 1 in 2 transgender individuals experience intimate partner violence. In San Mateo County, 94 adults/children received emergency shelter and 67 households received rental assistance. Maria Vastarlo of CORA accepted the proclamation and highlighted the “Speak Up” program and the 24-hour hotline (800-300-1080).
  • Belmont Softball League Summer Success: Three teams were recognized. The 8U rec team won the Battle of the Bay (silver division). The 8U competitive team placed 4th out of 21 teams at the NORCAL championships, qualified for the California State Games, and placed 2nd in the Pleasanton Summer Classic. The 10U competitive team placed 2nd in the gold division at the Jan McPherson Tournament and 1st in the silver bracket at the Watsonville Strawberry Jam. Coaches and players were introduced, and the league president thanked the city and Parks and Rec staff.
  • Parks and Recreation Department Update: Bridget Shearer and staff presented an overview:
    • Belmont Community Learning Center (BCLC): Licensed preschool for ages 2–5, play-based, extended care option added. Challenges include TK expansion and aging facilities. Plan to add a 2-year-old classroom and align curriculum with state foundations.
    • Summer Aquatics: 531 eight-day lessons, over 1,800 visits in 7 weeks, 18 lifeguards hired. Staffing challenges due to seasonal nature.
    • Youth & Teen Programs: Camp SOAR had over 800 enrollments (84% Belmont residents), 48 counselors-in-training contributed 2,000+ volunteer hours, and 5 weeks of inclusion camp. The Hide Out program expanded to 80 participants.
    • Senior Center: Averages 300 drop-in visitors/week. Lunch program serves 30 meals/day (3 days/week). Transportation program and day trips (e.g., Roaring Camp Railroad) are popular.
    • Facility Rentals: 41,564 attendees at facilities, 14,184 at picnic sites. Events include a wedding fair. Challenges include staffing, cleanup, and policy enforcement.
    • Upcoming Events: Diwali celebration (Oct 27), Trunk or Treat, holiday events. A piano in Twin Pines Park (painted by Carlmont High School students) was noted as a community asset.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items: A library representative announced upcoming events: Diwali celebration (Oct 27, 2–5 PM), Trunk or Treat participation with a maker mobile, and an author visit with D.M. Rowell (Nov 16, 2–3 PM). No other public comments were made on non-agenda items.
  • Public Hearing for 1041 Hill Street: No public comments were received, either in person or via Zoom, and no written correspondence was submitted.

Consent Calendar

Items 10A, 10B, and 10D were approved by a 5-0 vote. Item 10C (Emergency Services Council Joint Powers Agreement) was removed from the consent calendar for further staff work.

  • 10A: Task orders with NBS for tax roll billing, Proposition 218 services, and Library CFD administration.
  • 10B: Amendment to contract with Bear Electric Solutions for Ralston Avenue Adaptive Signal Control Technology System Project, cabinet relocation, not to exceed $462,370.52. Councilmembers discussed system reliability and future AI integration; staff noted the system is adaptive and the contract is for physical cabinet relocation.
  • 10D: Quarterly Strategic Plan Update. Councilmember Hurt praised the dashboard and highlighted accomplishments in transit-oriented housing, pavement improvement, climate resilience, etc.

Discussion Items (Public Hearing)

1041 Hill Street – New Memory Care Facility (Second Reading)

  • Senior Planner Rob Gill presented a recap: The project demolishes an existing skilled nursing facility and constructs a 24,806 sq ft, three-story memory care building with 42 beds (30 single, 6 companion units), 34 parking spaces, and contemporary design. No changes to the existing assisted living community. The planning commission recommended approval in August; first reading of the ordinance occurred in September.
  • Councilmembers expressed support, noting the need for such services and the appropriateness of the location, parking ratios, and impact fee agreement.
  • Key Outcomes: The council approved the following actions unanimously (5-0):
    1. Approved the impact fee agreement resolving a fee dispute.
    2. Adopted the ordinance (2nd reading) for a Planned Development Zone Amendment and associated Conceptual Development Plan.
    3. Adopted resolutions approving the Conditional Use Permit, Detailed Development Plan, Grading Plan, Design Review, and Tree Removal Permit.
    4. Adopted a resolution finding the project exempt from CEQA under Guidelines Section 15332 (In-Fill Development).

Councilmember Announcements & Reports

  • Councilmember Announcements: Reminders about National Walk and Roll to School Day (Oct 9), Belmont Water Dog Run (Oct 12), Diwali celebration, and voting. Vice Mayor reported on a public safety subcommittee commending two officers for saving lives, and noted that San Mateo County ranks #1 in California for sea level rise impacts. Councilmember Q reported on Rethink Waste board meeting (new office, plastic bag ban SB 1053, hydrogen truck pilot) and Peninsula Clean Energy board discussing Diablo Canyon relicensing: the board voted to accept $40 million in attributes for customer benefit, with a label noting “nuclear” on Eco Plus bills.
  • Verbal Reports: Councilmembers attended a 2x2 meeting with Mid-Peninsula Water District and the 17th annual School Leadership Luncheon. City Manager gave a brief report.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Approved 5-0 (Items 10A, 10B, 10D; 10C pulled).
  • 1041 Hill Street Memory Care Facility: All entitlements, fee agreement, and CEQA exemption approved 5-0.
  • Item 10C Removed: The Emergency Services Council JPA will be brought back after further staff work.
  • Council Reports: No formal votes; information only.

Note: The agenda listed a 6:00 PM start, but the transcript states the meeting began at 7:00 PM. The provided timestamp (2024-10-08 14:15:00+00:00) corresponds to 7:15 AM PDT, which is inconsistent with the evening session. This summary uses the given date as instructed.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Good evening. Welcome to the City of Belmont City Council meeting. We are here in City Council Chambers. One City Wind Pines Lane. It is Tuesday, October 8th at 7 p.m. The meeting attendance rules are that the council meetings, unless otherwise noted, are broadcast live to Belmont residents on Comcast Cable Channel 27. They're streamed live via the city's website at Belmont.gov. They're also available via Zoom, and you can raise your hand and make a public comment through Zoom, or again, attend the meeting in council chambers. Public comment, if you would like to make a public comment, raise your hand feature to speak on Zoom for dial-in comments. You can also make comment through punching in asterisk six seven. And all public comments are subject to a three-minute time limit. If you would like, you can also fill out a comment card here in the chambers. And just so everyone remembers the audience decorum and rules for public comment are posted right above the comment cards in the chambers. So item number one on the agenda is call to order. Item two is roll call. Madam Clerk, can we please have the roll? Good evening, everyone. Councilmember McCune. Present. President. Vice Mayor Loud Merlow. Here. And Mayor Mates. Here. All present. Thank you. Thank you. Item three is the Pledge of Allegiance. If you are a softball player, if you could rise and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, that would be great. Great job, thank you. Item four is closed session. We did not have a study session this evening. Do you have any reports out? Report outs from the non-closed session. We have no report else tonight, Madam Mayor. Okay, great. A few of the little bit of the proclamation here. It's designating October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, whereas more than one in three women and one in four men, and one in two transgender individuals experience some form of physical or sexual violence and or stalking by their intimate partner in their lifetime. Whereas in San Mateo County, 94 adults and children were provided emergency shelter, and sixty seventy-six households were provided longer-term rental assistance to escape their abusers last year. And whereas intimate partner violence continues to be among the most underreported crimes, and Belmont is committed to eliminating all forms of intimate partner abuse. Whereas Belmont, as part of San Mateo County, recognized the critical need for countywide services to support our residents. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Julia Mates, mayor of the city of Belmont, on behalf of the Belmont City Council, do hereby designate the month of October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month to raise awareness about and encourage all residents to do their part to help rid our community of intimate partner violence. I think we have with us accepting the proclamation tonight, Karen Ferguson, executive director of CORA. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, Mayor and City Council members. My name is Maria Vastarlo. I'm here in representation of Karen. It is my honor to receive this proclamation as a representative of Cora. And the reason why this type of proclamations are important and critical is because it's an opportunity for the community to see what's happening, and that usually happens behind closed doors, like domestic violence and intimate partner abuse.

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