OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Meeting September 23, 2025: Special Presentations, SVCW CIP Update, and Voting Delegate Designation

City Council — Tuesday, September 23, 2025
BodyBelmont, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 23, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:46:23

Transcript — Verbatim
0:47

Good evening, everyone.

0:48

We are here on September 23rd, 2025 for the City of Belmont's regular city council meeting.

0:57

We are at City Hall, and tonight I'm filling in for Julia Meets, our mayor, who is occupied tonight and unable and unable to attend.

1:08

I ask that you all humor me as we go through this.

1:11

No doubt there will be a multitude of stumbles along the way.

1:14

So just laugh and go with it as we can.

1:18

All right.

1:18

So the first thing we're gonna do is call to order.

1:23

We'll do or all call.

1:24

Good evening, council members.

1:26

Um we'll begin with councilmember Jordan.

1:28

Yeah.

1:28

Councilmember McEwen.

1:30

Present.

1:30

Vice Mayor Mates.

1:32

I'm sorry, Vice Mayor Pang Maganaris.

1:35

I'm on a roll here.

1:36

Present.

1:38

That'll make a quorum of three with um Councilmember Laudamarlow and Mayor Mates absent.

1:44

Wonderful.

1:45

We're gonna start this meeting with a pledge of allegiance.

1:47

Those of you who are able to stand, please join us.

1:53

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and public for which one nation under God.

2:11

And I forgot to say at the beginning is that for public comment, if there's anyone in the audience today that would like to make a public comment, the way that you do that is to present a speaker slip to our clerk, and she will call you when it's time.

2:27

All right, we are going to move to item oh city attorney.

2:32

Were there any reports from closed session?

2:36

Good evening, Madam Vice Mayor.

2:37

Or we did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no reports.

2:41

All right, moving on to item five.

2:44

We begin with a presentation, our age-friendly action plan, and our presenter is Ann O'Brien for the Center for Age-friendly excellence.

2:56

Is that correct?

2:57

Yes, I was gonna give that a point.

3:26

Um and I just want to acknowledge we have one of our task force members um in the gallery this evening, Rosemary Welby, um, and many of our department heads were also part of the task force as well as Councilmember McEwen.

3:39

So thank you.

4:08

The as most of you already know, age-friendly movement was first developed by the World Health Organization in 2006, and that was to uh examine the experiences of older people living in urban environments.

4:20

This movement has now spread globally, and Semateo County is proud to say that most of our cities are now age-friendly certified.

4:29

Uh next slide, please.

4:30

Um there are eight domains of livability in age-friendly cities.

4:35

Um and we'll go into more detail on that in just a moment.

4:39

Next slide, please.

4:41

Um the age-friendly action plan is a roadmap as to how within five years a city can gather information to assess and prioritize possible projects to help our cities and our residents age gracefully.

4:56

Next slide.

5:00

CAFE, the Center for Age Friendly Excellence with the City of Belmont developed, well, you actually developed your own survey.

5:05

We didn't do this one for you to determine the unmet needs of older adults in the Belmont community.

5:10

In all, 229 people actually responded to this survey, which was great, as you know, doing surveys.

5:18

Not so easy, right?

5:20

Next slide, please.

5:22

Belmont held seven focus groups that led to age-friendly certification in 2022.

5:29

Next slide.

5:30

In-depth discussions focused on the unmet needs from older community adults to discover the unmet needs that were in Belmont community and ideas for potential projects that may address these needs.

5:43

That information can be found in appendix A in the back of this presentation when you're ready to have a look at that.

5:48

Next slide, please.

5:50

To become age friendly, Belmont focused on a wide array of potential inaugural projects, including setting up senior database and wide outreach to the community, including MAILAs, expanding older adult resources and activities, expanding cultural awareness, partnering with Sequoia Health District, and so much more.

6:10

Next slide, please.

6:12

The action plan is a living document that will continually evolve in order to support older adults and continue to be relevant as you need it to be.

6:21

For example, a ninth domain was actually added to this action plan with in with consultation from staff, and what was now added in February 25 was emergency services.

6:33

Thank you.

6:34

I think I almost got through it, and I'll hand it over to Ann, who is an expert at this.

6:38

Thank you.

6:41

Hello, Vice Mayor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████████████████35%
Procedural███████████████15%
Senior Programs███████████11%
Public Engagement████████8%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Domestic Violence██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Racial Equity██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Meeting – September 23, 2025

The Belmont City Council met on September 23, 2025, at City Hall. Vice Mayor Robin Pang-Maganaris presided in place of Mayor Julia Mates. Councilmembers present: Cathy Jordan, Tom McCune, and Robin Pang-Maganaris. Councilmember Gina Latimerlo and Mayor Mates were absent. The meeting included five special presentations, approval of the consent calendar, an informational update on the Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and financing, and designation of a voting delegate for the League of California Cities Annual Conference.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes – The Council approved the minutes from July 8, 2025, and August 26, 2025.
  • City Code Cleanup, Updates, and Enforcement Amendments – An ordinance was adopted to conform the City Code to organizational changes, update construction contracting award thresholds, streamline and repeal unneeded regulations, amend fireworks regulations, and add property management requirements. The motion passed 3–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the designated period.

Discussion Items

  • Age‑Friendly Action Plan – Ann O’Brien of the Center for Age‑Friendly Excellence (CAFE) presented the plan, developed from a survey of 229 Belmont residents and seven focus groups. The plan covers eight domains of livability plus an added ninth domain (emergency services). Councilmembers thanked staff and CAFE, praising existing senior services and expressing support for the plan.
  • Fire Prevention Week Proclamation (October 5–11, 2025) – Carissa Workman, Fire Marshal for San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department, presented the theme “Charge into Fire Safety,” focused on lithium‑ion battery safety. Councilmember Tom McCune read the proclamation, which was presented to Ms. Workman.
  • Stormwater Awareness Week Proclamation (September 22–26, 2025) – Vice Mayor Pang-Maganaris read the proclamation. City Manager Afshin Oskoui introduced new Public Works Director Edric Kwon, who started on September 22, 2025.
  • Indigenous People’s Month Proclamation (October 2025) – Councilmember Cathy Jordan read the proclamation acknowledging the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone and urging recognition of Indigenous contributions. No representative accepted on behalf of the community.
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation (October 2025) – Vice Mayor Pang-Maganaris read the proclamation. Melissa Gibbs, Senior Manager of Legal Services for CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse), provided statistics: more than 1 in 3 women, 1 in 4 men, and 1 in 2 transgender individuals experience intimate partner violence; CORA provided more than 10,000 critical services and over $1 million in client cash assistance in the past year. She highlighted the 24‑hour hotline (1‑800‑300‑1080).
  • Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) CIP Update and Financing – Matt Zuka (Authority Manager) and Matt Anderson (CFO) of SVCW presented an overview of the CIP, including conveyance system upgrades, plant rehabilitation, and new nutrient removal requirements driven by a 2022 algal bloom in San Francisco Bay. Over the next three years, $32.4 million is needed; Belmont’s 9.45% share is approximately $3.1 million. Jaime Trejo of PFM (financial advisor) presented the status of Belmont’s Sewer Treatment Facility Charge (STFC) fund. The current flat fee of $250 per year (unchanged since 2009) is no longer sustainable; the fund is projected to become negative around 2030‑2031. Staff indicated a Prop 218 rate‑increase process will likely be initiated within 12–18 months. Councilmembers acknowledged the need for careful communication and member‑agency collaboration.
  • Designation of Voting Delegate and Alternate for League of California Cities Annual Conference (October 8–10, 2025) – Staff recommended Mayor Julia Mates as voting delegate and City Manager Afshin Oskoui as alternate. A motion to that effect passed 3–0.
  • Councilmember and Staff Verbal Reports – Councilmember McCune reported on SBWMA (expanded polystyrene ban) and County Emergency Services Council (improvements to SMC Alerts). City Manager Oskoui announced employee appreciation, the city’s upcoming centennial, and the Happy Hydrants/utility box art application deadline of September 29, 2025.

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted Ordinance – Code cleanup and enforcement ordinance approved 3–0.
  • Delegates Appointed – Mayor Mates (voting delegate) and City Manager Oskoui (alternate) for the Cal Cities conference.
  • Informational Update Received – SVCW CIP update accepted; staff to continue modeling funding scenarios and prepare for a future Prop 218 rate process for the STFC.
  • Proclamations Issued – Fire Prevention Week (Oct 5–11), Stormwater Awareness Week (Sept 22–26), Indigenous People’s Month (October), and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) were officially designated.
  • Meeting Adjourned at 8:49 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. We are here on September 23rd, 2025 for the City of Belmont's regular city council meeting. We are at City Hall, and tonight I'm filling in for Julia Meets, our mayor, who is occupied tonight and unable and unable to attend. I ask that you all humor me as we go through this. No doubt there will be a multitude of stumbles along the way. So just laugh and go with it as we can. All right. So the first thing we're gonna do is call to order. We'll do or all call. Good evening, council members. Um we'll begin with councilmember Jordan. Yeah. Councilmember McEwen. Present. Vice Mayor Mates. I'm sorry, Vice Mayor Pang Maganaris. I'm on a roll here. Present. That'll make a quorum of three with um Councilmember Laudamarlow and Mayor Mates absent. Wonderful. We're gonna start this meeting with a pledge of allegiance. Those of you who are able to stand, please join us. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and public for which one nation under God. And I forgot to say at the beginning is that for public comment, if there's anyone in the audience today that would like to make a public comment, the way that you do that is to present a speaker slip to our clerk, and she will call you when it's time. All right, we are going to move to item oh city attorney. Were there any reports from closed session? Good evening, Madam Vice Mayor. Or we did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no reports. All right, moving on to item five. We begin with a presentation, our age-friendly action plan, and our presenter is Ann O'Brien for the Center for Age-friendly excellence. Is that correct? Yes, I was gonna give that a point. Um and I just want to acknowledge we have one of our task force members um in the gallery this evening, Rosemary Welby, um, and many of our department heads were also part of the task force as well as Councilmember McEwen. So thank you. The as most of you already know, age-friendly movement was first developed by the World Health Organization in 2006, and that was to uh examine the experiences of older people living in urban environments. This movement has now spread globally, and Semateo County is proud to say that most of our cities are now age-friendly certified. Uh next slide, please. Um there are eight domains of livability in age-friendly cities. Um and we'll go into more detail on that in just a moment. Next slide, please. Um the age-friendly action plan is a roadmap as to how within five years a city can gather information to assess and prioritize possible projects to help our cities and our residents age gracefully. Next slide. CAFE, the Center for Age Friendly Excellence with the City of Belmont developed, well, you actually developed your own survey. We didn't do this one for you to determine the unmet needs of older adults in the Belmont community. In all, 229 people actually responded to this survey, which was great, as you know, doing surveys. Not so easy, right? Next slide, please. Belmont held seven focus groups that led to age-friendly certification in 2022. Next slide. In-depth discussions focused on the unmet needs from older community adults to discover the unmet needs that were in Belmont community and ideas for potential projects that may address these needs.

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