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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - September 22, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 22, 2026

BodyBelmont, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, September 22, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:03:30

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

8:45

Hey, good evening.

8:46

Calling this meeting to order.

8:48

This is the City of Belmont regular city council meeting.

8:52

It is September twenty-second, twenty twenty-six.

8:54

We are here in our City Hall Council Chambers at one Twin Pines Lane in Belmont.

8:59

And if you look at the published agenda, you can find all of the other ways that you can join us meeting, include including watching Comcast Cable Channel Twenty-Seven.

9:08

We're streamed live via the city's website at triple W.belmont.gov and then also via Zoom.

9:25

Good evening, Council.

9:26

We'll begin with Councilmember McCune.

9:34

Here, Mayor Mates.

9:35

Here.

9:36

We have a quorum, all present.

9:38

All present.

9:38

Great.

9:39

Sometimes we have items that we um have before 7 p.m.

9:43

Today we did not have any closed sessions or study sessions.

9:47

So the next item is the Pledge of Allegiance.

9:50

We have Girl Scout Troop, six one five, four one, here from Belmont, and they are going to be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

10:05

Ready?

10:09

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

10:14

And to the Republic for which it stands.

10:24

Thank you very much for leading us in the pledge.

10:27

That's very important.

10:29

All right.

10:29

Moving on to item five, report from closed session.

10:33

We do have our both our city attorney and our city manager with us virtually.

10:38

They are both at the Council of Cities conference.

10:41

And to let everyone know, we also have our interim city manager Ken Stenquist, who is here as well in person.

10:49

City Attorney, do we have any report from closed session?

10:53

Good evening, Madam Mayor.

10:55

We did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no report out.

10:58

All right, thank you.

10:59

Moving on to item six on our agenda.

11:01

Special presentations.

11:03

The Girls Got Troop 61541 is celebrating their bronze award, which we'll hear more about.

11:11

And they've done a special Belmont Centennial Anniversary presentation.

11:16

They'd like to share that with us.

11:18

So if you'd like to come on up and give us the presentation, we'd love to see it.

11:35

Good evening.

11:37

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here today.

11:39

Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt.

11:41

Could you just push the mic?

11:42

Yeah, just get it a little closer to your mouth.

11:45

Thank you.

11:45

Perfect.

11:46

We just want to hear you.

11:47

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here today.

11:52

When I when our troop first started thinking about Girl Scout Bronze Award project, we knew we wanted to do something that would make a lasting difference right here in our community.

12:04

We asked ourselves, what is a problem that we can solve and how can we take action?

12:12

That question led us to create the Belmont Girl Scout Community Impact Map.

12:16

We learned that many people don't know what Girl Scout is.

12:20

And some amazing things that we can do.

12:23

Instead of just taking talking about the problem, we decided to take action.

12:31

This project taught us about teamwork, leadership, and problem solving.

12:35

We learned that even though we were just young girls, our voices and our work can make a big impact.

12:42

But the best part of the bronze award is that it's meant to be subtainable.

12:46

Which means the work was the work that we started will hope helping our community understand for years to come.

12:56

We couldn't have done this without the support of our leaders, parents, and community.

13:00

Thank you for believing in us and supporting Girl Scouts.

13:04

We hope our project inspires others to take action and make the world a better place.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Parks and Recreation██████████████████18%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Community Engagement██████████10%

Waste Management█████████9%

Fee Schedules█████████9%

Procedural████████8%

Capital Improvement Planning███████7%

Youth Programs████4%

Public Safety███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Belmont City Council Regular Meeting - September 22, 2026

The Belmont City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at City Hall Council Chambers (One Twin Pines Lane, Belmont, California). The council addressed solid waste rates, a citywide fee study, a new donor recognition and naming policy, and employment agreement amendments for the city manager and city attorney.

Special Presentations

Mayor Julia Mates, on behalf of the council, proclaimed September 15 through October 15, 2026, as Hispanic Heritage Month in Belmont.
The council also proclaimed October 4 through 10, 2026, as Fire Prevention Week.
Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Kobayashi announced that sponsorships were secured at all levels for upcoming community events.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar, including adoption of ordinances read by the city attorney, was approved by a single roll-call motion without separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were made on items not on the agenda (Item 7).
During the fee study and naming policy discussions, the mayor asked for public comments and noted that some written comments had been submitted; no verbal comments were made.

Discussion Items

Public Hearing: Solid Waste Rate Adjustment

Staff presented the annual solid waste rate adjustment, stating that combining the cost components results in an overall change of 6.09% to the solid waste rates going forward. The calculation is based on the agreement section for Belmont specifically, which differs slightly from the approach used for other Rethink Waste (South Bayside Waste Management Authority) member agencies.
Staff confirmed there is no deviation between business and residential rates.
The council adopted the resolution adjusting solid waste rates by 6.09%.

General Business: Comprehensive Fee and Cost Recovery Study

Staff presented the fee study, which was designed to help stakeholders understand the true cost of providing fee-related services and to guide policy decisions on cost recovery.
The study calculated the average staff time to provide a particular service, excluding the most complex or simplest projects, and layered in departmental administrative support and citywide overhead (e.g., HR, finance, city manager, city attorney).
The study introduced small and large project categories to improve cost recovery and avoid overcharging or undercharging. Examples included several housing-related fees, affordable housing fees, and transportation demand management (TDM) compliance report reviews.
Staff recommended monitoring the financial impact of the fees and watching for major operational changes, such as a potential HIA annexation.
The council approved the resolution adopting the updated fee schedule.

General Business: Citywide Naming and Donor Recognition Policy

Parks and Recreation Director Kevin Kobayashi presented a proposed citywide naming and donor recognition policy, intended to give donors clarity before fundraising begins.
Councilmember Pang-Maganaris sought confirmation on whether approving the policy would lock the council into specific thresholds (e.g., $10 million for a major civic facility) and whether the category of naming would come back to council for approval.
Staff explained that the monetary figures in the policy are illustrative; removing them could create ambiguity. Council members supported including principles in the policy and ensuring that major public-facing naming actions come before the council.
A suggestion was made to use "trail landscape site" as the baseline for what requires council approval, with council members acknowledging they each may have differing ideas about what constitutes a public-facing facility.
The council provided direction to staff to refine the policy; no final vote was taken on this item.

General Business: Amendments to Employment Agreements

Administrative Services Director Anais Martinez Aquino presented two resolutions to amend the employment agreements for City Manager Afshin Oskoui and City Attorney Scott Rennie, following the council's annual evaluation process that began in July.
The council deliberated on the two agreements. The transcript concludes before a final roll-call vote on this item is recorded.

Brief Verbal Reports

Vice Mayor Cathy Jordan reported on her attendance at the Rethink Waste (South Bayside Waste Management Authority) board meeting, where rates were a major topic of discussion.

Key Outcomes

Adopted the consent calendar.
Adopted the solid waste rate adjustment reflecting a 6.09% overall increase.
Adopted the updated city fee schedule based on the comprehensive fee and cost recovery study.
Directed staff to refine the naming and donor recognition policy, including definitions of public-facing facilities and council approval thresholds.
Deliberated on the employment agreement amendments for the city manager and city attorney, with no final vote recorded in the transcript.
Adjourned to the next regular council meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Hey, good evening. Calling this meeting to order. This is the City of Belmont regular city council meeting. It is September twenty-second, twenty twenty-six. We are here in our City Hall Council Chambers at one Twin Pines Lane in Belmont. And if you look at the published agenda, you can find all of the other ways that you can join us meeting, include including watching Comcast Cable Channel Twenty-Seven. We're streamed live via the city's website at triple W.belmont.gov and then also via Zoom. Good evening, Council. We'll begin with Councilmember McCune. Here, Mayor Mates. Here. We have a quorum, all present. All present. Great. Sometimes we have items that we um have before 7 p.m. Today we did not have any closed sessions or study sessions. So the next item is the Pledge of Allegiance. We have Girl Scout Troop, six one five, four one, here from Belmont, and they are going to be leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ready? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Thank you very much for leading us in the pledge. That's very important. All right. Moving on to item five, report from closed session. We do have our both our city attorney and our city manager with us virtually. They are both at the Council of Cities conference. And to let everyone know, we also have our interim city manager Ken Stenquist, who is here as well in person. City Attorney, do we have any report from closed session? Good evening, Madam Mayor. We did not have a closed session tonight, so we have no report out. All right, thank you. Moving on to item six on our agenda. Special presentations. The Girls Got Troop 61541 is celebrating their bronze award, which we'll hear more about. And they've done a special Belmont Centennial Anniversary presentation. They'd like to share that with us. So if you'd like to come on up and give us the presentation, we'd love to see it. Good evening. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here today. Oh, I'm so sorry to interrupt. Could you just push the mic? Yeah, just get it a little closer to your mouth. Thank you. Perfect. We just want to hear you. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for being here today. When I when our troop first started thinking about Girl Scout Bronze Award project, we knew we wanted to do something that would make a lasting difference right here in our community. We asked ourselves, what is a problem that we can solve and how can we take action? That question led us to create the Belmont Girl Scout Community Impact Map.

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