Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting - August 28, 2024

The Elk Grove City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The meeting included a consent calendar, one public hearing, and several regular agenda items covering residential lighting standards, unlawful camping, illegal fireworks enforcement, the 2024 Climate Compass (Climate Action Plan update), and a discussion on potential councilmember salary increases. The council took actions on multiple items, providing direction for future ordinances and programs.

Consent Calendar

• Items 7.1–7.17 were approved unanimously. These included approval of August 14 meeting minutes, reports on City Manager purchases and contracts, monthly disbursement summaries, Treasurer’s report, adoption of Ordinance No. 10-2024 (CFD special tax annexation), resolutions for annexation of Jain Estates and 8621 Heritage Hill Drive projects to various service districts, contract amendments for pet food (PTG, Inc., up to $445,000), adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Laguna Creek Trail and Bruceville Road Sidewalk Project, authorization for on-call project management services (four contracts up to $1M each) and on-call architectural/engineering services (ten contracts up to $22M total), purchase of four police motorcycles ($182,000) and three Ford F-150 Lightning and one F-250 pickups ($223,000), grant agreement for Climate Adaptation Planning ($441,000), CivicSpark agreement ($67,000), revised BReW Incentive Program policies, and website hosting contract amendment ($163,832.26).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ronnie Jones spoke during general public comment about affordable housing, citing his niece’s challenges at Avery Gardens (eight-year wait, rent increases). He urged the council to ban corporations from buying single-family homes and to form a commission to study affordable housing.
• Mr. Thompson (on fireworks) expressed support for the city’s enforcement of illegal fireworks but cautioned against banning all fireworks, emphasizing his enjoyment of legal fireworks with family.
• Savannah Brown (on Climate Compass) advocated for protected bike lanes, sharing her experience as an e-bike commuter and feeling unsafe riding with her child on painted bike lanes.
• Bob Lilly (on Climate Compass) suggested phased EV adoption, emphasis on biking and solar corridors over bike paths, and noted energy grid limitations.
• Public comments on council salaries included:
  • Steve Lee: Opposed the increase, citing that council members have full-time benefits and the mayor’s compensation already $43,000 annually; said the raise was self-serving.
  • Kathy Lee: Argued the $800/month stipend is a starting point; total compensation with benefits is already high; suggested a moderate 5–6% increase rather than a large jump.
  • Lynn Wheat: Stated council service should be volunteer; noted full compensation (including benefits) would exceed $63,000 for the mayor; called for a salary commission to evaluate performance.
  • Savannah Brown: Supported the council, stating the work deserves compensation and that the $43,000 is reasonable given time commitment; urged council to vote for themselves.

Discussion Items

• 8.1 Residential Lighting Standards (Ordinance) – Senior Planner Kyra Killingsworth presented amendments to Municipal Code Chapters 23.56 and 23.100 to regulate exterior lighting for single-unit and two-unit residential zones (previously only multifamily and commercial). New rules require full-cutoff fixtures, limit lumens to 1,600, and restrict freestanding lighting height (up to 12 ft with permit, 12–20 ft with minor design review). Exemptions for temporary/seasonal lighting, low-voltage landscape lighting, and existing legally installed fixtures. The public hearing was held; no public comments. The council approved the ordinance introduction and waived full reading.
• 9.1 Unlawful Camping Ordinance – Captain Brian Schaaf presented a proposed update to Chapter 9.38 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision, which reversed the Boise ruling. The update would prohibit camping on all public property, reduce cleanup notice from 72 to 24 hours, but maintain 90-day property holding. The city continues service-based outreach, including the DA’s CORE program (10 citations trigger prosecution) and regional collaboration. Council members expressed support for the compassionate but enforcement-based approach. The council introduced and waived the full reading of the ordinance.
• 9.2 Illegal Fireworks Activity and Enforcement – Code Enforcement Manager Jose Mendez and Lieutenant Josh Magdaleno presented. In April 2024, the council adopted revised fines ($1,000 per violation, host liability). On July 4, 2024, the city received 562 calls (50% increase from 2023), leading to 19 property owners receiving $240,000 in citations total, the largest $100,000. Drones and dash cams aided enforcement. Amnesty day collected 3,000 illegal fireworks. Plans for 2025: continued outreach, second drone for full coverage. Council commended staff and supported safe/legal fireworks.
• 9.3 2024 Climate Compass – Program Manager Carrie Whitlock presented the transportation sector (57% of emissions). Strategies included: 1) reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) via active transportation, e-bike voucher expansion, and a Transportation Management Association (TMA); 2) increasing zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) use through stronger EV charging requirements (REACH code tiers), EV car-sharing, and limiting new gas stations; 3) off-road equipment rules (renewable diesel, battery storage, electric gardening equipment). Council members generally supported VMT reduction (bike infrastructure and e-bikes) and EV charging conduit requirements, but expressed caution on mandates for affordable housing, gas station limits, and requiring businesses to replace gas-powered equipment. Direction was given to study impacts, involve building trades, and consider incentive programs rather than bans. Staff will refine measures for future decision.
• 9.4 Councilmember Salary Increase – City Attorney Jonathan Hobbs explained SB 329 (2023) allows councils to set salaries up to $2,550/month for cities of 150,000–250,000. Current stipend is $800/month (set in 2012). No action was taken; the council discussed. Councilmember Sewen supported an increase to attract diverse candidates; Councilmember Robles emphasized the need to support future leaders; Councilmember Spease strongly opposed, calculating his effective hourly rate at $78 including benefits; Vice Mayor Brewer and Mayor Singh-Allen noted their community reinvestment and time commitment. The council directed staff to bring back an ordinance for first reading on September 25, 2024, with the maximum salary of $2,550/month (adjustable). Any increase would take effect only after a new term begins (anticipated December 2024).

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved unanimously.
• Ordinance 8.1 (Residential Lighting) introduced and waived (first reading). Effective after 30 days.
• Ordinance 9.1 (Unlawful Camping) introduced and waived (first reading).
• Fireworks presentation received; enforcement efforts and statistics noted.
• Climate Compass direction: staff to further analyze strategies with stakeholder input, focusing on VMT reduction and EV charging infrastructure, while considering affordability and industry impacts.
• Council salary discussion: Directed staff to prepare an ordinance for first read on September 25, 2024, setting salary at $2,550/month (maximum allowed) for discussion and potential adoption. No vote taken at this meeting.
• Future agenda items: SAC RT presentation on smart ride and transit plans; September 10 workshop at District 56 on transit visioning; September 30–October 6 Week Without Driving campaign. City Manager report noted e-bike program launch September 3, TNR services resuming, and other community events.