Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting – September 25, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting & Elk Grove Finance Authority Joint Meeting – September 25, 2024
The Elk Grove City Council and Elk Grove Finance Authority held a regular joint meeting on September 25, 2024, at 6:01 PM at City Hall. The meeting covered a historic preservation update, public comments on noise enforcement, a major contract for a year-round homeless shelter, a vote to increase council member salaries, the appointment of delegates to the League of California Cities conference, and the issuance of special tax bonds for Community Facilities District No. 2005-1 (Laguna Ridge). All votes were recorded, and key decisions were made.
Presentations & Announcements
- Historic Preservation Committee Annual Update: Chairperson presented the committee's 2024 work, including reviews of several Old Town projects (e.g., Slow and Low on Railroad Street, Old Town Pub at 9032 Elk Grove Boulevard, new restaurant at 8998 Elk Grove Boulevard). The committee meets monthly as needed and provides recommendations to the Development Services Director and Planning Commission. Goals for 2024–25 include finalizing the Elk Grove Register of Historic Resources and continuing training to meet National Historic Register requirements. Councilmember Suen thanked the committee for preserving local history.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Margie Jones (Strauss Festival of Elk Grove board co-chair) thanked the Council for ongoing financial and in-kind support, noting the festival's 35th performance in July 2024 and its unique free admission.
- Juan Fernandez (Waterman Meadows resident) and Tony Stratton criticized the city's animal control ordinance regarding nuisance barking, claiming 10 minutes of barking with a 20-minute pause is insufficient and that enforcement is ineffective. They requested a review of the definition and stronger action.
- Lynn Wheat advocated for preserving rural areas and farming heritage, citing concerns about a development plan that would harm rural residential areas. She also praised the city's past successes (e.g., urban farming discussions, trash can placement at Bond and Waterman).
Discussion Items & Decisions
- 9.1 Year-Round Homeless Shelter Contract with The Gathering Inn: Housing Manager Sarah Bontrager presented a proposal to authorize a three-year, $4,578,137 contract for shelter operations at Calvary Christian Center, serving up to 35 beds (30 regular + 5 emergency) with wraparound services. Background: 62 people served in the 2023–24 winter shelter, 20 moved to permanent housing. Surveys showed 58% of residents see homelessness as a major/moderate problem. The shelter will be referral-only, 24/7, with security cameras and at least three staff on site. Public speakers (Lee Cobb from Elk Grove Food Bank, Debbie Shaefer, Mark Headland, Gina Pernetti, Nick Galling of The Gathering Inn, Keith Diedrich, Lynn Wheat) expressed strong support, citing successful past operations. One speaker, Christina Albright, strongly opposed, criticizing lack of community input before signing the lease and calling for a transparent process for the permanent location. Council members (Robles, Spease, Brewer, Suen, Mayor Singh-Allen) all spoke in favor, emphasizing compassion, the need to manage homelessness, and commitments to better community engagement for a future permanent site. Vote: Unanimous approval (5-0).
- 9.2 Council Member Salary Increase: City Attorney Jonathan Hobbs introduced an ordinance to increase council member salaries from $800/month to the state maximum of $2,550/month (allowed by SB 329 for general law cities). The increase would take effect in December 2024 for new terms. Public comment: Lynn Wheat opposed, questioning the timing and suggesting staff deserve raises instead. Council discussion: Spease opposed, citing timing (pre-election), lack of a process like for other employees (80th percentile comparators), and preferring a 27.47% increase to match inflation or a citizen committee. Robles supported the full amount, arguing it enables future diverse candidates. Suen and Brewer supported the full increase, noting it hasn't changed since 2012 and is modest compared to other cities. The mayor noted prior councils had deferred the issue. Vote: 4-1 (Spease opposed) to introduce the ordinance (first reading).
- 9.3 Delegates to League of California Cities Conference: Appointed Councilmember Robles as voting delegate and Councilmember Suen as alternate for the October 16–18, 2024 conference in Long Beach. Approved unanimously.
- 10.2 Laguna Ridge CFD Bonds (Joint Meeting): Finance Director Matt Paul presented the issuance of Series 2024 special tax revenue bonds (approx. $14.25 million) for Community Facilities District No. 2005-1 (Laguna Ridge). The bonds will fund public improvements for three developer projects (Arbor Ranch, Poppy Meadows, Poppy Grove Apartments). True interest cost estimated at 4.69% (subject to market). The Finance Authority and City Council adopted four resolutions: (1) City Council resolution authorizing bond issuance; (2) Finance Authority resolution authorizing bond issuance; (3) Finance Authority resolution waiving formal RFP for Piper Sandler & Co. as underwriter; (4) City Council resolution for budget amendments. All passed unanimously. Public comment: Lynn Wheat noted the estimated annual assessment of $2,142.36 per property owner for FY 2024-25, with a 2% annual increase.
Key Outcomes
- Approved consent calendar items 7.1–7.17 (unanimous): Included minutes, reports, ordinances, and resolutions for various projects, agreements, and grants.
- Approved three CDBG-related public hearings (8.1, 8.2, 8.3): Adopted resolutions for the CAPER, HOME program participation and budget amendments, and CDBG-CV fund reallocation for shelter operations. All unanimous.
- Awarded $4.58 million shelter contract to The Gathering Inn for year-round homeless shelter operations (unanimous).
- Introduced ordinance to raise council member salaries to $2,550/month (first reading, 4-1). Final vote scheduled for October 9, 2024.
- Appointed delegates to the League of California Cities conference.
- Authorized Laguna Ridge CFD bond issuance (four resolutions, all unanimous).
- Council commented on recent legislation: Senator Ashby's SB 739 (zoo bill) signed by Governor, and adjourned in memory of John Hall and Bill Camp.
Meeting Transcript
We convened from closed session, and I would like to make the following disclosure by a five to zero vote. The city council authorized and directed the city's attorney city attorney's office to defend the case of Allen v. City of Elk Grove as identified by the case number on the city council meeting agenda. So with that, we will adjourn the special meeting at 6.01 p.m. And at this time, I would like to call to order the Elk Grove City Council regular meeting and the Elk Grove Finance Authority regular meeting, concurrent agenda. Today is Wednesday, September the 25th, 2024. The time is 6 01 p.m. Clerk. Thank you, Mayor. This meeting of the Elk Grove City Council is recorded with closed captioning. The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems. The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14Live.gov. Tonight's meeting replays will be on Friday, September 27th at 1 p.m. and Monday, September 30th at 1 p.m. on Channel 14. Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand at the 3W's.elkgrove City.org or YouTube.com slash Metro Cable 14. For members of the participating audience who may have personal electronic devices, please place them on silent mode during the meeting or on mute when you are not speaking. Limit your presentation to three minutes per person so that all present will have time to participate. The city council reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment on any particular notice agenda item as it may deem necessary. Pursuant to resolution number 210-24, no individual speaker concerning public comment, may address the city council for more than three minutes. If you wish to address the council during the meeting, please complete a blue speaker card, which can be found at the back of the chamber and provide it to assistant city clerk, Brenda Haggard prior to consideration of the agenda item. With that, Mayor, I'll be moving into the roll call. And for the roll call, I will start with Councilmember Robles. Present. Councilmember Spees. Present. Councilmember Sewen. Here. Vice Mayor Brewer. Here. And Mayor Singh Allen. Here. Thank you. All right. Next up is our land acknowledgement. Would the Vice Mayor please assist in the reading of the land acknowledgement? Thank you, Madam Mayor. We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elk Grove's first inhabitants, the Plains Meewalk, who lived as sovereign caretakers of this land and these waterways since time immemorial. We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Wilton Rancheria tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County who endure because of the bravery, resilience, and determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders. All right, thank you. Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance. Uh, would Chief Davis please lead us? All right, please join us for a brief moment of silence. Thank you. May I get a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Thank you.
openpublica.com