All right. Good evening, everyone.

I would like to call to order the Elk Grove City Council regular meeting.

Today is Wednesday, May the 28th, 2025, and the time is 6 p.m.

Clerk.

Thank you, Mayor.

This meeting of the Elk Grove City Council is recorded with closed captioning.

The recording will be cablecast on Metro Cable Channel 14,

the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and DirecTV Uverse Cable Systems.

The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14live.sackcounty.gov.

Tonight's meeting replays will be on Friday, March 30th at 1 p.m.

and Sunday, June 1st at 6 p.m. on Metro Channel 14.

Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand

at 3w.elkgrove.gov 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.

Pursuant to government code section 54947.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I hopped my own notes.

Wow.

I will go back to the Elk Grove City Council welcomes, appreciates,

and encourages participation in the City Council meeting.

City Council requests that you limit your presentation to three minutes per person

so that all present will have time to participate.

City Council reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment

on any particular notice agenda item as it may be necessary.

Pursuant to resolution number 2010-24, 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 speaker card

and provide it to Assistant City Clerk Brenda Haggard prior to consideration of the agenda item.

And with that, Mayor, I will be rolling into the roll call,

starting with Council Member Spies.

Present.

Council Member Brewer is absent.

Council Member Suen.

Here.

Vice Mayor Robles.

Present.

And Mayor St. Allen.

Here.

Thank you.

Next up is our land acknowledgement.

And assisting will be our Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elk Grove's first inhabitants, the Plain Miwoks,

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 endear because of the bravery, resiliency, determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders.

All right.

Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance.

I would like to invite up Los Rios Trustee Tammy Nelson.

If you would help lead us in the pledge.

Is this room here?

That's fine.

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

and to the republic for which it stands,

one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right.

Next up, would you please all join us for a brief moment of silence?

Thank you.

Let's see.

Approval of the agenda, please.

Can I get a motion?

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item.

Under Section 3, the closed session,

we have no closed session items on the regular agenda,

which will take us to Section 4, our presentations and announcements.

And the first item is 4.1,

which is a proclamation recognition of National Day and Month of Awareness

for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

And I'm looking out,

and I do believe we have our representatives from Wilton Rancheria here to receive the item.

I would like to call up Chairman Jesus Tarango,

Vice Chair, and our tribal members and leaders.

Please come up and join us.

And our Vice Mayor will be assisting on reading the proclamation.

Chairman, Vice Chair, Council members,

I see the CSD Board of Directors is also here.

Just wanted to, before I begin reading the proclamation,

just wanted to say thank you for leading the way,

not only in our region, but in the state of California.

The Wilton Rancheria stepped up and is one of the leaders in this,

especially after signing the MOU with our District Attorney, Tien Ho,

and our Sheriff, Jim Cooper.

And we appreciate and are so just grateful for your leadership

and stepping in so that other tribes can also follow the same way.

Thank you for what you're doing, and thank you for leading.

And I will go into reading the proclamation that we have.

Yeah.

May 2025 Awareness Month for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

Whereas on May 5th, and today as well,

throughout the month of May, we remember and honor

and take action for the lives missing,

for all the lives that are missing and murdered Indigenous people

who live and have been taken on the results of ongoing crisis.

For those who may be facing violence alone,

the silence and tolerance and the inaction

is being challenged and ends now.

And whereas the state of California has the 5th largest caseload

of missing and murdered Indigenous people, MMIP, in the United States.

As California is home to 109 out of 574 federally recognized tribes

and holds the largest population of Native American people in the United States.

Whereas Indigenous women and girls are murdered at the rate nearly 10 times higher

than the national average.

And where 4 out of 5 have experienced violence

that are targeted for murder, exploitation, abduction,

in the California urban, rural, and reservation populations,

which is disappearing at alarming rates

with very little public visibility and justice.

Whereas there is no comprehensive estimate

to the number of Indigenous people who are missing

or have been murdered since the beginning of colonization.

Whereas the Elk Grove City is committed

to spreading awareness of our Indigenous people

and those who have gone missing and murdered,

tortured, raped, trafficked, assaulted,

or those who have not been properly,

have had their attention or justice.

Whereas we act in solidarity with our city, state, nation,

and most importantly, we stand with our local tribal communities,

the Wilton Rancheria,

the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County.

And we recognize the National Day of Awareness and Action

for missing and murdered Indigenous people,

always seeking to build upon the support

of our Indigenous communities to stop this epidemic

and to heal within our communities and state.

Whereas we must continue to bring awareness

to the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people,

only by doing so,

we will increase the accountability of the system

and institutions that have let these crimes go silent

and bring justice to the families

for the missing and murdered.

Therefore, let it be resolved

that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove, California,

hereby proclaim May 5th, 2024,

National Day of Awareness for the Month of May,

Awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People

in Elk Grove, California,

and we urge all community members within our city

and our state to keep the spirit alive

and take action for all missing and murdered Indigenous

and to end the violence that has been committed.

Signed this day, the 28th of May, 2025.

Oh.

Wow.

Tongue como, Mayor Seeing Allen and City Council

for welcoming us here today.

Connie Oyase Jesus Terango,

Tribal Chairman of Volton Rancheria.

And I'm joined here today by our Vice Chairwoman

and some of our esteemed Tribal Council members

and some of our citizens that we represent

or that are represented in our tribal nation.

And then, as Vice Mayor said,

a CSD board director here in the back.

But on behalf of the tribe,

the descendants of the first stewards of this land,

I would like to thank you for recognizing

May as Murdered and Missing Indigenous People Awareness Month.

A study by the National Institute of Justice

found that more than 4 in 5 Native women,

84.3%, have experienced violence in their lifetime,

including 56% who have experienced sexual violence.

2 in 5 Native women, 43.7%,

have been raped in their lifetime.

Native families experienced

the second highest rate of homicide in 2020,

that year homicide was one of the top 10 leading causes of death

for Native women aged 12 to 45.

And in many recent years,

it has ranked as high as number two.

For some perspective,

Wilton Rancheria has just over 1,000 citizens.

Statistically speaking,

this means that of our 483 women and girls,

approximately 387 of them

will experience violence in their lifetime.

And as a husband,

and as a son,

and a father of six,

I know that something must be done

to address this epidemic.

Wilton Rancheria is committed

to doing our part.

And that's why recently we launched

a regional MMIP task force

in partnership with our district attorney,

Tin Ho,

and Sheriff Jim Cooper.

This task force brings together

tribal,

local,

and state law enforcement

to share data,

coordinate response efforts,

and seek justice for victims and families.

Resolutions like this

are an important part of the puzzle.

They serve as a commitment

that we will continue to work together

as sovereign governments

for the recognition

and the safety

of all of our citizens,

knowing that we all,

as elected officials,

have a duty

to lead the fight

to protect our most vulnerable members.

And in closing here,

I just want to say, too,

again,

that we appreciate these things.

Some people may think

that it's just a formality

that what you're doing,

but with MMIP,

it's going to take more

than just one effort

to combat that.

And education and awareness

is one of those things.

And by doing these things,

it keeps people understanding

and brings new people

to understanding what this is.

And so for that,

we're very thankful.

And again,

I think you know the tribe

in that our job

is not only to protect our citizens,

but our greater community.

And that's why we did

what we did here recently.

Standing here

with one of our council members

and family members of,

unfortunately,

a victim of MMIP.

Our tribe is no,

we're not immune to it.

Currently,

we have about four or five cases

right now in our own tribe.

And so just to put that

in perspective,

this isn't something

that doesn't affect us.

We're very affected by it.

But we thank the city

and everybody

for your guys' efforts

in bringing awareness to this.

And we won't forget.

So,

for standing with us,

but also making sure

that those voices aren't,

they're not going to be

left voiceless

because we'll speak for them.

So,

thank you.

You know,

it was an honor

and privilege

to join you last week

for that historic MOU.

I think that you have

set the precedence

for all tribes

in California.

May we see more MOUs

like this

throughout the state

and throughout the country

because those statistics

that you shared

are alarming

and they should shake

every single one of us.

so,

just congratulations

on paving the way

and we stand with you

in solidarity

as you lead this effort forward.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

We will come down there.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Come right here in the middle.

Come right there.

OK.

I'm going to come right back here.

All right.

Here we go.

That's OK.

That's OK.

Never going to have enough of those.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Ready.

One, two, three, one more time.

One, two, three.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good to see you.

You brought the great work.

Thank you.

Definitely.

Thank you.

Thank you for your work.

Of course.

It's a nice time.

Thank you so much.

I'll see you.

Thank you.

All right.

Next up is, let's see, our proclamation recognizing May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month.

I would like to call up Tammy Nelson and members of the Jewish community.

Please join us here in the front.

And assisting with that proclamation will be Councilmember Kevin Spies.

You're part of the Interfaith Council.

And the Interfaith Council.

And the Interfaith Council, absolutely.

Okay.

I think I see a recent high school graduate in there too.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All right.

Okay.

Thank you for being here this evening.

This is a proclamation in support of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Whereas the city of Elk Grove is proud to be a diverse and inclusive community,

home to residents of various faiths and backgrounds, all of whom contribute to the vibrancy and

strength of our city.

And whereas Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to honor and celebrate the rich and diverse history,

culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans to the fabric of our nation.

And whereas Jewish Americans have played an integral role in the development and progress of the United States across numerous fields,

including science, medicine, law, business, arts, entertainment, education, and public service.

And whereas the values of justice, equality, community, and education deeply rooted in Jewish tradition have enriched our community and strengthened our commitment to these ideals.

And whereas the Elk Grove Jewish community is small, but steadily growing, its impact is already being felt, reminding us that the strength of a community is built on individual voices and actions on reaching out, showing up, and standing together.

And whereas the Jewish American Heritage Month provides an opportunity to learn about the history of Jewish people in our community, to honor their achievements, and to reaffirm our commitment to combating anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby affirms and proclaims the month of May 2025 as Jewish American Heritage Month in the City of Elk Grove, honoring the achievements, cultural heritage, and enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to our community development.

Signed this 28th day of May 2025.

Thank you for the invitation.

Thank you for the meaningful proclamation.

Really appreciate it.

So, as a parent of two students in our local public schools, as the Jewish representative on the Interfaith Council of Elk Grove, I've had the privilege of witnessing the deep commitment the City has to building bridges across communities.

Through interfaith prayer vigils and public dialogue, we've worked to create spaces for healing, understanding, and meaningful connection among our diverse faith communities.

I want to especially acknowledge the leadership of Mayor Singh Allen and the Council members who have stood alongside at these moments, showing solidarity, fostering compassion, and helping bring together Jewish and Muslim faith leaders in shared efforts to promote mutual respect and understanding.

In a time when so much can divide us, this kind of leadership brings people together.

Through our Jewish community in Elk Grove is small, the City's actions like the annual Hanukkah celebrations at the Old Town Plaza have made us feel included and valued.

Elk Grove continues to demonstrate that diversity is not only welcomed, but embraced.

Jewish American Heritage Month is not just about honoring the past contributions of Jewish Americans.

It's also about recognizing the importance of ongoing inclusion, education, and standing up for one another.

Thank you again for this recognition and for being a city that truly reflects those values.

And then I have a couple words.

Yeah, please Rabbi.

Yeah, okay.

My name is Chaim, but to say it correctly, you have to have the Jewish cha.

Chaim.

So, I don't expect anyone to say it correctly.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

Chaim.

And as Rabbi of the local Jewish community, I want to thank the City of Elk Grove, for this beautiful initiative.

And a special shout out to Tammy for spearheading this.

And you deserve the recognition.

Elk Grove has shown itself to be a city where Jews feel welcome.

Highlighted by its co-sponsorship of, as Tammy mentioned, the Light Up Elk Grove event, the annual Hanukkah celebration at the Old Town Plaza.

The Elk Grove Jewish community is warm, vibrant, and deeply rooted in tradition and culture.

But today I want to share the story of one of our community members, the story of Andra Bucci.

Andra was meant to be here today, but she couldn't come in the end.

But I want to share her story.

Andra was born in Italy in 1940.

In 1944, the Nazis invaded Italy, taking her, her sister, and her mother to the Auschwitz

death camp in Poland, where she spent eight months witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust.

Andra was four years old.

While Andra survived, her cousin Sergio was not so lucky.

Sergio was one of 20 children selected by Josef Mengele as human subjects of medical experimentation.

As the Allies closed in on Hamburg and the Nazis sought to destroy evidence of their atrocities,

these 20 children, including Sergio, were taken to the basement of a school and murdered.

After liberation, Andra spent two years in an orphanage where her family discovered her,

where her parents discovered her.

And Andra was one of the many people, one of the few people who was able to be reunited with her family after the war.

And for those who want to read more about her story, she has a book available.

And KCRA just recently featured a documentary.

It's called Always Remember Your Name.

Andra's story is one of hope and strength, but also serves as a reminder that never again means never again.

Research shows that while the Jewish population in America is less than 3%,

approximately 68% of religion-based hate crimes last year were against Jews.

This time last week, a group of us were sitting at our weekly Torah class

when we heard about the shooting in Washington, D.C.,

where a beautiful young couple attending a Jewish event were murdered.

And there's a local component to this as well,

because Danny Kleinenberg, who grew up and went to school in Elk Grove,

whose parents are here with us today, was at this event.

He knew the couple well. He sold a shooter.

Jewish Heritage Month is a time to remember the past,

but also commit ourselves to building a future rooted in mutual respect, compassion, and unity.

Let us continue to create a city where diversity is celebrated and hate has no home.

Thank you.

Before we come down...

And I just want to recognize Akram Kevel, president of the Interfaith Council.

Thank you.

And thank you, Rabbi, for sharing that powerful story.

of what happened just last week.

And it is our responsibility to never forget and to always stand in solidarity.

We stand in solidarity with you.

We reject all hate crimes, all hate.

This is a city that is welcome to all.

And I know that anti-Semitism is on the rise.

And I just wanted you to know that your city loves you and supports you and stands with you today and always.

Thank you.

Let's come down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

cockpit.

Thank you so much.

Proud of you.

Hello, brother.

How are you?

Very good.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Proud of you.

Okay, thank you.

All right.

May is also Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

At this time, I would like to call up Jita Pandia Buño to the floor as I read just literally

a snapshot of all of the amazing things that this woman does.

So, whereas Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander encompasses many ethnic groups

with diverse backgrounds, histories, languages, and cultures, the AANHPI Heritage Month celebrates

the collective accomplishments of these communities.

Whereas the AANHPI community continues strong traditions, educating future generations of

a shared heritage, promoting friendship, communication, community service, engagement, and involvement

while fostering intergenerational leadership and securing rights and access to equal opportunities

to create a fairer and more just society for all.

Whereas Jita Pandia Buño exemplifies the spirit through her distinguished public service from

leading Air Force medical readiness after 9-11 to her current role as UC Davis Health Senior Vice President,

driving organizational efficiency, showcasing exceptional dedication and leadership.

And whereas Jita Buño's resilience and dedication to improving the lives shines beyond her professional achievements

to include active involvement in charitable organizations like the American Heart Association

and the Sacramento County Children's Coalition, her personal journey overcoming a stutter,

her vision for personalized healthcare, and her appreciation for her cultural heritage, including Indian cuisine and a balanced lifestyle.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby affirms and proclaims

May 2025 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the City of Elk Grove

and recognizes Jita for her outstanding contributions, unwavering dedication, inspiring journey, and commitment to uplifting her community, signed today by the entire City Council.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Council.

And thank you to this amazing city for this honor.

You know, like as I stand in like in front of you today and I was sort of like thinking about what this means, right?

I'm sort of reminded that we're all standing on the shoulders of some giants like who came before us, right?

That at some point like along our family's journey, somebody made the sacrifice and to like move across the world all so that we could have the life that we are living right now.

So we're really living somebody else's, you know, dream right now.

And I think it's just really, really special to me.

My journey is really no different.

My parents and I moved here when I was senior in high school.

I questioned their judgment, right?

Like moving across the world for a kid who was a teenager.

But really the dream that they had was for their daughters to live the life they want, have a choice in, you know, what they do.

And so really carry that with me day to day.

And I want to really like thank our council.

You guys really show the way for the kids, my kids especially, right, to sort of see what it means to really give yourself, give your time to build the community that we've got here.

We're really very, very special.

And what we do, who we are, it sort of shows when you are walking around this city.

As young parents, when we were looking for a home, right, like the only thing that we Googled was great schools.

And here we are.

And I think that's where we are.

What we did not like expect really is to find the community that is so rich, that is so diverse, that is so, so, so cohesive, where we have so many celebrations of like all the cultures and all the beliefs.

And really that's what makes us who we are.

So I really want to thank you for this time and like thank you for this amazing honor.

And I'm just really truly grateful for this.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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city of Elk Grove and across the region and whereas rising housing costs have

displaced longtime residents forced families into overcrowded conditions and

contributed to homelessness threatening the racial and economic diversity of

the city of Elk Grove and whereas affordable housing with wraparound

services was a key solution to homelessness and is essential to the

well-being of seniors families youth veterans individuals individuals with

disabilities or special needs and the broader Elk Grove community and whereas

local housing organizations recognize May as affordable housing month

underscoring the urgent need for action at the local and regional levels to

address the growing housing crisis and whereas the Sacramento Housing Alliance

has worked over 35 years to advance policies and programs that expand the

production and preservation of affordable housing and promote housing justice

throughout the greater Sacramento region including the city of Elk Grove now

therefore be it resolved that the City Council of the city of Elk Grove hereby

proclaims May 2025 as affordable housing month in the city of Elk Grove and

that the city of Elk Grove affirms its commitment to supporting affordable

housing solutions thank you very much for being here thank you good evening

mayor council thank you so much my name is Jonathan cook I'm the executive director

of the Sacramento Housing Alliance for over 35 years we have been advocating for the

development of safe accessible and affordable housing for low-income

individuals and families and those who are experiencing homelessness through

public private partnerships our nonprofit affordable developer members are

delivering hundreds of units of affordable housing and Elk Grove the city of Elk Grove

is a key partner in this work dedicating millions of dollars and funding projects as well as

implementing policies that make it easier to build affordable housing in the city for our

neighbors affordable housing month is a time to reflect imagine and act on a future where

an affordable place to call home now more than ever it's critical that we come together advocates

neighbors leaders and residents to ensure that every person has access to an affordable place to call home

while we take time to celebrate the success of our past efforts we know that much work still lies ahead

the housing crisis demands bold solutions and collective action that matches the scale of this challenge

thank you for standing with us because when we fight together for housing justice

we're not just building homes we're building help for a better future and I also extend warm wishes and

greetings from one of our board members April Ludwig who is an Elk Grove resident as well as CEO of Hope Cooperative

and I'm joined by Nicole Restmeyer also an Elk Grove resident and member of our board of directors who

also would like to share a few more remarks yes just quickly because I know you have a very long agenda to get to I really appreciate the proclamation I'm actually a district one resident so I appreciate the reading of the

proclamation by my council member and I think you know echoing the comments that Jonathan made we know affordable safe stable housing is foundational to everybody in our community and we need to make sure that you know everything that we're doing is furthering that goal and so I just really appreciate the dedication thank you thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

thank you

All right.

Next up, let's see.

We have a presentation by the Sacramento Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District.

Welcome.

At the end, I promise you won't have to come down and take a picture with me.

Nobody ever wants to take a picture of the mosquito guy.

My name is Gary Goodman.

I'm the district manager for Sacramento Yolo Mosquito Vector Control.

And, you know, we cover essentially vector control for all of Sacramento and Yolo County.

Our office is right here off of Bond Road in Elk Grove.

If you ever get a chance and want to come by, we'll be more than happy to put you in the cage with all of the mosquitoes and see how many bite you.

We have quite a few.

Our job is to try to protect public health, both from the abundance of mosquitoes, make sure that people, especially now as the weather is starting to turn,

they want to go enjoy their backyards, making sure that they're not being bothered by mosquitoes.

But, of course, then obviously the concern associated with vector-borne disease and the diseases that mosquitoes can carry and transmit,

specifically in our area, West Nile virus is our most prevalent one.

However, in California, just in the last few years, we've actually had local cases of dengue that have started to happen in Southern California.

And that is a big concern for us moving forward, just because we've never had dengue in California, local transmission of dengue in over 50 years.

And so the fact that it's reemerging and some of these diseases are starting to become a bit more prevalent here in the United States is a concern.

It's something that we want to make sure that the people are aware of and the precautions that they can potentially take to help prevent that.

So, obviously, with this, the amount of rain that we've had, we've filled up some sources of water.

There's a lot of agricultural areas out there that breed mosquitoes.

But also, mosquitoes breed in people's backyards.

Anything that can hold water for about a week or so has the potential to breed mosquitoes.

This warm weather that's coming through definitely tends to amplify and speed up the growth of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.

They then go through larval stages, emerge as adults.

And one female mosquito can lay anywhere from 150 to 250 eggs at a time.

So you can see how one mosquito can really have a significant impact on an entire neighborhood.

So we look for a number of different sources, agricultural areas.

In Sacramento County, we have a lot of rice fields.

We have a lot of wetlands.

All of those are very close to our population centers right across I-5.

We have Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.

We do a lot of work out there.

And clearly, there are mosquitoes that can travel from that refuge into the city of Elk Grove.

And so that's a concern for us.

What we ask for the general public, go around your yard once a week.

Just take a look for anything that might be holding water.

Dump that out.

And then, obviously, if you're being bothered by mosquitoes, give us a call.

Let us know.

We typically have somebody that will come out either same day or within the next day to be able to try to take care of your specific issue.

And, again, here's some photos of some of the sources that we have, some of the agricultural areas, rice fields.

But anything, again, that can hold water.

Those tires, bird baths, buckets, anything that fills up with your sprinklers as you're trying to keep your lawn green and water your plants.

Anything that can hold water for a week.

One of the big challenges that we have are backyard swimming pools.

So an unmaintained swimming pool breeds thousands of mosquitoes.

Those mosquitoes fly.

They can fly anywhere from, you know, a mile to two miles a night.

So you can have one, just one neighborhood or one bad pool can really have an impact on every neighbor within a one-mile radius.

We use what we call integrated mosquito management.

The first is public information.

We have a very active social media campaign.

We do television, radio, print.

We do a lot of interviews.

We do a lot of neighborhood association presentations.

We do school presentations.

Essentially just trying to get the information out to the general public as to what they can do.

Be aware of mosquitoes and aware of the diseases that they can carry.

And then, of course, the preventative measures that you can do.

We have a surveillance program.

And what this is for us is we set traps out throughout our district on a daily basis, essentially.

And we monitor the different species of mosquitoes.

In our area, we have about 24 different species of mosquitoes.

Not all mosquitoes are created equally.

Not all can transmit disease.

And so we monitor those numbers for both abundance and, of course, disease transmission.

So we bring all of those traps back to our location at Elk Grove.

We separate them by sex and species.

And then, of course, the ones that can carry virus.

We test to see if they're actively carrying virus.

But we also want to just monitor the abundance.

Are the mosquito populations going up?

Where potentially would they come from?

And so it can help give us clues as to where we can look for to be able to try to help reduce, refine those breeding grounds.

We have a biological control program.

If you've ever driven by our facility, you see all the ponds that are out there.

We breed mosquito fish.

Very small, about two-inch long fish.

We plant those in places where they will be successful.

So, again, backyard swimming pools that are being unmaintained, agricultural areas, horse troughs, all of those things that can hold water and breed mosquitoes.

We have the largest mosquito fish breeding facility in the country.

We plant about 3,500 pounds of fish per year just in Sacramento and Yolo County.

It's free of charge.

All you have to do is give us a call.

We come out there and make sure that they're going to be, that we're putting them in an appropriate place and that they're going to survive.

We have an ecological management department.

This is some heavy equipment.

We have a backhoe and dump truck.

We do specific work with landowners to make sure that they are reducing mosquito breeding on their property.

So, specifically, Stone Lake, CRP that's down here in our area, Nature Conservancy, Vic Fazio Wildlife Area, all of those are landowners that we work with to make sure that they're implementing what we call best management practices to reduce mosquito production on their land.

And then, of course, we have control operations.

So, for us, we have a technician.

We have actually two technicians specifically for Elk Grove.

Every day, they are driving around, they are looking for and visiting known mosquito breeding sources that we have within their particular zone, and they're treating that accordingly.

Then, as we potentially get disease activity, we're monitoring that, and we will go out and do adult mosquito control, and that's with backpack or ATV or truck, or in years past, we've done the airplane over town.

And so, we hope never to try to get to that point, because that means that we've reached thresholds that are significant, and the risk to human transmission is real and happening at that particular time.

So, we try to keep it done on a local level with just trucks and ATVs at that point, but it is a significant portion of our program.

This is a general map of last year, Elk Grove positive dead birds and mosquito samples that we found within the city limits and just outside of the city limits.

So, the yellow squares are positive birds.

West Nile virus is a bird disease, so it's carried by birds, it's vectored by mosquitoes.

So, a mosquito bites an infected bird, picks up the virus, and then passes it on to another bird or passes it on to a human or to a horse.

We didn't have a lot of activity in Elk Grove last year, which is great.

Just north, a little bit more activity, and so we're hoping that we'll have a similar type of year, just because we've had a similar kind of weather year this year as compared to last year.

One thing I do want to try to highlight last year, in the state of California, there were 129 human cases that were reported of West Nile, essentially West Nile disease or West Nile fever.

But the majority of these are actually very serious neuroinvasive form of the disease, because the general symptoms for West Nile fever are flu-like symptoms.

You don't feel so good.

You run down.

You stay at home.

You drink orange juice.

You watch TV.

You sleep till noon.

You start to recover, and you get better, and you go back to work.

So those symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a week.

Some can last four months.

However, a lot of people never even go to the doctor and get that diagnosed, so they never even knew that they had West Nile.

The more serious ones are the ones that get reported are the ones that you start to get encephalitis-like symptoms.

When it starts to get into the brain, it causes encephalitis, can cause blindness, paralysis, and, of course, even death.

And so the vast majority of human cases that get reported in California are the very serious neuroinvasive form of the disease.

And in that, CDC estimates that for every neuroinvasive form of the disease, there's anywhere from 30 to 70 other infections that are occurring that just go undiagnosed.

So really, you've got thousands of people that are getting sick from West Nile on an annual basis, and it's something that we want to make sure that people are aware of so that they can take appropriate precautions.

In the last few years, since 2019, we've detected what we call invasive mosquitoes.

So these are mosquitoes that traditionally have never been here in California and specifically in the Sacramento area.

We have detected some in Elk Grove.

As you can see, the purple triangles there highlight the areas within the city limits, but you can see just north of that, we have a very large population of these invasive mosquitoes.

And the concern with these, Aedes aegypti and specifically Aedes aegypti, but also Aedes albopictus,

these are very efficient vectors of more exotic diseases like Zika, dengue, chikungunya.

And so the concern is, obviously, if we get them established in our area, then we may have the possibility of local transmission of these types of diseases,

similar to what's happening in Southern California over the last two years.

So we are monitoring this heavily.

We're doing treatments to be able to try to reduce those numbers.

We get imported cases of dengue, chikungunya, Zika, malaria every year.

So most people, what they end up happening, they travel to an area where those diseases are endemic.

They get sick.

They come back here.

They experience symptoms.

And then if they get bit by the right or wrong type of mosquito, then there's the possibility of transmission of that disease.

And so for those diseases, we get anywhere from 10 to 20 cases of dengue every year.

Malaria is about the same.

We're doing Zika a little bit less, chikungunya a little bit less.

But the risk is real, and we want people to be aware of that and take the appropriate precautions.

We are going to be investigating this year a new technique.

I've talked about this, I think, the last couple of years, but it's called sterile insect technique.

So our job typically is we go out, we find mosquitoes, we kill mosquitoes.

Very simple, right?

Find and kill.

This is a different technique to where you're actually releasing sterile insects or sterile male mosquitoes into a neighborhood.

The concept is they mate with the wild females that are there, and then the progeny or the eggs are not viable.

So this is a brand new technique.

It's just recently, there's been a lot of studies that have happened.

We're working with a researcher out of the University of Kentucky, and we've targeted an area specifically in Tomas to be able to do this this year.

So there are a number of districts throughout the state of California that are doing these types of trials.

It's been found to be very successful.

They had early trials in Fresno a few years ago in Southern California.

They've done some work in Caribbean islands.

They've done some work in Florida.

It's now become commercially available, and our district is going to be investigating to see how we might be able to implement this particular strategy in the future.

The beauty of this particular technique is that you release male mosquitoes.

Male mosquitoes don't bite, so there's no risk of disease transmission, and we've seen populations drop anywhere from 90 to 95 percent with this particular technique.

Now, we're targeting a particular species.

It's not every mosquito because the mosquito species only mate with their own species, so it's a little bit different.

Aedes aegypti doesn't mate with Culex or the West Nile mosquitoes.

They'll only mate with Aedes aegypti, and so right now the technology is specifically designed for the dengue, chikungunya, zika-carrying mosquitoes, these invasive ones that we've now found.

And so we're going to be doing a trial this year just after July 4th in the Natomas area from July all the way through October.

So moving forward for us, what do we want the public to know?

We are going to be moving forward with this new SIT.

We're excited about this prospect, also comparing with other districts throughout the state that are going to be using it.

We're going to continue our surveillance and control efforts.

We want the public to know that if you're being bothered by mosquitoes, call us.

Again, we typically come out either same day or next day to be able to try to take care of your problem and educate you as to where the mosquitoes may be coming from

and what you can try to do to help prevent disease transmission.

We always want to encourage the public to give us a call.

If you're being bothered by mosquitoes during the day or in the evening time, we don't care.

We want to come out and be able to try to take care of it.

In addition, I know as the summer starts to come through, you start to have public events.

We buy mosquito wipes or repellent wipes by the pallet.

We have thousands and thousands and thousands of them.

If you have an event that's going to happen, whether it be movies in the park or whatever, national night out, all of those things, give us a call.

Be more than happy to provide those things free of charge along with other information.

So you can find more information on our website, fightthebite.net.

Give us a call, 1-800-429-1022.

And with that, I'll see if the council has any questions.

I talk very fast.

Yeah, no, that was great.

Thank you for your presentation.

Any questions?

Looking to the left, to the right.

I do have a question.

Yes, please.

Okay, so obviously the best way to control the mosquitoes is to make sure they can't breed in the first place.

But when they are breeding and when they are out and about, obviously the insect repellent is a good way.

But I've always wondered about the electric lamps.

Are those effective?

Or do they bring in more?

Well, a couple different things.

There are other insects that eat mosquitoes.

So when you put out a light, just like your porch light, you'll see moths and everything else.

They're attracted to light.

So you put out those bug zappers and you're bringing insects to that.

So not only are you bringing some mosquitoes to it, but you're also bringing some beneficial insects to that too.

Dragon flies kill mosquitoes, will eat mosquitoes.

And so you're drawing those things in.

You're also drawing them to you, right?

Right.

So if you're going to use it, I would recommend it on the outside of your property or give it to Rod.

He can have it in his yard, right?

You can bring him over there.

He lives too far away from me.

He lives too far away.

Fair enough.

Fine.

Fine.

Give it to your neighbor.

I'll put it by his chair.

So yes, they can work.

But we tend to say, you know, call us.

We'll find where the mosquitoes are breeding from.

Put on a good repellent.

But they can be effective in killing insects.

Absolutely.

But it's kind of a widespread kind of mass.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

That would be my take.

Well, it's been, I think, five years now.

This is my fifth time.

I'm happy to see it because it signals the beginning of summer.

Of summer.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

So thank you for being here.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Go ahead.

So dead birds.

So you have one in your front yard and you call the number.

Do we get a live voice or do we get a recorded voice?

And if you have a dead bird on the weekend,

is it good to hold on to it till the following business day or Monday

so someone could come out and take the bird so they can analyze it

to make sure that it was infected with the West Nile virus or not?

Absolutely.

We'd love to get the bird.

We test it on site.

So if you find a dead bird on your property, give us a call.

You typically, if you call us directly, we'll send it in.

There is a 800 number, 1-800-WNV-BIRD, West Nile virus BIRD.

It's run, actually, the program's run by the state of California.

They'll get the information to us.

You can also go online and just fill out the form online.

We'll get that notification and we'll come out and pick it up.

It's amazing.

We can detect virus in a very old dead bird.

So our microbiologist, she's a little weird.

I hope she's not watching.

But she'll scrape the inside of the skull.

It's incredible.

She can detect virus from anything.

So it doesn't matter how old the bird is.

We want to test for it because we want to know if we have active virus activity in your area.

And then if it is positive, we'll call you back and let you know.

If we don't call you, then you can assume that it's negative,

but you can always call us back and we'll be more than happy to give you the results.

Okay.

Seeing no other questions, thank you for that very informative presentation.

Great.

Thank you very much.

All right.

We will move on to public comment.

I will go ahead and open up the public comment opportunity at this time.

Let's see.

We will start off with Paul Lindsay followed by Constance Conley.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Happy occasion for me tonight.

I want to thank the city council for their generous donation to the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library on Big Day of Giving.

You may not know, but the funds we raise on Big Day of Giving go towards two programs, Book First and Summer Reading.

Both of those are aimed at getting books to first graders as their own books.

It gives them a sense of possession and it sets them on, hopefully, a course of reading and literacy.

This year, we're looking at 14,000 books for first graders in 170 local schools equating to 550 classrooms.

I can't tell you the joy that those children have when they get their books.

I've seen it firsthand and it just always amazes me.

And I'll leave you with a quote from a principal in Sacramento County who said that first reading changes children more than anything else in life.

I firmly believe that.

And I want to say again, thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Lindsay.

Next up is Constance Conley followed by Lynn Wheat.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

It's been a while since I stood at this podium.

Though health issues kept me from attending council meetings, I still pay attention.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, fight for things you care about.

And so I will.

I want to address this council tonight on the preservation of the rural area.

The city zoning code definition.

The ag districts are applied to areas of the city for viable agricultural use and very low density residential use.

And yes, most of us still maintain the agricultural lifestyle.

Others, evidenced by the beautiful new homes built at Sheldon and Waterman Roads, prefer and appreciate the minimum two-acre lots.

And if you haven't seen those beautiful homes, take a drive.

What the old and new residents still have in common, we appreciate the slower pace of life and strong sense of community that characterizes the rural area.

Okay, I'm going to name drop a little bit tonight.

Darren, I would like to address the comments you made at the April 25th, 2023 council meeting.

Legacy exists for a reason.

You can ask Pat Hume.

His candidacy and part of his legacy on this council is and was the rural road standards.

Pat rolled up his sleeves literally and figuratively and worked with many residents to ensure that the rural area was preserved for generations to come.

Those residents included Shirley Peters, Leo Fassler, June Coates, and Tom Shine, to name a few.

They all loved our city and their legacies matter.

People matter.

And Brenda gave you a resolution for Shirley Peters.

This was proudly displayed at her funeral.

And Darren, this was part of her legacy, and you signed it.

The legacy of the rural area is important because it encompasses valuable resources, is a diverse community within our city,

and a unique way of life contributes to our city's well-being and cultural richness.

It's a reminder of our connection to the land, history, and traditional practices that helped shape the rich heritage that is Elk Grove.

Excuse me, I'm nervous because I haven't been here a while, and I'm sorry, but cancer medications mess with you big time.

In preserving the rural area, I will end with the second part of Justice Bader's quote,

but do it in a way that will lead others to follow you.

I hope this council will take a leadership role and do just that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up is Lynn Weed, followed by Monica Lewis.

Good evening.

As we embark on more taxpayer dollars to be funneled into Old Town, or should I say historic Main Street, Elk Grove,

I have to express my concern about taxpayer dollars being spent to promote vices that potentially impact the health and quality of life for our most vulnerable residents.

First, we have a mayor who has accepted political contributions from the cigarette lobby,

and we all know the health hazards of smoking and breathing secondhand smoke in public places.

Then our city leadership courts a gambling casino that draws the criminal element and potential addictive gambling behavior,

which impacts families in our city.

Then taxpayer dollars are being used to promote alcohol consumption and encourage overindulgence,

which, as you know, can have embarrassing or worse, deadly consequences.

About a year and a half ago, the mayor boasted that Old Town was going to be the next gas lamp district.

I'm not sure whether she saw an advanced draft of the Old Town SPA,

but this secret plan seems to have started under the radar.

Behind the scenes, real estate investment booms, according to the county tax assessor records,

and I suspect the city's refusal to approve the Oak Rose project.

The Old Town residents have thanked the mayor for, quote, saving Old Town,

but when the secret plan is finally released and creates the gas lamp district, as the mayor has described,

then those same residents will realize they have been duped in the name of economic development.

And as I suspect, the plan includes the establishment of an entertainment zone,

as permitted by Senate Bill 969.

Then patrons can carry their drinks onto the street and smoke their cigarettes until the wee hours of the night,

just like San Diego.

As a taxpayer and licensed healthcare professional,

I am thoroughly disappointed that your policies and decisions would promote vices harmful to our children and families.

Thank you.

Next up is Monica Lewis, and that's our final public comment, unless someone submits a slip.

Hi.

Hi.

My name is Monica Lewis.

Thank you for everything you do and for letting me speak today, having this type of platform.

I'm brave.

I am here today because you're the boss's boss, basically, meaning beginning of this year, a family, us.

I'm going to try to come to the point.

I'm sorry.

This is why I'm here.

On the 31st of this beginning of this year, my pets and I were carjacked.

And subsequently, I was in the hospital for quite some time, having facial surgeries to remove asphalt.

My car was found eventually in Lathrop, California, after being sold in Stockton.

No animals were in the car.

The sheriff's report says, personal belongings, three dogs, one cat.

Our mother had just passed away, so I came to Sacramento to gather up my sister and make some arrangements.

Parked to there, waiting for my sister to figure out for St. Mary's.

That's when we were carjacked, and I was pulled from the car.

The car was taken with my animals.

To the point, and why I'm specifically here, I have subsequently found two of my animals.

Amazingly.

My little one was found at Sacramento, Front Street.

I would say theater.

Shelter.

She's only six and a half pounds, but she had been thrown from the car.

And I buried her last week.

She's been found at the Elk Grove shelter.

Animal shelter.

Animal shelter.

Since early March, I've been told to go to the police department for a release of information form, request form,

so that the shelter can give me the information on where Joe is.

I've been to the police department.

They said there's no form.

There's no, although under the business card, it says the shelter's under the police department.

The police department is under you.

So I'm asking for your advice.

What do I need to do to find my dog and get him back?

I found him.

He was at the shelter.

He was subsequently placed at a rescue.

We were victims.

All of us were victims.

He's my family.

And he's all I have left.

He's 12.

He's been with me for 11 years.

And he's my co-pilot.

So I'm asking, please.

Ma'am, I'm going to direct you to our police department.

And if you don't get a resolution, please contact me.

I'm going to leave this for you.

Yeah, my email, my cell is all publicly available.

Please contact me.

But I believe you should be able to get resolution.

Thank you for your time.

I appreciate it very much.

Yes.

I'm sorry to...

I understand.

If you'll meet Captain Vigna at the back here.

Captain Vigna is in the back.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Okay.

That is our final speaker.

So I will go ahead and close the public comment opportunity and move on to our next item,

our city manager's report.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the City Council.

Jason Barrowman, your city manager.

Several items to report this evening.

First of all, recruitment has started to fill six vacancies on the Elk Grove Youth Commission.

Applications will be accepted through Wednesday, June 18th.

More information is available on our website.

Beginning June 17th, the city's homeless navigators are introducing new weekly office hours every

Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Elk Grove Library on 8900 Elk Grove Boulevard.

Anyone can stop by.

Staff will be there to answer questions and provide information about available resources.

Meet the team.

Learn what the city is doing to support our unhoused residents.

More information, contact our homelessness hotline at 916-588-0304.

City Hall will once again fly the Progress Pride flag during the month of June to reflect

the city's ongoing commitment to being a city welcome to all.

Join us for a special flag-raising ceremony next Monday, June 2nd, at 10 a.m. in front

of City Hall, right across the street.

We're bringing an outdoor roller rink to Historic Main Street for a party on the plaza next Friday,

June 6th, from 4 to 8 p.m.

This is a free event for all ages.

Guests must bring their own socks, but all other equipment is provided.

Adopt-a-pet day is coming up.

If you're looking to add a furry friend to your family, Saturday, June 7th is California

Adopt-a-Pet Day.

Animal Services will be waiving adoption fees for all pets on that day.

Look for adoptable pets at the Animal Shelter at 9150 Union Parkway and at PetSmart at 8215

Laguna Boulevard from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Again, on Saturday, June 7th.

Bring the family to a regional safety day at Elk Grove Park next Saturday, June 7th from

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Cosumas Fire Department and Elk Grove Police Department have partnered to showcase emergency

response vehicles, canine demonstrations, jaws of life extractions, a helicopter landing,

and more.

Details are available on the CSD website as well as ours.

And then finally, we have our Sunday Funday coming up.

City services from our city staff, local service partners on Sunday, June 6th from 11 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

in Old Town Plaza.

Hosting the Sunday Funday for the third year.

It's going to be bigger and better than ever.

Free activities, giveaways, and Sunday as well as supplies last.

And that concludes my report.

Happy to answer any questions the council might have.

Thank you for your report.

Any questions or comments?

Looking to the left, looking to the right, seeing none.

Thank you.

We will move on to our consent calendar.

At this time, I'll go ahead and open up public comment.

And I have one speaker on item 7.4, Constance Conley.

I need to make the most of it since I drove down here.

I'm in favor of proving a 7.4.

So pleased that we'll be able to pay our bills in the future.

And Kevin, we haven't interacted in years, but I have to say your moral compass points true north.

With the remainder of my time, I have something else I would like to address.

I guess my theme tonight is quoting judges.

From Judge Judy, you've heard the saying, you don't have to kill the messenger because of the message.

Conversely, you shouldn't kill the message because of the messenger.

Since incorporation almost 25 years ago, one very engaged citizen who has come up with so many good ideas, too numerous to count, for our city and our citizens is Lynn Wheat.

Yet time and time again, Lynn has been turned away.

I know the feeling.

But again, we fight for things we care about.

One example, the City of Elk Grove Youth Commission.

And funny, Jason, you should bring it up.

No less than four times, I stood at this podium trying to get the proposal I wrote agendize.

Only one council member saw the value in the message, and that was Jim Cooper.

And here's the thing.

This messenger at the time wasn't on Jim's Christmas card list.

Jim believed in the core idea and the desired impact of the message for our youth of our city to be engaged in their local government.

After the last try, Jim came up to me and said, I tried, Connie.

I responded, it's okay, Jim.

Next year is an election year.

We will elect two new council members.

Maybe they will see the value in the city having a youth commission.

And guess what?

Gary and Pat did.

So maybe next time when the message is valuable for the betterment of our city and our citizens, you will focus on the content of the message rather than the person delivering it.

Case in point, along with the city's youth commission, the street racing ordinance from which the education component written by Pat Hume won the city of Elk Grove's Helen Putnam Award, the highest award given by the League of California Cities.

And it is proudly displayed out there.

And I'll tell you this, Elk Grove won that award after four years of being a city.

There are cities that are 400 years old that have never won that award.

But our city won it after four years because we cared about the youth of our city not getting killed.

So I would hope in the future when we come up with some good ideas, you'll give us a chance.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm going to go ahead and close a couple of comments.

And before I take a motion, I want to leave you on the announcements.

On tonight's consent agenda, there is a generous bequest for the animal shelter from Walter Gerard Hart in the amount of $153,000.

We wish to express our deepest thanks for his gift and want to share a little bit of information about Mr. Hart.

Walter Gerard Hart, known to his friends as Jerry, passed away on December 22, 2024, at the age of 83.

Born in Pennsylvania, Jerry grew up in the Midwest and California, served as an intelligence officer in Germany in the 1960s,

and later became part of California's emerging computer industry.

After retiring, he lived in South Carolina, Arizona, and finally Elk Grove, where he often spoke of adopting another dashing like his beloved Abercrombie, but never did.

Always concerned about what would happen to the dog if he passed first.

Jerry's generous donation to the Elk Grove Animal Shelter reflects his lifelong love for dogs and his deep desire to help them find the companionship he so cherished.

A memorial plaque will be placed on the wall at the animal shelter in recognition of his tremendous gift to our city.

So if we can just recognize that.

Quite generous.

Thank you.

So with that, I will go ahead and look for a motion to approve the consent calendar.

So moved.

Second your comments, Madam Mayor.

That's great.

Very generous of Mr. Hart.

Thank you.

All right, we have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next up is item 8.1.

Item 8.1 is a public hearing to consider resolution confirming the Laguna West Service Area Fiscal Year 2526 Annual Report

and ordering the levy for what was formerly County Service Area 5 for the upcoming fiscal year.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council Members.

I am Cindy Tiffany.

Oh, sorry.

And I'm a finance and budget analyst for the city.

And I'm here to present the Laguna West Service Area Service Charge Levies for the fiscal year 2025-26.

Originally, in 1992, this service area was established by the county, and it was service area 5.

Laguna West, a city assumed the administration of this during the annexations in 2003, and it became known as the Laguna West Service Area.

The service area provides miscellaneous services such as street sweeping, road maintenance, drainage services, and administration to that area.

Here, shown as a map of the service area, and the area is bound by approximately on the north by Laguna Boulevard.

The west, I-5, and east side is Franklin Boulevard.

The map has not changed since the service area was created in 1992.

There are annual levy requirements.

In 1993, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors created ordinance number 1418, which established that the service charges formulas be procedure for the collecting of the county services to be charged on the property tax roll.

To levy the service charges, the governing jurisdiction, which is now the city of Elk Grove, must confirm an annual written report detailing individual parcels and their respective service charges.

In this, their formation documents established basis for annual increases.

These levies are currently at the maximum amount allowable for assessment, so there will be no additional increases for further levy.

So the levy will stay the same.

Here's a table of the proposed service charges for 2005, or sorry, 25-26.

And as you'll see here, the single-family residents and all other categories will stay the same as they were the previous year.

In conclusion, staff recommends maintaining current service levels to provide an adequate revenue stream and services to maintain sufficient reserves for future projects and to maintain consistency with the 2025-26 budget document.

STAC recommends that the council adopt a resolution for the Laguna West service area for the fiscal year 2025-26, which will confirm the annual report and order the levy.

This concludes my presentation.

Thank you for your consideration.

I am available for questions.

All right.

Thank you for that.

I will declare the public hearing is now open and open up public comment.

I do not have anyone sign up on this item.

I will go ahead and close public comment and declare the public hearing is now closed.

Any questions or comments?

We have to adopt a resolution.

We have a motion.

Can I get a second?

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item.

Next is item 8.2, a public hearing to consider a resolution adopting amendments to the Bicycle Pedestrian Trails Master Plan

and a resolution adopting the City of Elk Grove Active Transportation Fee 2025 Nexus Study Update and Fee Schedule.

All right.

Good evening, Mayor St. Allen and members of the council.

I am Cara Taylor-Seaman, and I'm here this evening to present the public hearing to consider amendments to our Bicycle Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan,

as well as to update the City's Active Transportation Fee Study Nexus.

Staff worked with our consultants, GHD, to complete these updates, and I do want to acknowledge and welcome Rosanna Southern,

who has joined us here tonight.

Thank you, Rosanna.

As an overview, we're going to talk about the Master Plan, BPTMP.

Other people can say that quickly, but I cannot.

And then talk about some background for the development impact fees and the active transportation fees specifically,

as well as the update to the program.

Some background for the BPTMP program.

The Bicycle Pedestrian and Trails Master Plan provides recommendations for infrastructure improvements,

policies, and programs that improve walking and biking throughout Elk Grove.

The current plan was adopted in 2021, and it requires periodic updates in order to keep up with the projects that are going on in the city.

This item includes two amendments to the program.

The first one is a new improvement type.

This will add a Class 1 concrete trail to the program.

This type of improvement would be installed at trail undercrossings at major roads throughout the city.

Concrete is more durable than asphalt, which is why it's being added.

It requires less frequent maintenance, which is important for areas that are difficult to reach, particularly undercrossings.

The improvement would be added at four recommended locations throughout the city.

And then the second improvement is the use of bollards.

In addition to mapping changes, staff has been working on changes to the general design of access points onto trails and bikeways

in an effort to make them more user-friendly and inviting.

The current typical design standard calls for metal post bollards.

These are intended to prevent unauthorized vehicles from entering the trail.

The bollards, they fold over, allowing maintenance staff to access that area for maintenance.

However, the bollards can be broken or left in the down position, and that creates a hazard for trail users.

The use of the bollards can also limit access for some users, for example, those with bike trailers.

Staff recommendation is to amend the program to allow more flexibility in designing entries to the trails and bikeways

without requiring the use of bollards.

So going on to the impact fees, the city does have a number of impact fees that it sponsors.

It's all governed by Government Code Section 6600,

and it allows public agencies to impose these fees as a condition of approval for new development.

There's required to be some kind of reasonable relationship between the fee and the impacts of new development.

These are all charged as one-time fees for new development, both to residential and non-residential projects.

The city sponsors several programs which fund projects such as roadway, trails, parks, drainage, just to name a few.

The active transportation fee program, this is the funding mechanism that supports the bike, pedestrian, trails master plan.

See, I still can't say it quickly.

Historically, these projects have been included in the city's roadway impact fee program.

However, in 2022, a separate standalone program was created,

and it provides the funding for various non-vehicular modes of transportation,

for example, pedestrian paths, bike paths, and trails.

The update to the program includes recommendation for five new trail segments throughout the city.

It also has updated all of the costs to reflect $2025,

and it continues an administrative fee of 5.5% to the program.

This update will result in an increase to the rates of an average of 0.67 compared to our current rates.

Staff recommends that council adopt the resolution adopting amendments to the bicycle, pedestrian, and trails master plan,

as well as adopt a resolution adopting the city of Elk Grove active transportation fee,

the 2025 nexus update to the program, and the associated fee schedule.

And with that, thank you for your time.

I'm available for questions.

All right.

Thank you for your presentation.

At this time, I will declare the public hearing is now open and open up public comment opportunity.

No one has signed up on this.

I will close public comment opportunity and declare the public hearing is now closed.

Any questions or comments from colleagues?

Looking to the right, looking to the left.

All right.

That will look for a motion.

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item, please.

That will take us to Section 9, or Regular Agenda Action Items and Recommendations,

starting with Item 9.1, which is receive a presentation of the proposed 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the Council.

I'm Christina Castro.

I'm the Capital Programs Division Manager,

here tonight to present the 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program.

So the five-year CIP reflects the city's capital project priorities

and establishes the existing and upcoming design and construction activities for the Public Works Department.

The first year of the five-year CIP is incorporated into the city's annual budget that will be presented next,

and the following four years are forecast and may be modified in future CIPs as projects develop.

The draft before you tonight includes a total of 90 projects.

66 of those exceed the $250,000 threshold, which defines them as a capital project,

and 24 are categorized as minor projects and studies.

We've added 16 new projects to the CIP this year and are on track to complete 16 in the next fiscal year.

The CIP is broken up into five different programs, the alternative transportation, community enhancements, drainage, facilities, and transportation.

The five-year CIP has a total value of $293 million in project costs from over 40 different funding sources.

The unfunded is typically a placeholder in some of our projects to identify for future grant funding opportunities.

And this chart breaks down the funding to each program with both funded and unfunded allocations.

These numbers do not reflect the minor projects and studies.

And while the majority of our funding and expenditures are focused on roadway and active transportation projects,

we have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects in the community enhancements, drainage, and facility categories as well.

The list of projects on the left are a few of the city's priority projects actively in construction,

and the list on the right are the priority projects that we anticipate to be in construction by the end of this fiscal year.

I'll go into these a little bit more in the next slides.

So the citywide traffic signal enhancement and congestion relief project with nearly $11 million in grant funds

will provide signal safety and operational enhancements with video detection,

improved communication networks, larger signal heads, and reflective borders throughout the city along the major corridors.

Construction will continue through the end of 2025.

Next up is a new library being constructed at 9260 Elk Grove Boulevard,

which was previously the Rite Aid building at the corner of Waterman Road.

Construction kicked off at the beginning of this year and will continue until the spring of 2026.

Our Operations Capital Maintenance Division, led by Robert French,

continues to successfully deliver the annual pavement maintenance projects,

which led to the city of Elk Grove being named the overall winner of the 2025

Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award for innovative and cost-efficient program

by the League of California Cities, County Engineers Association of California,

and the California State Association of Counties Conference.

His team is expanding the program beyond local and minor roads by now addressing the arterials,

as shown in this photo of Laguna Boulevard, which was completed last year.

And we'll continue further down Laguna for this next phase.

And while the Grant Line Business Park sign is a minor project, it's still worth highlighting.

The sign is currently being fabricated and will be installed in the next few months near Kubota

at the intersection of Grant Line and Waterman Road.

And the Laguna Creek Trail, West Stockton Boulevard, Multimodal Improvement and Elk Grove Trail Gap Closure Project,

two projects combined, is actively in construction.

The trail connection from Laguna Springs Drive to the Conejo Park just a few blocks away.

And the Laguna Creek Trail and Bruceville Road sidewalk improvement project north of Bighorn Boulevard

will create a connection with nearly a mile of new trail segments.

Construction is anticipated in early 2026.

Phase two of the Elk Grove Boulevard streetscape project with the Underground Utility District

has been a challenging design to date, but we are looking forward to seeing this project

go into construction this fiscal year, just in time to improve walkability to their new library.

And a new half-mile trail segment along the two pedestrian bridges,

along with two pedestrian bridges, will be constructed on the east side of Highway 99

along Laguna Creek to connect the trail through the Camden community

to the future pedestrian overcrossing.

This is the first phase prior to the pedestrian overcrossing, which I'll get to next.

So the following list includes City Council priority projects that continue to advance,

but are not quite ready for construction this next fiscal year.

First up is the Laguna Creek Trail crossing at State Route 99,

which has over $10.5 million in grant funding to construct a Class 1 pedestrian overcrossing facility.

The environmental phase is wrapping up, and we will soon begin the right-of-way and final design

with construction in the following fiscal year.

Another priority segment along Laguna Creek Trail is a pedestrian undercrossing at Waterman Road,

just south of Bond Road.

A grant was awarded for the design, which is kicking off this summer.

A grant application will be submitted next month to fund a major phase of the construction

to connect to the existing trail on the west and to Bond Road sidewalk on the east.

And with the addition of Measure E funds and the work completed by the 10 interns

from the Environmental Engineering and Planning Internship and Charette's group,

we will advance the Old Fish Ratchery Site Restoration Project

through the planning and environmental phase.

And Consumness Community Service District is advancing the design of the 9.65-acre Mendez Ranch Park

located on the north side of Shedsea and west of Bighorn Boulevard,

with construction anticipated next fiscal year.

The second park that CCSD is advancing in design is the one-acre park east of Bighorn

between White Lock Parkway and Poppy Ridge.

Previously referred to as Sun Grove Park and recently named Coyote Oaks Park,

this park is also anticipated to be in construction next fiscal year.

White Lock Parkway State Route 99 Interchange Project is continuing through the project approval

and environmental document phase.

We do anticipate this process will continue over the next two years,

moving into right-of-way and ultimately final design.

Camera Road's two-lane extension from I-5 to Bruceville Road is advancing to the 65% design,

and the right-of-way acquisition activities will continue to progress this year.

The Grant Line Road and Wilton Road Intersection Improvement Project

is evaluating the two roundabout alternatives previously identified

in the roadway plan study of the capital connector.

This assessment is expected to be completed by early 2026.

And the new projects added this year are listed above.

Aside from our annual maintenance projects and the program delivery of two parks per year by CCSD,

we do have a few projects to encourage economic growth

with the historic mainstream streetlight enhancements

and the Grant Line Business Park sewer line, just to name a few.

And that concludes my presentation.

Looking forward to another exciting and productive year.

I'm open to any questions.

Thank you for that excellent, excellent report.

At this time, I will open up public comment opportunity.

No one has signed up on this item.

I'll close public comment.

And we'll start with any questions or comments from the left.

Just excited to see all the work we're doing.

Grads to infrastructure for our city.

So thank you, Christina.

Any comments?

No comments.

Just thank you for the presentation.

Any comments or questions?

Yes.

Council Member Spees.

Come on back, Ms. Castro.

You know you've practiced this question, right?

But I'll get to that in a second.

A couple of things that I'm really excited about

is the Laguna Creek multifunctional corridor.

I think that's going to be fantastic.

And then, of course, the trail crossing that comes later.

I think that'll be fantastic, of course,

for not just the entire city of Elk Grove,

but, of course, for District 3 as well.

Also, another one that I'm really happy to see

is the old fish hatchery.

Is it park or site, or what are we calling that?

It's a restoration.

And can we do something better than old fish?

Maybe we need everybody.

Old fish doesn't sound.

What's your...

I don't know.

I don't have one.

I'm not a marketing person.

We all know that.

And I'm the engineering person.

We need to go for this creativity.

I should...

Ms. Lawrence, yeah, you can help me out.

Somebody help me out.

Oh, not that guy.

Not that guy.

Main Street fish hatchery.

Main Street fish hatchery.

How about the fish hatchery?

Stream or street?

Hopefully we can get rid of old fish somewhere.

Maybe we can just do fish.

I don't know.

Whatever.

And then...

Oh, so I guess I should always make sure I know the answer to the question before I ask it.

But I think it might have been two city council meetings ago.

We had a presentation from the trails committee.

And there were projects, small projects, that were about transitions and correcting the trails.

Is that...

Do we have that incorporated within the budget?

Or can you tell me when those are...

We are slowly incorporating those.

We have an annual trail maintenance project called WTL 34.

And we do it every year.

We do rehab of our trail segments.

And that's going to incorporate those connections.

So a lot of the improvements that they've requested are just converting a curb from vertical to rolled,

just to make that ease, accessible in transition.

We've worked with our traffic engineer to assess all the other ones and see what is possible to make those minor adjustments.

But the plan is to incorporate them in our annual maintenance projects as we go along through the trails.

Same with removing the bollards and doing wayfinding, like the little accessories to continuing to improve our trails each year.

So how many budget cycles do you think it's going to take to fix that list?

All of them?

We've already knocked off a couple.

There's four or five that we handed over to Robert and our capital maintenance group to address.

And I can check with his location.

But some are not feasible just based on the type of design.

And we'll work with Mark.

We attended our annual trail.

It's the third year in a row riding bikes and checking out our to-dos and accomplishments.

I'm sure someone took you over all of those transitions and said,

She's right here.

It is hard.

We're seeing nods there.

I don't know who that might be, but she's in the back of the room.

There's a lot that we can do, and we're trying to chip that away.

Okay.

Very good.

I'll just add to that.

Yes.

Where's that voice coming from?

Yeah, where are you?

We were proposing to add an additional $250,000 in next year's budget from Measure E for the trail rehabilitation program.

So it'll be an ongoing program.

And so we'll have to turn in the best use of those funds.

But certainly some of those projects would likely qualify for that.

So hopefully we'll start seeing that list chip down.

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah.

Okay.

Perfect.

Mark will come back happier.

And Sharon, yeah.

Sharon's already happy.

Sharon is always happy, but she's always got something else she needs to work on for her.

There is an improvement.

Exactly.

But, you know, again, I think I mentioned it when we had the trails committee here before.

Years ago when I first started attending these, I think it might have been 2011, 2012, there was a lot of conversation about the trails and a lot of disconnection and a lot of back and forth between city council and residents.

And it's getting a lot better.

It really is.

And so just want to thank you for that.

Of course, the other part that is not exciting in the least bit, but I know that when we're out and about talking to other cities and counties, our roads, right, and the roads and conditions that we're in.

And so I want to thank the very unsexy work of, you know, keeping the roads in a great condition.

We truly are, you know, the best in the valley, at least in the Sacramento County area, I should say.

But that is, of course, you know, through hard work, management, and through the generosity, of course, of appropriate funding from our residents.

So, and to them, of course, thanks.

Of course, they get the reward, right?

They're paying the taxes.

They should expect to have great roads.

Okay.

Now, you know the question that's coming.

My favorite project.

Your favorite project.

What's your favorite project?

I, after riding with the trails, I can't wait for the connection.

Right.

Going through Camden, extending not only the overcrossing that is in the next, within two-year period, but the undercrossing as well.

That is all one continuous pathway.

And so I'm looking forward for another ride.

All right.

Perfect.

And then, so the one, or the, it's probably a few projects, but can you, if I have a resident who comes to me and says, ah, traffic's horrible.

What are you guys doing about it?

What are the, what are the, can you just bring about again what those, those are that we're working on?

The ITS project is leading that way, but I think the adaptive.

ICS is?

ITS.

ITS is?

Information.

Oh, my gosh.

Trust.

Yeah.

Intelligent training.

Okay.

Perfect.

You're doing great, by the way.

I told you, I mean, you're doing great.

So, ITS, right?

Yeah.

Okay.

And that was the first one that you brought up about making certain that the traffic's

are the signalized and, and coordinated, right?

Okay.

Yes.

And that one's in construction right now.

Okay.

We do have another connection between White Lock and, um, Camera Road.

Mm-hmm.

The Lots, um, Parkway project that will be in construction hopefully in the next two years.

Okay.

Um, that wasn't highlighted in the presentation, but I think that creating that connection and

provide another alternative route, um, off Velcro Boulevard for our White Lock residents will.

I can jump in a little bit on this as well.

And this isn't really in Christina's division, but it's something our traffic engineering staff

are working on, is a critical intersection analysis where we've evaluated several intersections

that have a volume to capacity ratio in excess of one, which means their volume exceeds the

capacity of the intersection.

We're looking at, um, ways to improve the operations at each of those intersections.

Um, the, um, results of that study or analysis and the recommendations will ultimately end

up in the CIP with projects, um, that, you know, could extend, extend the turn pocket or,

you know, adjust the signal timing or any, any, any number of things that we can do to try

to improve traffic operations at those intersections.

That'll, that's very exciting and something we're looking forward to that will end up in a

future CIP.

Um, and then of course, Camera and White Lock, we hope to provide traffic congestion release

with those projects as well, although they're unfunded right now for construction because

they have such a high, you know, price tag on them.

But nevertheless, we, we continue to make, you know, our way towards shovel ready on those

projects and those we think will provide some really important relief valves for folks as

they try to, you know, reach I five and 99 respectively.

Do we have a current tentative price on what that White Lock interchange is for the white,

for the White Lock interchange?

Understanding, of course, that it's going to change, right?

So, so we actually were pleasantly surprised.

Um, recently we, we were getting ready to put out a request proposal to move to

the next stage of environmental review and design for, for White Lock.

Um, and we got some preliminary numbers back from our current consultant that the price

tag should still be somewhere in the hundred million dollar range.

Uh, we were expecting, what's that?

What a bargain.

We were expecting that to actually balloon up more, more into the 125, 150 million dollar

range.

And, and we still think it's somewhere around the hundred million dollars.

So that's, that was, that was a pleasant surprise, uh, that we recently received, but

don't, don't hold me to that.

Well, we shall see where the economy takes us and kind of where, where project costs go.

Um, and then of course for camera, we just, uh, we just apply for the grant now coming

on two years ago.

And, uh, that was, that was close to $150 million price tag for the camera project.

Okay.

Good.

All right.

And then I think I had, oh, I remember my last question, Ms. Castro, um, in the, uh,

the roundabouts on.

Grant line.

Grant line.

And last I remember, I thought it was a four traffic circle.

So ultimately five for the Sheldon C of the capital connector.

There is, uh, five proposed ones for the North that wasn't on the pictures.

Yeah.

So we focused in on just the highest, um, traffic, six, uh, section to make it more of a designable

and buildable project.

So all five at one time isn't, it's a little too much, uh, for us to take on.

So we narrowed it down to, um, the intersection of, um, Grant line and Wilton.

And because of the proximity of Aliani within that, those two roundabouts are being designed,

um, together.

Okay.

So those, those are the two options that were there are the two current options on the table.

So the two options are specifically for the Wilton intersection where it could be, uh, shifted

south and, um, taken, um, through the vacant parcel that exists today.

Or it could be at the intersection.

And we're still, while there's a referred alternative from the precise roadway plan study, we still

needed to further analyze it and get it through CEQA, um, clearance to make that determination.

It's, I mean, those are a few years down the road for certain.

So, okay.

Well, thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Yeah.

Great questions.

Um, any questions or comments?

All right.

Um, I will just provide additional comments.

Uh, you know, these are great to see sort of like a progress report, how we're doing,

how much more we have to go.

So thank you for that.

What I'm looking forward to most, um, is that citywide traffic signal enhancement program

to help with the, the traffic congestion.

And of course the library, a lot of people are very anxious about that new library.

So it'll, it's great that we have somewhat of a timeline next year.

Yes.

On spring.

Yep.

So that's great.

And then for sure the two connections are from one from 99 on the lots.

And then of course the camera extension, um, to I five will also help with the traffic congestion,

but then just, you know, we need those access points as well.

So thank you for that excellent presentation.

There's so many wonderful projects here.

I'm looking forward to getting an update on the interchange there on grant line, uh,

specifically how, how has the outreach gone to the businesses out there?

So I know that there were some concerns from some maybe being blocked off.

For the, uh, grant line and Wilton intersections, we are, um, doing survey analysis now, reaching

out to residents.

We did send out a mailer for, uh, the ones within the proximity of the project area, um,

and open for communications, but we're still kind of early in our, our phase design.

And the businesses too, not just residents.

Oh, absolutely.

Okay.

All right.

Well, thank you.

You're welcome.

All right.

With that, we will move on to our next item.

9.2.

I was to receive a presentation of the proposed fiscal year 2025, 26 annual budget.

Should I take it off my glasses?

All right.

Good evening.

Madam Mayor, members of the city council, Jason Birminger, city manager, happy to present

an overview of the proposed FY 25, 26 budget.

Uh, we made this available to the public last Friday as well as the city council.

So you probably haven't had an opportunity yet to dive in to the big document.

And so I'm going to give you some high level details and things I want to point out, um,

to your attention as well as members of the public.

And then we'll come back in a couple of weeks, hopefully with, with adoption.

So we're here to kind of go through the overview and then provide any, receive any input direction

from you or members of the public before we present the final document for approval at

the next city council meeting.

So big, big figures here.

Um, actually, before I get into the numbers, a couple of, a couple of things.

Um, we're, we're fortunate.

We've, we talk a lot about the city's kind of financial condition and this budget, um,

doesn't do anything to change that.

We're, we're, we're very healthy, fiscally strong.

Um, thanks in large part to the, um, the city direction of our city council, our amazing

staff, um, and our community who's been willing to invest, um, in itself, right?

In, in the reinvestment in our, in our community.

And so this is, uh, um, um, we, we won't face some of the problems that we see in the

state with a deficit there, as well as, um, other cities to the north of us who are facing

deficits.

Um, we do not see a deficit in Elk Grove without forecasting a deficit over the course of the

five-year forecast that we do.

Of course, um, we can't predict the future.

And so this doesn't account for possible future recessions.

But right now, things are looking very strong in the city of Elk Grove.

So I just want to kind of recognize and thank all the city staff for the work that they

do in, in managing fiscal, fiscal, um, dollars, the taxpayer dollars.

We take our responsibility and obligations very seriously.

Every dollar we spend, we want to make sure that it's, uh, an investment in our community.

Um, and so I want to, I want to recognize our finance staff, um, particularly our budget

manager, Nathan Bagwell, um, um, Jackie Guzman, who stepped in as interim finance director

over the last several months.

Um, and our new, new finance director now Raj, Massad, and, and just all the staff that

make this, this document happen.

So a lot of, uh, things to go around.

So I'll, they said I'll get into some of the details here, but, um, just wanted to kind

of start off with, with that.

Uh, so big picture, total budget for the city of Elk Grove, proposed budget for next fiscal

years is $411 million.

That's total combined funds.

Um, that is a $37 million increase over the current fiscal year, largely a couple things.

One is measure E.

So there's some, uh, kind of one-time larger projects that I'll go over in a few minutes.

It's driving at about $12 million increase in measure E.

That's part of that $37 million increase.

And then capital project carryovers, projects that we not anticipated to finish this year

that will then roll into next year.

So it's not really, um, a large increase as much as just a carry forward on a lot of those

funds.

Um, just talking specifically about the general fund, and that's non-measure, even though measure

E is part of the general fund.

We account for it separately for accountability and transparency with our community.

Um, general fund for next year is proposed at $97.4 million, and that's an almost $5 million

increase, um, over the current, which is, um, close to a, um, uh, a 5% increase over the

current fiscal year.

Major cost drivers are compensation.

We have a few new positions, not very many.

There's a couple of general fund driven new positions, but just, um, salary increases for

our staff, uh, as well as benefit increases.

There's also internal service fees, which covers things like, um, our fleet services, our,

our capital facilities, um, and our IT and GIS infrastructure, as well as our risk program.

So those are some of the, the largest drivers in next year's budget.

Um, but not a lot of major cost increases, pretty, pretty normal increases.

Um, I do want to mention the fact that FY25, the current fiscal year that ends June 30th

this year, that is our last year for revenue neutrality payment to Sacramento County.

Kind of the last legacy, legacy of our incorporation.

So been working towards that for many years.

So we finally, we finally hit that.

So that's a, that's a big thing.

And you remember that has been a sliding scale down.

So it's not like it all has gone away in one year over the last eight years, it's been slowly

getting smaller.

And so this, this last year, I think the contribution was just over a million dollars,

but so that'll, that goes away next year.

So that's a good thing.

Good, good reason to celebrate happy 25th anniversary of the city of Elk Grove.

Free ourselves from mug or something.

That's right.

That's right.

All right.

So, like I said, we do have a balanced budget.

Um, we're fully funding our, our reserves.

Um, that's $23.5 million.

That represents 25% of the city's, um, operating budget.

Uh, we also have an additional $4.7 million set aside as an opportunity reserve with continued

contributions to our capital reserve and our economic development reserve.

And those get triggered when we have our reserves in excess of the 25 and the 5%.

So any time we have a surplus more than what's needed to fund it at the 30% level, then those

get split 50-50 between our economic development or our capital reserve.

And we're showing contributions to both of those, um, incentive funds throughout the entire

five-year forecast.

That means we have, we're showing a surplus above and beyond the 30% throughout the entirety

of the five-year forecast.

So budget overview, it, uh, continues to maintain enhanced levels of service to our residents,

focused on areas like public safety, affordable housing, addressing homelessness, traffic, economic

development, all the things that our community has said has been priorities.

It allows us to really invest in those areas, um, fiscally, fiscally, um, sound, balanced budget

throughout the four-year, five-year forecast.

It allows us to invest in some of the city community, the community priority projects.

Okay.

Diving into some of the numbers.

This is general fund.

You can see our general fund revenues here.

Sales tax.

This is, this is kind of the big news here is, is sales tax is no longer the city's largest

revenue source.

Property tax now has exceeded.

If you combine the two property tax, um, pie wedges there, it's slightly more than the

sales tax.

And that's significant in a couple of ways.

One is what this, what this tells us is property tax is growing faster than sales tax right now.

Um, partly because we're a growing community.

So we're adding more homes to the tax roll.

So that's leading to that.

But also the, the valuation, the assessed value of properties is also growing significantly.

So we're seeing like a three to 5% increase in property tax growth.

Our sales tax is pretty flat.

Honestly, right now, um, this last year it's, it's, it's flat and we're expecting just modest

increases next year and the, in the years after that.

And so you might see an even broader gap between sales tax and property tax.

Of course, um, that can always change.

Um, and we could have some large sales tax producers that come into the city, um, that would

change that or property taxes and property valuations, um, could slow, um, or growth of

the city could slow.

But right now that's kind of what we're, what we're seeing.

So by category, and this is just general fund of the $97 million, about 70% is compensation,

which isn't surprising because most of our expenditures in the general fund come from our police department.

A lot of the budget in the police department is driven by personnel.

Um, but there are other items in here, as you can see, um, um, internal services that I talked

about those categories there, as well as operating costs, um, represent the balance of the entirety

of the general fund.

Uh, by function, by, um, by department, and you can see the police department is 64%.

Um, in, in the past.

So one of the things we did differently in this chart is we broke out animal services because

I think it's been a little bit misleading to have animal services part of the police department,

even though technically it is a part of that right now.

Typically when people think of the police department, they're not thinking about the animal

shelter or animal services.

And so we decided to separate that out and show it as a separate, um, uh, chart there.

You can see animal services at 7%, police department at 64%, um, and then a governance,

which is city manager, city attorney, city clerk, administration, which is HR and finance.

And then you can see the other smaller ones.

Um, and the reason the other ones are smaller, even though you have big departments like public

works and, and development services, they're not largely funded by the general fund.

They have their own unique funding sources that fund all the things that they do.

Okay.

So now we're back to citywide.

So this is, this is total revenues, uh, not just general fund, but if you look at, um,

all of the funding sources that we have here, you can see the largest funding source is grants,

which is amazing.

That's really something that we're proud of.

We're very active and aggressive in pursuing grants.

We've been very successful in our teams at going after and getting those.

And so that represents without those grants, our, our revenue streams would be significantly

less than they are otherwise.

Uh, but you can see how that's a, it's a very, the good thing is our revenue sources and our

revenue streams are very diverse, right?

People ask me, why is the city so successful?

It's this chart.

We don't rely on any one source too heavily.

We have, we have CFDs and we have, um, lots of different taxes that help us do the things

that we do and maintain all of our facilities and services at a high level.

Now by category, when you look at the totality of the city, we build a lot of things.

And Christina did, she did a great job talking about our capital improvement program.

That's almost half of the city's total budget is in capital projects that we, we deliver.

And our compensation now is only really 24%.

So when you take the totality, not just general fund, you take all of our funding sources,

capital project drives it significantly.

And again, this is total citywide.

You look at by department.

So capitals, the CIP, um, over 40%.

And you look now at our police department as a, as a percentage of the, the entire city budget,

it drops down to 16%.

Um, that's just because our capital project is so big and it dwarfs all the other services

and programs that we provide.

Big picture.

This just shows our five year chart with our revenues showing increases over the course

of the five years, as well as our expenditures.

But you can see, fortunately, the gray line is bigger than the green line, which means our,

our revenues are higher than our expenditures.

Every year we see a growing reserve.

Again, there are potential risks out there.

We're not forecasting a recession.

If you talk to various economists, um, there's varying opinions about what's going to happen

in the next six, 12, 24 months.

We don't know what's going to happen, but right now we're not forecasting that.

It's not built in there, but we have the reserves that we can rely on.

We can always come back to the city council if we need to make any, any changes to the budget.

But right now, um, we are, we're, I think, pretty conservative in our estimates, but we're

not, uh, you know, overly conservative in what we're projecting.

So cost inflation, what the federal reserve does, all those things, certainly the geopolitical

climate, um, internationally have an impact on what happens locally as well.

I want to spend a few minutes talking about measuring, right?

This is a huge driver of the city's budget is, is one of the main reasons why we're able

to do some of the new things that we're able to do in addressing homelessness and the housing

and traffic and all the things that we talked about.

So, um, grateful to the voters who gave us their trust and confidence back in November

of 22 by approving a one cent sales tax.

We have a citizens oversight committee.

We met, we met twice this year in May.

They saw the measure E proposed expenditure plan and they voted to recommend approval to

the city council that they thought it was consistent with the wishes and desires of the,

of the people of Elk Grove based on surveys and polling that we've done, um, not only initially,

but most recently, um, with the end of last year, early this year.

And if you recall, we have a tax sharing agreement with the Cosumna CSD that allocates the funding

this way.

We have 20% set aside for future priority projects.

Um, Cosumna CSD gets 30%.

And then the city of Elk Grove, um, has 50% for the operating and capital expenses that we

decide to spend the money on for measuring priorities.

And so that totals about $16.5 million.

So these are the priority project areas that our voters have said are important to them.

The ones on the left are the initial ones that we took, um, when we first did measure

E back in 22.

And then at the council retreat earlier this year, the council voted to add four additional

priorities that we could use in allocating measure E dollars.

And those are arts, culture, entertainment, affordable housing, preservation of natural areas

and open space, maintaining, expanding local bikes and pedestrian trails.

And I'll get into each of those.

So here's the, the big pie chart for the spending priority areas.

This is just the city's component.

This is not the CSD's amount.

There's is, there's a separate, but of the $16.5 million that we, that we get, this is

how it's allocated.

And you can see a total expenditure amount of 28.9.

The reason it's more than the 16.5 is because we've had money that's been carried forward

from prior years.

It took us a while to get programs ramped up and going in the first, uh, first year and

a half.

And so the fund balance has built up a little bit.

And so now we're proposing some one-time expenditures to draw some of those monies down.

And what you see here is we see economic development and maintaining streets as two big pieces of

the pie here that normally wouldn't be that big.

It's because there's, there's several one-time projects that are making up those large shares.

Otherwise, reducing crime is always by far the biggest share of the pie and it remains

so.

I'm addressing homelessness.

And again, you can see a share for each of those.

One of the things that council member Spees asked for as part of last year's budget was to

take a look at all of our addressing homelessness, how we're addressing homelessness in the city,

instead of just having, even before you'd have a budget in police and a budget in code

enforcement, a budget in public works and one in housing.

And it was hard to get a true picture of how much the city was spending on homelessness.

So what you'll see in the budget document is a description of all the programs and it

all there summed up in one table.

So this is a sample of what that looks like.

So it's about four and a half million dollars total expenditures across the city addressing

homelessness in these categories.

Encampment cleanups, prevention, navigation services, the outreach team, permanent housing,

transitional housing, and the interim shelter.

So that's four and a half million dollars.

On top of that, we've taken four million dollars from Measuri and we're setting that side as

a separate reserve for the future building of the new homeless shelter once the time frame

on our current lease of the interim shelter expires.

And there's money in this next year to start the initial planning and design work and identifying

a site in the FY26 budget that you'll see as well.

But we appreciate the request to do this because I think it's been helpful for us too to identify

the totality of the cost.

So you'll see some more details in the budget document, but we wanted to highlight that for you.

There are 14 new positions proposed in the FY26 budget.

Three of those are merely change from a contract position to a city position.

There are 11 kind of new positions.

Many of these or some of these you may be familiar with.

There's two in the police department.

There's our animal services and our animal shelter.

These are part of our staffing study that we did a couple years ago.

These are kind of the latest addition to our animal shelter.

We've been adding a couple positions of the year for the last three years.

So this is a continuation of that.

There's a couple new positions in the city manager's office.

There's a new arts and creative economy program manager position as we lean into that as a

priority for Measurer and the city in general, arts and culture and the creative economy.

There's somebody we need to hire to help us manage those efforts.

As the city grows, we have more demand for risk management.

So there's a need there.

And then a long-range planning manager for our community development department.

And then you see six kind of new positions in our public works and then the three staff

conversions.

We have management analysts largely to help us with our fleet.

Our fleet continues to grow significantly.

And so we're investing in that.

We have a facilities maintenance supervisor, a senior maintenance, a couple of different

landscaping positions.

Those are largely because of all the new growth areas down in SEPA.

We've got a lot of new streetscape work that needs to be done down there as well as in

Laguna Ridge.

And so you see a need there for that.

And then as the city's tree canopy grows and we keep adding space and open space, a need

to coordinate all of that work and manage and maintain some of those spaces.

And then again, a fleet facility maintenance position.

And we have some inspectors that we're converting to city staff and then a maintenance technician

to help us with some of the street legend work.

We're buying a piece of equipment instead of contracting some of that work out for doing

lines and the legends and things on the streets.

We're going to do a lot of that work in-house now.

All right.

Now getting into some of the kind of highlights of the new things in the budget.

And anything you see on this list that's marked with an asterisk means it's a Measure

E program.

And what you're going to see is most of these things are Measure E programs.

That's what's driving our ability to do new things, new programs, new services for the

community.

So you can see a lot of police related things, some data aggregation software to help with

criminal investigations, additional drones and flock cameras, some emergency management

training programs for our staff, and then some security services that are warming and

cooling centers.

Some quality of life programs.

And we've talked about this before, but the historic Main Street lighting and safety

enhancements, some cameras and lighting down in our historic Main Street.

The city proposes to do a mural festival in 26.

Mentioned the permanent shelter scoping and design work, middle income housing initiative

that was discussed with the city council at our retreat.

And then some expenditures for our 25th anniversary that Kristen will talk to you about in a couple

minutes.

Economic development.

We have a few new programs here.

One is our Chamber of Commerce programs.

We received a request from the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Angie Perry is here if you have any specific questions about her.

But basically, the two requests are there's $100,000 to help support new memberships.

So the city would sponsor and support anybody, any business in Elk Grove that is currently

not a member or has not been a member recently and wants to join the Chamber of Commerce.

We will pay for their first year membership, $350.

After that, it's on them.

But the hope is to get them connected to the resources, connected in that ecosystem to allow

them to be successful in what they do.

And then the second part is helping to get and jumpstart as part of their equity work,

a business resource website for businesses that are minority owned or others that may

need some additional assistance and help that they can provide those services and assistance

to them through that.

And Angie is here.

She'll be able to answer any additional questions the council might have on those two requests.

So $100,000 for the new membership program and $30,000 for the business resource website.

There's the Historic Main Street Property Business Improvement District, a PBID to help

get that started as we're seeing more investment in our Historic Main Street district, new restaurants

and vitality down there.

I think it's time to revisit this idea that's been floated out there for years of having

reinvest and putting more resources into that important district of the city in partnership

with the city, the Arctic Creative Economy strategy, and then revamping of the city's business license

platform.

And here's some of the one-time projects that I mentioned that, in addition, kind of above

that $16.5 million, we have our Grant Line Business Park sewer project.

We saw the nice sign that Christina showed.

We're really trying to kickstart that Grant Line Business Park with opening up opportunities

and the infrastructure needs to be completed in order to really make it shovel-ready for businesses

to come in.

And so investing there is important.

Some additional pavement rehab on Lagoon and Oak Grove Boulevard.

The interregional trail crossing at State Route 99.

As those costs are going up, we're seeing a need for some additional funding there, so we've

allocated some measure refunds there.

There's a right-turn pocket at the ARCO at Southbound 99 that will help support some of

the traffic congestion relief that's around the Auto Mall District.

The trail payment rehabilitation project.

This is almost a doubling of the amount of money that we've put.

I think it's close to doubling the amount of money, right?

More than doubling.

I think we had $200,000.

So we're going from $200,000 to $450,000 in that program.

So significant investment for Measuri in that important program.

The trail wayfinding program implementation.

You saw those nice images earlier this year, maybe last year.

So we're hoping to get that project kicked off for the next fiscal year.

And then the Laguna Creek Trail Railroad Crossing reconstruction.

So some great projects, some great good that Measuri is going to be able to do.

And I think this is the final slide.

We always like to remind the council and the community the job that the city's done over

the last decade in putting money aside for our PERS obligations, right?

It's what's kept our PERS rates as low as they are right now.

We're on the top 10% of all funded agencies in the state of California about how well our

pension obligations are funded.

We set aside $13.5 million towards prepayments in PERS.

We've also set aside $7.6 million in additional pension trust funds.

So that's over $20 million above our regular PERS pension obligations.

So these help us manage our PERS pension costs, not just now, but into the future.

And our PERS pension, our plans are approximately 86% funded.

And there is an additional $900,000 next year budgeted for additional payments on top of

our normal obligation.

Okay.

So the recommendation is, again, take some public comment, ask any questions, provide us with

any input.

If you'd like to see any changes that you're not seeing here, you're not seeing the document,

please let us know.

We can make those adjustments and bring those back to you at the next city council meeting.

Public hearing notice we sent 10 days in advance of the next meeting.

We're going to publish size it on all of our social media platforms.

And we'll be ready to bring this back to you at the June 11th city council meeting.

And that completes my presentation.

I'm happy to answer any questions that the council might have.

All right.

Well, thank you for that fantastic presentation.

At this time, I will open up public comment.

Nobody has signed up to speak.

I will close the public comment opportunity.

And I'm just going to kick off by saying what a great place to be.

Given, of course, that you mentioned earlier with the state, cities all around us, we have

a balanced budget.

Humble brag, but I think we've earned that.

You know, thank God for Measure E, of course, with all of the additional things that we're

able to do.

And while, you know, cities are cutting positions, we're adding positions and programs.

So a lot to celebrate and be proud of.

So I want to thank you, thank the city manager and the entire executive team, all of our teams,

for the great work that you do.

You make us all very proud.

Other questions?

I'll start to the right this time.

Yeah.

So, you know, in a, again, in a time when there are other jurisdictions that are struggling

significantly, right?

There's, you know, a nearby municipality that is looking to cut millions of dollars from their

youth programs, right?

We are, you know, in the fortunate position, thanks to our taxpayers who voted for Measure

E, and they showed that they have trust in us to do this right.

I'm very, very glad that we're in a very different position than pretty much any other city in the

Valley.

So, you know, I think I want to make sure we thank staff because not just are they watching

the money, but they're also treating their responsibilities for their monies appropriately,

right?

So it is truly a group effort.

It is also, Mr. Begwell, a very difficult document to put together, and I'm certain you

had a huge team.

Everybody, you know, has pieces to put together, but thank you very much for doing that.

And then I think the one thing I definitely want to tap on is the total cost of homelessness,

right?

And I want to thank you for, I'd forgotten that I'd asked that.

I'm glad that you remembered that.

But, you know, there are people who are out there asking, what does it cost us?

And not just what does it cost us, but how do we know that we're spending that money or

where that money is being spent?

And so I really appreciate having the pie chart, and I'm sure there's more fun awaits me in

the document, but I think it is important to take a look at, to understand what it costs

us, not just in, you know, outlays and shelter, but in cleanups and enforcement and all kinds

of things.

So I really appreciate that.

I've got far more reading to do, but again, I'm very, very glad that we can be in the position

that we are, and it's a huge team effort.

So thank you.

Council Member Brewer?

Thank you, Mayor.

I want to thank our city manager for the report, but I also want to thank city staff for working

really tight, working together, making sure that the information is not only transparent,

but it's very clean.

I mean, obviously, like Council Member Suen and I, we sit on the budget audit committee,

and it's pretty much, as we receive the updates, it's getting the full faith and confidence from

a third-party viewer that everything that we're doing is not only in compliance, but it's in

line with standards that are needed and required to build trust and develop and gain trust from

the public.

And you guys do a really good job of that, and I want to thank you.

Because when we're going about the process, and as the public goes onto the website and

reads the budget, and as they ask us questions about various programs and structures that are

in place, it's a really good signpost for us to really understand where we are, where we're

going and how we got to this point.

And having all of these funding sources together and knowing that, when you look at the capital

improvement plan, you see that's really sound with a chart that moves five to ten years forward

with strong confidence, even with unfunded uncertainties coming in, that may or may not come down the line.

We know that we can weather the storm.

This budget is very reflective of that, but it's also reflective of our values and how we want to provide top quality service to the public and how we're going to do it over the next fiscal year.

So this is good news, great news.

And I want to thank everyone for their work in staying laser focused and ensuring that we are doing the best work possible for our residents and our taxpayers altogether.

So thank you so much.

Council Member Seward?

Thank you, Mayor.

Yes, I definitely want to echo the sentiments of my colleagues.

It is a team effort and, you know, the residents, we can't thank them enough for the trust in Measure E.

Measure E really allows us to implement things faster, get things done, achieve our goals quicker for the sake of the community.

But even before Measure E, I think there has always been this council, previous councils and the staff, a culture of trying to spend tax dollars wisely.

But at the same time, we've always also taken calculated risks to try to provide economic opportunities and civic amenities for our residents.

So I feel like there's been a good balance of that, good stewards of the public money, but also providing civic amenities and infrastructure and services, top quality service for our residents.

So it is a proud moment.

And I'm glad we're embracing this.

But I also, you know, recognize all the work that staff has done for all these years to create that culture.

And Council Member Brewer mentioned it, too, from the audit side.

So the public understands, you know, getting these audits and coming back very clean, it just reinforces the good work that staff does to make sure monies are spent wisely and in accordance with accounting principles.

So there's, you know, and things are being watched.

Things are being checked and balanced behind the scenes fiscally.

So the public should be taking comfort in that.

Thank you very much.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I agree with my council colleagues with everything that's been said.

And I just really want to say thank you to Jason.

And thank you for the rest of the staff that's been working on this.

This is a true testament to your leadership and your direction and guidance for our city.

I know everybody sees the council members and the mayor and they're like, this is who we're leading.

No, it's you guys leading behind the scenes who are guiding our city to a better place.

And truly, I appreciate that.

I sit on the executive board with Latino Caucus and there are several cities who are giving the updates, other council members and vice mayors who are giving their updates on their budgets.

And it doesn't sound like ours, right?

So for me, it's looking at this 355-page document and making sure that we're being good stewards of the financial ability that we have for our city and looking forward for the future of our city.

So thank you for that.

I know we're going to be, a lot of us are going to be taking time to deep dive on this and continue looking forward.

So I appreciate it.

Thank you.

And I said my comments earlier, but I also want to specifically thank you, Ms. Guzman, for all of your hard work.

You've been a wonderful addition to our team.

Thank you.

All right.

With that, we will move on to our next item, 9.4.

I'm sorry, 9.3.

We'll stop by 9.3, which is a resolution levying the fiscal year 2025-26 special taxes and special assessments of seven community facilities in special districts.

Good evening again.

I am here to present to you the special taxes and assessments for the community facilities districts and assessments districts for this coming fiscal year.

The city currently administers seven special tax districts.

These districts provide funding for infrastructure improvements, which may be bonded or not, police services, managed maintenance services, street maintenance, and street lighting maintenance.

The funding is planned to match the needs of the districts and to maintain the alignment to include future projects, and rates are gradually increased annually.

Here is the list of the districts.

For CFDs, which are community facilities districts, we have East Franklin, Poppy Ridge.

And Poppy Ridge is both infrastructure and police services.

We have Laguna Ridge, which is also infrastructure and maintenance services.

The 2003-2 police services and 2006-1 maintenance services.

There are also two additional assessment districts within the city, which are street maintenance and street light maintenance.

Our bonded districts are our Melrose districts.

Our facilities components, they consist of East Franklin, Poppy Ridge, and Laguna Ridge.

And the goals for these projects is to construct infrastructure projects along with roadway, sewer, drainage, and other public improvements.

These CFDs do have a sunset date on the Melrose portion, and these are determined by the formation documents.

The service districts include the 2003 Poppy Ridge Police Services, which is just for those district boundaries.

The 2003-2 police services encompasses the rest of the city of Elk Grove.

2005-1 is Laguna Ridge maintenance, which is specific to Laguna Ridge.

And CFD 2006-1 is a maintenance service district for the rest of the city of Elk Grove.

And that encompasses 17 different tax zones based on on-site maintenance requirements for the projects.

The two assessment districts are the street maintenance district, which has five geographical zones throughout the city.

And then the street lighting has two geographical zones.

The goal is to fund ongoing authorized services such as police, streets, streetlights, and landscape of public parks, trails, channels, and other open spaces.

These districts are not bonded, so these are levied into perpetuity.

Here's a quick summary of the districts with regard if their infrastructure maintenance police services.

The formation documents establish basis for annual increases.

They could be flat rate.

They could be based on the consumer price index, or CPI, or the construction cost index, the CCI.

These are determined at the formation of the zones or district, and they're included in the formation documents,

and provide guidance on the rate increases.

Here's a list of the annual rate increases.

Quickly try to go through these.

East Franklin, Poppy Ridge facilities, and Streetlight Maintenance District Zone 1 do not have any increases per their formation documents,

so there will be no annual increase.

The

consumer price index, or 5%, so the CPI for this year was 1.27%, so that's the recommended increase.

Laguna Ridge facilities is increased by a flat rate of 2%.

Laguna Ridge maintenance services is increased by the consumer price index.

CFD 2006-1 maintenance services is increased by the greater of the CPI, or 2%.

Zone 1 of the street maintenance district is increased by the CCI, which is the construction cost index.

Zone 2 through 5 of the street maintenance district can either increase or decrease by the CCI.

Streetlight maintenance district zone 2 is increased by the CPI.

The other changes on here, you will see the CFD 2005-1 Laguna Ridge maintenance.

The

City

in 2004-2024-25 was levied at 85% of the maximum rate.

The staff recommends increasing the levy to 90% this year of the maximum rate for the coming fiscal year.

The City has added new facilities, new parks, most notably District 56 and the Nature Preserve, that were open within the last few years.

As the City continues to add more facilities and more parks, these maintenance costs will also increase.

Staff recommends that this be increased gradually in the coming years to mirror the growth of these expenses.

The fund is also deficit in spending since the maintenance expenses are more than the current tax revenues.

In the current 2024-25 fiscal year, street maintenance district number 1, zones 1 and 5 were only levied at 92% of the maximum levy.

In the current- for the fiscal- coming fiscal year, staff recommends increasing the levy per both Zone 1 and Zone 5 to 100% of the maximum levy,

as the fund balance for those zones require additional resources to support street maintenance services.

Staff recommends maintaining current street service levels to provide an adequate revenue stream for projects and services to maintain sufficient reserves for future projects and to maintain stable assessment levels for residents.

Staff is recommending that the Council adopt a resolution to continue the levy,

levy the special taxes and assessments for the seven special tax districts for the fiscal year 2025-26.

This concludes my presentation.

If you have any questions, I am available.

Thank you.

Thank you for your presentation.

At this time, I'll open up public comment.

There is nobody signed up to speak on this item.

I will close the public comment.

Any questions or comments?

I move to adopt staff's recommendation or resolution.

Excuse me.

We have a motion.

We have a second.

Did you have any questions?

Okay.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Now we're on to item 9.4.

And 9.4 is to receive a presentation regarding the 25th anniversary celebration of the city of Elk Grove

and provide input on proposed plans and consider a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement

with Dowdle Studios for anniversary artwork.

Hello, everyone.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members.

Heard it alluded to a couple times tonight.

We're very excited to be celebrating a quarter century of cityhood coming up officially on July 1st.

Staff has been working really hard on some plans to celebrate with you and with the community,

and we wanted to share those with you as we're preparing to start rolling those things out.

And so I've got a brief presentation for you.

So I'm going to take you into the Wayback Machine.

25 years ago, the number one billboard song on the charts was It's Gonna Be Me by NSYNC.

You may have danced to that.

The box office smash was the perfect storm, and Elk Grove became the first city of the 21st century,

so the new millennium.

Nice.

That was the very first city hall, if you don't recall.

There's some pictures in the Wayback Machine, if you will.

And the community was rallied around a common cause to support local control and taking our own development destiny

and control over our public safety services, and we've been working hard at that ever since.

So why is this year so special?

Well, it's 25 years.

It marks the silver anniversary of cityhood.

We are still a young city by most standards, but we're pretty excited that we are now at silver status,

and we've come a long way.

We've done a lot of things, and it's an opportunity to celebrate with our community.

So what can you expect?

Staff has been working really hard on a game plan.

We're proposing a six-month campaign, so we're going to kick things off in June to kind of build the excitement for July 1 to happen.

We have a few things planned for June, and then we'll start going full force July,

and we felt like the community will probably be ready to move on to 2026,

and that 25 years may feel a little outdated in 2026, so we're ending kind of the campaign in December.

So that's kind of the game plan.

We have the work that we've been doing kind of put into four different categories.

So you'll see things and products that are reflective of branding and marketing.

We've got some really exciting things in our public events and experiences,

some staff and stakeholder celebration,

and then this category that we're calling the unexpected or unexpected surprises.

When it comes to branding and marketing materials,

the first thing that you will see is come Friday night in the early morning hours,

we'll be getting some new street banners installed on Elk Grove and Laguna Boulevard,

and that's going to kind of kick things off for us.

We have that way of kind of starting the celebration

and starting to showcase the 25-year brand that was created with the community.

We're working with Comstocks Magazine,

and their June issue will have a special section dedicated to Elk Grove,

and so look for that.

It's targeting more of a business and regional audience

and talking about a lot of the great accomplishments that have happened.

I know some of you have spoken with some of the reporters for those stories,

and so you'll see those reflected in there.

The city's July-August citywide newsletter,

we mail that out every other month.

Our July-August edition will be dedicated to our anniversary

and giving both a look back and a look ahead.

And then we'll be very busy and active on our social media platforms,

and our staff will reflect the celebration in their email signatures.

When it comes to events and experiences,

we're excited to bring the state of the city a little bit closer to that July 1 date

with a new June 10th state of the city kickoff event at District 56.

We're just starting to roll out the information about that,

but we're excited to have Mayor Singh Allen presenting her state of the city address.

On that day, it's a new format for the event,

so it is a Tuesday morning, so 10 a.m. at District 56,

a completely free event to the public, and we invite everyone to attend.

And then the salute to the red, white, and blue has always kind of been our birthday celebration,

and we're trying to amp that up quite a bit.

One of the exciting features this year is we are adding drone show element.

So there will be 200 drones, and we've been working on the storyline related to that.

It will be a combination of both drones and fireworks at this year's celebration.

In addition to that, we're introducing some other enhancements at existing events,

so we're doing some new things for Diversity Month and our Illumination Festival.

You'll see new signage and decor, some maybe photo booth opportunities,

some interesting new giveaways, and even a dedicated holiday parade float at the Holiday Lights Parade.

We're celebrating with both the staff and our stakeholders,

and so we're excited to be working with the Employee Activity Committee

and the Employee Recognition Committee on a collaboration for a barbecue event on July 1st with the staff,

and that will be at District 56, and we'll be giving them a few little surprises.

We're not disclosing that there's too many of them in the room right now.

And then this area that we're calling the unexpected, and there's quite a few things kind of tied into that,

but one of the first things that we'll be doing is we're activating a pop-up shop,

so we'll be introducing a bunch of new city merch.

You really can't usually get that in very many places in the city.

I've been told that some of the staff have gone to Walgreens to get city merchandise,

and we have not licensed those sales in any way,

but we are bringing some merchandise in special for this,

and we'll be activating a pop-up shop at least once a month over the next six months

at different events and activities.

And just a sneak preview, we're going to do a test run at your June 25th council meeting,

so we'll be out in front of City Hall.

We'll give people first dibs on buying some new merch out at the City Hall council chambers.

And then lastly, we thought we wanted to get people out and about in the city,

and so we have created three different two-and-a-half-mile trail routes

in working with our GIS team.

And they both start and end at parking destinations so people can get there

and then get onto our off-street trails and experience those.

So it's not quite a 5K, but if you go there and back, you've got five miles instead of 25.

So we thought that was fun.

And then in September, we'll be looking to work with our public works department

to plant 25 trees in a grove to commemorate the anniversary.

And we'll have a nice little plaque or signage to reflect that.

And then lastly, this really cool opportunity came up working with Eric Dowdle and Dowdle Studios.

They approached us last February.

This is a folk artist who has transferred his art into puzzles.

And so they're sold, and he has corporate partners in Disney and Costco

and sold at several retail outlets across the country.

The photo that you see here, that was actually a puzzle I found visiting Morro Bay not that long ago.

There are several cities across the country and within California

that have worked on Dowdle projects.

And so we would be added to a list of prominent places that have a puzzle included in them.

Part of the package tonight is an agreement to work with Dowdle Studios on this project.

It would bring the artist out for a preliminary visit and discovery session,

and then it would follow up with artwork in an unveiling event in November.

So the total turnaround time for this particular project is about six months,

and we're really pushing Dowdle Studios to work with us to expedite that so that we have puzzles in hand

and ready to make available at our pop-up shops planned at the Dickens Fair and Illumination,

so they're available for the holiday season.

But we're excited about this opportunity.

If you haven't heard of Dowdle before, he actually has a show on the Magnolia Network,

if you're a cable watcher at all.

It's called The Peacemaker, and we think that it's a really exciting opportunity

and a fun way to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

So tonight we're just asking you to receive our presentation to provide any additional direction or feedback.

There is a resolution and a request to amend this year's budget to accommodate the work that we would be doing with Dowdle Studios.

And I'm available to answer any questions.

Thank you.

I will go ahead and open up public comment.

There is nobody signed up to speak.

I'll close public comment.

Questions or comments from the left?

Thank you, Mayor.

Thanks, Kristen, for the presentation.

Excited to see what you guys have been planning.

I was actually wondering.

So this is great.

What a great milestone.

Great job.

Excited.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

Thank you for the presentation.

Looking forward to seeing the banners.

Awesome.

Council Member Brewer.

No, I definitely agree with Council Member Soon and the excitement that is coming with this.

I know a lot of folks have been asking about what's in store for the celebration, how the city is going to celebrate it and everything.

So I think this is a good way to help lay it out for some folks.

And I know there will be other events going on throughout the city that some of the city's forefathers are planning as well.

And so hopefully they can get together with you so we can have a full-bodied calendar of things that are going on over the course of the next six months.

Because this is big stuff.

Yeah, that would be great.

We would love to hear more about their events.

Yeah.

Council Member Speaves?

Yeah, a couple of things.

So the first one is I think it's really cool about the trees.

We should probably invite a mutual friend of ours, Mr. King, who has planted a large number of trees in Elk Grove Park a long time ago.

And so maybe we should make sure we have him invited.

And I guess the other part is that I don't know.

I hope it's not a big secret, but I'll ask the question.

You can not answer if you don't want to.

But I understand that you're state of the city.

You're going to have some past guests.

I don't know if I stole your thunder there, but I think that would be interesting.

Those are part of the surprises, but all are.

It's one of the surprises?

Well, then don't say it.

I'm not.

Okay.

Then there's a surprise.

You don't know who.

What's that?

You won't know who.

You won't know who?

Okay.

Let's see.

And oh, but the amending the FY25 budget, I'm supportive of that, so I'll make that motion.

Excellent.

Thank you for spreading out the celebrations over several months.

I think that's, you know, we deserve it.

We have a lot to celebrate, a lot to be proud of, so looking forward to how you implement

all of this with our staff.

So thank you for that.

I have a motion.

Can I get a second?

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Next item is 10.

Council comments, reports, future agenda items.

I will start with Council Member Spees.

Nothing to report.

Thank you.

Council Member Brewer.

The Sacramento Public Library Authority Board met last week, and we adopted the budget

for the next upcoming fiscal year, but that's pretty much about it.

Thank you.

Council Member Seward.

Seward District meeting today with the Vice Mayor and I, nothing to report, and then we'll

say call tomorrow.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor.

As Council Member Seward said, Seward District meeting, we're actually going to be touring

the tunnels that they're building, or not the tunnels, but what they're building,

for Harvest Water.

We don't want to talk about tunnels.

It's an Harvest Water project.

So I'll be touring that on Tuesday.

I'm looking forward to seeing that, and then also have a JPA Connector meeting on Friday.

Excellent.

I will waive my report.

Thank you, everyone.

At this time, we will go ahead and adjourn at 8.31.

Thank you.

Thank you.