From closed session, and I have the following disclosure by a four to zero vote with Vice Mayor Roblis absent, the city council authorized and directed the city attorney's office to defend the cases of Seichu versus the City of Elk Grove and Rogers versus the City of Elk Grove as identified by the case number on the City Council meeting agenda.

With that, we will adjourn the special meeting at 6 p.m.

And at this time I would like to call to order the Elk Grove City Council regular meeting.

Today is Wednesday, October the 8th, 2025.

The time is 6 p.m.

Clerk.

Thank you, Mayor.

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

The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV versus cable systems.

The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14Live.gov.

Tonight's meeting replays will be on Friday, October 10th at 1 p.m.

And Monday, October 13th, also at 1 pm on Metro Channel 14.

Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand at 3W's 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.

Hillgrove City Council welcomes, appreciates, and encourages participation in the city council meetings.

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 deem necessary.

Thank you, Mayor.

With that, I will move into our roll call.

And starting with the roll call, I will start with Councilmember Spees.

Present.

Councilmember Brewer.

Present.

Councilmember Sewen here.

Vice Mayor Roblis is absent and mayor Sing Allen.

All right, thank you.

Next up is our land acknowledgement.

We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elkgrove's first inhabitants, the Plains Miwok, who lived as sovereign caretakers of this land and these waterways since time immemorial.

We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Wilton Rancheria Tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County, who endure because of the bravery, resiliency, and determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders.

Thank you.

Next up is our pledge of allegiance.

I would like to invite Chief Davis to please lead.

That's all.

Thank you.

Please join us for a brief moment of silence.

Thank you.

May I get an approval of the agenda?

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item.

Under section three, there are no closed session items on the regular agenda, so that will advance us to section four, our presentations and announcements.

And that first item being item 4.1, the proclamation recognizing October 13th, 2025 as indigenous People's Day.

Alright, at this time I would like to invite up representatives from the Wilton Rancheria tribe, while Councilmember Rod Brewer reads the proclamation.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

And good evening, Chairman Tarongo.

I hope you're doing well today.

Yes, sir.

And it's going to be a nice, nice week.

We have great weather and everything else, but as we head into Indigenous People's Day, we'd like to read this short uh proclamation in acknowledgement of that upcoming holiday.

Whereas the City of Elk Grove honors the Plains Mi Walk, the area's first and rightful inhabitants and all Indigenous peoples whose cultures and contributions have shaped the city.

And whereas we recognize the ongoing impacts of systemic racism that contribute to inequities in health, education, income, and social outcomes for indigenous communities, and support efforts to close these gaps through inclusive policies that honor indigenous histories, voices, and rights.

And whereas on December 16th, 2010, the United States endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of indigenous peoples, which recognizes that indigenous peoples have suffered historic injustices through colonization and the loss of their lands, territories, and resources.

And whereas Article 15 of the Declaration affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories, and aspirations, which should be reflected in education and public information, and calls on states to take effective measures in consultation and cooperation with the indigenous peoples concerned to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and promote tolerance, understanding, and good relations among indigenous peoples and all other segments of society.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby proclaims Monday, October 13th, 2025, as Indigenous Peoples Day in the City of Elk Grove, and urges all residents to reflect on the ongoing struggles of indigenous peoples, including the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous people, support the prosperity and well-being of the Wilton Rancheria tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County, headquartered in Elk Grove, and celebrate the rich culture and lasting contributions of indigenous peoples to our community.

Signed on this day, October 8th, 2025.

Good evening, mayor, and elected officials and all the community members in attendance.

Before I get going with this, I wanted to make a comment.

And I'm gonna quote something, not so much verbatim, but in these words of a good friend of mine, Kevin Costner, you might know him.

And when you talk about things that we're talking about tonight, you know, his thing to me uh was that he's ashamed of this country's history and what his people did, but he's not ashamed to tell that history so that it doesn't repeat itself.

And so on a day like today, I just want to say that because I think those words are very powerful, especially coming from somebody not in my community, to recognize that.

And I think that's sometimes what uh gets people off on the wrong track, you know, as to what our intentions are.

The intentions aren't to erase history, is to tell it so that we don't repeat it, right?

Um, but I wanted to say that because that might spark other people's interest when you have people like that, you know, who's well known.

I'd say he's a lister, good guy, but he's got a great heart.

And I think that there's there's something to be said there about being ashamed of what his people did, but not ashamed to tell the story so that we don't repeat it.

Um, on behalf of my tribe, Wilton Rancheria, uh, I want to thank you for recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day here in Elk Grove.

Uh, this acknowledgement is not about erasing history.

It's about an understanding that for centuries, America's ancestors oppressed certain groups of people.

And while we can't change the past, we can't acknowledge and make history right today.

That's what today represents a chance to honor the truth, to recognize the first peoples of this land, and to celebrate our survival, resilience, and ongoing contributions to the future of our region.

Elk Grove and the surrounding region are the ancestral homelands of our Miwok and Nissan ancestors.

And every time we gather, we walk on the ground that has held ceremony, we walk on the ground that have had songs sung, and we walk on the grounds where our stories have been here since time memorial.

Our tribe continues to invest in this community through education, cultural preservation, economic development, and partnerships that benefit everyone.

We believe that healing and progress come from acknowledgement, collaboration, and shared stewardship of the land we all depend on.

And so again, on a day like today, um, it is an honor for me to stand here representing my nation, but also wanted to recognize you folks for giving us this space.

And also um I would say understanding and recognizing that uh again, we're not here to talk about the past.

Acknowledge it, and we move on from that.

And I think that's what we have here in Elk Grove.

Um, and I look, I'm very happy for the future, and I know community members, the things you guys don't know, your city and the tribe and other entities, we want to make this place um one of the best places in I say the state, but more importantly in the U.S., as to look at what Elk Grove's doing.

What they're first nations and all communities that reside here.

So again, don't you come?

Oh yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Chairman Charongo, we're very excited about next month.

Oh, yeah.

Charting a new a new history and new tradition as we proudly fly the tribal flag outside city hall.

Looking forward to that.

Thank you.

Um, all right.

So next up is our proclamation recognizing October 2025 as domestic violence action month.

I would like to call forward Julie Seawold Bornhoft with Weave.

Did I say it correctly?

Yes.

Oh, excellent.

And assisting will be Councilmember Darren Soon.

Yes.

Hi, Julie.

Hi.

Good evening, and it's my honor to uh present this proclamation for domestic violence action month.

Uh domestic violence is uh the most common violent crime in our city and in many cities, so uh it's great to raise awareness about this.

Uh, whereas domestic violence is a community and public health matter for the city of Elk Grove, the state of California, and the nation, domestic violence affects people of all ages, racial, ethnic, genders, sexual orientations, socioeconomic, educational, religious, and occupational segments of our society, and whereas children who experience domestic violence, experience physical abuse and neglect at rates much higher than the national average, and have higher risks of substance abuse, cognitive and development problems, anxiety, and other trauma-related factors.

And whereas combating domestic violence depends on everyone, being willing to take action to recognize indicators of domestic violence, respond with compassion to those experiencing domestic violence, and providing referrals for safe and confidential services, and whereas public awareness and education about domestic violence are needed as well as uniform efforts on the part of government, health professionals, law enforcement, religious organizations, educators, and community associations to address domestic violence through prevention, intervention, and treatment for victims and perpetrators.

And whereas Weave is the oldest and most comprehensive provider of domestic violence services in Sacramento County, and in the last fiscal year, answered over 11,000 calls to its 24-7 support and information line, provided 16,695 bednights of emergency shelter to 166 adult and child victims of domestic violence, provided 24-7 response to 110 victims undergoing a domestic violence forensic examination, provided safety planning, advocacy, and crisis intervention to 3,656 victims through its Midtown Services Center and partner locations, provided individual and group counseling to 1,657 survivors of domestic violence, and provided legal assistance to 958 survivors of domestic violence.

Whereas Weave works in partnership with the City of Elk Grove to respond to survivors of domestic violence through comprehensive supportive services, including the violence response team in partnership with the City of Elk Grove Police Department.

We've exists to promote safe and healthy relationships and supports survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sex trafficking.

And we're and we've believes that when everyone acts, violence ends.

Now, therefore, be it resolves that the city council of the City of Elk Grove hereby recognizes the month of October 2025 as domestic violence action month and urges our citizens to partner with Weave to bring an end to domestic violence in our community.

Thank you very much for your service, Julie, all these years.

Thank you.

And I did just want to say thank you.

And deep appreciation for the leadership from the city and particularly the Alcrove Police Department.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

One, two, three, one, one, two, three, three.

Thank you.

Good to see you, Germany.

You just photographer tonight, you say.

All right, next up is proclamation declaring October 2025 as Disability Awareness Month.

At this time, I would like to call up the Disability Advisory Committee and assisting will be Councilmember Kevin Speeze.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

How up?

Oh, hi.

All right.

So it's a proclamation for Disability Awareness Month, October 2025.

Whereas the month of October 2025 has been designated as Disability Awareness Month to celebrate and recognize individuals with disabilities.

And disability in no way diminishes the right of individuals to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society and experience the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society.

Whereas the goals of this city include providing individuals with disabilities, the opportunities and support to make informed choices and decisions, live in homes and communities where they can exercise their full rights and pursue meaningful and productive lives, contribute to their family, community, state, and nation, and achieve full inclusion in society.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby proclaims October 2025 as Disability Awareness Month in the City of Elk Grove and asks the community to join in honoring individuals with disabilities.

Sign this eighth day of October 2025.

Alright, thank you.

Thank you.

I'm happy to be here to represent the disability advisory committee to accept this proclamation.

Uh we enjoy serving the city and uh we believe in the talent and potential of all individuals with disabilities.

We know that the city supports that as well, and really the untapped potential is important, especially this month is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

And so I'd like to recognize that unofficially as well.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Oh, I didn't know that.

I hear what you're doing.

I couldn't know.

Congratulations.

Red, white, and blue.

Yes.

Yes, America's here.

Black sheet.

Okay.

I've got what?

Okay.

Okay.

It's always a little little message.

Taylor Swift.

Oh, all right.

Oh, I didn't know this.

You didn't know?

No.

Now I do.

Now you know.

All right.

Next up is 4.4.

Oh, I'm sorry, please.

No, I'm here for that.

That is 4.4.

I'm here to next one.

I was supposed to stay.

Yes.

Sorry.

My phone.

Yeah, Mike.

What are you talking about?

So now it's the recognition of the City of Elk Grove Disability Advisory Committee's 19th Annual Above and Beyond Program Accessibility Award.

Yes, thank you.

My name is Daisy Hughes.

I'm happy to be here tonight.

I am a member of the Disability Advisory Committee.

And I'd also like to introduce the other members of the DAC.

We're also known as the DAC.

Steve Caps is the chair, Ann Hennessey is the vice chair, Ted Clark is member.

We also have a newly appointed member, Joe Xavier.

And tonight we also have here with us Jim Ramsey, our Elk Grove City staff liaison, who we appreciate so much.

So, yes, as you said, tonight we celebrate the city's 19th annual Above and Beyond Accessibility Awards.

The award was created to recognize individuals, organizations, and businesses that have gone above and beyond for individuals with disabilities in our community.

This award is important to the DAC and the city because it recognizes Elk Grove's diverse community and this care and support provided to those with disabilities.

The nomination application includes questions like has the nominee provided services to Elk Grove residents with disabilities within the last 12 months.

Are the services free from discrimination?

Does the nominee get paid for the services they provide?

What are the services?

Why are they needed?

And what is the benefit or impact on those receiving the services?

The recipient of this year's award is EG Speaks, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower and uplift students with disabilities and their families within the Elkgrove Unified School District.

EG Speak serves children, families, individuals impacted by special education needs, including those with disabilities or learning differences.

They provide advocacy, resources, parent education, and community support to ensure that these individuals receive the necessary educational accommodations and services to succeed.

Over 10,000 EGUSD students qualify for special education services, including IEPs, which are individualized education plans and 504 plans.

With EGUSD being one of the largest school districts in the state, the needs are extensive and there are many gaps that need to be filled.

EG Speaks programs focus on equity in education, empowerment and advocacy, parent education and support, inclusive communities, and resource connection.

We want to thank EG Speaks for supporting those with disabilities and helping to provide them with opportunities they might not ordinarily get and for going above and beyond by working so hard in so many ways for Elk Grove students.

We would like to show EG Speaks our gratitude by presenting a plaque, and I will read the plaque.

This time I'd like to call Amanda Scott.

She is EG Speaks CEO and President.

She is here with us today and would like to say a few words.

Hello.

Hello.

We were here not too long ago for Autism Acceptance Month.

So we're happy to be back here again.

Thank you so much.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members, and community members.

On behalf of EG Speaks, I want to thank you deeply for this recognition.

Receiving the above and beyond award means so much, not just to our organization, but to the families, advocates and individuals with disabilities who make up our community.

Standing behind me here is my board and our volunteers and some of our junior volunteers are up here with me too.

This is our team, our core of our team.

At EG Speaks, we believe that inclusion is not just an act of charity, it is an act of justice.

Every child, every adult, every family deserves to belong in our schools, our parks, and our public spaces.

This award isn't just for us, it's for every parent who spoke up for their child, every youth who shared their story, every advocate who showed up to a meeting, and every partner in the city who believes that accessibility and equity matter.

We're proud to live and work in a city that values collaboration and recognizes the importance of going above and beyond, not just for one group, but for everyone.

And we are excited to build upon this partnership by exploring opportunities through city initiatives, grants, and community investments that help make Outgrove a place where every resident can thrive.

We're deeply grateful for this honor and for the city's ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion.

It is so visible through everything that the city provides in terms of events we've been so lucky to participate in and provide spaces for.

Everyone come up.

Thank you again for looking forward.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Thank you so much.

I'm sticking my head out here.

We're good.

Would it be possible to bring some of our here?

One, two, three, one more time.

Oh, every microsoft.

Mr.

Ramsey, thank you for your work on the DAC too.

Appreciate that.

All right.

We are now moving on to our public comment.

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

We have a few folks signed up.

We'll start off with Gary Mendoza, followed by Imam Yasir Khan.

Evening, uh Mayor and Councilman.

I'm Gary Mendoza with Nanosecond Productions, and uh I'm here this evening um to uh pretty much introduce and promote our TAP, our new uh program called TAP.

Um a few years ago, uh Judy Tofoya and Nan Mahan, right here, most of you know who Nan is, along with others uh formed the Arts, the Art Advocacy Project.

Now its purpose was to bring more art to the community.

That project has been revived and revisioned by Nanosecond Productions, Annie Panoy Art, say hi, Annie Ponoy R Gallery and Ray, her husband.

And of course, we've got our friend uh Anthony Flores, Tony Flores, say hi.

All right, you guys are all on board, and uh the purpose is uh is to bring together a partnership of visual, performing, and literary artists.

Now we will help each other to find work, exchange ideas, and promote art in all of its forms.

The group will uh strive to influence matters politically both at the city and community levels where art is concerned.

So please contact us if you have any questions, any needs of for our services, we'd be more than happy to talk with you.

We do have our first mixer coming up, which will be held at the Annie Panoy Art Gallery.

Again, Annie, okay, on October 26th from 2 to 4 p.m.

And basically that's pretty much it.

Come and talk to us, okay?

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right.

Next up is Imam Yasser Khan, followed by Kirk Thompson.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members.

My name is Imam Yasir Khan, and I serve as a religious leader here in Northern California.

For more than a decade since 2014, I've walked alongside families through some of their most difficult moments, drug overdoses, suicides, attempts, domestic violence, homelessness, and countless mental health crises that often go unseen.

That's why I'm here tonight.

Not only as an Imam, but as a community member, introducing a fully subsidized mental health resource called Student 365.

Part of Call of Doctor Plus, a program backed by Goldman Sachs and funded by the U.S.

Treasury Department.

This program is not a grant, and it does not replace or compete with any existing mental health provider or district contract.

It is simply free federal funding that every K-12, every K-12 district in the United States can choose to accept or leave on the table.

There are no physical implications, no reimbursements, and no strings attached is basically free money already allocated to support students, parents, and staff.

Through this program, each student and staff member is eligible for approximately $15 per year for three years.

That translates to roughly a million dollars per year, or over three million dollars total over three years, and fully funded mental health services for this community.

These funds provide 24-7 access to licensed counselors, pediatric behavioral health specialists, crisis support teams, and family assistance tools.

Accessible by phone, video, text, chat, or in person.

The platform bridges the gaps when school counselors aren't available evenings, weekends, holidays, and summer breaks, ensuring no student, teacher, or parent is left without support.

I'm currently working with dozens of school districts nationwide to help them access this same resource.

I would never stand behind something that wasn't proven, compliant, and real.

As someone who has witnessed firsthand the human cost of untreated mental illness, I believe mental health is a human rights for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, identity, religion, ethnicity, or income.

Tonight I'm asking for your support in encouraging El Grove Unified School District to explore this opportunity and to help me to help me raise awareness across other school districts, perhaps you may have connections too, so that this free resource can reach as many communities and families as possible.

This is a real opportunity.

We're doing the right thing doesn't cost anything.

Millions of dollars are sitting unclaimed, waiting to be used to strengthen our students, educators, and families.

Thank you, Mom.

I look forward to working with all of you.

Thank you.

Um, I think your request is specific to the school district.

Yes.

And so I'm more than happy to reach out and help connect you with the right people.

Thank you, Mayor.

There.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you, sir.

Um next up is Kirk Thompson, followed by Lynn Wheat.

Last year we saw how many would cheer a president's murder, and last month we learned how many would cheer my murder.

Two years ago, I stood before this council warning about escalating rhetoric when I asked for help removing pornographic books from school libraries.

Books that are still there, by the way.

For that, I was accused of making queer people unsafe and killing students.

So let's be clear.

Words are not violence, violence is violence, and we saw that on September 10th in Utah.

Now I took Charlie Kirk's murder personally.

We share a name for sure, but it was more in high school.

I had dreamed about starting a movement like he did, kind of sparking conservative ideas among my college peers, marrying young, having a bunch of kids, advising leaders by 35.

My wife, who hates politics, watched a bunch of his videos after his death and said, You reminds me of you.

That didn't sit well with me.

Now I had a I had planned to come here proposing a Charlie Kirk Day in Elk Grove, kind of an olive branch to unite us through open dialogue and debate.

But I watched your last two meetings, and that killed that idea.

On the day Charlie Kirk was murdered, you praised speakers calling immigration enforcement disappearing people, a term that's origins implies war crimes like torture and execution.

Great job lowering the temperature.

Then on the 24th, the same day an anti-ICE lunatic shot up the Dallas ICE office, you spent 10 minutes stoking fear in our legal immigrant community to close your meeting.

So my main takeaway from that little exchange was that if an illegal immigrant comes, you know, commits a hit and run on my wife, you won't be reporting them to Ice Chief.

I guess we can add an asterisk to serve and protect in Elk Grove.

I hope not.

Now, city government, especially police runs on public trust.

I've always felt safe in Elk Grove, even before I moved here.

But now, with local teachers openly celebrating Charlie Kirk's murder and this council's recent rhetoric, for the first time I'm questioning my family's safety in this city.

Could you trust the dispatcher, police officer, or firefighter who cheers the political murder aligned with your views?

And your last two meetings seem to be justifying the violence that we saw in Utah, Dallas, and Sacramento's ABC 10 offices over the past month.

So the last 30 days, you've to me have really shown zero interest in representing people like me.

So I'd have to assume you find a way to justify violence against me and my family.

If you want to prove me wrong, you could a good way to start would be stop painting people like me as pro-terror squad for having center right politics.

That would be a good start.

And if you want to put some action behind that, Madam Mayor, you have my email address.

Please reach out to me.

I am serious about doing a Charlie Kirk Day by next year.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Thompson.

Our final speaker is Lynn Wheat.

Good evening.

So the city is looking at doing something about Old Town.

And I remember when it was done before it 12 million dollars of our taxpayer money.

And so I went to social media and find it quite interesting that I'm not the only complainer or have negative ideas about what's going on.

So let me share a few until I ran out of my three minutes.

So the thread started with: will the city ever get real about Old Town.

If you haven't seen, the city of Elk Grove is running a campaign of sorts to solicit input for a reimagining of what Old Town can look like.

They're featuring multiple towns and types of downtown personas.

I am all for bringing some life and culture to the area as it is a historic hub of the city and region.

But come on.

The mayor said years ago she envisioned something like the gas lamp of San Diego.

And now getting people to get input about the persona the city might pursue.

But are we going to ignore the elephant read train in the room?

The railroad is way too active to ever have anything developed around it, and the infrastructure of the building in existence is already suspect at best.

It also doesn't help.

The Elkgrove Boulevard and Bond are the only two east-west roads through the entire city, both of which are controlled by the train schedule.

Next commander.

It is hard to see Elk Grove having anything like the San Diego Gas Lamp District due to our obsession with chain and franchise businesses.

Even today, you still do not see mass market change businesses on Fourth Avenue in San Diego.

Also, another commenter.

Also, Jim Croce is not available to start a restaurant or bar.

I think the bigger issue than the train is that the existing businesses really aren't tailored for whichever persona wins.

What are they going to do?

Kick out all the existing businesses.

Day spas and hair salons, another commoner.

Day spas and hair salons seem to be numerous in the old town, not terribly exciting.

I love old town as my kit, another commenter.

I love Old Town as my kid goes to SOR.

That being said, we live on the West End, and I'd love a walking strip to drink and eat at night, not blow the bank on an Uber home aside from the dang alley.

Lots of laughs.

I live east of Waterman Road.

Old Town is just a choke point for me getting to and from other places in Elk Grove.

I've seen been to some of the businesses there, and there isn't anything that appeals to me.

Next commander.

Many old towns have trains that run through because a lot of this country was built around the train tracks.

That way, the good moved, that was the way goods moved in the old days.

Last commenter I have time for.

The only way Old Town becomes a real investable place is if real frequent regional rails serve the train station, and that won't happen.

Elk Grove chose its path, and Old Town really doesn't fit the arc of development.

Thank you, keyboard activist.

And I most certainly hope that each and every one of them completes the survey.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That concludes our public comment.

I'm gonna go ahead and close the public comment opportunity and move on to our next item, which is our city manager's report.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the city council, James Bearman, your city manager.

First of all, the last city council meeting, the council had a brief discussion about uh immigration resources and things available on our website.

So city does um have a new online information and resource page to support immigrants in our community.

The page highlights the city's commitment to maintaining a safe and inclusive Elk Grove, outlines our role in immigration enforcement and provides links to prior statements, community diversity statistics, FAQs, and community resources such as the Sacramento Fuel Network.

It also includes information about our charter for compassion and an FAQ section that provides a link for community members to learn more about know your rights.

For more information, visit the city's website, Elkgrove.gov.

There's a link on the main page.

The award recognizes city's transformation and education, arts, and culture based on what residents reported in the National Community Survey.

Only five communities across the entire country received this distinction.

Placing Elk Grove and Truly Elite Company.

We're proud to celebrate this achievement with our community.

More than 60% of Elk Grove youth say that mental health is the top need in our community.

That's why the Youth Commission is launching a new event.

Walk with us on the path to positivity, a walk and a picnic for youth mental wellness this Saturday, October 11th, starting at 9 30 a.m.

at Helma Colton Park, which is at 94 10 Laguna Springs Drive.

Students are encouraged to grab a friend and join the free event to gain new resources, meet therapy animals, and connect with friends and the community.

At our animal shelter to view the adoptable pets.

You can also view them online and come on down and find your forever new family member.

Let's see, high school marching bands from throughout Northern California will converge on Elkgrove Streets and School sites this Saturday, October 11th, to compete in the Franklin High School Invitational Band Review to accommodate the event.

Road closures and alternative routes around the event will be in place between the hours of 10 a.m.

and 3 p.m.

Motors encouraged to plan accordingly.

Franklin High School Invitational Band Review is the primary fundraising event for the Franklin High School Band program.

City of Elk Grove is among the major event sponsors.

We're excited to share the city's 25th anniversary photo contest.

Received over a hundred submissions from talented community members.

The Arts and Creative Economy subcommittee has carefully reviewed all of the entries and selected the finalists.

Finalists will be featured on the city's website, and residents will soon be invited to take part in voting for their favorite photo.

The winners will be unveiled at the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center during a special reception on Saturday, November 8th.

Everyone is invited.

More information on voting opportunities and the unveiling event will be released soon.

The city, of course, as everybody knows, it is planning a permanent homeless shelter in the city and is asking for community input on what matters most when choosing a location.

A short online survey is open now through next Friday, October 17th.

Residents are asked to rank key site criteria.

Community feedback will guide how potential locations are evaluated and ensure the project reflects community values.

Next Monday, you're invited to District 56 from 6 30 to 8 30 to celebrate Diwali.

Magical evening celebrates the power of light over darkness and good over evil.

The event is free to attend and open to all ages.

Finally, just in time for fall planting, the city's recycling waste team has launched a new compost corner at Elk Grove Park.

Elk Grove residents can pick up free compost at a self-served station located in the parking lot at Elk Grove Florida and East Doctor Boulevard during normal park hours starting this Friday, October 10th, until the weather turns turns bad.

This is a self-service station, meaning residents need to bring their own containers and shovels and take take as much as they want.

Supplies are limited, but will be replenished weekly, weather permitting.

And that concludes my report.

I'm happy to answer any questions that the council may have.

Alright, thank you for that thorough report.

Any questions or comments?

All right, seeing none, we will move on.

Thank you.

Next up is our consent calendar items.

At this time, I will go ahead and open up the public comment opportunity for consent.

I don't see anyone signed up.

Any questions or comments?

If not, I look for approval.

Move consent.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item 8.1.

And item 8.1 is actually three public hearings to consider various annexations into community facilities district and assessment districts for the Coral Blossom Apartments project as delineated by staff.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor.

Who's not here?

City Council.

Council members, I am Cindy Tiffany and I'm a finance and budget analyst.

I'm here to present the proposed annexations.

The city currently maintains eight special task tax districts.

Annexations interappropriate districts are part of the approval project approval project.

Requirements are specific for each project and vary according to geographic location and building use.

And these rates are adjusted annually.

The project I bring today is the annexation of the Coral Blossom Apartments.

They would be annexing it into three districts.

The project is a multifamily residential project made up of 81 family units.

The annexation requirements for this project are CFD 2006-1 maintenance district, the maintenance services, the street maintenance district, and stormwater drainage fee.

The project is located south of Calvine Road along the west side of Elk Grove Warren.

This concludes my presentation.

I'm here if you have any questions.

All right, thank you.

At this time, I will declare the public hearing for CFD 2006-1 Annex 104 open and open up public comment opportunity.

No one is signed up to speak.

I'll close public comment.

And declare the public hearing for CFD 2006-1 Annex 104 is now closed.

And look for motion A1.

Motion A1.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

What are the results of the ballot tabulation?

Of 81 possible votes, 81 affirmative votes were cast, authorizing the city of El Grove to levy a special tax at the rate of portion and described.

The measure passes with more than two-thirds of all votes cast in the election in favor of the measure resolution declaring the results of the election is available for council consideration.

Thank you.

Looking for motions A2 and A3.

Motion A2 and A3.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next, I would like to declare the hearing for SMD 3-AT Annex 57 open and open up public comment.

No one is signed up to speak on closing public comment.

Declaring the public hearing for SMD 3-AT Annex 57 is now closed.

And request the results of the ballot tabulation.

There is no majority protest of 81 possible votes weighted according to the proportional financial obligation for the property.

81 affirmative votes were returned.

The ballot approves the proposed assessment of the proposed inflation adjustment limit described for the parcel identified in the ballot.

A resolution determining levy assessments in the district is available for council consideration.

Thank you.

Looking for motion B.

Motion B.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next, I would like to declare the hearing.

Public hearing for SWDF Annex 74 now open and open up public comment.

No one signed up to speak.

I'm closing public comment and declaring that the public hearing for SWDF Annex 74 is now closed.

And look for the results of the ballot tabulation.

And again, there is no majority protest of 81 possible votes weighted according to the proportional financial obligation for each property, 81 affirmative votes for return.

The ballot approves the proposed assessment of the proposed inflation adjustment limit described for the parcel identified in the ballot.

A resolution determining the levy assessments in the district is available for council consideration.

Thank you.

Looking for motion C.

Motion C.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

All right, we are moving on to our next item.

Receive the results of the 2025 National Business Survey.

Okay.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Councilman.

My name is Tish Mann.

I'm an economic development analyst.

And today I will be presenting about insights from the National Business Survey, which we conducted earlier this year.

My recommendation this evening is to simply receive the results of the survey.

For some background, ever since 2009, the city has conducted a resident opinion survey every two years called the National Community Survey.

And this survey is done in partnership with Polco Inc.

and the National Research Center.

And it's this it's a survey that's endorsed by local government associations like ICMA, the National League of Cities.

And they also offer a national business survey.

It's a newer offering, but it works the same way, but instead of resident owner opinion or resident opinions, it's about business owner opinions.

So for the first time in the city's history, the Office of Economic Development conducted the survey from February 12th to March uh 19th earlier this year, and the full report is now available on the city's website.

And the idea is that these insights will help us understand business needs, and then that can inform city strategies and goals.

The survey includes a mix of standard questions from Polco and NRC and custom questions that staff developed in partnership with them.

The outreach strategy included three touch points.

Every business, so all 5,000 plus businesses in our community received a postcard, a letter, and a reminder in the mail.

And we also did social media as well.

We received 146 responses, which translates to a 3% response rate, which we hear is typical for a city of Elk Grove size.

And I just want to emphasize that we did make extensive efforts to drive participation to the survey.

We're not super pleased with the response rate.

We expected it to be higher, but if we do decide to do the survey again, we think those numbers will increase.

They use a concept called the national benchmark, where they compare Elk Grove to reference communities.

So they take the average score of all the communities who took the survey and compare that average score to Elk Grove score.

So if you see something that says higher than the national benchmark, that just means we did higher than the average community.

If you see similar to the national benchmark, that means we did similar or in line with other communities.

And lower than the national benchmark means we did lower than the average community.

Some things to keep in mind are that scores can be high but still rank lower than the average community.

For example, you might see 70%, which is good, but for whatever reason it's still lower than the benchmark.

And we also don't know the precise average scores being used for comparison.

So meaning we don't know like how high or how low the score is compared to the average, but we can probably get that from Polco.

And another thing to keep in mind is that the benchmarking pool is small.

We are early adopters of the survey, so it's not that hundreds of communities have taken the survey and we can compare ourselves to them.

Some of the survey limitations are that there was a low response rate, and that makes it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the broader business community.

So, I mean, the methodology details for that are explained in the report online.

But one way to think about this is that the results are indicative of the views of the 146 survey respondents, not indicative of the views of the entire business community.

So I will be saying respondents instead of business owners as they go through this.

So now I'm gonna start highlighting fairly quickly some key insights, and I'm glad to circle back if something catches your eye.

I'll be pointing out things like the top three and the bottom three, and occasionally singling out certain findings.

But this is a really light agenda this evening, so I'm not trying to keep you guys here for too long.

Yeah.

Okay, so versus quality of life.

So how this reads is that 89% of survey respondents rated Elk Grove as an excellent or good place for children and families, and that is in line with other communities.

And now I'm looking at the last one here that says 88% of survey respondents said they are very or somewhat likely to recommend living in Elk Grove to someone who asks, and that is also in line with other communities.

And then on a less positive note, right in the middle, 49% of survey respondents rated Elk Grove as an excellent or good place for young adults, which is lower than the average community.

Moving on to facets of livability.

The highest-rated characteristics of Elk Grove are the overall quality of parks and recreation opportunities, the overall feeling of safety, the overall economic health.

To me, that rings measure E related successes.

I do want to point out that only 49% of respondents rate the overall opportunities for education, culture, and the arts as excellent or good.

But that's already changing, right?

Well, first we're not super surprised because Elk Grove isn't known as an arts destination yet, but that is already changing.

Like with the revamping of the Arts and Creative Economy Commission with bringing the mural festival to historic downtown next spring, that number is expected to get expected to increase.

Alright, quick question on that slide.

Education, what does that mean?

K-12 EGUSD, which I know ranks very highly, so what is it in this context?

I think it means broadly E through or K 312 and universities and colleges as well.

And it might consider like training programs too, but yeah, I would have to know exactly what their definition of education is and have to check with them.

So I can always circle back to you and that.

Okay.

And then this slide is just about how these survey respondents generally feel safe in their commercial area in the day and after dark.

Moving on to community amenities, the top-rated community amenities or overall appearance of Elk Grove, cleanliness of Elk Grove, and the variety of service establishments like salons and dry cleaners and except and so on.

So that checks out, it sounds like us.

The lowest rated community amenities were opportunities for tourism, opportunities to attend cultural arts and music activities and hotel and lodging options.

All of those we rate below the average community.

And not super surprising to hear that.

But one thing I wanted to point out is that you know these scores might have been lower in the past, but this is our first time doing this survey.

So we have nothing to compare it to, but for all we know, these numbers could represent significant improvements.

And 60% of the respondents rated the quality of restaurants and places to eat as excellent or good, and both of those are below the national benchmark.

Not a huge surprise, but we are already addressing these areas with the with initiatives like the brewery, restaurant, and winery incentive program.

We've already done three grants, and it's only been a couple of years since that program's been in existence, and there's um more in the pipe.

And also, we already see a change in our local economy with in the past year and a half, maybe two years.

We've welcomed Nordstrom Rack and Macy's and other high-end uh retail companies, and we're seeing restaurants from Midtown like Station 16, later Interlude, we have Kajikan.

So as our landscape changes, this number should go up.

If we do the survey again.

Tish, sorry, but can you back um just because over the recent weekend with the in the uh wire Wi Fi going down in the park and around this internet connection?

Where are we?

We approved the contract for Verizon and ATT, and I know they're it's their own pace, but does somebody know where we are or at with getting these small sales and things up around our city?

So I know we have a broadband feasibility study that's um really early on, it's still being developed, but I think earlier or later this year there's gonna be a presentation about it, and it's uh feasibility study where they're gonna address the broadband needs in our city.

Yeah, more specifically, so the Verizon facility at District 56.

I believe construction has started on that.

They've started doing some utility work out on Civic Center.

Um, there's an ATT site down at the Mesa apartment complex that's on hold pinning some resolution of site development issues out there.

Um, there was one, I believe, on the west and the east side of town that's also approved that I don't think it's quite started construction yet, but should be moving forward soon.

Um, Verizon's also brought online their facility at Letic Park.

So it's helping with some uh issues.

Um, but Tisha's right, yeah.

We've got some other stuff around broadband we continue to look at that's more about site broadband services opposed to cellular service.

Cellular, yeah, Wi Fi.

Unfortunately, in the case of Saturday, a lot of the different operators were utilizing the same backbone, which was hit in the incident, and so it took down, it created bottlenecks for Verizon, T Mobile, ATT, and uh Consolidated Communications, all four of them were affected.

Wow, okay, thank you.

And just real quick in terms of small cell devices, we can get back to you on the number that have been installed relative to our agreements with the various companies.

Oh, that'd be fantastic because those contracts we approved those four or five years ago.

So I'm sweet.

Yeah, especially in these pockets where it's slow.

Yeah, exactly.

So yeah, thank you.

That'd be great.

Thank you.

Moving on to business climate.

70% of respondents rated Elk Grove as an excellent or good place to do business.

91% said that they are somewhat or very likely to keep their business in Elk Grove for the next five years.

Apparently, we could do better when it comes to communicating during city construction.

When it comes to strength, uh streets and utilities, etc.

We are lower than the average community in that area.

With workforce support, I want to point out that the top three challenges or the top or the most common challenges are cost of living, affordability of housing, and affordability with child care.

Only 24% of respondents rate the cost of living in Elk Grove as excellent or good.

26% of respondents rate the affordability of housing as excellent or good in Elk Grove, and 29% of respondents rate the affordability of child care as excellent or good in Elk Grove, and all these things impact workforce employees.

But I do want to say that these issues aren't exclusive to Elk Grove, they're happening all across California and across this the nation because of the affordability crisis, broadly speaking.

So this slide is wanting I want to point out that 40% of survey respondents rate the affordability and variety of education and training opportunities as excellent or good.

That's something to know or to keep in mind as we develop our workforce development strategies.

When it comes to workforce readiness, again, we see cost of living and lack of affordable quality housing as an issue for workers, and that's not only an issue for them, but it's also an issue for businesses or business owners in terms of their ability to track attract workers to Elk Grove and also sustain them when they do get employed.

And there is an indicator of an issue around our employees and employment options not having the educational qualifications and skills needed for their job.

We rate lower than the average community in those areas.

And when it comes to business growth, 74% of respondents expect their business to grow in the next five years.

61% report that they have grown in the past five years, and 33% plan to hire in the next six to 12 months.

What might they be hiring for?

Mostly it's semi-skilled jobs, and then after that, skill jobs.

So these are jobs that require some knowledge of a trade or a skill, but not highly specialized.

So things like truck drivers and typists and electricians and plumbers and administrative assistants.

Moving on to governance, we apparently do really well.

We are above average when it comes to recycling and having ample public parking and commercial areas.

We are also really good with fire services, police services, garbage collection.

95% of respondents rate survey or rate fire services as excellent or good.

We do pretty well with street cleaning, utility billing, traffic enforcements.

I want to point out that 28% of respondents rate the traffic flow on major streets as excellent or good.

So that's something that we know and we keep that in mind as we welcome new developments to our city.

And as council knows, we're making huge investments in infrastructure solutions that can address that, such as the White Lock Interchange.

Also want to point out that 45% of respondents report having an excellent or good experience obtaining planning and building permits, and 46% of respondents report having an excellent or good perception of code enforcement, and those are both lower than the average community.

When it comes to governance, we have really healthy scores about leadership.

We're in line with other communities here.

Generally speaking, these survey respondents believe that the Elk Grove government acts in the best interest of the community, they believe in the overall direction that Elk Grove is taking, they have confidence in Elk Grove government, and they have a positive view about the value of services for the taxes paid to Elk Grove government.

72% of respondents rate the quality of services offered by the city of Elk Grove as excellent or good.

And then as you go up the ladder of government, that number goes down.

So only 30% of respondents rate the quality of services provided by the federal government as excellent or good.

And then I have custom questions before we wrap up with demographics.

So 63% of respondents said they are somewhat to very, they that it was somewhat to very easy to start their business in Elk Grove.

We don't have a national benchmark because this is a custom question.

The top three challenges that they faced when starting their business was building a customer base, finding a suitable location, and accessing affordable and quality broadband.

Then the types of support that would have really benefited them in their initial startup phase.

The top three are marketing and sales support, financial support like grants and loans, and financial advice.

In terms of operating or expanding their business, financial challenges was the most common challenge.

So that's financial management and maintaining profitability.

And here the slide is about racial and social disparities.

More minority-owned businesses report having challenges related to finances, market competition, and accessing startup capital than non-minority owned businesses, and then more women owned businesses report having more challenges related to accessing startup capital than male-owned businesses.

And women-owned businesses are also less likely to recommend operating a business in Elk Grove than male-owned businesses.

So who took the survey?

62% of the respondents were white, and they are overrepresented in the survey when you compare them to our internal database of business owner demographics.

And then 15% of respondents were Asian, and that they are underrepresented in our survey.

And when you compare them to our internal database, 14% were Latino Hispanic, and they are pretty much accurately represented.

And then 9% were black or African American, and they were also underrepresented in the survey.

And then I just want to mention that our internal database of business owner demographics includes 750 data points, and that's growing.

And we got that from business licenses and grant applications.

Most of the survey respondents were 45 to 54 years old.

15 were disabled, 11 were veterans.

Oops, 11 were veterans, and 42 were home-based.

And there is no fiscal impact related to this report.

Before I take questions, or I just want to say that you might have seen a lot of below average scores, but really what sets us apart as a community, and you know, we are one of the only communities that has conducted this survey.

So we're actually asking these questions.

We're actually looking for insights.

We're not just guessing what the problems are, we're really listening and having you know difficult conversations, and that's what sets us apart.

Um, so yeah, these insights give us a clear starting point, and then we can all work on um approving them together.

Thank you, and I'm happy to take questions.

Thank you.

Before we get to the questions, I'm gonna open up public comment.

Um, I do not have anyone signed up to speak, I'll close public comment.

Um, was one of the questions of these businesses?

I'd be curious to see how many of them are also residents.

Is that a question that was asked at all?

So we don't have access to that information because it was anonymous.

We don't even know the type, like who took it.

Yeah.

So this you wouldn't consider this to be a scientifically accurate.

Yeah, that's true.

Yeah, we didn't take it, didn't take a random sampling, so it's not a technically scientifically accurate or valid.

No traditional margin of error was calculated.

Um, yeah, because what they did is they pulled all 5,000 businesses instead of taking a random sample.

So that kind of disqualifies them from um being technically valid, statistically valid.

Okay, so as we like, are we imagining this to be an annual thing or it would be biannual to take place on the opposite years of the national community survey, but if we don't want to do it again and we don't have to, you know, we could try it one more time and see if the response rate goes up.

It doesn't, then maybe we just well I'm not as interested in, you know, I'm more interested in how many respond.

That's a more accurate sampling of the business community, so that if there are areas, what I found this to be, it was all over the map.

There just didn't seem to be a lot of consistency or themes or anything.

Um, so it's a little hard for me to really wrap my head around the data that we're seeing here when it's not a you know, it's not a scientifically based, it's just it's random.

I would like to see how we can improve it because I do think there's value in the data, but as long as we're getting and capturing the actual data, the disproportionality of even the ethnic breakdown.

Um that also poses some challenges there for me in terms of really looking at it for accuracy.

Is there a way to partner with the chamber and really do a deeper dive to get responses?

Um, you know, and I'll leave that up to your department or how, but sometimes it may require field visits and actually getting the responses versus filling out something more anonymous and um something along those lines.

I don't know.

I would definitely I think there's value in there, but it's just hard for me to assess this, given that it was just really all over the place.

Um, yeah, we can definitely improve our outreach strategies if we do it again.

It's our first time doing it, so there's a lot of different ways.

There's a lot, there's a lot going on there.

So, you know, I don't want to take away from those that took time to fill it out, but I I definitely want more information.

To me, I it's it I don't know that it's a a very accurate picture of outgrowth and the business climate, it's just really those that felt like responding.

Um, so if the you know, to a to the point that where we can get more respondents and do the deeper dive to improve.

I think some of this was not surprising, um, like broadband and things like that.

I think that's that's pretty well known.

But um, yeah, it's fascinating, so I'm glad that you did it.

But um, you know, it's I think there's a lot more in terms of what we can do as a city, and maybe we look at our other business community partners.

Um I really want to see more engagement from the businesses.

If we're looking to improve services, we need to make sure we have accurate data.

Um, so that's just some of my initial thoughts on this.

Um, council member Soon.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Uh Tish, thanks for the information.

I I also think it's it's a worthy effort to do this, and I appreciate the data as well.

But how how do you trust something that's plus or minus 10 percentage points, right?

Because it's not statistically accurate, and you know, it's um uh you know, I think we do want we always talk about relying on the on the data, so I'm wondering if there's if there's another tool, you know, that is statistically uh accurate, and maybe there's not, but maybe there's a way to refine this uh somehow, in terms of getting more per participation, and I so I would agree with the mayor in that regard, is we you know, we we want to we we want to rely on this, and it's tough to rely on something that's plus or minus 10 points uh of accuracy.

Um, uh what was that?

I was gonna say it was um certainly there's there's there's things in here that there's things for us to work on, which is which is great, and you pointed out there a lot of it we are working on too.

So I think I think all of this means it just reinforces the things that we're doing, right?

Which is which is uh a good good indicator, but again, if we can get a little bit more refinement to the statistical accuracy, that would be good.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Brewer.

No, I want to thank you too, Sean.

Thank um Dearn for compiling the study and what we have before us, but unfortunately, we have a hundred and forty-six people respond when we've casted a net of 5,000 people, it's inconclusive.

We can't really get a good feel for how we're going to chart the course forward for the city and for the business climate for Elk Grove is definitely lacking because we don't know how many of our small business, medium business, and large business peoples are involved in this, and that's that's concerning because you don't want to be in a silo trying to chart the course for the city and not really hear from all the parties in addition to our residents.

Because if you're going to have a good, healthy um uh a response for for for a report and to be fairly benchmarked um against other cities, we need more participants and we need the business community to be involved because that's that's that's vital.

Um, and I'm I'm really hoping that this partnership that we're having with the Oak Grove Chamber is a step in that direction, and that the Oak Grove Chamber takes our olive branch seriously, because for us to be a city that is bringing in attractive and new and different sorts of economies and sectors, um, we we have to have a good uh course of knowing where we're going and what what it's gonna look like.

Um I definitely applaud the effort, but unfortunately it definitely falls short.

Councilmember Spees.

So I guess I'm I'm trying to temper my comment a little bit here because I wanna I don't want to burn bridges, make people unhappy, but I think if people are going to be part of the conversation, they should have been in the room tonight.

True, 100%.

Okay, so uh whoever needs to hear that out there, you probably are to start showing up for business related items, yeah.

So, um I appreciate the information.

Um if the data wasn't as there's a lot of conversation about whether something statistically significant or not.

We have to remember that the number of businesses in El Grove is smaller than the number of residents or homes, right?

So you can have a smaller number and still be representative of the businesses, regardless that didn't that simply didn't happen, right?

It didn't happen, and I and that's not on ours, it's a new study.

Um so you know, if we were to look at this, I mean, I look at it and I go, well, that's a solid C minus, and it isn't you know, given that it isn't entirely accurate, um, I um I try to temper that down a little bit.

Um, but I think that if the if we if these numbers were our was what we would get on the resident survey, we'd be certainly far more alarmed.

Okay, because this isn't pretty, right?

Again, there are data problems here.

Um so what I'd ask is um can we develop a from what you learn from it or from what we've learned from it?

Um can we develop an action plan to improve those areas where we might have picked up a lesson, right?

So for instance, uh traffic sucks.

Oh, shocker.

Um we know that, right?

So we don't necessarily need to address that.

Uh that isn't the greatest place for um young adults.

I don't think that's been a common, you know, common complaint for for numbers of years.

Um, but so I guess I'm just asking, let's try to make as much use out of it as we can.

Where there are lessons learned, let's bring that forward and try to work on those.

Um, so with that, thank you.

I appreciate it.

But even within all of these respondents, an overwhelming, we're still responded that they would recommend Alcrove to as a place to live.

So it, you know, it's like how do you how do you make sense of all of that given, say the complaints per se?

Right.

I mean, they would say that it they're they feel safe, right?

Okay, they've so there's a lot of things, right?

There's so there's a lot of goodness in there, it's a bit all over the map.

Yeah, but where we can take a lesson, let's take a lesson and create an action plan from it.

And then I, you know, and I think even you know, for the next time, like the types of businesses having categories so that we know who's responding, then we can see, you know, where we need to improve.

If if, for example, it's just somebody in one or two sectors and not all of the sectors, that will be very skewed as well.

So, you know, the types of businesses and even the number of employees would love to hear and get some more feedback on that.

But um, to Councilmember Spees's point, a hundred percent, the elephant in the room.

We if we're going to talk about better partnerships, this literally includes um having a seat at the table, a seat the seat is there, and showing up on business items like this and offering ideas of how we can be better partners, not just talk about it but be about it.

So I appreciate you bringing that up.

I absolutely agree.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can I address you?

Can I address the council?

Oh, please.

Tish did a great job presenting this, right?

Um we and and I thank her.

Um this is the first time we've done this, right?

Like we in the 10, I don't know, maybe it was done before I was here in the 10 years that we've been here.

Um, we've never done a true third-party survey that attempts to get the opinions of all 6500 or so of our licensed businesses.

So we didn't expect a huge response rate.

I didn't expect it to be this low.

If we were to make this statistically valid with a proper margin of error, we'd have to go from a full survey of all of our businesses to a random sample.

So we're already thinking about doing that next year, um, as a way to make this um you know more statistically valid.

Um this may not be the perfect tool, right?

We went to Polco because they're our partner on the national community survey, and this is a new tool that they have, and so we're gonna take a close look at the tool as well to make sure this is the best product out there.

Um, and so I think you know, I think if we do this again, and I think we should do it again, I think we should be very intentional about how we set this up so that we're getting the answers that the council wants.

But I also, you know, it would have been really easy, I guess, to receive this survey and not to bring it here tonight because the results weren't great.

And that's not our value, our value is transparency.

So we decided to bring it to you and show you, yeah, we got a really low response rate, and we're disappointed we're just as disappointed with that as you are, and we're gonna take steps to improve it.

And we scored low in some areas, and uh we're just as disappointed in that as you are, and we're gonna I'm gonna work with my colleagues, and we will develop that plan of action, and and I'm confident that as we do this survey work, the response rate will go up and the satisfaction level levels go will go up because we're already tackling most of these issues.

So I just wanted to close with that.

I hope I I want to make sure you understand.

We we're not criticizing that at all.

We we're happy you brought it forward.

We're we're we're happy to, you know, whatever the results were, we're happy to receive them.

No, I'm not, yeah.

So I just I didn't mean that at all.

I I just want to put context to the conversation.

I know I didn't think you did, but I'd but I still wanted to be explicit about it.

Yeah, we we're very receiving of this information, and I think we just want to get a uh a clear picture uh as well, and so yeah, we we look forward to you know how how do we refine this this tool also.

And the other thing I wanted to say quickly say is a lot of these things are like similar, you know, since similar to other cities, and I think I think we're we're more concerned about our elk grove independently.

I got I'm not how we compare uh is is against ourselves, right?

So I'm not things like similar to other cities that that does or the cities, I don't want to.

And even if it did, it doesn't matter to me.

I'm worried about what how we're doing, yeah.

Right, independent.

I mean, that's I think it's always a good great goal, continuous improvement.

I think to to council member Sewin's point, I like to see what you know.

I'm glad that you brought this forward.

We want to see because I think we share the same concerns you do.

So know that we validated what you're thinking as well.

Yeah, good, good.

No, I didn't mean my comments to be defensive at all.

And Tis should agree.

I just wanted to make sure you had I just want to make sure you had that context, and yes, she did do a great job.

Yeah, so she did a phenomenal job.

Um, but if we can give the company more tools and just improve, you know.

Like we said, how do we get better samples?

Um, more businesses, diversity of business.

Um, I don't know that these were all one or two industries, which case it would be very skewed and not necessarily representative.

So I don't want to overreact, but I also don't want to underreact.

I really don't really have a reaction other than there's just a lot going on, and good to know.

Yeah.

Well, we're gonna firm it up as we move forward, it's gonna get better, I assure you.

Yeah.

But thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Excellent.

Um, all right, so you have received the info.

Next up is council comments report speech agenda items.

Councilmember Speeze, anything?

Councilmember Brewer?

No items to report.

Thank you, Councilmember Toon.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

We had our our sewer district meeting today, but also uh last week.

I want to uh give a big shout out to our to our staff here, Shandon and uh and Jason and the entire team and Kristen and her team.

Uh we hosted the Sacramento Area Council of Governments for a workshop uh on regionalism, and uh it was a great our chance to showcase our city to the sixth county 22 city region.

Thank you, Mayor, for coming by and giving a nice welcome, as well as a vice chairwoman Raquel Williams from Wilton Rancheria was uh also welcomed us.

So it was uh it was a really good event, and and folks got to see a good glimpse of our city and learn about how uh it would be better regional players.

So yeah, thank you.

Great stuff.

All right, wave my report with that.

We will go ahead and adjourn this meeting at 7 22 p.m.

Thank you, everyone.