OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - September 14, 2021

City Council — Tuesday, September 14, 2021
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 14, 2021
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

The regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for September 14th, 2021.

0:14

Council members Aquino.

0:16

Yeah.

0:16

Chalem Chairla.

0:18

Howell?

0:18

Here.

0:19

Rodriguez.

0:20

Here.

0:20

And Kozlovski.

0:21

Here.

0:22

And if everybody will join me for the pledge of allegiance.

0:47

Okay, Madam Clerk, do we have any agenda updates?

0:50

Mr.

0:50

Mayor, you have two agenda updates this evening.

0:53

One is a request to pull item five from the consent calendar.

0:57

And the council has been provided with additional written comments on item number 22.

1:03

Okay.

1:04

All right, fantastic.

1:06

Okay, we will start with uh business from the floor this evening.

1:10

This is the um point in the meeting when members of the public can comment on items that are not already on the agenda.

1:17

So do we have any speaker cards for this part?

1:20

You have one request to speak this evening from Dr.

1:22

Cindy Meyer, if you wanna come on down to the podium.

1:25

Okay.

1:29

Yes, that one by the laptop.

1:31

Yeah, there you go.

1:35

Good evening, Mayor and Council members and residents in attending from Folsom.

1:40

Thank you for the opportunity to comment tonight.

1:43

I'm here tonight as a resident of Folsom and also a mom.

1:47

I've been working in environmental management for 25 years, including local, state, and federal levels.

1:54

I have two issues to bring up tonight.

1:56

The first is the flexibility for distance learning during temporary classroom closures.

2:01

Assembly Bill 130, which superseded Senate Bill 98, does not allow the same flexibility for the schools at their discretion to switch onto a distance learning platform temporarily.

2:13

Classes are being quarantined on a regular basis, especially in the elementary schools.

2:18

The primary schools are still very vulnerable to COVID cases as they cannot be vaccinated.

2:24

And I would strongly recommend and encourage you to reach out to your contacts at the state to address this issue.

2:32

These children cannot fall behind like they did last year by missing out on education.

2:38

The second topic I'd like to discuss is the water conservation and the hydrologic forecast.

2:44

I do appreciate the flyer you sent out that stated all the different water conservation measures for the citizens.

2:51

Sadly, it may be too late or too little.

2:55

Many competing demands on the water supply exist in California, as you well know.

3:00

Not only human health and safety, but also the Endangered Species Act requirements, agriculture, and many other competing demands and balancing for the ecosystem.

3:12

The 2022 hydrologic forecast is very bleak.

3:16

We're looking at another La Niña year.

3:19

We've suffered severe water supply deficiencies from 2021 and not taking water conservation measures seriously early in the year.

3:28

We also have a reduction of the inflow due to increasing temperatures in the mountains.

3:33

Some may say climate change, other may say natural cycle.

3:37

Either way, we're seeing less inflow into the reservoirs from the river system.

3:42

So as we look towards as we look at these years, we have surpassed the 2014 and 2015 drought.

3:51

We're actually going into the worst sequence sequential two-year period on record since 1896.

3:59

And we have we are very much nearing the 1977 drought levels.

4:05

But there are many more people and demands today than there were in 1977.

4:11

So next year, 2022.

4:13

Keep your eyes open.

4:15

We're most likely going to be operating to human health and safety levels.

4:18

What does this mean?

4:20

Well, it means that you'll receive less than 100% allocation to most of the contracts for water supply in the state of California, if not all.

4:28

So I would suggest that if we are looking at this grim out forecast, first of all, we need to optimize irrigation.

4:37

Any water usage that isn't absolutely mandatory, we need to waive very carefully.

4:43

Residents will understand if their grass in their parks turns brown, so long as they have water to flush their toilet come next year.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Redistricting████████████████████████24%
Procurement Processes█████████████13%
Public Health██████████10%
Public Works██████████10%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Community Service█████5%
Community Facilities Districts█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - September 14, 2021

The Folsom City Council met on September 14, 2021, in a special session at 5:30 PM for a closed session on real property negotiations (955 Riley Street), followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 PM. The regular meeting included presentations, approval of consent items, discussion of a professional services contract, adoption of a new park naming policy, introduction of an ordinance on subdivision map extensions, and the first public hearing on transitioning to district-based elections. Key decisions included approval of the Mangini Ranch Trails design contract (4-1), adoption of the park naming policy (4-1), and unanimous approval of the map extension ordinance. The meeting also featured community service day presentations and quarterly development reports.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 6 and 8-16 approved unanimously without discussion.
  • Item 5 (Appointment to Landscaping and Lighting District Committee): Pulled for discussion. A public commenter argued the appointment violated municipal code and alleged fraudulent overcharges of $3.2 million. Council clarified the appointment is an at-large council appointment representing Willow Creek East District. Approved unanimously.
  • Item 7 (Mangini Ranch Trails Professional Services Agreement): Pulled by Councilmember Chalamcherla, who questioned the 300% price difference between the selected firm (Kimley-Horn) and the lowest bidder. City staff explained that professional services are not awarded based on price, and the evaluation considered understanding of scope, hours, and risk of change orders. Councilmember Aquino requested future reports include pricing details. Vote: 4-1 (Chalamcherla dissenting). Approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Cindy Meyer (resident): Expressed concern about the lack of flexibility for distance learning during temporary classroom closures (Assembly Bill 130) and urged council to contact state representatives. Also provided a detailed analysis of water conservation, noting the 2022 hydrologic forecast is bleak, the current drought exceeds the 2014-2015 drought, and is the worst two-year period since 1896, nearing 1977 levels. Recommended optimizing irrigation and outreach to commercial properties.
  • Public Comment on Item 5 (L&L Committee): Speaker opposed at-large appointments, alleging violation of municipal code and fraudulent overcharges of $3.2 million.
  • Public Hearing on Voting Districts:
    • Cheryl Davis: Asked about access to presentation materials and public input methods.
    • Camille Shannon (student): Asked if children are counted in population and if maps submitted by kids would be considered.
    • Dr. Cindy Meyer (GIS expert): Recommended simple mapping tools, noted the importance of accounting for future growth and children aging into voting population, and suggested using existing boundaries like school districts.
    • Teresa Garcia: Asked for a clear deadline for public map submissions (October 26, 2021, was indicated).

Discussion Items

  • Folsom Plan Area Quarterly Report (Q2 2021): Pam Johns (Community Development Director) and Steve Cron (City Engineer) reported on development activity. 321 building permits were issued in Q2, with 741 occupied homes since fall 2018. Average 92 permits/month, but August dropped to 65 due to material/labor shortages. Infrastructure updates: Westbound connector lanes expected complete late Q4. Councilmember Chalamcherla asked about challenges from doubled construction pace; staff reported using consultant inspectors and maintaining turnaround.
  • Park and Facility Naming Policy (Resolution 10696): Presented by Parks Director Lorraine Pajoni and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Matt Hedges. The policy categorizes parks into community, neighborhood, and local, with naming preferences. Councilmember Howell provided extensive historical context, arguing the system was not broken and opposing the change. Vote: 4-1 (Howell dissenting).
  • Ordinance 1317 – Subdivision Map Extension Time Limits: Amends municipal code to increase extension from 3 to 6 years, consistent with state law. Unanimous approval.
  • Public Hearing on Voting Districts (California Voting Rights Act): Consultant Doug Yokom (NDC) presented the districting process, criteria (equal population, compliance with Voting Rights Act, contiguity, communities of interest, identifiable boundaries, compactness). Timeline: map submission deadline October 26, 2021; final adoption by April 17, 2022. Council discussed incumbency, growth considerations, and the use of demographic data. No action taken; hearing only.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Consent Calendar (items 6, 8-16) unanimously.
  • Approved Item 5 (L&L Committee appointment) unanimously.
  • Approved Item 7 (Mangini Ranch Trails Agreement) 4-1.
  • Adopted Park and Facility Naming Policy (Resolution 10696) 4-1.
  • Introduced and read first time Ordinance 1317 (subdivision map extensions) unanimously.
  • Held first public hearing on districting; next hearing scheduled for October (date TBD).
  • Joint Meeting Consent Calendar (items 19-21) approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

The regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for September 14th, 2021. Council members Aquino. Yeah. Chalem Chairla. Howell? Here. Rodriguez. Here. And Kozlovski. Here. And if everybody will join me for the pledge of allegiance. Okay, Madam Clerk, do we have any agenda updates? Mr. Mayor, you have two agenda updates this evening. One is a request to pull item five from the consent calendar. And the council has been provided with additional written comments on item number 22. Okay. All right, fantastic. Okay, we will start with uh business from the floor this evening. This is the um point in the meeting when members of the public can comment on items that are not already on the agenda. So do we have any speaker cards for this part? You have one request to speak this evening from Dr. Cindy Meyer, if you wanna come on down to the podium. Okay. Yes, that one by the laptop. Yeah, there you go. Good evening, Mayor and Council members and residents in attending from Folsom. Thank you for the opportunity to comment tonight. I'm here tonight as a resident of Folsom and also a mom. I've been working in environmental management for 25 years, including local, state, and federal levels. I have two issues to bring up tonight. The first is the flexibility for distance learning during temporary classroom closures. Assembly Bill 130, which superseded Senate Bill 98, does not allow the same flexibility for the schools at their discretion to switch onto a distance learning platform temporarily. Classes are being quarantined on a regular basis, especially in the elementary schools. The primary schools are still very vulnerable to COVID cases as they cannot be vaccinated. And I would strongly recommend and encourage you to reach out to your contacts at the state to address this issue. These children cannot fall behind like they did last year by missing out on education. The second topic I'd like to discuss is the water conservation and the hydrologic forecast. I do appreciate the flyer you sent out that stated all the different water conservation measures for the citizens. Sadly, it may be too late or too little. Many competing demands on the water supply exist in California, as you well know. Not only human health and safety, but also the Endangered Species Act requirements, agriculture, and many other competing demands and balancing for the ecosystem. The 2022 hydrologic forecast is very bleak. We're looking at another La Niña year. We've suffered severe water supply deficiencies from 2021 and not taking water conservation measures seriously early in the year. We also have a reduction of the inflow due to increasing temperatures in the mountains. Some may say climate change, other may say natural cycle. Either way, we're seeing less inflow into the reservoirs from the river system. So as we look towards as we look at these years, we have surpassed the 2014 and 2015 drought. We're actually going into the worst sequence sequential two-year period on record since 1896.

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