Folsom City Council Special & Regular Meeting – May 24, 2022

The Folsom City Council held a special meeting at 5:30 PM for closed session (no reportable action) and then reconvened for a regular meeting at 6:30 PM. The regular agenda included presentations on mosquito/vector control and the Folsom Plan Area, a consent calendar with routine items, a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget, and joint meetings of several city entities. Key discussions centered on budget priorities, staffing for police and fire departments, and funding for homeless services.

Consent Calendar

• Items 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14 (including Ordinance No. 1326 on military equipment policy, various resolutions for construction agreements, active transportation grant applications, and roof/HVAC repairs) were approved by a unanimous vote (5-0).
• Item 4 (Ordinance No. 1327 to rezone parcels for the Folsom Corporate Center Apartments) was pulled and voted on separately; Councilmember Aquino recused herself. The remaining four members voted unanimously to approve.
• Items 10, 11, 12 (Mangini Ranch subdivision final maps) were continued to the June 14, 2022 meeting due to revised staff reports.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Judy Alexander, president of Heart of Folsom, spoke during the budget hearing. She expressed support for continued city funding ($25,000 proposed for homeless outreach) and urged the council to prioritize transitional housing. She noted that the city’s $15,000 grant this year paid for four apartments at Bidwell Studios for 3.5 months, and that the county continuum of care recognizes a lack of transitional housing as a bottleneck.

Discussion Items

• Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District Presentation: General Manager Gary Goodman provided an update on West Nile virus activity, invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (which can carry dengue, Zika, chikungunya), and tick surveillance for Lyme disease. He noted that last year was low for West Nile virus (120+ cases in California) but that underreporting is significant. He urged residents to eliminate standing water. Councilmember Craig Burnett (appointed representative) added that day-biting mosquitoes are a growing concern and that citizen reports are critical.
• Folsom Plan Area Semi-Annual Report: Community Development Director Pam Johns and City Engineer Steve Cron reported on development activity from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. Key statistics: three new planning applications received; five entitlements approved (including Toll Brothers phase two – 329 single-family homes, age-restricted, on 65 acres); over 1,300 occupancies in the plan area (equating to nearly 4,000 residents); almost 1,000 lots in final map review; 395 permits issued in the first quarter of 2022. Infrastructure is expected to be complete in Q3/Q4 2022.
• Fiscal Year 2022-23 Budget (Public Hearing): Chief Financial Officer Stacey Tamani presented the proposed $102.4 million general fund budget (up $9.9 million from FY21-22). Revenue increases were attributed to conservative pandemic budgeting and faster-than-expected recovery. Proposed additions included 7 firefighters for the new Folsom Plan Area Fire Station (completion targeted November 2023), 3 permanent firefighter positions (converted from limited term), a new police officer, a dispatcher, an animal control officer, GIS contract staffing ($86,000), election costs ($51,000), and outside counsel funding ($50,000). The five-year forecast projects a structural deficit growing to $3.4 million by FY 2028, with $20 million in unfunded annual needs deferred.
• Council discussion on budget: Councilmember Chalamcherla proposed using overtime savings (consistently $1.7M+ annually) to fund additional firefighter and police positions, rather than dissolving the community crime suppression unit (which handles homelessness and quality-of-life issues) to staff the south-of-50 area. Police Chief Hillman stated that three officers from that unit would need to be reassigned to the south area, impacting current services. Fire Chief Cassano noted that full staffing for Station 34 requires 9 firefighters (7 requested now, 2 next year) and that overtime is driven by vacancies and leaves. Mayor Howell and other councilmembers expressed reluctance to cut crime suppression. Councilmember Kozlowski suggested analyzing whether adding positions would reduce overtime. Councilmember Rodriguez asked for data on calls related to homelessness. Councilmember Aquino suggested swapping the animal control officer for an additional police officer. A motion to continue the budget to the June 14 meeting passed unanimously (5-0).

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved with item 4 approved separately (4-0, with Aquino recused).
• Items 10, 11, 12 continued to June 14, 2022.
• Budget adoption continued to the June 14, 2022 regular meeting; no adoption occurred on May 24.
• Council direction: Staff to analyze potential overtime savings from hiring additional firefighters; data on homeless-related service calls to be provided; possible amendments to the municipal code regarding garage sale regulations (Chapter 5.09) and sidewalk vendor permits to be considered at a future meeting.
• Joint meeting consent calendar (minutes from March 22, 2022 and investment reports for March 2022) approved unanimously.
• City manager reports: Public outreach on the city's funding gap (mailer/survey due June 20); emergency fire-risk order remains in effect; free compost available; Aquatic Center opens May 28.