OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting Summary – June 14, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, June 14, 2022
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 14, 2022
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Okay.

0:02

We'll adjourn the special meeting of the Folsom City Council for June 14th, 2022, and call to order the regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for 2022, June 14th.

0:14

Good evening, Madam Mayor.

0:16

Just voted my career.

0:17

There's no announcement or reporting out for tonight's closed session.

0:21

Okay, thank you.

0:22

Thank you, ma'am.

0:22

The clerk will call the roll, please.

0:24

Councilmember Kozlowski?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Rodriguez.

0:27

Here, Aquino.

0:28

Here.

0:28

Chalum Sherla.

0:29

Here.

0:30

And Hal.

0:30

Here.

0:31

You'll all join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:36

Pledge allegiance to the flag.

0:38

In the United States of America.

0:40

And to the republic, which it stands.

0:44

Under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

0:52

Do we have any agenda updates?

0:55

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

0:56

Good evening.

0:57

Item 13 on tonight's agenda is being continued to the June 28th council meeting.

1:02

And there is additional information for item 15, a copy of which has been provided to you previously.

1:08

And I believe a call piece also on the available on the table in the back.

1:16

Okay.

1:18

In which case we will move to our business from the floor.

1:23

That is the opportunity for any anybody from the public to speak to us on any items that are not on tonight's agenda.

1:31

Okay, you have one request to speak tonight from Jason Davis.

1:35

And Jason, we'll start the three minute timer when you start, and you'll also notice there's a lighted um red, red, yellow, green for you.

1:42

Okay, great.

1:43

Thank you.

1:43

I'm uh Jason Davis.

1:45

I'm a resident of Folsom.

1:46

First, I wanted to thank uh the city for opening the uh respite center um on uh this past week due to the heat.

1:53

That was that was awesome.

1:54

Looking forward to more of that, and especially when we have smoke hitting and that we're well prepared for that.

2:01

So I know that was appreciated by those that really needed it.

2:04

Um I wanted to address a few issues related to our unhoused residents who have chosen to uh chosen to live in Folsom on public property and are and more about our uh city homeless management plan.

2:17

It's been brought to my attention that the city of Folsom police department has been issuing abatement flyers to some of our unhoused residents and not to others.

2:27

And I really want to emphasize the not in that.

2:30

Um I don't know why this is not consistent, but it's definitely a concern.

2:34

And I'm not referring to resolution number 10674, which was titled a resolution of the city council of the city of Folsom proclaiming existence of a local emergency due to extreme fire danger.

2:49

Uh the notices that I'm referring to are titled Public Nuisance Declared, and it says specifically public nuisance declared.

2:58

This campsite has been declared a public nuisance by the city of Folsom, persuading to Folsom Municipal Code 9.10060, which specifically states any campsite established in the city in violation of this chapter is declared to be a public nuisance.

3:18

And the chief of police is authorized to abate the nuisance nuisance uh and remove camp facilities in camp paraphernalia as authorized by law.

3:32

It refers to 9.100020, which defines camp, which means to any of the following to sleep any time between the hours of 9 p.m.

3:43

and 9 a.m.

3:44

in any of the following places, outdoors with or without betting, tent, hammock, or other similar protection or equipment in or under any structure not intended for human habitation, whether with or without betting, tent, hammock, or other similar protection equipment, or in on or under any parked vehicle, including an automobile, bus, truck, travel trailer, or other recreational vehicles.

4:18

These folks are given, have been given three days, three days to abate and are being asked to remove all personal property prior to the date indicated above and clean up the campsite immediately.

4:31

It has also been brought to my attention that other police officers are telling some of our unhoused residents to move without being given abatement flyers.

4:43

This is very concerning, and this is this is confusing.

4:47

Based on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Courts, the September 2018 ruling.

4:54

Homeless persons cannot be punished for sleeping outside on public property in the absence of adequate alternatives.

5:01

I'm confused.

5:03

Others on the street are confused.

5:05

I'm confused because, and others are because is it because it's messy?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Works████████████████16%
Budget and Finance███████████████15%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Economic Development███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Arts and Culture█████5%
Strategic Planning█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting – June 14, 2022

The Folsom City Council held its regular meeting on June 14, 2022, at 2:45 PM UTC. The meeting included proclamations, a consent calendar, a public hearing on the FY 2022-23 budget, adoption of the Active Transportation Plan, a lease renewal for the Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad (PSVR), and an amendment to a Community Facilities District (CFD). Key debates centered on funding for an assistant city manager, fire overtime, police officer positions, and the timeline for the PSVR lease.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved items 3–13 (excluding item 7, which was pulled for comment) unanimously via roll call vote.
  • Councilmember Challapalli praised staff for a well-executed evaluation of firms for item 7, noting the importance of considering pricing alongside quality.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jason Davis (Folsom resident) – Expressed appreciation for the city’s heat respite center but raised concerns about inconsistent enforcement of homeless camping abatement notices. Cited a Ninth Circuit ruling (September 2018) that prohibits punishing sleeping outside without adequate alternatives. Requested greater budget scrutiny for the navigator position ($60,000) and animal control expenses.
  • Crystal Gordon (online caller) – Urged the council to fully staff the Community Crime Suppression Unit (CCSU), describing a decline in park safety due to illegal camps, drugs, and weapons. Stated, "I'm begging council to do right by our community and fully staff CCSU."
  • Bob Holderness (community member) – Opposed development on the Y property, noting barriers from a nearby food processing plant and a mobile home park.
  • Jim Harville (President, PSVR) – Explained the railroad’s vision for a railroad-themed public park and restoration of the station master’s house. Acknowledged the site’s current "industrial chic" but noted delays due to the pandemic and city’s failure to install crossings south of Highway 50.

Discussion Items

  • FY 2022-23 Budget (Item 14) – City Manager Elaine Andersen presented budget options. Key topics:
    • Assistant City Manager: Staff did not recommend funding the position ($375,000) due to unmet personnel needs. Council debated using contingency reserves ($900,000) or ARPA funds. Vice Mayor Rodriguez, Councilmember Kozlowski, and Mayor Howell opposed adding it this year; Councilmember Challapalli and Councilmember Aquino supported it. The motion to include it failed (3-2).
    • Fire Overtime: Budgeted at $1.6 million, but current year spending is $2.6 million. Council considered adding two more permanent firefighters to reduce overtime. Councilmember Challapalli proposed reallocating $425,000 from fire overtime to hire three additional police officers. Fire Chief Cassano noted that while new hires may temporarily reduce overtime, uncertainty remains. The council ultimately did not approve the reallocation.
    • Police Officers: A COPS grant application for three officers was submitted; results expected in September. Staff recommended waiting for grant outcome before adding positions beyond the budgeted one officer.
    • Strategic Planning: Councilmember Aquino suggested a $50–75,000 strategic planning effort using ARPA funds. Council consensus directed staff to bring back a cost estimate.
  • Active Transportation Plan (Item 15) – Senior Trails Planner Brett Bollinger presented the plan, which received over 2,500 public comments. 34 projects are prioritized for Phase 1; cost estimated at $88 million for high-priority projects. Councilmember Challapalli questioned a table on bicycle facility miles. Minor editorial corrections were noted. The plan was adopted unanimously.
  • PSVR Lease Renewal (Item 16) – Public Works Director Mark Rackovan recommended a 4-year lease renewal for the Y property (retroactive to November 2021). Vice Mayor Rodriguez proposed a 2-year term to align with a future presentation from PSVR. Councilmember Kozlowski offered a substitute motion for 4 years, which failed 3-2 (Kozlowski and Mayor Howell in favor; Rodriguez, Aquino, Challapalli opposed). The original 4-year motion then passed 4-1 (Mayor Howell dissenting).
  • CFD Amendment (Item 17) – CFO Stacey Tamani presented a request from landowners to amend Improvement Area 6 within CFD 23. No financial impact to the general fund. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Budget Adoption: Resolution 10861 adopted (5-0).
  • Active Transportation Plan: Resolution 10871 adopted (5-0).
  • PSVR Lease: Resolution 10868 adopted (4-1) for a 4-year term (retroactive to November 2021).
  • CFD Amendment: Resolution 10870 adopted (5-0).
  • Next Steps: Staff to report back on strategic planning costs; first quarter financial report will include COPS grant results; city to work on rail crossings south of Highway 50.
  • City Manager Reports: Highlights included survey results (over 3,500 responses), ladder fuel removal, food waste recycling (SB 1383), voicemail outage, National Night Out (August 2).

Meeting Transcript

Okay. We'll adjourn the special meeting of the Folsom City Council for June 14th, 2022, and call to order the regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for 2022, June 14th. Good evening, Madam Mayor. Just voted my career. There's no announcement or reporting out for tonight's closed session. Okay, thank you. Thank you, ma'am. The clerk will call the roll, please. Councilmember Kozlowski? Here. Rodriguez. Here, Aquino. Here. Chalum Sherla. Here. And Hal. Here. You'll all join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag. In the United States of America. And to the republic, which it stands. Under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. Do we have any agenda updates? Thank you, Madam Mayor. Good evening. Item 13 on tonight's agenda is being continued to the June 28th council meeting. And there is additional information for item 15, a copy of which has been provided to you previously. And I believe a call piece also on the available on the table in the back. Okay. In which case we will move to our business from the floor. That is the opportunity for any anybody from the public to speak to us on any items that are not on tonight's agenda. Okay, you have one request to speak tonight from Jason Davis. And Jason, we'll start the three minute timer when you start, and you'll also notice there's a lighted um red, red, yellow, green for you. Okay, great. Thank you. I'm uh Jason Davis. I'm a resident of Folsom. First, I wanted to thank uh the city for opening the uh respite center um on uh this past week due to the heat. That was that was awesome. Looking forward to more of that, and especially when we have smoke hitting and that we're well prepared for that. So I know that was appreciated by those that really needed it. Um I wanted to address a few issues related to our unhoused residents who have chosen to uh chosen to live in Folsom on public property and are and more about our uh city homeless management plan. It's been brought to my attention that the city of Folsom police department has been issuing abatement flyers to some of our unhoused residents and not to others. And I really want to emphasize the not in that. Um I don't know why this is not consistent, but it's definitely a concern. And I'm not referring to resolution number 10674, which was titled a resolution of the city council of the city of Folsom proclaiming existence of a local emergency due to extreme fire danger. Uh the notices that I'm referring to are titled Public Nuisance Declared, and it says specifically public nuisance declared. This campsite has been declared a public nuisance by the city of Folsom, persuading to Folsom Municipal Code 9.10060, which specifically states any campsite established in the city in violation of this chapter is declared to be a public nuisance. And the chief of police is authorized to abate the nuisance nuisance uh and remove camp facilities in camp paraphernalia as authorized by law. It refers to 9.100020, which defines camp, which means to any of the following to sleep any time between the hours of 9 p.m.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com