Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting Summary – September 13, 2022
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Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting Summary — September 13, 2022
On Tuesday, September 13, 2022, the Folsom City Council held a special meeting at 5:30 PM and a regular meeting at 6:30 PM in the City Council Chambers, 50 Natoma Street. The special meeting adjourned to closed session, and the City Attorney reported no final action. The regular meeting featured proclamations, a Community Service Day presentation, a unanimous consent calendar, termination of the city's COVID-19 local emergency, introduction of a temporary outdoor dining ordinance, discussion of cardroom ordinance changes, a zoning code update workshop, and joint authority actions. The meeting was adjourned at 9:04 PM.
Closed Session
- The City Council met in closed session for existing litigation, anticipated litigation, and labor negotiations. No final action was reported from the closed session.
Proclamations and Presentations
- Councilmember Kozlowski presented a proclamation declaring September 17–23, 2022 as Constitution Week. Representatives from the Charlotte Parker chapter of the DAR accepted the proclamation and invited the community to a bell-ringing celebration at City Hall on Saturday at 1 PM.
- Councilmember Kozlowski presented a proclamation declaring September 2022 as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ruth Anderson accepted and stated that 1 in 78 U.S. women will get ovarian cancer in their lifetime and about 50% of those diagnosed die within five years; she urged awareness, symptom education, and research donations.
- Parks and Recreation staff presented the 2022 Community Service Day, scheduled for Saturday, September 17. As of 4:55 PM that day, more than 2,000 volunteers had registered, filling 99% of available volunteer slots; 96 community projects and 59 Neighbors Helping Seniors projects were planned. Sponsorships exceeded $101,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, with Intel as the presenting sponsor for the ninth year.
Business from the Floor
- Andre Casanova urged the Council to include local-hire, living-wage, apprenticeship, prevailing-wage, and health-and-welfare language in affordable housing and construction projects so local residents can obtain good jobs.
- Justin Raithel requested a $270 permit-fee waiver for the Twin Lakes Food Bank re-roofing project planned for Community Service Day, noting only the Council could waive the fee.
Consent Calendar
- The Council approved the entire Consent Calendar (items 4–11) by a 5-0 roll-call vote. This included the August 23, 2022 meeting minutes; contract change order for the Capital Southeast Connector Segment D3(A) with Goodfellow Brothers; applications for all eligible CalRecycle grants; inflationary adjustments to city impact and connection fees; the SRCSD billing and collection agreement; purchase of two Type 1 fire engines from Golden State Fire Apparatus; resolutions supporting affordable housing development at 300 Persifer Street (SACOG Green Means Go application and $800,000 in HOME funds to Habitat for Humanity for 10 units); and acceptance of a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant for defensible space and vegetation management.
Discussion Items
- Resolution No. 10911 – Termination of COVID-19 Local Emergency: Staff reviewed the local emergency timeline and consequences of termination. Human Resources Manager Alison Garcia explained that city employee COVID-19 leave benefits would sunset on October 1, but if the state extends supplemental paid sick leave to December 31, city employees would still be eligible for up to 80 hours of state leave. Council consensus was to terminate the local emergency on October 1 and follow state law. Resolution No. 10911 was adopted unanimously, 5-0.
- Ordinance No. 1332 – Temporary Outdoor Dining Permit: Community Development Director Pam Johns presented the ordinance as a follow-up to the COVID emergency orders, creating a permanent permitting path for parklets and outdoor dining on city streets and city-owned property. The new process would require applications, plan review, a site design review fee plus encroachment permit (totaling less than $500), annual renewal, ADA compliance, liability insurance, and removal when permits expire. Existing permittees may continue if they apply by October 27, 2022. Councilmembers raised concerns about annual fees and noticing. Public speakers supported keeping parklets permanently. Amendments were made to add design appropriateness to review criteria and to require reasonable notice for removal. Councilmember Kozlowski recused himself due to financial conflict as a restaurant owner with a parklet. The remainder of Council voted 4-0 to approve the first reading.
- During public comment on the parklet item, John Bowles (Reset Cafe by Day) said without outdoor dining his business would not have survived and called parklets a district staple. Karen Holmes read a statement from Dylan Morrow (Sam Horns and Fat Rabbit) saying the businesses are 100% in support of making outdoor dining permanent. Loretta Hettinger endorsed parklets but urged adding design rejection and reasonable-notice provisions. Justin Raithel supported parklets and suggested the Council consider exclusive-use vs. common-area management, maintenance responsibility, and potential revenue.
- Cardroom Ordinance Modifications: Staff briefed the Council on a request from Delta C LP to amend Chapter 5.20 of the Municipal Code. The applicant wants to increase permitted card tables from 9 to 11, allow up to 15 tables if state restrictions change, and allow backline betting. Delta C LP proposes to operate at the former Applebee's site on Iron Point Road. The applicant's representatives presented an economic impact study estimating an increase from approximately 40 employees today to about 100 with 11 tables. Councilmembers expressed support for bringing the proposed amendments back for formal action; staff was directed to prepare them.
- Zoning Code Update – Administration and Review Process Workshop: Principal Planner Desmond Parrington presented proposed changes to design review thresholds, administrative use permits, minor modifications, public noticing, and appeals. Staff recommended increasing director-level design review to 10 residential units and 5,000 square feet of commercial space, creating an administrative use permit, allowing up to 10% minor deviations with findings, expanding hearing notices from 300 to 500 feet, creating a development activity webpage, and considering one-level appeals. Council discussed variations: one councilmember preferred 5 residential units; members differed on the deviation percentage; some favored one-level appeals and others two. Loretta Hettinger advised not fixing rigid numbers and stressed transparency. Council directed staff to incorporate the discussion into the draft zoning code, conduct a 30-day public review and workshops, and return a final draft for summer 2023 adoption.
Joint City Council / Authorities Meeting
- The Council convened jointly as the Folsom Redevelopment Successor Agency, Folsom Public Financing Authority, Folsom Ranch Financing Authority, and South of 50 Parking Authority. Items 16 and 17 (approval of the July 12, 2022 joint meeting minutes and receiving June 2022 monthly investment reports) were approved 5-0.
City Manager Reports and Council Comments
- The City Manager announced organic-waste kitchen pail giveaway events on October 4 and October 15, Fun Factory Preschool openings, the Vista del Lago homecoming parade route closure on September 21, and the Wayne Spence Folsom Veterans Day Parade.
- Councilmembers thanked the 2,000+ Community Service Day volunteers, promoted local events, and reported on the League of California Cities conference and a visit to Pinebrook Village. Mayor Howell noted regional matters. The Council adjourned in memory of Folsom resident Reed Bellis.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar approved 5-0.
- Resolution No. 10911 (termination of COVID-19 local emergency) adopted 5-0.
- Ordinance No. 1332 (temporary outdoor dining permit) introduced and passed first reading 4-0, with Councilmember Kozlowski recused.
- Staff directed to return with cardroom ordinance amendments based on Council support.
- Staff directed to incorporate the zoning code workshop input and proceed with public review and further workshops.
Meeting Transcript
We will reconvene the special meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 13th, 2022. Do you have anything to report out, Mr. City Attorney? No final action to that, Madam Mayor. Okay, then we will adjourn the special meeting and convene the regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 13th, 2022. If the clerk will call the roll, please. Council members Rodriguez here, Aquino here. Chalum Chairla. Here. Kozlowski? Here. And Howell. Here. And if you'll join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And two of the college for which expands one nation of God. And do we have any agenda updates? None tonight, Madam Mayor. Okay, in which case we will move to business from the floor. And right now we only have one request to speak. And this is for items that are not on our agenda. You have we'll have three minutes and just um to further explain, we can't actually get into a discussion because that the items not on the agenda. So uh first the only request so far would be Andre Casanova. Good evening, Council members, mayor. I always like to speak on uh when you have in these projects of affordable homes and project that you're building, that you put some type of language in, that you have some type of a living wage, the local hire, some form of an apprenticeship, prevailing wage, uh health and welfare for the uh for your local citizens who live here instead of them having to drive hours, hours to other cities who work on similar projects where they do have prevailing weight or livable weight where they can't afford to live here. It would be nice if you could put some type of language in so that your local citizens could have a decent job. I thought I could say, thank you. Thank you. Okay, it looks like our next one is Justin Raithel. Good evening, Mayor, Council members. Uh I'll be back up here in just a second to talk about service day. Uh but wanted to start. We had a great project submitted uh through community service day. That's uh the re-roof project for Twin Lakes Food Bank. Um they did have to pull a permit uh in order to do the re-roofing project. Um I've been informed by staff that that permit fee is 270 dollars uh that could be waived, uh, but that action can only be taken by the city council. Um so I'm just here to request that you guys waive that 270 dollar permit fee if you could because it's a great nonprofit that serves the community and serves many members. Uh Folsom. Uh if you can't, hey, we've got it built into our budget, totally fine. I was just told it can't be a staff action, it's got to be a uh council action to waive that. And out of the fees that were paid, 270, I guess could be theoretically waived if you check with staff. Thanks, Justin. Uh do we have anybody else that would like to speak on anything that's not on the agenda? Okay, not seeing anybody coming forward. We will move to scheduled presentations, and councilmember Kozlowski will do the first one. Proclamation of the mayor's city of Folsom proclaiming September 17th through 23rd as constitution week in the city of Folsom. All right, if uh Charlotte Parkhurst and Kim Richwine can join me, and whoever else may be with you. Here's the proclamation, so I'm gonna let you guys hold that. Um Charlot Charlotte here is the uh Charlotte Parker is our chapter. I'm Becky Shioka.
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