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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting – September 27, 2022

City Council — Tuesday, September 27, 2022

BodyFolsom, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, September 27, 2022

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:33:28

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

We will reconvene the special meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 27th.

0:05

Do you have anything to report out, Mr.

0:07

City Attorney?

0:07

No final action tonight, Madam Mayor.

0:09

Okay, in which case we will adjourn the special meeting and convene the regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 27th, 2022.

0:18

The clerk will call the roll, please.

0:20

Council members Aquino.

0:21

Here Chalam Chairla.

0:22

Here.

0:23

Kozlowski?

0:24

Here.

0:24

Rodriguez.

0:25

Here and how?

0:26

Here.

0:27

And if you'll join in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:33

The United States of America.

0:35

And to the Republic for digital stands.

0:38

One nation on the visible justice for all.

0:48

Do we have any agenda updates?

0:50

Yes, madam mayor.

0:51

We have additional information for items four, eight, ten, and eleven on that's agenda.

0:57

A copy has been uh provided to you earlier, and they are also available to the public on the table in the back.

1:04

Thank you.

1:06

Do we have any requests to speak from business from the floor?

1:09

You have no request to speak this evening under business from the floor.

1:11

Just in case this is your opportunity to speak to us about anything that is not on the agenda.

1:16

Is there anybody that would like to come up in business from the floor?

1:21

Seeing no one rushing forward, we will move on to schedule presentations.

1:25

Okay, your first scheduled presentation item this evening is the US 50 Empire Ranch Road Interchange Project Update.

1:32

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council, Mark Rackovan, Public Works Director.

1:37

Um this evening, uh Ryan Chance, our senior civil engineer will give you an update on the Empire Ranch Road Interchange Project.

1:45

Uh you may recall back in 2021, we were successfully awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant from SACOG to assist us towards the final design of that interchange.

1:58

Um so Ryan's gonna give you an update on on where we stand in the uh the approval process with Caltrans and an idea of our schedule looking ahead.

2:22

Good evening, Madam Mayor and City Council members.

2:24

Um for those that don't know me.

2:26

My name is Ryan Chance, senior civil engineer in the public works department.

2:30

Uh like to be excited to give you guys a presentation on the uh Empire Ranch Interchange.

2:35

We're uh we're excited to be moving forward with it after so many years.

2:39

Um sitting idle due to due to funding.

2:42

So um it, you know, it's been a long planned, very important project for not only Folsom but for the region.

2:50

Um, anybody that travels uh into Folsom to do shopping from El Dorado County is surely going to be excited to have this interchange.

2:59

And uh it's it's gonna be uh also a nice connection from the north side of Folsom to the south side of Folsom.

3:06

Uh just one more connection point to uh unify our our city.

3:10

Excuse me.

3:17

Okay.

3:18

So our presentation uh it's gonna just we're gonna go a brief overview of the project, um, the history of the project, different alternatives that we considered throughout the um preliminary design phase.

3:30

Uh uh the preferred alternative, show you some pictures of that.

3:35

Um, our project cost estimates and um status and schedule, and then I'll answer any questions that you may have after that.

3:44

So just just uh to kind of recognize our project team.

3:48

I wanted to let you know that we have uh Dennis Haglin with Dewberry um consultants with us tonight, who's been working on the project approval and environmental document for the project uh since 2018.

3:59

We contracted with Dewberry, formerly Drake Haglin.

4:03

Um so we're happy to have him here tonight, especially me in case you guys have any real technical questions about um some of the engineering engineering that I may not know about.

4:12

Uh a few other uh you know consultants on the project team and obviously community partners and stakeholders, and like I said, it's uh really gonna be a benefit for the whole region as well as uh Folsom.

4:30

So the project overview is obviously to build a new interchange pretty much in between East Bidwell Street and Latrobe Road.

4:39

It's going to provide four new connections.

4:44

So you're gonna have eastbound, westbound, off on and off ramps, all directions.

4:48

Uh we're gonna construct auxiliary lanes.

4:50

Um for anybody who doesn't know what an auxiliary lane is, it's uh it's an extra lane on the freeway that that allows uh vehicles to not have to merge as soon as they get on.

5:03

Acceleration, deceleration lane, helps with traffic flow, and just you don't have a lot of those merging problems that you have when you have to get on or off at a certain point.

5:18

So the project history, it's been around for a while.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Works█████████████████████████████████████████████55%

Community Engagement███████████13%

Transportation Safety█████6%

Procedural███4%

Community Facilities Districts███4%

Engineering And Infrastructure██3%

Budget and Finance██3%

Community Service██3%

City Manager Reports██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting – September 27, 2022

The Folsom City Council convened a special meeting at 6:15 PM for a closed session regarding existing litigation (Laura Knudsen v. City of Folsom), with no final action reported. The regular meeting began at 6:30 PM, featuring scheduled presentations on major transportation projects, adoption of a historic district residential permit parking program, and removal of garage sale frequency limits. The council also approved consent calendar items, rescinded a prior crematorium approval, and heard public comments.

Consent Calendar

Items 3, 5, 6, and 7 were approved unanimously: approval of September 13, 2022 meeting minutes; acceptance of a $63,000 Selective Traffic Enforcement Grant; authorization to purchase three Ford Ranger pickup trucks; and a Memorandum of Understanding with Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522 (Folsom Unit).
Item 4 (Ordinance No. 1332 – Temporary Outdoor Dining Permit) was pulled by Councilmember Howell, who abstained, and was approved on a 4–0 vote (Howell recused).

Public Comments & Testimony

Loretta Hedinger spoke in support of moving forward with the residential permit parking program and urged the city to fund a parking structure for the 600 block of Sutter Street.
Mike Reynolds (Historic Folsom Residents Association) spoke in favor of the permit parking program, expressed concern about last-minute merchant objections, and recommended moving forward with the resolution rather than continuing it. He also noted that the pilot program had run for 18 months with no prior business complaints.
No public comments were made on the garage sale ordinance or other items.

Discussion Items

US50/Empire Ranch Road Interchange Project Update (Presentation): Senior Civil Engineer Ryan Chance presented an update on the long-planned new interchange between East Bidwell and Latrobe Road. The preferred alternative features roundabouts, auxiliary lanes, and grade-separated pedestrian/bicycle crossings. The project is in the design phase; a draft project report has been resubmitted to Caltrans. Funding includes $2.5 million from SACOG, $4 million from Empire Ranch CFD 10, $20 million from Folsom Plan Area construction funds, and potential $25 million from a November ballot measure. Total estimated cost is $110 million (escalated to 2025). The project may be phased, with an initial overpass and roundabouts. Construction is targeted to start by 2025, with a 1.5–2 year build time.
East Bidwell/Iron Point and US50 Improvement Project Update (Presentation): Senior Civil Engineer Zach Bosch presented improvements to the congested East Bidwell/Iron Point intersection. The project will add a third left-turn lane from westbound Iron Point to southbound East Bidwell, with the outer lane dedicated to westbound US 50. Through a Caltrans policy exemption, an existing HOV lane on the westbound on-ramp will be converted to a general purpose lane, saving an estimated $4 million. The project will improve level of service from D to C (westbound delay reduced by 24%). Construction documents are expected spring 2023. The $4 million savings will be reallocated to the Empire Ranch interchange design.
Old Business – Item 8: Resolution No. 10922 – Rescinding Lakeside Memorial Lawn Crematorium Conditional Use Permit: Associate Planner Josh Kincaid presented the applicant’s request to rescind the CUP and mitigated negative declaration. The applicant agreed to prepare an EIR if they resubmit. The council unanimously approved the resolution.
Old Business – Items 9 & 10: Historic District Residential Permit Parking Program:
- Item 9 (Ordinance No. 1331): Second reading and adoption. Public Works Director Mark Rackovan noted a correction to remove wayward brackets and a request to exempt bicycles from the permit requirement. The council adopted the ordinance as amended. Councilmembers expressed a desire for a future review of the program’s effectiveness.
- Item 10 (Resolution No. 10920): Establishing the first permit parking zone. The council debated several elements: approval threshold (67% of property owners vs. simple majority of respondents), permit cost ($50 for two years vs. $25 for one year), and boundaries (including the 500 block of Figueroa Street, suggested by the residents association). Vice Mayor Rodriguez proposed continuing the item to October 25 to allow merchant discussions, but the council voted 4–0 to proceed with amendments: maintain a 67% approval threshold (of property owners, not residents), set permits at $50 for two years, and keep the original boundaries without expanding to the 500 block of Figueroa. The resolution was approved with those amendments.
New Business – Item 11: Ordinance No. 1333 – Removing Limitations on Garage Sales: Community Development Director Pam Johns explained that the ordinance repeals the 1997 limit of two garage sales per year (three consecutive days each). Enforcement was suspended during COVID, and no complaints were received. The council introduced the ordinance on first reading; it was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

Consent Calendar: Items 3, 5, 6, 7 approved unanimously; Item 4 approved 4–0 (Howell abstained).
Rescission of Crematorium Approval: Resolution No. 10922 approved unanimously.
Historic District Permit Parking: Ordinance No. 1331 adopted with amendments (bicycle exemption). Resolution No. 10920 approved with amendments: 67% property owner approval threshold, $50/2-year permits, no expansion to 500 block Figueroa. The council rejected a continuation to October 25.
Garage Sale Limits: Ordinance No. 1333 introduced on first reading and adopted unanimously.
City Manager Reports: Announced new library director Tom Grunyson, HR director Alison Garcia, National Coffee with a Cop Day (Oct 5), and Barkin’ Splash dog swim event (Oct 1).
Council Comments: Included updates on school district coordination, public safety career education, community service day success, Citrus Heights neighborhood district model, high school football, Choose Folsom economic update, Kaiser entitlements submitted, and traffic striping improvements.

Meeting Transcript

We will reconvene the special meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 27th. Do you have anything to report out, Mr. City Attorney? No final action tonight, Madam Mayor. Okay, in which case we will adjourn the special meeting and convene the regular meeting of the Folsom City Council for Tuesday, September 27th, 2022. The clerk will call the roll, please. Council members Aquino. Here Chalam Chairla. Here. Kozlowski? Here. Rodriguez. Here and how? Here. And if you'll join in the Pledge of Allegiance. The United States of America. And to the Republic for digital stands. One nation on the visible justice for all. Do we have any agenda updates? Yes, madam mayor. We have additional information for items four, eight, ten, and eleven on that's agenda. A copy has been uh provided to you earlier, and they are also available to the public on the table in the back. Thank you. Do we have any requests to speak from business from the floor? You have no request to speak this evening under business from the floor. Just in case this is your opportunity to speak to us about anything that is not on the agenda. Is there anybody that would like to come up in business from the floor? Seeing no one rushing forward, we will move on to schedule presentations. Okay, your first scheduled presentation item this evening is the US 50 Empire Ranch Road Interchange Project Update. Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of council, Mark Rackovan, Public Works Director. Um this evening, uh Ryan Chance, our senior civil engineer will give you an update on the Empire Ranch Road Interchange Project. Uh you may recall back in 2021, we were successfully awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant from SACOG to assist us towards the final design of that interchange. Um so Ryan's gonna give you an update on on where we stand in the uh the approval process with Caltrans and an idea of our schedule looking ahead. Good evening, Madam Mayor and City Council members. Um for those that don't know me. My name is Ryan Chance, senior civil engineer in the public works department. Uh like to be excited to give you guys a presentation on the uh Empire Ranch Interchange. We're uh we're excited to be moving forward with it after so many years. Um sitting idle due to due to funding. So um it, you know, it's been a long planned, very important project for not only Folsom but for the region. Um, anybody that travels uh into Folsom to do shopping from El Dorado County is surely going to be excited to have this interchange. And uh it's it's gonna be uh also a nice connection from the north side of Folsom to the south side of Folsom. Uh just one more connection point to uh unify our our city. Excuse me. Okay. So our presentation uh it's gonna just we're gonna go a brief overview of the project, um, the history of the project, different alternatives that we considered throughout the um preliminary design phase. Uh uh the preferred alternative, show you some pictures of that. Um, our project cost estimates and um status and schedule, and then I'll answer any questions that you may have after that. So just just uh to kind of recognize our project team. I wanted to let you know that we have uh Dennis Haglin with Dewberry um consultants with us tonight, who's been working on the project approval and environmental document for the project uh since 2018.

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