OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting - January 10, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, January 10, 2023
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 10, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening, everyone.

0:03

We will now reconvene the special meeting for Tuesday, January 10th.

0:08

Are there any final actions to report out?

0:10

Good evening, Madam Mayor.

0:12

No final action tonight.

0:13

Okay.

0:14

We will now adjourn the special meeting and call to order the city council regular meeting for Tuesday, January 10th.

0:21

Will the clerk please call the roll?

0:23

Council members Aquino?

0:24

Here.

0:25

Challenge?

0:26

Here.

0:26

Kozlowski.

0:27

Here.

0:27

Roerba.

0:28

And Rodriguez here.

0:30

Councilmember Aquino, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:42

One nation.

0:50

Are there any agenda updates?

0:55

Good evening, Madam Mayor and the members of the city council.

0:58

There is additional information for items two and fourteen, as well as revised staff report for items six and eleven.

1:06

A copy had previously been provided to you, and they are also available on the table in the back.

1:12

Okay, and then we will also be switching items number 15 and 14.

1:17

Reverse the order.

1:18

Okay.

1:20

Will the clerk please call the next item?

1:22

Okay, your next item this evening is business from the floor.

1:25

You have about eight requests to speak under this item.

1:29

Okay, business from the floor.

1:30

It's a public's opportunity to address the city council concerning any item within the city's jurisdiction that is not on the agenda.

1:38

Please keep in mind that the city council is generally prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item that is not on the agenda.

1:45

Public comments are limited to no more than three minutes.

1:48

There is a speaker timer on the podium in front of you that will display the time you have remaining for on your three minutes.

1:55

The color will change to yellow and you will have 30 seconds left and turn to red and blink when you have when your three minutes are completed.

2:02

We ask that everyone respect the three-minute time limit to ensure that all speakers have an equal opportunity to address the city council.

2:09

Are there any requests to speak?

2:11

You do.

2:11

You have about eight requests this evening.

2:13

Your first is from Rich Foreman and Kyle Middleton.

2:18

Welcome.

2:20

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

2:21

I have uh so I was I was I missed the deadline and turned in presentation, but I have handouts.

2:26

So pass it up.

2:28

Yes.

2:35

Thanks for that.

2:36

Yeah, if you want six minutes.

2:38

Okay.

2:40

And Richard, if I understand correctly, you will be speaking for two individuals taking up six minutes.

2:46

Six minutes, thank you.

2:57

Okay.

2:59

So hopefully you guys can follow along on the with the handouts.

3:03

Okay, my name is Rich Foreman.

3:05

I'm a Folsom resident and a serial entrepreneur.

3:07

And today what I'm like proposing is uh a proposal for the city to actually invest in entrepreneurship and innovation.

3:15

And I'm just gonna start out with a small statistic that 64% of all new jobs come from small business business.

3:23

And this is a statistic from the SBA.

3:26

And what I'm gonna talk about today is what our neighbors are doing, the ingredients of a driving startup ecosystem, and what we have here in Folsom.

3:34

Then I'll talk about our proposal, then what what's in it for Folsom, and then uh if we have time, I can go over case studies and the Folsom strategic goals.

3:44

So let me talk about what our neighbors are doing.

3:46

So the city of Sacramento, uh, they've actually been doing investing in innovation and entrepreneurship for years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety██████████████████18%
Procedural██████████████14%
Grant Management███████████11%
Public Works██████████10%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Community Service██████6%
Public Transportation██████6%
Procurement Processes█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special and Regular Meeting - January 10, 2023

The City Council met in two sessions on January 10, 2023. The special meeting at 5:30 PM convened in closed session for three existing litigation cases and reported no final action. The regular meeting began at 6:30 PM, covering consent calendar items, public comments, commission appointments, a presentation on traffic roundabouts, and prioritization of grant applications for SACOG funding.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Rich Foreman and Kyle Middleton (six minutes) proposed a $300,000 investment in entrepreneurship and innovation, citing neighboring cities' programs. They noted 64% of new jobs come from small businesses and requested seed funding, an accelerator, and mentorship programs.
  • Mgaya Rao (high school student, HSS Volunteer) announced the 16th annual Health for Humanity Yogathon (Jan 14–29, 2023) promoting yoga and Surya Namaskar.
  • Ravi Krishna Patanangari (7th grade student) described the Seva Diwali food drive, contributing to Twin Lakes Food Bank and other pantries.
  • Anshal Mishra (HSS member) reported that Seva Diwali collected 61,000 pounds of food in Folsom alone and 630,000 pounds nationally in 2022.
  • Dr. Kate Cordell (co-founder of Opeka, a local startup) spoke in support of Rich Foreman's proposal, noting resources from other cities.
  • Michael Curtin supported Foreman's proposal, emphasizing startups stay local and return investment 20 times over.
  • Scott Rafferty criticized the city's district boundaries and litigation, stating a second lawsuit was filed against the city over gerrymandering, and urged settlement to avoid mounting legal fees.
  • Jacob Rangell (new Folsom resident) supported Foreman's proposal, citing benefits of a tech incubator to retain talent.
  • Robert Dresser (Folsom resident, Folsom Democratic Club member) asked the council to settle the voting rights lawsuit to save city funds.
  • Ian Cornell (LLD Advisory Committee for Lexington Hills) spoke on consent item 6, urging rejection of the resolution and acceptance of the lowest bid.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1, 3, 4, 5, 7–12 were approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Item 2 (minutes from December 13, 2022) was pulled by Councilmember Kozlowski to explain why specific conversations are not detailed. The city clerk clarified the city uses action minutes since 2001, with video as the official record. Item 2 approved 5-0.
  • Item 6 (Resolution No. 10968 to reject all bids for Corten Steel Sign project) was pulled by Ian Cornell who asked to reject the resolution and accept the lowest bid ($22,000 less than the next). After debate, the council voted 3-2 (Aquino, Kozlowski, Rohrbough yes; Chalamcherla, Rodriguez no) to reject the resolution and award to the lowest bidder, despite legal counsel's warning of possible bid protests.

Discussion Items

  • At-Large Commission Appointments (Item 13): The council appointed members to nine commissions by ballot. Key results:
    • Planning Commission: James Ortega and Bill Romanelli.
    • Parks and Recreation Commission: Samantha Davidson and William Davis.
    • Utility Commission: Mark Mens and Bashkar Vampati.
    • Library Commission: Catherine Oliman and Fang Zhu.
    • Arts and Culture Commission: Lucinda Winward and Mark Oliman.
    • Traffic Safety Committee: Scott Bailey and Kevin Goddard (citizen seats), Joanne Brosh (pedestrian/bicycle).
    • Landscaping and Lighting District Advisory Committee: appointees for districts with single applicants approved; Natoma Station: Joe Marceau.
    • Historic District Commission: Business rep (outside Sutter Street) John Feltz; architect/landscape seat to be re-advertised.
  • Traffic Roundabout Policy (Item 15): Public Works Director Mark Rackovan and consultants presented findings from a fact-finding trip to Colorado and Indiana, highlighting safety, reduced emissions, and long-term cost benefits of roundabouts. Council expressed strong support for developing a formal roundabout policy and prioritizing roundabouts over traffic signals at future locations. Staff directed to begin a policy framework and feasibility studies for specific intersections (e.g., East Natoma/Folsom Lake Crossing, Riley Street corridor). No formal vote; consensus reached.
  • Grant Applications for SACOG Funding (Item 14): Staff presented 10 projects ($22 million total ask). Council recommended deferring the Empire Ranch Interchange (largest at $10M) to a future round, and prioritized as top three: trail maintenance (citywide), Folsom Placerville Rail Trail, and pavement repair/rehabilitation. Resolution 10961 passed 5-0 with the revised priority order.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent items 1–12 approved except item 6 modified.
  • At-large commissioners appointed as detailed.
  • Council directed staff to develop a roundabout policy and begin feasibility studies.
  • SACOG grant applications approved with revised priorities; Empire Ranch Interchange deferred.
  • Meeting adjourned in memory of Folsom resident Greg Berry.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. We will now reconvene the special meeting for Tuesday, January 10th. Are there any final actions to report out? Good evening, Madam Mayor. No final action tonight. Okay. We will now adjourn the special meeting and call to order the city council regular meeting for Tuesday, January 10th. Will the clerk please call the roll? Council members Aquino? Here. Challenge? Here. Kozlowski. Here. Roerba. And Rodriguez here. Councilmember Aquino, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? One nation. Are there any agenda updates? Good evening, Madam Mayor and the members of the city council. There is additional information for items two and fourteen, as well as revised staff report for items six and eleven. A copy had previously been provided to you, and they are also available on the table in the back. Okay, and then we will also be switching items number 15 and 14. Reverse the order. Okay. Will the clerk please call the next item? Okay, your next item this evening is business from the floor. You have about eight requests to speak under this item. Okay, business from the floor. It's a public's opportunity to address the city council concerning any item within the city's jurisdiction that is not on the agenda. Please keep in mind that the city council is generally prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item that is not on the agenda. Public comments are limited to no more than three minutes. There is a speaker timer on the podium in front of you that will display the time you have remaining for on your three minutes. The color will change to yellow and you will have 30 seconds left and turn to red and blink when you have when your three minutes are completed. We ask that everyone respect the three-minute time limit to ensure that all speakers have an equal opportunity to address the city council. Are there any requests to speak? You do. You have about eight requests this evening. Your first is from Rich Foreman and Kyle Middleton. Welcome. Thank you, Madam Mayor. I have uh so I was I was I missed the deadline and turned in presentation, but I have handouts. So pass it up. Yes. Thanks for that. Yeah, if you want six minutes. Okay. And Richard, if I understand correctly, you will be speaking for two individuals taking up six minutes. Six minutes, thank you. Okay.

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