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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting – January 9, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, January 9, 2024

BodyFolsom, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, January 9, 2024

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:54:39

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

0:00

I've been waiting two and a half years for that.

0:02

Um, good evening, everybody.

0:03

Welcome to the uh regularly scheduled city council meeting for the city of Folsom for January 9th, um, 2024.

0:11

Um, Madam Clerk, will you please call the role?

0:13

Council members Aquino here, Chalem Chairle, Rodriguez, here, Roarbach here, and Kozlowski.

0:19

Here, and if everybody would please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:28

And we're just crawl.

0:41

All right, are there any agenda updates?

0:44

Good evening, Mr.

0:45

Mayor.

0:46

Happy new year.

0:47

Thank you.

0:48

Uh, we have additional information transmitter for item 17, a copyhouse being previously provided to you.

0:54

And it is also available on the table in the back.

0:57

And we have also been requested by Kit Court who move item three on Tonet's agenda to a future meeting.

1:04

Excellent.

1:04

Thank you very much.

1:06

All right, Madam Clerk, please call the first item.

1:08

Yeah, your first item this evening is going to be under scheduled presentations.

1:12

This will be a resolution of commendation celebrating the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary's 60th anniversary.

1:25

Zoo people, y'all gotta come down.

1:27

Our zoo people will come on down.

1:33

All right, please let me present this to you first.

1:37

That's the certificate.

1:43

All right.

1:44

Um, so we are presenting tonight to the uh the staff of the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, a resolution of commendation.

1:52

Um this is the the whereas the zoo sanctuary provides quality recreational and leisure opportunities as well as environmental education to the 2.6 million residents of the Greater Sacramento region, and the Zoo Sanctuary is a seven-acre nature education facility located within Folsom City Lions Park, and the Zoo Sanctuary's mission is teachable, teaching responsible behavior toward all animals.

2:20

And this the zoo sanctuary has been operated by the City of Folsom since 1963, and the zoo sanctuary features rescued native.

2:31

Some of our visitors are here, um, domesticated and exotic animals, and is recognized as one of the city's finest resources and a local regional tourist attraction.

2:42

The zoo sanctuary annually welcomes more than a hundred and thirty thousand guests and connects with an additional 15,000 individuals through its outreach programs, camps, classes, tours, rentals, and corporate work parties.

2:56

The friends of the zoo, docents, and many other volunteers work closely with the zoo sanctuary and donate thousands of hours of labor per year, and the zoo sanctuary plays a key role in enhancing the lives of the city of Folsom's residents who walk on two legs.

3:13

Now, therefore, I'm Mike Kozlowski, mayor of the City of Folsom, on behalf of the Folsom City Council and the residents of this community do hereby celebrate and congratulate the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary on their 60th anniversary, um, commended this ninth day of January 2024.

3:39

Thank you very much.

3:40

My name's Rochelle Barcelona.

3:42

I am a board member with the Friends of the Folsom Zoo, and I really think the only reason they ask me is because I'm the same age as the zoo.

3:49

Just to be honest, we can survive.

3:52

It's a wonderful place.

3:54

Um my children have grown up at the zoo.

3:56

It's a treasure.

3:57

I thank the city council for its support of the zoo for all of the docents and the staff.

4:03

Um, it's an incredible place to be.

4:05

If you haven't been there, I encourage you to come and to also support the friends because the friends financially supports the zoo and the animal residents there.

4:14

And I'd like to pass it over to Peggy, who is president of the doses.

4:20

So as president of the docents, and you can see we have representation from our docent population here today.

4:33

As you walk through the zoo and you see one of us with our green shirts, please stop and ask us a question about the animals.

4:41

We are very happy to share their stories.

4:44

Um you can see we have the most beautiful of desert tortoises.

4:50

Lily.

4:52

We have a hedgehog.

4:54

Yeah.

4:54

Oh, Stabitha.

4:56

I can't tell them.

4:58

You can't see the face.

4:59

I couldn't see the face.

5:00

Right.

5:02

And a ferret.

5:04

And that is Quicksilver.

5:08

So these animals are often only seen in a zoosanctuary facility.

5:17

Lily's not out much during the winter because it's cold.

5:21

And the other two are often out strolling about the zoo in their strollers.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Budget and Finance█████████████████████21%

Public Safety████████████████16%

Revenue Generation████████████12%

Economic Development████████████12%

Transportation Safety█████████9%

Community Engagement████████8%

Technology and Innovation█████5%

Procedural████4%

Parks and Recreation████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting – January 9, 2024

The Folsom City Council met on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at 6:30 PM in City Council Chambers. The meeting included scheduled presentations, public comments, consent calendar items, a public hearing, new business, and a lengthy discussion on a potential sales tax measure for the November 2024 ballot. Key actions included unanimous approval of most consent items, adoption of a specific plan amendment for an electronic readerboard sign, and appointment of three members to the Historic District Commission. The council also gave direction to staff to refine a special sales tax measure for further consideration in March.

Consent Calendar

Items 4–16: Approved unanimously except items 11 and 12, which were pulled for discussion.
Item 11 (Resolution 11152): Consultant agreement for East Bidwell/Iron Point Road/US50 onramp improvement project. Councilmember Chalamcherla raised questions about procurement process; staff clarified the shortlist process. Approved unanimously.
Item 12 (Resolution 11153): Amendment to agreement with Terracare Associates for parks maintenance. Councilmember Rohrbough proposed using contingency funds to avoid service cuts; motion to continue the item failed 3-2 (Aquino, Rodriguez, Kozlowski opposed; Chalamcherla, Rohrbough in favor). The original consent item (with reduced scope) was then approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Judy Alexander: Criticized the city's lack of response to homelessness, urging measurable support and accurate point-in-time counts.
Steve Hurd (Folsom Chamber chair): Announced the Chamber board's support for a citizen-led 1% sales tax initiative, citing revenue shortfalls affecting public safety and quality of life; emphasized the measure includes accountability and oversight.
Dan Carson (Folsom Firefighters Association): Provided updates on signature gathering for the citizen initiative (goal of 6,900 signatures by April 24), endorsements from District Attorney and retired fire chief.
Bob Holderness (Folsom resident): Praised RT's 15-minute light rail project, highlighted affordability of monthly passes compared to driving costs, and shared a personal story of a family saving for college by using light rail.
Justin Rethel, Mike Reynolds, Loretta Hedinger, Bruce Klein: Spoke on the sales tax measure, offering suggestions on language, citizen trust, and the need for council leadership rather than outsourcing to a citizen group.

Discussion Items

Scheduled Presentations:
- Zoo Sanctuary 60th Anniversary: Resolution of commendation presented; staff and volunteers spoke about the zoo's role and outreach.
- RT 15-Minute Light Rail: Craig Norman (RT) presented the project; construction underway (lane closures on Folsom Blvd for ~6 months); completion late summer 2024; 15-minute peak service to Folsom. Council asked about traffic impacts and coordination with Bayside Church.
Item 17 – Public Hearing: Electronic Readerboard Sign: Staff recommended approval of specific plan amendment for one sign on parcel 61 (southwest corner of US 50 and East Bidwell). Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend approval. Council approved unanimously with no public speakers.
Item 18 – Historic District Commission Appointments: John Lane, Mark Descalos, and Kathleen Cole appointed unanimously for two-year terms.
Item 19 – Ordinance 1341 (Repeal of Chapter 2.42): Unanimous first reading to remove outdated and unconstitutional provisions on petition signature gatherers.
Item 20 – Potential Sales Tax Measure: Extensive discussion. Council agreed to place a revenue measure on the November 2024 ballot (in absence of citizen initiative). Majority favored a special tax (requires 2/3 vote) over a general tax. Debate on half-cent vs. full cent; council leaned toward 1% but left open. Categories: police, fire, parks/trails, traffic/street maintenance; economic development and capital improvements were debated. Direction to staff: refine language, research polling, and bring back to council in March.

Key Outcomes

Votes:
- Consent calendar items 4–10, 13–16 approved unanimously.
- Item 11 (Resolution 11152) approved unanimously.
- Item 12 (Resolution 11153) approved unanimously after motion to continue failed.
- Item 17 (Resolution 11139) approved unanimously.
- Item 18 (appointments) approved unanimously.
- Item 19 (Ordinance 1341) first reading approved unanimously.
Sales Tax Measure: Council directed staff to prepare a special tax measure with refined categories (likely police, fire, parks, traffic, possibly economic development) and return for further discussion in March. No final decision on half vs. full cent.
Future Agenda Requests: Councilmember Aquino requested a presentation on police solutions for retail theft/homelessness and a timeline for a police substation in south Folsom. Councilmember Rohrbough requested discussion on ADU short-term rentals and annexation of American River Canyon into Folsom Cordova School District.
City Manager Reports: Noted zoo docent training, river district master planning survey, and CAPS volunteer recruitment.
Council Comments: Recognized National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, thanked staff for holiday decorations, and noted Folsom High School football championship.

Meeting Transcript

I've been waiting two and a half years for that. Um, good evening, everybody. Welcome to the uh regularly scheduled city council meeting for the city of Folsom for January 9th, um, 2024. Um, Madam Clerk, will you please call the role? Council members Aquino here, Chalem Chairle, Rodriguez, here, Roarbach here, and Kozlowski. Here, and if everybody would please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. And we're just crawl. All right, are there any agenda updates? Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Happy new year. Thank you. Uh, we have additional information transmitter for item 17, a copyhouse being previously provided to you. And it is also available on the table in the back. And we have also been requested by Kit Court who move item three on Tonet's agenda to a future meeting. Excellent. Thank you very much. All right, Madam Clerk, please call the first item. Yeah, your first item this evening is going to be under scheduled presentations. This will be a resolution of commendation celebrating the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary's 60th anniversary. Zoo people, y'all gotta come down. Our zoo people will come on down. All right, please let me present this to you first. That's the certificate. All right. Um, so we are presenting tonight to the uh the staff of the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, a resolution of commendation. Um this is the the whereas the zoo sanctuary provides quality recreational and leisure opportunities as well as environmental education to the 2.6 million residents of the Greater Sacramento region, and the Zoo Sanctuary is a seven-acre nature education facility located within Folsom City Lions Park, and the Zoo Sanctuary's mission is teachable, teaching responsible behavior toward all animals. And this the zoo sanctuary has been operated by the City of Folsom since 1963, and the zoo sanctuary features rescued native. Some of our visitors are here, um, domesticated and exotic animals, and is recognized as one of the city's finest resources and a local regional tourist attraction. The zoo sanctuary annually welcomes more than a hundred and thirty thousand guests and connects with an additional 15,000 individuals through its outreach programs, camps, classes, tours, rentals, and corporate work parties. The friends of the zoo, docents, and many other volunteers work closely with the zoo sanctuary and donate thousands of hours of labor per year, and the zoo sanctuary plays a key role in enhancing the lives of the city of Folsom's residents who walk on two legs. Now, therefore, I'm Mike Kozlowski, mayor of the City of Folsom, on behalf of the Folsom City Council and the residents of this community do hereby celebrate and congratulate the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary on their 60th anniversary, um, commended this ninth day of January 2024. Thank you very much. My name's Rochelle Barcelona. I am a board member with the Friends of the Folsom Zoo, and I really think the only reason they ask me is because I'm the same age as the zoo. Just to be honest, we can survive. It's a wonderful place. Um my children have grown up at the zoo. It's a treasure. I thank the city council for its support of the zoo for all of the docents and the staff. Um, it's an incredible place to be. If you haven't been there, I encourage you to come and to also support the friends because the friends financially supports the zoo and the animal residents there. And I'd like to pass it over to Peggy, who is president of the doses. So as president of the docents, and you can see we have representation from our docent population here today. As you walk through the zoo and you see one of us with our green shirts, please stop and ask us a question about the animals. We are very happy to share their stories. Um you can see we have the most beautiful of desert tortoises. Lily. We have a hedgehog. Yeah.

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