Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - April 23, 2024
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Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - April 23, 2024
The Folsom City Council met on April 23, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations, a presentation from HART of Folsom on the winter shelter, a police department report on crime and homelessness, a public hearing on a user fee schedule (continued), and a workshop on the proposed Community for Health and Independence annexation. The council also heard extensive public comment on public safety, homelessness, and a proposed sales tax measure.
Consent Calendar
- Items 5–8: Approved unanimously. Included approval of April 9 meeting minutes, second reading of Ordinance No. 1343 (trespass), and resolutions authorizing agreements with Helix Environmental Planning, Inc. and Badawi & Associates.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Homelessness and Public Safety: Multiple residents (Charlene Brunn, Sue Spielman, Heidi and Rich Hunter, Ruth Anderson, Michael Holpo, Adina Blair) spoke about concerns over homelessness, red-light violations, and support for police. A resident described a home invasion attempt and praised police response. Several speakers urged the council to prioritize police funding and a dedicated homeless outreach team.
- Winter Shelter: Susan, a resident of 61 years, described a recent trespassing incident and thanked police.
- Juneteenth: Michael Holpo requested the city align with the federal Juneteenth holiday and support the Juneteenth celebration at Black Miners Bar.
- Police Department Report: During the public comment period on item 4, speakers including John Trippett (Folsom Police Officers Association president), Mike Groomberg, Doug Scalise, Kevin Thompson, Brian Greenwald, Robert Goss (Folsom Takes Action), Liz Smith, Jim Ortega, and Margie Donovan voiced strong support for increased police staffing, particularly a homeless outreach team. Many cited personal safety concerns and noted that surrounding agencies have dedicated teams.
- Annexation Workshop: Approximately 18 speakers commented on the proposed Community for Health and Independence. Supporters (including representatives from UC Davis, Sacramento State, Alta California Regional Center, and families of individuals with disabilities) highlighted the urgent need for housing for older adults and people with disabilities, and urged the council to study the project. Opponents (including a former city planner and long-time residents) raised concerns about water supply, traffic, air quality, the city's structural deficit, and the project's inconsistency with regional planning. Several urged the city to focus on existing needs before expanding.
Discussion Items
- Item 4: Police Department Report on Crime and Homelessness: Police Chief Rick Hillman presented 2023 crime statistics. Violent crime rose 47% (due to fentanyl-related homicides and fatal collisions), property crime rose 6%, and organized retail theft increased 144% (85 incidents, $4.46 million stolen). The department has 81 sworn officers budgeted, with 3 vacancies, but effective staffing is 18.5% below full due to injuries and training. The chief discussed the need for a dedicated homeless outreach team (6 officers) and noted that the department currently lacks such a team. Councilmember Rohrbough moved to immediately fund six positions and direct the city manager to prioritize them in the 2024-25 budget. The motion failed on a 2-3 vote (Rohrbough and Kozlowski in favor; Chalamcherla, Rodriguez, and Aquino against). The council then directed the city manager to bring forward a budget that includes the requested positions for consideration.
- Item 11: Workshop for Community for Health and Independence Annexation Proposal: The applicant (AKT Investments, with UC Davis Health) presented a preliminary concept for a 1,400-acre master-planned community south of White Rock Road, focused on healthy aging, technology, and inclusivity for older adults and people with disabilities. The project would include up to 4,511 homes, a 200-acre UC Davis research center, and extensive open space. Staff presented an analysis highlighting significant concerns: water supply, traffic impacts, fiscal sustainability, service provision, and inconsistency with the city's general plan and regional growth policies. No formal action was taken; council members individually provided feedback. Councilmembers Aquino and Chalamcherla expressed conditional interest in further study, citing water and traffic challenges. Councilmember Rohrbough opposed any expansion south of White Rock, citing the city's structural deficit and the need to focus on existing priorities. Mayor Kozlowski also opposed, noting the timing was not right given the upcoming sales tax measure.
Key Outcomes
- Police Staffing: The council did not approve immediate funding for six additional officers but directed the city manager to prioritize the police department's request for a homeless outreach team in the 2024-25 budget. The council also encouraged the department to use existing salary savings for overtime and recruitment.
- Community for Health and Independence: The council provided no formal endorsement or direction to proceed. The applicant was advised to continue community outreach and address water, traffic, and fiscal concerns. Most council members indicated they were not willing to consider expansion at this time, though some left the door open for future study.
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Public Hearings: Items 9 (user fee schedule) and 10 (ordinance) were continued to the May 14, 2024 meeting.
- Presentations: Proclamations for National Police Week (May 12-18) and National Public Works Week (May 19-25) were adopted. The HART of Folsom winter shelter presentation noted 61 nights of operation, 48 guests, and an average of 11.3 guests per night.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening, everybody. I'm gonna call to order the regular city council meeting of the city of Folsom for April 23rd, 2024. Um, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Council members tell him Charlotte. I'm here. Rodriguez here. Here, also here. And if everybody will rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge of Allegiance, Democratic of the United States of America, and to the Republic, religious stance, one nation, under God, indivisible, the liberty, and justice for all. All right, are there any agenda updates? Good evening, Mr. Mayor and the members of the city council. They are additional information trust middles for items four, nine, ten, and eleven. They have me previously provided to you, and they are also available on the table in the back. Excellent. Thank you very much. We are going to take the the agenda slightly out of order by starting with business from the floor. Um there were a number of people that gave us speaker cards for the business from the floor or inadvertently for business from the floor. Um if you did not indicate a number of a particular item on the agenda, I have to assume you're going to talk about something that's not on the agenda, which is the purpose of business from the floor. So if it turns out that you do want to talk about one of the items and failed to fill that out, just let us know. We'll jump and we'll fill it in and have you speak when that item comes up. Okay, so we have um high speakers requesting a speaking to the business from the floor. I'm gonna go ahead and call um police. So um it looks like Charlotte or Shirley Brown, so I'm a small name. Sue Spielman, horrible um Heidi Hunter, if you want to go ahead and line up. Um and Charlie Brown will be hosts. Let's go ahead and speak. You can go ahead and approach the head in. Excellent. And just as a reminder, we have uh some we have a lot of things to cover on this meeting today. So um, when there are opportunities to speak to the city council, you get precisely three minutes, and at that time, I'm gonna ask you to wrap up your comments and come to a quick conclusion. Welcome. There's a uh there's a lighted device on the uh speakers on podium right there that will turn yellow when you have just a few seconds left and then red. Okay. Just as a heads up. Thank you. Yep, and then that also is um on the clocks up on the wall. And you'll let me know that. Certainly. Yes. My name is Charlene Brunn, and I'm here really in support of the police. And um, the agenda that you had uh several times ago. Um I'm concerned about that being number one priority. Um the last time that we were here, there was a man, a gentleman that had his wife who was blind, and uh, she was walking the streets. Uh, you probably remembered that. That stuck in my mind that she was accosted by uh some homeless people twice. And then there was another woman that was here with her girlfriend and a baby who were walking, and they were accosted. And uh myself, I've had a couple of incidences too. But um, so my main thing is um I appreciate Jean's Jake's journey home. I'm learning all these. I'm basically new here, and I'm learning about you guys too.
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