OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026: Charter Review, Public Works Week, and Utility Projects

City CouncilTuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:52:17
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

All right, and with that, we will adjourn the special meeting and we'll call to order our regular meeting for May 12th, 2026.

0:08

Will you please call the role?

0:09

Yeah, Councilmember Zakino here, Leary, here, Rohrerbach, Kerr, and Rathel.

0:14

Here.

0:15

And Kozlowski is absent.

0:17

Thank you.

0:17

If you'll please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:24

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:31

One nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

0:41

And do we have any updates to the agenda this evening?

0:44

Yes, Mayor, we have an additional information transmitted for the public hearing, which is agenda item number 10.

0:52

We have two letters that have been transmitted to the council, and there are additional copies on the back table for the public.

1:00

Thank you so much.

1:01

And now's the time where we do business from the floor.

1:04

If you're here tonight to address the council on any unagendized items, you can come on up.

1:09

You'll get three minutes to address the council.

1:12

This is just on unagendized items tonight.

1:15

Anyone from Business from the Floor going once?

1:18

Going twice.

1:21

Sold.

1:21

Business from the floor.

1:23

All right, perfect.

1:24

We will move on to scheduled presentations.

1:26

Please call item number one.

1:27

Item number one is a proclamation of the mayor proclaiming May 17th to the 23rd as National Public Works Week, declaring May 20th as City Works Day, and recognizing public works as emergency responders.

1:55

There we go.

1:56

There we go.

1:57

All right.

1:58

Who wants to hold our proclamation here?

2:01

Lindsay?

2:02

All right, perfect.

2:04

All right.

2:05

Tonight we have uh Rebecca Neves, our public works director, uh Jennifer Tio, our management analyst, and Lindsay Markets, our administrative assistant for public works, accepting our proclamation.

2:15

So thank you all for being here.

2:17

Uh our proclamation of the mayor of the city of Folsom proclaiming May 17th to 23rd, 2026 is National Public Works Week.

2:25

Uh recognizing public works as emergency responders and recognizing May 20th, 2026 as City Works Day.

2:32

So whereas public works professionals focus on facilities, infrastructure, and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to the public health, high quality of life, and well-being of the people of the state of California and the residents of the city of Folsom.

2:48

And whereas public works professionals play a vital role in disasters and other emergencies and are often considered the silent arm of public safety, working diligently, often without fanfare, to support emergency response partners regardless of the hazard.

3:02

Public works maintenance and operation staff are among the most visible and essential elements during the response and recovery phases of disasters.

3:10

They assist with rescue, evacuation, flood control, and sheltering, provide temporary traffic control and perimeter security, transport critical supplies and equipment, and restore damage infrastructure, making their broad capabilities a critical component in nearly every type of disaster or emergency.

3:27

And whereas the year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week, sponsored by the American Public Works Association, with the theme Service Powered by Community, reflecting the strong connection between public works teams and the residents they serve, as well as the collaborative interdependent partnership shared with police, fire, and other emergency service partners.

3:50

And whereas City Works Day, taking place on May 20th, 2026 at City Lyons Park, invites residents of all ages to engage with and learn about the interconnected public works services that support daily life in Folsom and to repeat to meet the professionals who work collaboratively to protect and serve the community.

4:10

Now, therefore, I, Justin Rathel, Mayor of the City of Folsom, on behalf of the Folsom City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17th to 23rd as National Public Works Week, and May 20th as City Works Day in the City of Folsom, encouraging all residents to participate in the educational activities and events, honoring the indispensable contributions of public works professionals and their collaboration as emergency responders alongside and in support of police and fire and safeguarding public health, safety, and quality of life.

4:42

Let's give these folks a round of applause.

4:44

Hey.

4:51

Thank you, Mayor.

4:52

Thank you, Council, for recognizing uh National Public Works Week and City Works Day.

4:57

Uh we just want to invite all of you and the entire community to come join us May 20th at City Lions Park.

5:09

Attendees will be able to look at approximately 35 booth vehicles and city equipment displays.

5:17

And we expect about 2,000 attendees.

5:23

So this year's theme is uh service powered by community.

5:27

And you may notice we don't have any of our amazing public works staff up here.

5:30

It's because they're all in bed.

5:31

6:30 is past their bedtime.

5:33

So they're up quite early.

5:35

But I just, in all sincerity, I just really wanted to uh not only thank um our first responders and police and fire, but also our team in public works who works alongside with them in emergencies.

5:46

Um it really can't be understated some of the value and and how they are able to keep the community moving when unsightly things happen, when we have uh calls about down trees, uh blocking roads, flooding.

6:00

Um, this happened to be my favorite one.

6:02

This was our this last Christmas, actually.

6:04

So we had a couple of uh gentlemen who had just opened their brand new um Christmas gift and did not want to get their new sweater and pants dirty.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Campaign Finance████████████████████20%
Miscellaneous███████████████████19%
Procedural████████████████16%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Public Safety█████████9%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Community Engagement███████7%
Budget and Finance███████7%
Personnel Matters███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026

The Folsom City Council held a regular meeting on May 12, 2026, which included a proclamation for National Public Works Week, a presentation on mosquito control, approval of several contracts, and a public hearing on the 2026 Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee's recommendations. The council received the charter review report, dissolved the committee, and voted to advance only three of the eight proposed charter amendments to further discussion: city attorney appointment, boards and commissions language, and campaign contribution limits (the latter as a separate item).

Consent Calendar

  • Approved without discussion or pull by a unanimous vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Charter Review – Section 2.07D (Franchise Authority): Multiple speakers (Macy Sherman, Teresa Garcia, Brad Shelton, Jag Nagendra, Julie Reese, Adam Murphy, Shelley Hudson, Gwen Willison, Colleen Shannon, Chad Vanderveen, Jolene Livingston, Julian Serafian, Jocelyn Schrage, Paul Kerfeld) opposed the recommendation to remove voter approval for privatization of city services. Speakers argued it would reduce democratic oversight, lead to higher costs, lower service quality, and job losses. Some noted that the committee's 4-3 vote on this item reflected public outcry. A few speakers expressed support for other recommendations such as council-appointed city attorney and increasing campaign contribution limits.
  • Charter Review – Other Items: Jag Nagendra supported the city attorney change but opposed term limits reduction (favored 2 terms) and automatic salary increases. Shelley Hudson also opposed automatic raises for council members, noting city employees do not get such increases. Colleen Shannon raised questions about the scope of powers for boards and commissions. Chad Vanderveen and others opposed automatic pay increases and a large increase in campaign contribution limits.

Discussion Items

  • National Public Works Week Proclamation (Item 1): The council proclaimed May 17–23, 2026 as National Public Works Week and May 20 as City Works Day. Public Works Director Rebecca Neves invited the community to City Lions Park on May 20 for equipment displays and activities.
  • Mosquito & Vector Control Presentation (Item 2): Steve Ramos from Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District presented on regional mosquito management, West Nile virus surveillance, and invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. He highlighted a sterile insect technique program and encouraged residents to sign up for notifications at fightthebite.net. Craig Burnett, the city's board representative, also spoke about tick surveillance and the need to eliminate standing water.
  • Natoma Station Maintenance Assessment District (Item 7): The council received the certified ballot results: 71.84% in favor (467 ballots for, 188 against). The assessment will consolidate the old district and levy began in FY 2026-27. Approved unanimously.
  • Library Roof Replacement (Item 8): Resolution 11608 authorizing agreement with Michael Roberts Construction for $940,045 (including contingency) to replace the low-slope roof at the Folsom Public Library. Work to start after August 1 to avoid summer programming; library remains open. Approved unanimously.
  • Aquatic Center Pump Replacement (Item 9): Resolution 11611 authorizing an agreement with Lowen Pump Maintenance for $88,400 to replace and refurbish pumps for the 50-meter pool at the Aquatic Center. Approved unanimously.
  • Charter Review Committee Report (Item 10): The council held a public hearing on the 2026 Ad Hoc Charter Review Committee's eight recommendations. After extensive discussion and public comment, the council voted on several motions:
    • Adopted Resolution 11613 receiving the report and dissolving the committee (unanimous).
    • Moved to not bring forward recommendations on term limits (3.01E) and council compensation (2.06) – approved unanimously.
    • Moved to not bring forward recommendations on removing “at-large” language (2.01) and deleting obsolete section 9.02 – approved 4-0 (Councilmember Leary absent? Actually all present voted yes).
    • Moved to not bring forward the recommendation on franchise authority (2.07D) – approved 4-0.
    • The council agreed to continue discussion on city attorney appointment (4.03), boards and commissions (4.07), and campaign contribution limits (separate item) at future meetings.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar adopted unanimously.
  • Resolution 11609 (Natoma Station MAD) approved with no public comment.
  • Resolution 11608 (Library roof) approved.
  • Resolution 11611 (Aquatic center pump) approved.
  • Resolution 11613 (Charter review report and committee dissolution) approved.
  • The council directed staff to prepare further discussion on:
    1. City attorney appointment by council (Section 4.03)
    2. Boards and commissions language (Section 4.07)
    3. Campaign contribution limit increase (separate public hearing item, proposed from $150 to $250-$750 range)
  • All other charter review recommendations (at-large removal, obsolete section, term limits, council pay increase, franchise authority) were voted down and will not move forward.
  • Next steps: Additional charter discussions on May 26, June 9 (if needed), final public hearing June 23, and adoption of ballot language by July 14.

Meeting Transcript

All right, and with that, we will adjourn the special meeting and we'll call to order our regular meeting for May 12th, 2026. Will you please call the role? Yeah, Councilmember Zakino here, Leary, here, Rohrerbach, Kerr, and Rathel. Here. And Kozlowski is absent. Thank you. If you'll please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. And do we have any updates to the agenda this evening? Yes, Mayor, we have an additional information transmitted for the public hearing, which is agenda item number 10. We have two letters that have been transmitted to the council, and there are additional copies on the back table for the public. Thank you so much. And now's the time where we do business from the floor. If you're here tonight to address the council on any unagendized items, you can come on up. You'll get three minutes to address the council. This is just on unagendized items tonight. Anyone from Business from the Floor going once? Going twice. Sold. Business from the floor. All right, perfect. We will move on to scheduled presentations. Please call item number one. Item number one is a proclamation of the mayor proclaiming May 17th to the 23rd as National Public Works Week, declaring May 20th as City Works Day, and recognizing public works as emergency responders. There we go. There we go. All right. Who wants to hold our proclamation here? Lindsay? All right, perfect. All right. Tonight we have uh Rebecca Neves, our public works director, uh Jennifer Tio, our management analyst, and Lindsay Markets, our administrative assistant for public works, accepting our proclamation. So thank you all for being here. Uh our proclamation of the mayor of the city of Folsom proclaiming May 17th to 23rd, 2026 is National Public Works Week. Uh recognizing public works as emergency responders and recognizing May 20th, 2026 as City Works Day. So whereas public works professionals focus on facilities, infrastructure, and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to the public health, high quality of life, and well-being of the people of the state of California and the residents of the city of Folsom. And whereas public works professionals play a vital role in disasters and other emergencies and are often considered the silent arm of public safety, working diligently, often without fanfare, to support emergency response partners regardless of the hazard. Public works maintenance and operation staff are among the most visible and essential elements during the response and recovery phases of disasters. They assist with rescue, evacuation, flood control, and sheltering, provide temporary traffic control and perimeter security, transport critical supplies and equipment, and restore damage infrastructure, making their broad capabilities a critical component in nearly every type of disaster or emergency. And whereas the year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week, sponsored by the American Public Works Association, with the theme Service Powered by Community, reflecting the strong connection between public works teams and the residents they serve, as well as the collaborative interdependent partnership shared with police, fire, and other emergency service partners. And whereas City Works Day, taking place on May 20th, 2026 at City Lyons Park, invites residents of all ages to engage with and learn about the interconnected public works services that support daily life in Folsom and to repeat to meet the professionals who work collaboratively to protect and serve the community. Now, therefore, I, Justin Rathel, Mayor of the City of Folsom, on behalf of the Folsom City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of May 17th to 23rd as National Public Works Week, and May 20th as City Works Day in the City of Folsom, encouraging all residents to participate in the educational activities and events, honoring the indispensable contributions of public works professionals and their collaboration as emergency responders alongside and in support of police and fire and safeguarding public health, safety, and quality of life. Let's give these folks a round of applause. Hey. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council, for recognizing uh National Public Works Week and City Works Day. Uh we just want to invite all of you and the entire community to come join us May 20th at City Lions Park. Attendees will be able to look at approximately 35 booth vehicles and city equipment displays. And we expect about 2,000 attendees.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com