Folsom City Council Meeting: June 23, 2026 – Approves Toll Brothers Project, Billboard Agreement, and Energy Savings Contract
Folsom City Council Meeting: June 23, 2026 – Approves Toll Brothers Project, Billboard Agreement, and Energy Savings Contract
The Folsom City Council met on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, to consider a packed agenda. The meeting began with proclamations for the 65th annual Folsom Pro Rodeo and America the Entrepreneurial, followed by a presentation on the Black Miners Bar Juneteenth Festival. After a brief recess due to livestream technical difficulties, the council unanimously approved the consent calendar. Key new business items included an electronic reader board sign agreement, the purchase of two parcels for future affordable housing, and an energy savings design contract with Schneider Electric. The council then held a public hearing on charter amendments to be placed on the November 2026 ballot, approving three ordinances (with Councilmember Aquino dissenting on fiscal grounds). The final and most extensive item was the Toll Brothers at Alder Creek project, a 1,424-unit residential development on 447 acres in the Folsom Plan Area. After lengthy discussion over oak woodland impacts, affordable housing in-lieu fees, and infrastructure timing, the council approved the project 4-0.
Consent Calendar
- The council unanimously approved the consent calendar, which included routine items. No items were pulled for separate discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Business from the Floor: James Tefford, a Folsom resident, questioned why the city lacks a purchasing agent as required by municipal code, calling for greater transparency in contracting. Michael Harris, also a resident, spoke about the history of Negro Bar and the Juneteenth holiday, urging collaboration between the city and state parks on interpretive efforts.
- Public Hearing on Toll Brothers Project: Three speakers addressed the council:
- Cheryl Davis (Empire Ranch resident) opposed the in-lieu fee for affordable housing, arguing 142 units should be built on-site, and questioned traffic projections.
- Michael Lozo (Laborers’ International Union) requested a supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR), citing new information on special-status bird species, air quality mitigation, and indoor formaldehyde risks.
- Miranda Pond (disaster-impacted resident) urged rejection of the in-lieu fee, stating it fails to provide affordable homes for vulnerable populations and may violate fair housing laws.
Discussion Items
- Proclamations and Presentations:
- The council proclaimed July 2–4, 2026 as Western Rodeo Days, celebrating the 65th Folsom Pro Rodeo. Joe (rodeo representative) highlighted the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and the 80th anniversary of Folsom cityhood, noting the rodeo is nearly sold out.
- The council joined the national “America the Entrepreneurial” campaign, with Cameron (Right to Start) emphasizing entrepreneurs’ role in job creation.
- Tracy Stafford (California State Parks) presented the fifth annual Black Miners Bar Juneteenth Festival, recounting the 30-year effort to rename the park and the ongoing work to document the area’s history.
- New Business Item 14 – Electronic Reader Board Sign: Josh Kincaid (Community Development) presented an operational agreement for a digital billboard at Parcel 61 (Folsom Ranch). Terms include a $102,000 upfront payment, $60,000 annual payments for 24 years, and one free advertisement slot for the city. The council adopted Resolution 11658 unanimously.
- New Business Item 15 – Purchase of Two Parcels: Pam Johns (Community Development) recommended buying two undeveloped parcels (1.92 acres) adjacent to the corporation yard for $1.55 million from the Housing Fund to gain control over future affordable housing development and protect the historic district from state housing laws. Public comments from Deborah Crassell and John Lane supported the purchase. Resolution 11659 passed unanimously.
- New Business Item 16 – Energy Savings Design Contract: Amy Cahill and Madden Dillard (Schneider Electric) proposed a $180,000 design agreement for a performance contract to modernize city facilities (HVAC, LED lighting, solar PV). Councilmember Kozlowski, an industry competitor, recused himself from voting but participated in detailed questioning about savings guarantees and financing. Councilmember Leary moved approval. Resolution 11661 passed 4-0-1 (Kozlowski abstained).
- Public Hearing Item 17 – Charter Amendments for November 2026 Ballot: Staff presented three ordinances: (1) changing city attorney appointment from city manager to city council; (2) allowing council to grant decision-making authority to boards and commissions; (3) increasing campaign contribution limits from $150 to $500. Councilmember Aquino voted no on all, citing high ballot costs from the county clerk. All three passed 4-1.
- Public Hearing Item 18 – Toll Brothers at Alder Creek Project:
- Staff Presentation: Desmond Parrington (Planning Manager) detailed the 447-acre project: 1,424 residential units (single-family, duets, four-packs, six-packs), 10-acre park, fire station site, elementary school site, and required backbone infrastructure (road extensions, water tank, detention basins). The project would remove 107.42 acres of oak woodland (including 30 acres from preserved open space for detention basins), but maintain the 30% open space requirement (35% currently). Mitigation includes a 108.5-acre conservation easement at Deer Creek Hills Preserve. The project meets the specific plan EIR and is exempt from further CEQA review under Section 15182. The inclusionary housing obligation will be satisfied via in-lieu fee (estimated $12–15 million).
- Applicant Presentation: Martin Navinsky (Toll Brothers) highlighted community benefits: moving the fire station to a better location, naming a street after wounded warrior Sergeant Vargas Andrews, building nine additional mini-parks, and saving 18 isolated oak trees (including a grove along Prairie City Road). He emphasized the collaborative process with city staff.
- Council Discussion: Oak woodland impacts were extensively debated. Councilmember Aquino noted that the specific plan always anticipated removing some oak woodland from preserved open space for utilities, but expressed disappointment. Councilmember Leary raised concerns about wildlife crossings and bike lane design. Councilmember Kozlowski praised the project’s infrastructure benefits (road extensions relieving congestion). A substitute motion to continue the item failed for lack of a second.
- Key Statistics: 1,424 homes; 107.42 acres oak woodland impacted (including 30 acres for detention basins); 425 acres oak woodland remain; 1,068 acres open space (35%); 108.5 acres off-site mitigation at Deer Creek Hills Preserve; $1.55 million parcel purchase approved earlier; 4-0 vote.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Unanimously: Consent calendar; Resolution 11658 (billboard agreement); Resolution 11659 (parcel purchase); Resolution 11661 (Schneider Electric design contract, with Kozlowski abstaining).
- Approved 4-1: First readings of Ordinance 1371 (city attorney appointment), 1372 (boards and commissions authority), and 1373 (campaign contribution increase). Aquino dissented.
- Approved 4-0: Resolution 11643 (Toll Brothers at Alder Creek project), including the vesting tentative map, plan development permit, inclusionary housing plan, and minor administrative modification. The council accepted the staff recommendation as conditioned.
- Open Action: The livestream experienced a brief outage; the meeting was recorded and will be posted on the city website and broadcast on Channel 14 the following day.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. We're gonna go ahead and call to order the city council for Tuesday, June 23rd. Will you please call the roll? Okay. Council members Kazowski. Here Leary here. Aquino. Rafael. And Morbot is absent. If you'll please stand with me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge of it to the United States of America. One nation under God with liberty and justice law. And do we have any agenda updates this evening? We do. We have several agenda updates, Mr. Mayor. We have uh two additional information transmittals on agenda item number 15. We have one additional information transmittal and one revised staff report transmittal on agenda item number 17, which is the public hearing, and we also have one additional information transmittal on agenda item number 18, which is also uh public hearing. Uh these materials have been provided to the council, and they are copies on the back table for members of the public. Thank you for those updates. Uh that takes us to business from the floor. We've gotten a few blue cards already this evening. Uh, but if you would like to address the council, uh business from the floor is for unagendized items. We're happy to give you a three minutes and hear your thoughts on any item uh or any unagendized items here during business of the floor. So get those blue cards filled out and brought right over here. Uh and then after that we'll go into the agenda items and you can turn in those blue cards at any time. You don't have to wait for the item to be called. Uh we'll move on to business from the floor. Okay, we do have two requests to speak under this item. The first speaker, James Tefford, followed by Michael Harris. So, James, you could go ahead and approach the podium. Let me know when you're ready. Good evening. Uh, I'm Jim and Tetford, Folsom City resident. Uh I wanted to ahead and make a few general comments on the city uh purchasing and contracting systems that I've, you know, kind of noticed since I've been you know been watching what's been going on. Um first section I wanted to address was uh chapter 2.36040, which you know requires the uh establishment of a position known as the purchasing agency, purchasing agent, you know, and this person is supposed to serve as the principal purchasing and contracting official for the city. So you know the details of the you know, all the purchasing and contracting system requirements are outlaid in chapters 2.36 and 2.37, which is alternate delivery methods and materials, and uh, you know, the establishment of the ordinance was of course in a you know in response to the overriding city ordinance, which was section 504, and uh you know it just required that contracting by shall be by ordinance provide a for purchasing and contracting system, assuring a maximum of competition for the lowest price with the stated level quality. So that's the general goal of the system, and the purchasing agent appears to be one of those requirements of that system. Now, my question is really for you know for the city council and the city manager, who is the purchasing agent for the city? You know, is when I'm looking at the code, I'm seeing the purchasing agent is the person that assures that purchases and contracts awarded by the city meet the requirements of the municipal code, and you know that they provide consistency and transparency in the contracting methods, and that you know that all the city ordinances are met within those two sections. So, my question to the council and the city manager is why don't we have a purchase agent? And if we do, why don't I know about it? And why don't I ever see this person mentioned in the reports? I'm looking for, you know, that person being responsible for working with you know the various departments. These studies are outlined in this, you know, the city code, you know, that they're supposed to be working with the city manager, the finance director, public works director, city engineer, and other departments to make sure that all the requirements in the city code are met for contracting. And I believe it's important for transparency and consistency on awards and bids, so that we're assured that we're getting the best price, best quality for you know the services that we're contracting out for. Thank you, Jim. Okay, the next speaker will be Michael Harris under this item. Good evening, y'all. How y'all doing tonight?
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