Folsom City Council Regular Meeting - October 13, 2026

The Folsom City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 6:30 PM at Folsom City Hall, 50 Natoma Street. The meeting included a consent calendar, a continued public hearing, four new business items, city manager reports, and council comments. The council continued one public hearing and one new business item, and unanimously approved all remaining action items. The meeting adjourned at 7:48 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the September 8, 2026 special and regular meeting minutes and the September 22, 2026 regular meeting minutes.
• Approved Resolution No. 11728, determining that the Granite House Modifications Project is exempt from CEQA and approving design review.
• Approved Ordinance No. 1378, the second reading and adoption of the Second Amended and Restated Development Agreement with Folsom Railroad Block Developers, LLC for Historic Folsom Station.
• Approved Ordinance No. 1379, the second reading and adoption of the uncodified ordinance levying special taxes for Community Facilities District No. 22A (Folsom Heights).
• Approved Resolution No. 11725, authorizing acceptance of a $110,000 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
• Approved Resolution No. 11727, authorizing Amendment No. 2 with Lhoist North America of Arizona, Inc. for $90,000 for hydrated lime supply for the Water Treatment Plant and the associated waiver of bid.
• The consent calendar was approved on a 4-0 roll call vote, with Councilmember Rohrbough not present for that vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dharma Patel, on behalf of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu temple, invited the council and community to a Diwali celebration on Sunday, November 1, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, describing the festival and the Anakut ceremony.
• Blanca Araujo, Senior Vice President of SacRT operations, formally apologized for the October 7, 2026 disruption, outlined procedural reviews and solutions, and said SacRT is seeking long-term funding for infrastructure improvements.
• Debora Salinas, speaking as a Folsom resident and SacRT communications staff, praised Councilmember Rohrbough's support for transit, noted $1 million for converters and $13 million for microprocessors for the light rail modernization project, and apologized for communication issues.
• George Kirbyson, SacRT director of light rail maintenance, explained that the October 7 disruption was caused by two failed frequency converters in a substation combined with county signals at Hazel Avenue and Folsom Boulevard going into four-way flash mode, likely heat-related. He noted the converters had blown transformers.
• Loretta Hedinger spoke in support of the Historic Folsom Station fee credit arrangement, saying the city received a bargain parking rate from the developer and should pay its bill through the credit rather than trading checks.
• Jackie Saletti, speaking online, said she supports development of the historic district but raised concerns about reserving 32 of 315 public garage spaces for one private developer. She asked for clarity on the agreement length, whether the city can reclaim spaces, whether the developer is contributing to garage maintenance and future replacement costs, and whether similar arrangements have been offered to other developers or businesses. She also noted the 32 spaces represent more than 10 percent of the public garage capacity.

Public Hearing

• Item 8, Resolution No. 11729 regarding adoption of the Nexus Study for the Folsom Plan Area Specific Plan Public Facilities Fee Update, was continued to the December 8, 2026 City Council meeting on a unanimous 5-0 roll call vote.

Discussion Items

• Item 9 - Folsom Zoning Code Update Contract: Planning Manager Desmond Perrington presented Resolution No. 11715, requesting authorization for a $248,372 consultant and professional services agreement with Mintier Harnish, funded from the General Fund, to complete the Folsom Zoning Code Update Project by the end of 2027. Perrington noted the project began after the 2018 General Plan adoption, was delayed by a flood of state housing laws and workload, and that there have been 259 state law changes related to housing, land use, and zoning since the project started. Councilmember Leary asked whether the process would address making it easier to build townhomes and condominiums near the developing town center south of Highway 50; staff responded that the zoning code is part of the framework but a specific plan amendment could also be needed. Councilmember Aquino noted this was one of the first items she and Councilmember Leary acted on after being elected. The resolution was approved unanimously.
• Item 10 - Historic Folsom Station and Granite House Fee Credit: Perrington presented Resolution No. 11724, approving a credit of development agreement fees and certain legal fees charged for the Second Amended and Restated Development Agreement for Historic Folsom Station, plus a partial credit for building permit fees for the Granite House Project. Staff explained that the city owes approximately $119,000 in property tax and related assessments under the right of entry and license agreement for four parcels, and the developer requested a credit against those amounts. A Bruno Development Corporation representative explained that he delayed billing the city because of a three-year assessment challenge with the Sacramento County assessor, and proposed offsetting the city's obligation against development fees and building permit fees instead of exchanging checks. He said the Granite House building permit fees owed to the city total about $1,138,000, with additional school and regional fees making the total project fees about $1.5 million. Staff said the credit would come from collected building permit fees and would not directly impact the General Fund. Council discussion covered the original 2006 development agreement reserving 23 parking spaces, an additional 9 spaces tied to the 32 apartment units, the design change activating the plaza-facing ground floor, and the benefit of preserving the city's use of the Letisdorf lot. Councilmember Kozlowski said the developer deserved credit for sticking with the spirit of the original agreement rather than building a larger building with no parking. The resolution was approved unanimously.
• Item 11 - Briggs Ranch Maintenance Assessment District: This item was continued off calendar earlier in the meeting as announced by the city clerk.
• Item 12 - White Rock Road Emergency Culvert Replacement: Public Works Director Rebecca Neves presented Resolution No. 11730, ratifying an emergency repair contract with Central Valley Engineering Asphalt Inc. in an amount not to exceed $364,011, an on-call construction management services contract with Dewberry Inc. in an amount not to exceed $8,872, and an appropriation of $372,883 from Gas Tax 2105. Neves explained that the 50-year-old corrugated metal culverts had degraded due to acidic soil, a May 2026 assessment found significant deterioration, and pavement settlement in June indicated imminent collapse. The emergency repair included replacing three culverts, maintenance paving, and installing a French drain for groundwater mitigation. The initial estimate was about $600,000; the final cost was $364,011. Neves noted that White Rock Road is shared with Sacramento County, and that the county performed paving work on Prairie City Road as part of an exchange. The ultimate fix is raising the road profile by about 5.5 feet, and the future connector project is at 60 percent design with an elevated alignment of about 15 to 20 feet in that area. The resolution was approved unanimously.
• Item 13 - Parkway Neighborhood Crack Seal Project: Neves presented Resolution No. 11731, authorizing a construction agreement with Arrow Drillers Inc. DBA Arrow Construction for the Parkway Neighborhood Crack Seal Project in the amount of $185,000, with an appropriation of $220,000 from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Fund. Staff received five bids and the low bidder was Arrow Construction. The project includes crack sealing and patch paving in the Parkway neighborhood, including Parkway Drive, Humbug Creek Drive, Willowbend, Pondview, Scheidecker Circle, Kitter Way, Thurman, and connecting streets. An 18.9 percent contingency was included for additional pavement repairs. Neves outlined upcoming maintenance projects: Prairie Oaks in November 2026, Natoma Station in December 2026, Willow Springs in January 2027, American Canyon Drive in February 2027, and a slurry seal project in April 2027. Councilmember Aquino asked about the funding formula for fix-it-first versus major rehabilitation; staff said the pavement management program guides those decisions and noted a recent SACOG grant for East Bidwell Street. The resolution was approved unanimously.

City Manager Reports

• The city and Choose Folsom will host a central business district meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 9:00 AM in the City Council Chambers.
• The city received a $6.9 million SACOG award for pavement rehabilitation and operational improvements on East Bidwell Street.
• Ballot drop boxes are open for the November 3, 2026 general election at Folsom City Hall, the Folsom Public Library, and other Folsom locations.
• Paving on East Natoma Street between Wales Drive and Prison Road is expected to cause traffic delays through October 16, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Drainage improvements on Bidwell Street between Wool Street and Decatur Street will continue through November 13, 2026, with reduced speeds, shoulder closures, and parking restrictions on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• The Fall Senior Resource Fair will be held Friday, October 16, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Folsom Senior Center, 48 Natoma Street.

Council Comments

• Councilmember Kozlowski thanked staff for completing the storm drain repair near Folsom Auburn Road and noted the success of the soapbox derby on Sutter Street.
• Councilmember Aquino praised staff for securing the nearly $7 million SACOG grant and for delivering road maintenance projects.
• Councilmember Leary reported on the League of California Cities conference, including a new state-mandated municipal financial management certification and a League working group to review state mandates affecting local zoning, general plans, housing elements, density, and project approvals.
• Councilmember Rohrbough highlighted the completed exterior paint job at City Hall, planned attendance at the Folsom Cordova School Board transportation update, and support for restoring general education busing.
• Mayor Raithel reported on the Cal Cities annual conference, a Choose Folsom and Rancho Cordova study mission to Temecula, Oceanside, and Irvine, a visit from Heber City officials interested in Folsom's historic district, a mock City Council meeting with third graders, participation in Oktoberfest and Pride events, and the $14,000 raised for Cave Teen Centers through the Mayor's Cup.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved 4-0, with Councilmember Rohrbough absent for the vote.
• Public hearing item 8 continued to December 8, 2026, by a unanimous 5-0 vote.
• New business item 11 continued off calendar.
• Resolution No. 11715 approved unanimously to authorize the $248,372 Mintier Harnish zoning code update contract.
• Resolution No. 11724 approved unanimously to authorize the Historic Folsom Station development agreement fee credit and partial Granite House building permit fee credit.
• Resolution No. 11730 approved unanimously to ratify the White Rock Road emergency culvert repair contracts and fund appropriation.
• Resolution No. 11731 approved unanimously to authorize the Parkway Neighborhood Crack Seal Project construction agreement and fund appropriation.