The Lafayette City Council met on March 18, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting included public input, approval of consent agenda, staff introductions, a presentation honoring women in government, and several regular business items including resolutions on sustainability incentive programs, recognition of a global climate emergency, approval of a concrete rehabilitation change order, and a first reading of an ordinance authorizing the city manager to reorganize administrative departments. All votes were unanimous. The meeting adjourned to executive session to discuss potential real property acquisition.
Deputy City Manager Megan Davis presented the first reading of an ordinance to authorize the city manager to establish, combine, reorganize, and abolish administrative departments, following an assessment of parks, recreation, open space, and library operations. The new Community Services Department will oversee these functions under a budget-neutral reorganization. The ordinance was passed unanimously on first reading (7-0).
Sustainability Director BoCard presented two resolutions:
Sustainability Specialist Lisa Evans presented the resolution recognizing a global climate emergency and affirming local action. She highlighted 2024 achievements including adoption of the Climate Action Plan, $174,000 in EV grants, and community diversion of 25,748 pounds of materials. Council members expressed support for continued local leadership despite shifting federal policies. The resolution passed unanimously (7-0).
Public Works Director and Civil Engineer Casey Carlson presented a $1.3 million change order for concrete work, including ADA improvements and sidewalk repairs. The overall $3 million budget covers both asphalt and concrete. The change order with Keene Concrete, Inc. was approved unanimously (7-0).
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I will call to order the Lafayette City Council meeting for march eighteenth, twenty twenty-five. And we will begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I see him. He's he might be music. Now the words here, but we can hear him. Councillor Friedland. Here. Councilor Gayetos. Good evening. Counselor Sampson. Yeah. And Councillor Tapia Vega. Sure. Mayor, we have a quorum. I want to do a quick sound check for Councillor Barnes. Counselor Barnes, uh, can you hear us? Yes. Can you hear me? Uh yes. Do you mind um just I don't know, saying a quick sentence to make sure the sound volume is there? The beginning of our council meeting. We'll start off with the pleasure of it. Thank you so much. All right, we can hear you loud and clear now. Thank you. All right. Uh welcome in everybody. Uh tonight we'll begin our meeting with public input. Uh, if you wish to speak during this time, um, please grab one of the white or yellow speaker forms that you can access to the class doors in the back, and then you can fill one of those out and then pass it over to clerk back here, and we can get you on the list of speakers. Uh, you have five minutes to speak. Uh, please state your name and address before you do so. Um, and you may also call in as well. Uh, tonight we will be beginning with Frank Archelletta. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Before I get into the speech here, I gave you all the information here. You can all take it home. There's too much information to gather here. This is about the clerks here on Lafayette and about the cemetery and about black language. Okay. City council members and staff. I will make myself clear. I am here to defend Doug and my preferred historical plaque wording and language. Language is very important in telling the true history of the Lafayette Cemetery, so the citizens can understand why and how 200 community members were not recorded or entered into the town record book or in the cemetery map by town clerk Henry Matthias and other clerks. With that being said, here, basically, as far as the true history of Lafayette here, uh, we met with Megan here in uh Chelsea here, and Chelsea has been with our language for two years. All of a sudden, we changed the language. Our language is not considered right now at the time for some reason here. Basically, it's not an option. Doug, as far as all his research on that, does not believe in that.