How do we give us a h do we give us a hug Recording in progress.

Hello, everybody.

Welcome to our council meeting today, Tuesday, September 16th.

Um go ahead and call the meeting to order and we'll pass it to Clementine for roll call and to share announcements with the public.

Councilmember Barber, President, Councilmember Garcia, Councilmember Rash here, Mayor Williamson.

And the record will indicate that Councilmember Smith is absent.

And information on participating in this meeting and providing public comment, including remotely by Zoom or telephone is available on the agenda online at Monterey.gov/slash agendas.

Thank you.

In person attendees, please keep your phones and devices muted to prevent audio interference with our meeting, and thank you for participating in your city government.

Okay, thank you, Clementine.

With that, we'll pass it to Councilmember Rash to kick us off with the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

As a member of the Hispanic community himself, and making history here as the first Hispanic on the council.

Thank you so much, and it's an honor for me to be able to read this proclamation.

September fifteen is the anniversary of independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

And whereas an estimated sixty-five million people in the United States identify as either Hispanic or Latino.

In California, citizens who are Hispanic or Latino identifying make up almost 40% of the state's population.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five people identify as Hispanic or Latino.

And whereas the city of Monterey has a long history with Spanish settlements.

In December of 1602, Sebastian Biscaino named the Bay Monte Rey Bay in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain.

In the 19 in the 1770s, an expedition led by Captain Gaspar de Portola and joined by Father Juniper Serra established the Royal Presidio and Mission San Carlos de Borromeo de Monterey, which were Monterey's first buildings.

In 1776, Spain named Monterey as the capital of Baja Lower and Alta, Upper California.

And whereas the city of Monterey and the larger area of Monterey County are shaped by the contributions of the Hispanic Latino community.

And whereas the theme of 2025, Hispanic Heritage Month, is honoring the past, inspiring the future as designated by the National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers.

And now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the mayor, on behalf of the city council and citizens, hereby proclaim the month of September 2025 as Hispanic Heritage Month.

Yeah.

Thank you, Vice Mayor, for reading that.

Any additional thoughts, comments?

Oh, yeah.

I think first of all, I appreciate the opportunity to read the proclamation.

And I think uh many times in our uh communities, uh it feels like we're relegating uh this uh our culture right to one month, but I the way I see it, uh, and I hope that uh many folks in our our Latino and Hispanic communities see it this way as well.

This is just one more opportunity to really elevate the uh presence and uh the contributions of our communities uh you know one more time um as we do uh proactively throughout the year.

So thank you very much for the opportunity.

Absolutely.

Anyone on the else on the council want to speak to this one?

I'll maybe just close this, close this out with uh I think you you really drove it home, and um have to say that been super impressed with um what you do to represent that community on the council.

Um, I know you're not a voice for the entire community, but a voice of the community, and um, and and you live through it through the work that you do, and and so just want to let you know, I see you, Councilmember Garcia, um, and to our broader community, um, the Hispanic community is an essential part of what makes Monterey and Monterey.

Um, a significant portion of the hospitality industry is um exists on the backs of people that are that are part of the Hispanic community, and um they make great contributions, and it's not just the hospitality industry, it's all the industries, it's all the things that are done.

Um, and and so I'm honored to be able to have this moment to celebrate, but you you nailed it in the fact that we can't just um bring it down to this this one month or a day or or whatever that looks like.

We need to make sure that we continue to elevate and bring those issues forward to to make sure that there's liberty and justice for all.

So with that, we'll go ahead and open it up for public comments for folks on Zoom.

You can use the raise hand function for folks in the chamber.

If you want to identify yourself, um and I'll just kind of quickly share for folks that may not be familiar how we do public comments is we identify folks that want to speak during public comment at the beginning of the public comment period.

Um, once those folks are identified, we close it off, and then only those folks will be able to speak.

So just one last check-in, the chamber.

Anybody in the chamber want to speak on this item?

Okay, I would ask if you stay up to the left of the podium, and it's for this item specifically.

So this is not general public comment.

This is specifically for the presentation on Hispanic Heritage Month.

So we have one in the chamber.

Anybody else?

All right, so we'll go ahead and cut it off in the chamber, and I'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one.

We have four on Zoom.

I'm gonna go ahead and limit it two minutes, please.

Thank you, mayor.

Thank you, council.

I appreciate well, I'm not sure if you're on.

Thank you.

So once again, I appreciate the um opportunity to um be a part of um America recognizing um the great effort that um Hispanic and this month um being recognized.

It's very important for the people that have always been um kind of pushed to the side and not showing proper fairness, and especially in California and in America to um maybe take the month to uh recognize how important uh not just um maybe Native Americans or or um Hispanic, but um all people in America because like the council members said, you know, Spanish, the the the breakdown of all the different what exactly is Hispanic, what exactly is it's a blend of multicultures combined together and and in America um there I mean you can't even decide if am I Native American, uh am I Hispanic, am I Latino, am I Spanish?

Um sort of a bend of all a blend of all those, and to have the opportunity to be recognized um at this time is um you you also have Black History Month and and you have other months that are set aside, but for this opportunity to um be a part of um the city recognizing now.

Um just time and history.

Thank you.

All right, with that we'll go to our callers on Zoom.

So just as a reminder, this is about the Hispanic Heritage.

I'm calling on um Brian.

Hello, city council.

I support this in part.

I don't necessarily approve the way you're doing this because history is a mixed bag.

The Spaniards came over here and they exterminated the Native Americans.

There were great horrors if you were a Native American, then the Mexicans got their independence and they continued to abuse the Native Americans.

So it wasn't all pretty, there was a genocide against the Native Americans.

Well, of course, nowadays we're doing a genocide against Palestinians, and there were a lot of good people, always a lot of great people, a great culture in a lot of ways, but there was that horrible, horrible dark side to history.

And one thing I'm concerned about is I understand these groups have been marginalized and mistreated and they get all the attention.

The black history month, Hispanic, Asian.

What about the rest of the people?

People feel left out.

Uh European backgrounds, why should we celebrate their history?

Let me tell you why.

Because the young men of this country, a lot of them, young white men have no culture except MAGA, and they're joining these crazy cults and they're supporting horrible racism, and we need to bring meaning into their lives, and we need to celebrate everybody's heritage.

We need to also bring rest help the white men discover something more meaningful because they're in doing horrible acts of racism.

So we need to help them understand their own heritage, and we need to emphasize history that it's not all a bed of roses.

There's lots and lots.

My great Hispanic people, but the history is clouded in misery and oppression and genocide.

So will you please take a more holistic approach?

You can do that with every group, but don't leave any group out.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is a telephone caller with the last three digits, zero zero four.

Yes, uh good afternoon, city council members and mayor.

I second what uh Brian Wilson said.

I really uh it's true.

You know, we marginalize these different groups, and uh I think that's part of the problem.

There's just one race, and it's the human race.

And that should be everybody's motto.

You know, you know.

That's all there is.

We're the human race, and we do wonderful things, and we do terrible things, but to separate us and glorify one group and not the other, it just uh puts fire to the wood.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Gary.

Yes, thank you.

Uh Mr.

Mayor and Council members, Gary Curcio, director of government affairs for the Monterey County Hospitality Association.

First, I say that we stand 100% behind this recognition, and absolutely tremendously well deserved.

That said, I have to respectfully disagree with the comments made by the mayor a few minutes ago, and I'm paraphrasing, but the the assumption that hospitality runs on the backs of these people, I think that was a very, very bad choice of words, and uh I I just I just had to make a comment on it.

We have two events a year where we recomm recognize all of our employees, hospitality recognition day, and when we do that, giving these awards, 80 to 90 percent of those awards are received by Hispanic and Latino hospitality workers.

And when we have our event at the fairgrounds every June, recognizing all of our employees, and we have a thousand plus folks, eighty percent of those folks are Latino or Hispanic.

So for the mayor to make that kind of comment, I'm sorry, it's just not acceptable.

And our last speaker is Esther.

Good afternoon.

I just wanted to say that as a resident of this area of 24 years, I'm very proud to see that our city council has the most diversified representation ever in its history, and that we are well represented by council member Garcia, and it was about time that we had some Hispanic representation on this city council when we walk around our whole city and streets and different locations are all have Hispanic names and words attached to them.

It was very well, um, the time for us to finally have uh on our city council a Hispanic represent representing us.

So thank you to Garcia, Councilmember Garcia for his service.

It is not easy to be on city council, and it is not it is even harder to be on city council as a minority, and many of us appreciate the time and effort that it takes to represent us all.

That's it.

Thank you.

With all due respect, some of the comments that were just made in public comment are the exact reason why we need to do this work.

Um we are living in an environment today where the current administration of this country is allowing people to be identified based off the color of their skin to be rounded up and deported to countries that they may have never even lived in with no due process rights, all because of the color of their skin, all because of what they look like, that happens still today.

I don't want to get into a debate in regards to trying to identify different colors and celebrating them, though I would point out the irony in that folks are saying in one breath that we're all one race, the human race, but then in this next breath saying that we should celebrate white men too.

Which is the exact quote that was used in the public comment.

Why would we celebrate white men if your argument is that we're all one race?

So look, obviously, race relations are a very tough conversation to be had today, and it's uncomfortable, and it should be uncomfortable.

We should all be uncomfortable.

We didn't get here overnight.

We have not solved this issue.

From my perspective, it's obvious that we haven't solved this issue.

And it doesn't, it's not about exclusion, it's about inclusion.

And today we're here to celebrate the Hispanic and the Latino community.

So, in as much as we need to find opportunities to bring us all together, this is an element of that.

We need to help uplift, recognize, appreciate, understand, learn what the Hispanic and the Latino community is going through.

And to Mr.

Curcio's point, I mean, you almost just validated my point in your comment.

You said 80% of the people that received awards in the events were Hispanic.

I wonder if that's because a majority of the workforce is Hispanics.

Just because I say on the backs of, I'm not saying that in a derogatory way.

I'm saying that in a way to be able to give appreciation for the people that do that work that help fund this city and all the services that we get to take advantage of.

So I it it's unfortunate that words can be twisted, and and I appreciate folks coming from different perspectives.

I I respect your your viewpoint.

Um at the end of the day, I'm I'm here to um help uplift those marginalized communities in hopes that we can make our community and our society better for every single person, not just for one set of people.

So I'll leave my comments there.

And with that, we will move on to our next item on the agenda, which is item two.

Recognize city employees for milestone anniversaries and retirements in 2025.

With that, I'll pass it to Hans for staff presentation.

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, every uh once so often, uh, probably every three months, we are recognizing our city employees for milestone anniversaries and also uh certain retirements.

And uh today we have quite a long list of employees who uh we recognize with a milestone and anniversaries of 20 years and more.

And uh the first uh I think seven or so uh that that we are honoring tonight are members of the public works department, and then we have three uh members of the police department also that we want to uh mention tonight.

So without further ado, I've asked our public works director, um Andrea Rennie to present the uh milestone anniversaries for her department for the public works department.

Thank you, mayor, city council, members of the public and members present here.

Um I have the great honor and privilege to be celebrating uh six anniversaries today.

So this is pretty great.

We have one person that's celebrating 20 years.

We have four people that are celebrating 25, and one person is celebrating 30 years with the city.

So the first one, I'd like to um celebrate Kevin Anderson.

He has been with the city for 20 years.

Unfortunately, Kevin was supposed to be here tonight, but there is a sewer um sewer main break, right?

So he's tied up and busy and he couldn't make it.

So hopefully he'll watch it in a little bit.

So Kevin began his career with the city in August 2005 as an engineering technician.

He's always been a go-getter, willing to take on new tasks and programs.

Kevin was promoted to engineering project manager, and I'm sorry, environmental regulations analysts in 2009 and an engineering projects manager in 2024, which is always great to see somebody in the city grow through um promotions here.

He oversees the management of the city storm drain and sewer utilities, including all of the reporting requirements for various environmental regulations, and there are a lot of them.

Kevin is especially known for being a team player and his ability to assist other divisions.

He's greatly appreciated for the CCTV inspection of the city's underground infrastructure, tracking all of our utilities and GIS, and always troubleshooting uh problems.

Uh Hans, would you like me to keep going or do you want to switch between the other divisions?

Keep going.

Okay.

So I'll keep going.

Okay.

The next one is I want to celebrate Juan Chavez.

He's our parking maintenance lead worker.

Juan has dedicated 25 years of outstanding service to the city of Monterey.

He began his career in 2000 as a custodian.

And through his strong work ethic and commitment, he was promoted to senior custodian in 2007.

In 2017, he was promoted again and joined the parking division as parking maintenance worker, where he twice stepped up to serve as interim parking maintenance lead worker.

He's recognized for being self-sufficient, detail-oriented, proactive in identifying and addressing issues throughout the city.

His initiative and reliability make him an asset to our team, and his contributions have had a lasting impact on both the city and its residents.

So Juan, if you're watching, congratulations.

And now we have a 30-year person, and this is Juan Garcia.

He is a senior streets maintenance worker.

In 1995, he was hired by the General Services Division as a custodian, where he worked to keep city buildings and public restrooms clean and stocked.

In 2001, he transferred to the Streets and Utilities Division and quickly became an invaluable member of the team.

In 2007, he was promoted to senior street maintenance worker.

You can see Juan around town, striping crosswalks, patching potholes, hydrogen the sewer lines, and clearing the storm drains before storm events.

Juan's work ethic, understanding of our specialized equipment, and willingness to mentor really make him shine.

So congratulations, Juan, on your 30 years with the city.

The next one is Hector Fernandez.

He has been with the city for 25 years.

He was hired with the streets and utilities public works division as a street maintenance worker.

In 2011, he was promoted to senior streets maintenance worker.

In 2020, Hector was reclassified to a lead worker.

Hector is assigned to the Presidio of Monterey under our intergovernmental support agreement with the Army.

Hector performs asphalt and concrete repair, roadway markings, sign installation, and perimeter fence inspections and repairs.

Hector has extensive institutional knowledge, a strong work ethic, and a thorough understanding of base operations.

I would like to congratulate Hector on your 25 years with the city.

And we have Dionisio Luna.

We're celebrating 25 years.

So Luna, as we call him, has been with the city for 25 years as a custodian.

He covers both day and night shifts, and his recent areas of responsibility have been in our recreation centers such as Hilltop and El Estero Park Center.

He has a great reputation with both staff and visitors.

Luna is a great member of the team.

He always has a smile on his face, and he gets along with everyone and always willing to lend a hand.

So congratulations, Luna, on your 25 years with the city.

And I have somebody else that's in parking.

So Renee Mendez, she is celebrating 25 years with us.

She has been with the parking division for the 25 years.

She began her career as a part-time employee and through her hard work advanced to full-time officer.

In 2012, she advanced as senior parking officer.

2019, she got promoted to parking enforcement supervisor.

She brings extensive knowledge, leadership, and enthusiasm to her team every day.

Renee is especially known for her ability to connect with people, whether it's welcoming visitors from around the world, de-escalating tough situations in parking, or ensuring community members feel heard and supported.

Beyond enforcement, she embraces the city ambassador-like role by creating positive experiences for residents and visitors at countless special events.

And then we have one retirement.

So Frank Gentry, he was our automotive mechanic.

So he retired in March, just shy of his 25th year.

So he built a reputation not only as a skilled professional, but also as an all-around great colleague.

Frank was especially known for his ability to keep small equipment such as wheat eaters, mowers, and chainsaws running smoothly.

He became the city parking enforcement scooter guru, making sure the parking enforcement always had dependable scooters.

Over the years of service, Frank's reliability, knowledge, and commitment made him a valuable member of the team.

Now retired, he has returned to his home state of Texas to be closer to his family.

We extend our heartfelt thanks for Frank for his many years of service and wish him the very best as he enjoys his very well deserved retirement.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mayor City Council.

Chief Over couldn't be here today, so I'm here in his place.

Two outstanding and then also Lieutenant Castor.

Yeah, and then that guy over there.

He and I were actually hired at the same time.

That was in February of 2000 2005.

We went to the police academy.

That was the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, which is the best academy in the state.

And then he was hired as a police officer in September 2005.

Prior to being a police officer, he served in the United States Navy for five years and he was a petty officer second class.

He's worked as a patrol officer, a field training officer, which is an officer that trains new employees, a police detective, and he's also a team leader on our local SWAT team.

He promoted the sergeant in January 2016.

As a supervisor, he supervised our patrol division, he supervised our community action team, our detectives, and he's also been a field training officer sergeant.

Currently, he serves as our administrative sergeant, which oversees training, recruitment, hiring, and internal investigations.

He also holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Chapman University.

And he couldn't be here today.

Next, Gabe, if you want to come up and stand over here.

So this is Lieutenant Gabe Castor.

He was hired in September, in September of 2005.

He was actually hired as a police services technician.

Those are the folks that run our records and they run our jail.

Prior to being a PST, he was a LAPD officer, which he claims is the best academy in the state, which I disagree.

He was promoted to a police officer in December of 2006.

Well, as a police officer, he has worked on the community action team and he was a field training officer.

In 2018 or January of 2018, he was promoted to sergeant where he supervised patrol, the field training program, and he also was an administrative sergeant.

He was promoted to lieutenant in July of 2021.

He currently is a patrol division commander.

So he oversees one half of our patrol division and he oversees our field training program and our traffic unit.

So if there's any traffic complaints, that's who you want to call.

He also holds a master's degree in organizational leadership and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

And you got a nice letter signed from your favorite city manager, Hans.

Yep.

And a one of your congratulations.

Thank you so much.

Speech.

I'm just kidding.

I do have to say that I had something written for the assistant chiefer, but they told me I can't read it, so Hans is going to do it instead.

So just so you know.

Uh so the third person that we want to honor tonight is um uh from the police department, or Monterey Police Assistant Chief Mike Bruno, badge number 351, uh, who celebrates today also 20 years of service for the city of Monterey.

Um, he has been an essential part of the Monterey Police Department for the past 20 years from September 2005 to present.

Uh Assistant Chief Bruno started with the city as a police officer in September of 2005.

As an officer, assistant chief Bruno was assigned as a patrol officer, field training officer, and police detective.

He was promoted to sergeant in January 2012.

As a sergeant, Assistant Chief Bruno worked as a field operation special project sergeant, administration sergeant, and supervised the Monterey Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics team.

In September 2016, he was promoted to lieutenant, where he worked as a patrol division platoon commander.

Assistant chief Mike Bruno was promoted to his current role in July of 2021, where he currently oversees all operational aspects of the Monterey Police Department.

Assistant Chief Bruno holds a master's degree in public administration from Golden Gate and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from San Jose State University.

Assistant Chief Mike Bruno has consistently exemplified professionalism, service, integrity, dedication, and a strong ethic work ethic throughout his 20 years in law enforcement.

He also has a great sense of humor that is not written down by the chief.

Um the city of Monterey extends its gratitude for his unwavering commitment to our community.

Uh David J.

Hober, Chief of Police.

So congratulations.

It's back to me, huh?

Oh, you're um okay.

Uh congrats to all of our city employees with milestones in retirements.

Um I think we are starting off today's meeting right by all the celebrating and and all the work that's being done around the city.

I know I probably used this before in past quarterly um recognitions, but a lot of the work that's being done is um as a community we take for granted.

Um, we're we're not necessarily paying attention to all the things that are being done behind the scenes to keep our community safe, um, to keep things flowing.

Um, and on behalf of the entire community, we just appreciate each and every one of you for for the work that you all do.

So thank you to our entire city staff.

So please let's give it up for our city staff.

Anybody else in the council have comments on this one, please.

I just want to express uh gratitude to uh all the folks who are uh celebrating their anniversaries and um and uh I also want to share that um I continue to be um highly impressed with how often we hear that folks who work for our city have um worked for the city for many, many years.

It's not uncommon to hear that folks have been with us for 15, 20, 25 years.

Um, and I think that says a lot about you know the uh our culture here um in the city of Monterey, where um, you know, there's there's uh there's there's something magical, right?

That keeps uh our folks working with us and and uh uh part of that magic also comes with um or comes from the leadership that we have here.

So I just want to acknowledge that and um thank every individual for their dedication to the betterment of our city.

Thank you.

So I won't belabor the point, but just want to be able to not miss the opportunity to say thank you to the staff also.

Um, you I mean, constantly, public works and dealing with our police force, constantly moving and doing something and behind the scenes that nobody knows.

And just like uh our mayor was talking about half the things that you're doing, we don't even know what you're doing, and you're taking care of us.

We take for granted that we we that everything flows.

We take forget everything is taken care of, like one that couldn't even be here tonight because he was taking care of an emergency.

You know, people going beyond what their duties are, and so I I thank you for going beyond your duties, and not only in your time and effort, but in everything you do in the heart that you do it with.

So thank you.

None of the jobs that we've mentioned are without risk.

They interface with the public at all levels, uh, janitors, parking meter attendants, all of you, especially the police.

And so it it's um the commitment to those long-term jobs is seen and it's appreciated.

And I, as a council person, I'm sure I speak for everyone, and very grateful that you're all well, that you stay well, that you take care of each other, and uh you have each other's backs, and we have your backs too.

So thank you for all your service.

Awesome.

Thank you, counsel for adding some color to that.

Um, with that, we'll go ahead and open it up for public comment.

For folks on Zoom, you can use the raise hand function.

Anybody in the chamber wish to speak on this item.

Okay, we have one, we have one taker.

Just hold on tight one second for us here.

Anybody else in the chamber wish to speak on this one?

All right, so we just have the one speaker.

We'll go ahead and cut it off in the chamber and then we'll check with folks on Zoom.

I'll do a countdown to five, four, three, two, one.

We have three folks on Zoom.

I'm gonna go ahead and also leave this one to two minutes.

Please thank you.

Thank you for having me tonight.

And it's my first time here, so I'm glad to be uh part of this meeting.

Anyhow, yes, the police in this area are absolutely incredible.

I think everybody's treated very nicely.

I think they have very good etiquette and they approach anyone, whether it's a homeless person or someone they're pulling over.

So thank you very much for whoever is your leaders and your guidance, because I've been to big cities where it's questionable, you're gonna get.

Here it's not like every officer I've ever met here is legit, seems very, very into the public and the safety and what they're doing.

So thank you, because um it is a choice, it's like any other job.

You decide how you're gonna do it, and if you're not doing it like the rest of the team, just stick out.

So none of you stick out.

Thank you.

That's all you need.

Thank you.

All right, with that, we'll go to our callers on Zoom.

First, we'll hear from Brian.

Hi, um, there's something we all need to find out.

Trump has can you hear me?

We can hear you.

Trump has um pronounced himself the chief executive officer, and he wants to be in charge of all the police departments.

So if Trump wants to do, you know, like have the police department participate with ICE and commands them to do it and to do illegal and unconstitutional matters.

I think it's very important the police department refuses to cooperate, even if Trump orders it, because what Trump is ordering is illegal and unconstitutional, dragging people off to concentration camps because of the color of their skin, blowing brown-skinned people in boats to smithereens off Venezuela.

This could happen in Monterey.

So we need to know that the police department will not cooperate with illegal and unconstitutional acts and orders from Donald Trump.

Now, when the ICE raid ice people were terrorizing the Hispanic community in LA, the LA police department was pretty brutal towards some of the protesters, and we want to make sure that doesn't happen here.

And we'd like to hear from the police officers themselves that they will not participate against people exercising the free speech rights to protest and not to cooperate with Trump's illegal edicts.

I think if you're a homeless person, you might have a different opinion of the police than somebody who's a homeowner and you know is of is of means.

I uh maybe you should all disguise yourself as homeless people.

I I'm not sure how it is really in moderate, but I I have my doubts.

Um thank you so much for listening.

Our next speaker is I believe Lorna.

Yes, I I second that.

Um well said, Brian, but I also personally want to wish a big hearty thank you to Hans for his surface service in Monterey, namely his very brave role in stopping the cruise ship industry from overwhelming our already compromised sanctuary and for helping me personally to uh build a little marnok garden for the monarchs.

Hans, you are always accessible to citizens and our projects and concerns, and I will truly miss you.

Thank you.

And our last speaker is Esther.

Good afternoon again.

So I didn't even realize that two of my favorite MPD staff were going to be honored today, and I'm so happy I didn't miss this.

Um honored to say that I know these two probably better than them than the average resident of the city, and it's been a joy and a pleasure to watch them climb the ranks throughout the years that I've known them and see how well represent they represent our whole police force and our city.

I have been involved with them in a multitude of different ways, and they are the exception to many, many other police departments and and should be everybody should be grateful to them and and honor them and not hold them in the same pos the same places that many of the bad cops are used as examples and throw everybody together in the same bucket.

Um, you know, we've always had a great police department, and every year that goes by, we have more and more examples that prove why they are so great and why everybody is always looking to them for new ideas and and new ways to help the community, whether it's helping the homeless or the the drug addiction, or even just average residents.

They they I've seen them go above and beyond, and I and they know how I feel about them, but I just wanted to put it out there publicly that we are extraordinarily lucky to have them, and these two are a perfect example of why.

Thank you.

Well said, we're ahead and close.

I'm sorry, uh, public comment on this item.

Um we're gonna move on.

Um general public comments.

So this is for items that are not on today's agenda.

This is your opportunity to speak to them.

If it is on the agenda, then I'll ask you to just hold off until we get to that item.

We'll start off by checking with folks on Zoom.

If you can use a raise hand function in the meantime, I'll check in the chamber.

Anybody in the chamber wish to speak for general public comments for items that are not on today's agenda, but I would ask is if you could stand up to the left of the podium if able and willing.

If you prefer to say CD, just identify yourself by raising your hand.

So we have three folks.

We have the two in the first row that have their hand raised, and we have the Gerly that's walking up.

We have four.

Four, we have one in the back row as well.

Anyone else?

I just have the four.

Okay, so we're gonna cut it off to those four.

We'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one.

We have five on Zoom.

We're gonna go ahead and leave it at two minutes.

We'll go ahead and start in the chamber.

Julie, you can go ahead.

Thank you for courteously listening to all of us.

This for the city council mayor.

Uh last uh time I was here, I I wasn't very organized, so I thought I'd do a little better presentation to all of you.

I don't see my counting on the screen.

My seconds.

Um, oh, here it is.

Thank you.

I'm trying to talk, uh, I'll try to talk a little louder.

I just asked for folks that are in the audience.

I know it can be frustrating sometimes, but just please don't shout out, let the speaker speak.

Okay, thank you.

Um, I have four four points.

Please support successful restaurants, bring in money for the city.

It's been disappointing to see the area where scales used to be Gilbert's prior, uh, not to have a good restaurant in that location.

If a restaurant's doing well, let's try to keep them.

I'm concerned about um the money uh that we spend when we add more staff and expenses.

I'm concerned about the whole rent control project because there are books and there are uh organizations that help with housing.

I don't I think it's a big area and hard for the city to get into it.

It can be very expensive.

How can you take care of everybody when you have so many other things that you need to do?

I hope you can continue to support the unique characteristics that bring visitors to Monterey.

And I'm speaking to the protection for our historic buildings that display our various cultures and various um people's histories here.

Mills Act supports the owners of historic homes and businesses with a fiscal opportunity to um instead of paying property part of their property tax, they put it into maintaining their buildings.

And I hope the aquarium could contribute a little and pay some share of all of the support we have given them for over the years.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, we'll take our next speaker.

Please oops.

Good afternoon.

Um I am assuming that the agenda tonight is on um tax part or tax items of the budget.

So I'm here to speak about um NCIP clawback proposals in the budget.

Um I understand the city's in a crisis.

I also understand there are very few opportunities to fix that.

However, in my short term as a resident in San Um, I mean Monterey now, I have seen NCIP projects be the go-to government for clawback.

I suggest that no previously approved NCIP project be revoked in 2019 specifically.

Um we identified a major safety factor in the Monterey Vista neighborhood.

And this overlaps two districts within Monterey.

I want to make a point of that.

Um two of the council people on this.

The San Burnaby curve, a severe downhill, uphill S curve, has no sidewalks, has rugged uphill slopes on one side, and is a degraded or non-existent DG on the other side.

The road narrows at the top of the blind curve only to become barely able to allow two cars to pass.

It's a major conduit between Pacific Avenue and via Paraiso Park.

Suddenly, well, it was passed and it got approved and funded, and suddenly it was clawed back in 2021 or 22.

Fast forward to 24, there was a new opportunity.

Reconnected with neighbors, new neighbors, house sales, all this kind of thing.

Reapplied, it was passed again.

Guess what?

Now we're again saying let's not do this project.

This is very wasteful.

Number one, but number two, it's a very, very dangerous curve.

And it's something that I would think the entire city council needs to look at.

And I would suggest that you all take time to drive the curve.

Perhaps half of you on one side from Martin and half of you from uh Pacific.

Drive together to meet in the middle, and maybe even have some of your friends walk the path as you're doing that until you experience it's hard to know the danger involved.

Thank you.

I didn't almost two minutes.

Thank you.

You did a wonderful job.

And I just would offer um, we're we'll be having a joint session with the NCIP.

So I'd keep an eye out for that to learn more about what next steps are as it relates to that.

All right, we'll take our speakers in the front row.

Hi.

I am here to introduce the pretty positive project.

I think we can agree that Monterey is a stunning place to visit and an amazing place to live.

But when I look around the city owned plaza near the Staten Center, where first impressions are often made by tourists, I see unkept planners filled with trash, dirt, weeds, unhealthy plants, and garbage on the ground where the land meets the sea.

This gives a poor impression of our community and the lack of care for how the plaza looks.

Reminds me of the neighbor on the block with the only uncut yard, and we can do that.

If the city cannot come up with the funding, the community donations drive could fund the project is another option.

I think we can all agree this needs to be done.

Mautify the planners, involve the community with an adopt a planner campaign, scouts, clubs, seniors, families.

Do a local bulb bulb drive to add to the planners, have the city paint the light posts in the large planners, turquoise, have wooden signs up high on the posts pointing to the wharf that say fishing trips, restaurants, souvenirs, we're watching.

Have a high school art contest to decorate the light posts.

Expenses paid by sponsors supporting the project.

Use colorful flowering plants already approved on trails.

Like the state park, use cement uh uses their cement markers, as you can see here, the state park cement markers, move some planners between the vendors and bike path several feet apart to make people aware they are stepping onto the bike path.

Okay.

So look at how beautiful you guys.

I mean, look at look how pretty.

That plaza is a shame.

If the city can't afford it, I'm thinking once a month, the public comes out with their shovels, weeds, does fun, takes care of the plants.

Hopefully, the city can provide the plants.

If they can't, I will run a campaign in front of stores at the public needs something to do to bring us together.

That's not political.

This is nature.

Have you all looked over there?

You complain about the vendors, but take a look at what they're working around.

I love my don't leave me ugly.

I will help with this project.

Thank you.

I will do it.

Thank you so much.

And feel free to connect with staff too if you want to engage more.

Hello?

We can hear you.

Yeah.

Thank you, thank you, city council members.

Um, I'm gonna speak again on planning.

Um, sidewalk landing.

Um, it's written up as it's a mandate issue, but it affects many people.

The new um government or new contract being put into place, brought on by the so-called health and safety issues.

Um, I think part of the problem is when they had an attorney come forward and and um relay the effects that the reasoning that they brought forward um or were not factual, they were just opinions, and having the lawyer come in and raise his argument based on opinion and not fact.

Um, a good fact would be.

Excuse me.

An accident will happen on just a little bit of a prompt about the dangerous area.

This is a bike lane.

That's an accident that happened at the back lane, the bike lane.

Um at that area.

It's it's disturbing that um the argument that it's unsafe.

But yet we have I have a two million dollar policy that protects my business.

And um, if someone did get hurt, which hasn't happened, I have insurance for that.

And um, another uh situation that we're dealing with is the area south south of the um area that's being restricted.

Um Ed Smith mentioned that the courtyard area just south, the same way that the person before me mentioned.

Um it wasn't Ed Smith made a motion.

He made a comment that that area should be off limits.

He did not make a mo, he did not make I don't know if it was a motion, but he didn't get a second.

And by him adding that, um little submit he did not get it written into the contract so I feel like that area should still remain open for vendors such as me.

Thank you.

Okay with that we'll go ahead and go to our public commenters on Zoom.

First we'll have Brian Hello Mayor Robertson and City Council.

Mayor Robertson you keep misconstruing what I say.

I never said that we're all one human race.

I never said that although I think we are one and when we realize the fact we're one prejudices do cease.

And I don't particularly I don't want to celebrate the white man.

My God look at the white man look who's president.

Look at the guy the horrible man that was just assassinated which was terrible for anyone to be killed like that.

All I'm trying to say is that white males there's a lot of troubled white males that don't have any culture except for MAGA and Trump and they're full of hate and they're dangerous and we're in a very dangerous position in this country for racism by these people and I'm saying that positive elements of they need to understand their own background and positive aspects and maybe they'll appreciate other groups like Hispanics and blacks and African uh Asian Americans and uh I just think by neglecting the white male which is who are really screwed up they need to understand their own heritage and we need to honor everybody's heritage because these people are very very there's a lot of really lost people following horrible right wing podcasters so I just want to quickly say that the DA of Philadelphia is going to prosecute Trump's people for committing breaking the law if they do you know grab people without a warrant do unconstitutional illegal actions in the city of Monterey has to do the same if Trump's people do something illegal and unconstitutional and they're doing it mostly to brown skinned people right now and this is a great tragedy and we need you to stand up against Trump.

Thank you.

Lorna you can go ahead and city council members and the public when a president comes into power that breaks the law of our constitution what can the people do and when a president for example calls on the military to subdue peaceful protest which is against our constitution what should the people do?

And when a Supreme Court doesn't uphold constitutional laws what can the people so I really thought about this and I thought it's going to have to come down to the police and the military and not the top brass military but our local military that anything this president says or does that is unconstitutional is against the law and is treasonous to we the people too many that people have died for our constitution and for our country and I am scared to stand up in front and say what I'm saying now because I know this man is crazy our president is not right in the head and he's powerful and he's dangerous and he's coming after anyone who speaks out and this is what Hitler did.

And if we don't stop him now, it's going to be too late because Hitler didn't have the drone, and Trump does.

So it's gonna be at each individual person.

And if we don't, we are going to be skinned alive like the Germans did the Jews and anyone who hit them during World War II.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Mira.

Hi, good afternoon, Mayor and City Council.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak again at one of your meetings.

Like what Daniel was talking about about the vendor issue.

I would like to request that it become re-agendized.

I would like to also request that there be some avenue for uh planning and city council and other staff that are involved in creating ordinances that we have the chance to talk with permitted vendors to actually come up with regulations that will be mutually beneficial and will actually go towards uh health and safety.

Um many vendors have been very uh stressed and frustrated and confused with what's going on with this ordinance.

Um those that have been daring to continue to work have been doing their best to comply and um I think there's a lot of ambiguity, there's a lot of confusion.

Uh we recently had a letter that we're going to be put into a lottery system, and I just have to say it's actually unacceptable to gamble with our livelihood.

You know, we have permits for a year, and we're looking at this option of possibly being able to work for three months at a time, which is it's just not working.

Uh, we've already seen reduction in our and our livelihood and our finances complying with the ordinance, and we can't just wait and see.

We can't just observe and document as we've been requested.

Uh, we really respect what you guys are trying to do, and we respectfully need to meet and and talk about these things and make real resolutions that will stick, not what's going on now.

Uh, I second what Daniel said about looking at the map correctly, and I also appreciate what Nova said about using the planters on the bike path to keep pedestrians out.

Thank you so much for your time.

Next we have Pat.

Yeah, Pat Ben's uh.

Sorry, Pat, I hit the wrong button.

Am I okay now?

Yes, please go ahead.

I'm sorry about that.

It's okay.

Uh Pet Benz and Monterey Vista.

It's becoming um aware to residents what SB9 means to our R1 neighborhoods, and I'm hoping that the city would hold a uh information session, or maybe the neighborhood associations have to get together and do it, but um the idea that a lot in a residential neighborhood can have a four-foot setback on each side and a four-foot setback in the back.

And I'm not quite clear what the front is like because I'm getting two different stories, and once again, that's another reason we have to um have some information given, but the idea that we can put from the state saying six units to an R1 lot and the city doubling down basically and saying six, um is just it's something that's just not gonna work in our R1 neighborhoods, and people are becoming aware and coming out of the woodwork, and uh I think you're going to see a lot of um comeback, especially on the six.

Um I guess we all want to hear about, you know, is it going to be like when granny units were allowed uh in the late 80s, early 90s, and only six came up across the city, or people really going to come out of the woodwork and build great big monstrosities next number of people.

So anyway, SB9.

Everybody needs to look into it and we need to speak up.

Thank you.

And our last speaker is Esther.

Good afternoon again.

I just wanted to um let you guys know because it's been a while since Laguna Grande Park has been spoken about at City Council.

And the regional parks district has a new general manager that's been on board for about two and a half months.

And I held a kind of virtual meet and greet today with him for him.

And in addition to the uh our parks and rec person, Kathy Boya, myself, Scott Hansen, the vice president of our neighborhood association.

We invited uh Monterey PD and Celine and Seaside PD, as well as Tice from the Parks Department.

And we had a very good meeting.

Sorry, I'm coming off of um being sick.

Um about what we expect from him as um the new regional manager for the regional park, and um kind of got him caught up on things, and I want to thank everybody who took the time to attend.

I think it's important that our parks department also be engaged on this park.

I know that anything that happens with this park is immediately shoved over to the JPA, which thankfully we have Councilmember Garcia representing us well finally on this JPA.

But I don't think that um we should not be talking about this park at the PRC as well as in front of the council.

It's a big part of our community, and I'm hoping that we can see more uh engagement from the council as well as the PRC, especially with the JPA and the consulting project we have coming up.

We're gonna need to come up with some funding for it.

And um, we've been at this a long time, so hopefully we can put it in the spotlight again.

Thank you.

Okay.

Well that we'll go ahead and close public general public comment, move on to consent agenda.

Um, anybody on the council wish to pull anything from consent?

Uh no, uh nothing was pulled.

Okay, um, not seeing anything from council, so we'll go ahead and open it up for public comment for folks on Zoom.

You can use the raise hand function.

Anybody in the chamber wish to speak on any of the consent items or wish to pull anything from consent?

I'm not seeing any takers in the chamber, so we'll check back on Zoom and do a countdown to five, four, three, two, one.

Not seeing anybody on Zoom, so we'll close public comment, bring it back to the council for motion deliberations, the mayor.

Um, with respect to the item about adopting side letter agreement with a memorandum of understanding with Monroe Firefighters.

Uh, there is uh a mistake in the ordinary in the resolution instead of July.

Uh, it should read October 2025, and therefore the parties will transition.

So the correct resolution uh read into the record will stay.

Whereas in October 25, the parties will transition from the interim administration of ambulance services to full provision of ambulance.

So, thank you for that, Hans, for that clarification.

Does somebody want to make a motion with that?

Um, and it's included.

Moved and seconded, any other discussion?

All those in favor, any opposed motion passes unanimously.

With that, we'll adjourn to the Ocean View Community Services District meeting.

And we have one item on the consent.

Um, any discussion on the consent item.

Okay.

I will take it out to public comment.

Anybody on Zoom wish to speak on this item?

Um, sorry, my brain's a little bit all over the place.

Please use a raise hand function if you're on Zoom.

Anybody in the chamber wishes to speak on this item?

All right, I'm not seeing any takers in the chamber, so we'll go ahead and cut it off in the chamber, and I'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one.

There's nobody on Zoom, so we'll go ahead and bring it back to the council.

Um, the staff want to share any updates on this before we make a vote.

There are no updates, and so you can just receive the report and vote isn't even necessary.

Okay.

Oh, we're just receiving.

Thank you.

Um any last minute comments from the council on this one before we move on.

All right.

With that, we're gonna go ahead and adjourn back to the city council meeting and start the rest of our afternoon session.

Um for our public hearing item number 11.

It's to adopt the fiscal year 2425 consolidated annual performance and evaluation report, also known as the CAPER, and all the rest.

So with that, I'll pass it to Hans for staff presentation.

Mr.

Mayor uh Jacob will uh CD coordinator will give you a brief presentation about this uh routine item uh basically uh explaining to you how we are distributing the CDBG and totalment funds for that.

Thank you, Hans.

Uh good afternoon, Mail Wilson and city council members.

Today I'll be presenting on the consolidated annual performance and evaluation report, also known as the CAPER for fiscal year 2024 to 2025.

Um before I start my presentation, I just wanted to bring light to the housing program snapshot that we provided to each of you.

Um it gives an overview of not just uh CDBG or community development block grant funding uh accomplishments for the year, but also for other funding sources such as PLHA, rental assistance, rental inventory.

So uh if all of you could take a second to look through it, we'd really appreciate it.

And I will continue on to the CAPER.

So the goal for today's presentation is for city council to adopt the fiscal year 2425 CAPER to submit to HUD by uh September 28th, 2025, and hold a public hearing on community development needs.

Um I'm going to provide a general overview of the FY2425 CAPER.

Please note that this CAPER is also the final caper on the FY2020-2024 consolidated plan.

On August 28th, 2025, the CAPER was available for public review at the following locations, including the planning office, housing office, library, and on the city website.

Notification was provided in the Monterey Herald and the Monterey County Weekly on August 28, 2025 as well.

The city did receive three public comments that focused on housing production and the FY 2020-2024.

Complet accomplishments for the city include expenditures of approximately um 813,000 towards public service activities, uh 3.2 million towards the purchase and resale of inclusionary units to low-income buyers, 500,000 um towards major and minor single family housing rehabilitation, and approximately 185,000 towards public facilities and infrastructure.

Over the five-year period, the city assisted approximately 10,816 people through these programs, uh, primarily low to moderate income.

And additionally, the city received additional CDBG funding during the COVID pandemic and provided over 517,8386 in CDBG funds towards rental assistance, in addition to 61,827 of public service funds and 1.25 million of non-cdbg funding on behalf of the United Way of Monterey County benefiting 128 households.

Additionally, the city provided 100,000 in CDBG CV funds to both the food bank of Monterey County and Meals on Wheels.

The total amount of funding, including CV over the five year period was 6.5 million, and the total of CV funding for COVID is 653,000.

The total funding, not including CV is 5.9 million.

And for this fiscal year, or for sorry, 2425.

Uh the annual funding included 251,522 in grant funding and 1,188,00047 in program income.

Program income is derived primarily from the sale of inclusionary units.

And then in this first slide, it shows the city's public service program.

City provided grant funds to the following agencies and a total amount of 105,459.

Public services primarily serve low income populations, including funding for people experiencing homelessness, seniors, disabled, and youth programs.

Next slide, please.

The city's purchase and resale program provides home ownership opportunities to low income first-time homebuyers by purchasing and reselling inclusionary units.

The city rehabilitated two units in fiscal year 2425.

And the city was able to sell three units that were rehabilitated in the prior fiscal year.

The city also purchased three units in fiscal year 2425.

These next two slides are two of the units that were rehabbed through the purchase and resale program in fiscal year 2425.

Rehabs have averaged about uh 12,000 per unit.

However, upcoming units are requiring substantial rehab and funding in the coming fiscal year.

Go to the next slide, please.

And this concludes my presentation and I am ready for questions.

Thank you.

Thank you for the presentation.

Opening it up to the council for questions.

Not seeing any, so that means your presentation was okay.

Thank you.

All right.

With that, we'll go ahead and open it up for public comment.

Anybody on Zoom, you can use the raise hand function.

In the meantime, I'll check in the chamber.

Anybody in the chamber wish to speak on this item?

You're going to speak on this one.

Okay.

Yep.

So we have one in the chamber.

Anybody else?

All right.

So we'll go ahead and cut it off in the chamber to the one.

And then I'll check on Zoom to do a countdown to five, four, three, two, one.

And we have two on Zoom.

So we'll go ahead and start in the chamber.

It was just more of a question.

I noticed he mentioned that the rental assistance program was one of the programs that he gave you information about.

I didn't see any evaluation of it.

And I had understood when we started rental assistance over a year ago that there would be an evaluation of it.

And other than seeing how many people have registered, I haven't seen how effective it is.

Is it I know we already had areas where the public tenants can have a grievance and report it and it could be arbitrated?

That was before the rental assistance.

And I'm sorry, the rental inventory.

The rental registry.

If we're spending a half a million dollars on it, what is the goal and has it been met?

And other than registering landlords, um, I think that the information given to landlords and tenants could be much easier and cheaper to be put on a website.

People wouldn't have to come to an office if the tenant wanted information about what their rights and requirements are.

Landlords could look at a website, the city housing website, and find out the same kind of things.

I know you're doing a um a workshop in this month, I believe, or in the near future.

And that information is valuable to the landlord as well as the tenant, because I truly believe that the landlords of our city want to be good landlords.

And in the most part, I think we are good landlords.

And the um rental registry itself is a big expense, and I haven't seen the evaluation of it of what it's has actually accomplished, other than to say the percentage of people who've complied by registry.

So if you could address the rental registry, that would be great.

Thanks.

Yeah, we put our local.

Tom, you can go ahead.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Um, I was curious by the uh staff report stating that some of the inclusionary housing units that were bought back were, um, and I'm gonna paraphrase were in bad condition and they needed significant work done on them.

So I'm just curious, do the people who um buy these units and then resell them back to the city, are they obligated in any way, shape, or form to taking care of the place?

Is there any repercussions uh upon them if they trash it and then the city buys it back in bad condition?

I understand these people are of modest means and they may not be able to afford to, you know, purchase a market rate house, but to me it doesn't give them a free pass of get a get a nice place to live and then trash it and then have the city have to uh have to remodel it and and repair all the damage.

Thank you.

And our last speaker is Stacey.

Thank you.

Um council members, thank you, Mayor.

This is Stacy Elsie Perkins from Gathering for Women Monterey.

I just want to acknowledge the number of priorities that are on your plate as far as funding in our community, and I want to express my appreciation for your support of the homeless in our community, and especially for gathering for women.

We truly appreciate our partnership over the years and uh look forward to a continued partnership.

Thank you very much.

Great.

With that, we'll go ahead and close public comment.

Um I heard two questions.

There was the one around the rental inventory and one around the care of unit requirements.

As far as the first part, I don't see where the rental inventory actually falls into the purview of the KIPERS report.

So I don't know if this is the appropriate time space to answer the question related to that, but I will just quickly say that there is an annual presentation that's done on the registry, um, which will be done, I believe, in the in the spring of next year when when it's up like we did earlier this year.

And then maybe if staff could answer the second question as it relates to the requirements maybe around the care of units for those affordable units.

Yeah, uh I I think the the speaker uh put a lot of assumptions into his uh um uh comments when he said trashed and and deteriorated and maybe other words.

So um if if somebody lives in a unit for 20 30 years, um the the unit is lived in and we have to we conduct basically uh uh an upgrade to the units when uh we had actually slides that that wanted that we wanted to show you what it means is when you have uh we replaced the carpet with hardwood floor now, which is was a typical we replace the appliances, we put a uh a coat of paint uh everywhere.

Uh it's it's not a trash place, it's just basically uh a unit that is being made ready again for the next affordable home ownership program, and uh we are investing uh money into those units with respect to um having lived in for 20 30 years and and then upgrading the the appliances and then other things.

Uh yes, uh there once in a while units that really show a lot of um uh shall we say use and and uh maybe also uh more usage than then you can expect that has happened, and then we we are investing into that as well.

But uh generally what we are doing as upgrades are um the normally upgrade any landlord would do if if somebody uh moves out of the 20 years or 30 years living in a unit and they reinvest before they rent it out in this case.

We are reselling it to someone who uh is part of this program.

So I hope that answered the question.

Okay, open it up to the council for motion and deliberation.

I see council rash.

Oh wants to make just please statements.

No, please, okay.

Um, I think um, Mr.

City Manager, maybe the question was who pays?

Um, does that come out of the any profit that the homeowner?

I know it's minimal.

Does it come out of their profit or or is it really a cost to the city it comes it comes from uh from a mix it comes from the city and also from the retail that that we are getting back from from the sale of the unit the sale of the unit which is uh still way below market right okay and i i wanted to say to to jacob and anastasia that um you know we recently had a wonderful presentation from you too about all of this that was beautifully done and um that we don't have a lot of questions i think is a testament to the great job you did then and tonight so um i'm always amazed at this program i i um i think it's one of the best that we do i'm really proud of you i'm really proud of the program really proud that six low income people get home ownership for as long as they want and um then we refresh it and and offer that to other people and all all the other assistance that is given and i um i just want you to know how valuable i think your work is thank you oh and let me say one thing i went to the tenant protect the tenant um landlord workshop that that both of you were at run by human resources uh center i think but that was phenomenal it was well done they had landlords there and tenants and organizations to talk to potential tenants about where there would be support for lower income people how the vouchers work how once you get into um a setup through um a nonprofit you still remain um you as the as the tenant and the landlord still get a lot of um support and consultation from the the nonprofit organizations from housing resource center from uh jacob and and and our our city and um i thought it was just so well done and inspirational and the and the landlords were there to say oh hey we take housing choice voucher it's not a big deal and and demystifying all all the all the negativity about um about the housing situation and I I hope we can do that again um Bill Sterling was there does a lot of um landlord offerings and and two other people I wish I could remember their names but um I hope we do that again it was very well done thank you anybody else is there a is there a motion anybody's willing to make a move that we approve uh the motion as um uh faded in the agenda second okay it's been moved and seconded um council brash i'll just add to your comments in addition to being a great program that creates space for new folks once those units become vacant and available um that revenue that's made from the program creates opportunities for the city to purchase more um units that we can expand the program so the only unfortunate part is that we don't have more that we can do in that space but um I I think you you've nailed it so all right with that we'll go ahead and call the question all those in favor aye any opposed motion passes unanimously thank you staff for your work on this um with that we'll move on to our public appearance item number 12 presentation on the city's plan to solicit public opinion on potential tax measures to reduce the city's 10 million dollar structural annual budget deficit with that I'll pass it to Hans for staff presentation yes thank you Mr.

Mayor um I'm trying to set it up uh as short as possible uh we we are uh in the face uh with uh our discussions about planning for uh potential um measures to to re reduce our structural deficit of 10 million dollars and the city council uh has twice uh listened and also deliberated um potential uh tax measures and um uh those tax measures uh that that we are proposing um are widespread uh and usually uh as part of our uh standard um procedure in um gauging what uh may be of of interest for the public and also what is a tax measure that will raise the uh appropriate majority so uh you have to engage uh a public opinion uh company that um then uh works with the community uh through um through their survey mechanisms to figure out okay what is the feeling about several tax measures uh we we had quite an array of proposals in front of you and our agenda report identified quite a few of those and um we already at the time when we discussed it with the city council said when we are doing this public opinion poll uh we have to kind of narrow the focus on um those measures uh that that we actually think uh may have success in the community and an important role um uh to play there has the public opinion poll uh company uh they are the ones who are conducting those type of opinion polls across the state uh every every so often they also know um how to do the polling and also how to interpret the the different data points that that are being collected um and that will we'll take it from here and and we'll go a little bit more into the details uh of that uh but uh tonight we we wanted to to bring forward this uh agenda item and present to you what our what we plan our next steps are great thank you Hans and uh good afternoon we are in council first we wanted to recognize the excellent feedback we received from the community and the great work of the council during the last two council meetings as we review the budget deficit strategies uh both in August and then again on September 2nd we took a look at the strategies that have a direct impact on the $10 million structural deficit as well as strategies that indirectly address the deficit so we'll we'll talk about that uh briefly and then go into more detail about the polling strategy uh this uh this afternoon so um first it's important for us to uh recognize and we wanted to share uh with all of you and remind you that we still have a significant funding gap as we look at direct impacts on how we're addressing the deficit and review the 2026 27 budget and ongoing budgets so here there's two columns one shows based on again these are based on the strategies that uh have a unanimous support from council and council unanimously supported two strategies during the last meeting one is pursuing a sales tax increase of 0.375 percent and the other is pursuing revenue enhancements at veterans park campground you can see that for the first fiscal year if the sales tax goes into effect that would bring in 3.375 million dollars the that's part campground would bring in 125,000 and that's because the sales tax revenue would only come in for three quarters of the fiscal year ongoing it would bring in as we estimate four and a half million dollars for the sales tax measure in terms of how much that's addressing the 10 million dollar fiscal uh deficit on annual basis we still have a large funding gap that's six and a half million dollars of funding gap we'll still need to identify uh for fiscal year 2627 and additional and then 5.375 million for ongoing budgets and I know coming up very soon at our second council meeting in October we're planning on discussing further the items that were in all of your maybe piles those are some of the strategies that uh we will hopefully then identify and address that large funding gap um that that we have um that's uh something that uh we have planned and look forward to holding with all of you on October 21st.

We'll go to the next slide uh again, of the indirect strategies, this is also very helpful for the city's budget, but doesn't address the 10 million dollar structural deficit directly.

Are a few measures that council all agrees to is uh resuming the stormwater fee in spring of 2026 that would bring in 1.2 million dollars annually, renewing measure P and S, and then also renewing measure G.

And measure G brings in roughly $6 million annually, and then Measure P and S.

Those would be again November 2026 for Measure P and S, and then Measure G for November 2028.

And there's another potential option for bringing Measure G and combining it actually with the sales tax measure coming up that council's interested in in June of 26.

So let's talk a little bit about the two-phase approach for the public opinion research strategy.

As Hans mentioned, we recommend working with a firm called FM3.

They worked with us on polling ahead of a number of successful tax measures that our city voters approved.

Measure S back in November of 2014, Measure P back in 2018, and then also Measure G, which is the sales tax measure in 2020.

So I'd like to explain the two-phased approach to all of you.

The first of all, the first surveys always include questions about the quality of life in Monterey, including what the priorities and concerns of Monterey voters are.

And it helps provide insights onto potential revenue measures.

So those questions are typically asked at the front of the survey process.

In addition, each survey has two main components.

So a more detailed poll and survey on no more than two sales tax measures.

And when we say a detailed survey, those actually include draft language, draft ballot language to assess voter support based on different examples of ballot language.

And they recommend no more than two, and that's because more than two surveys per period, and we're recommending two as part of phase one can result in skewed data.

Research also shows us that too many items on the ballot can also result in voter fatigue and what's also known as the just say no effect.

And that's when homeowners may experience high cost of living expenses, may be overburdened by taxes and may not support more than two items on the ballot.

Also, what's part of this survey are what we would call temperature checks on additional potential items that might be considered for the ballot in the future?

So uh temperature check on measure PS renewal and other conceptual measures such as admissions tax or a public safety bond could also be asked as part of this phase one.

But what we're recommending is uh a survey focused on the sales tax increase, and that's either the we would gauge uh both the option that we've been discussing, which is the 0.375% additional sales tax increase, or do voters also support potentially combining the 0.375% increase with the measure G renewal.

Now we know measure G doesn't need to renew until November of 2028, but there's an option of combining both and taking that to voters, and it would essentially be a renewal of measure G plus an increase of 0.375 for a sales tax totaling 0.875 percent.

And uh that polling can also include levels of support for a five-year, 10-year, maybe an indefinite sales tax measure.

The second part of that phase one could also include a parking tax and gauge voter support for a parking tax.

Would voters support a 5% parking tax, 10%, 15%?

So that's what's being recommended to all of you as part of the polling effort for fall of 25.

That would, and these would be potential measures for the June 2026 ballot.

We would also look at phase two in spring of 2026 for the November 2026 ballot.

The idea behind this is there would be two potential deep dive surveys, one on measure P and S renewal, which council expressed an interest in bringing to voters in November of 26.

The other one is potentially seeking voter support or at least gauging their support for a public safety facility bond measure.

In addition to that, there would potentially be a temperature check on other conceptual funding measures if it's legal at that time, the streaming tax, a vacancy tax, or other tax measures.

Also to remind uh council, we would go through phase one first, and then we could then refine what phase two looks like after we go through the phase one and review the results of the polling that's conducted in fall of 2025.

So our next steps for all of you this afternoon is uh to uh react to our and uh provide feedback if you like on what we're recommending to you.

Uh we do plan to enter into a contract with FM3 and work with their team to develop and launch phase one of the polling research effort based on the strategy we're presenting uh to you tonight.

Um also joining us remotely is Lucia Del Pupo.

She is the executive vice president of FM3 research, and she's joined us remotely tonight from her office in Oakland.

And uh we're happy to answer any questions that you might have for us today.

Thank you for the presentation.

Open up to the council for questions, please.

If the um ballot measure put in June of 26 passes, when is it implemented?

For the sales tax increase.

We expect that the assessment would be in October, where at least the sales tax increase would take effect in October by the time that we notify the ETF A than how to be represented.

We would look at October one, and then we would receive three-quarters of fiscal years.

Thank you.

That's my only question.

Please uh just getting the clarification on the phase one, uh dealing with the sales tax.

Uh, they have the measure G, and then the actual sales tax, and then the possibility of a combination.

How would that survey actually be um how would it be organized or worded for the public?

I'm just curious how what their choice would look like and how that's worded.

That's a great question, Dr.

Robert.

I may ask uh to chime in and buy some additional more detailed guidance and input on how that works, typically, we would look at both options.

Yeah, and I I do think hi everyone, good evening.

Uh, I'm Lucia Del Copo.

Um, uh to answer Nat's question and the council members' question, I do think that I would we would have to work with the team a little bit.

I don't know that we could test, because essentially if we test both just a 0.375% increase and a renewal, a measure G renewal with the increase.

We're testing already that's two separate measures plus the parking tax.

I don't know that we could fully test all three options and uh fully kind of touch on all the topics that we're hoping to touch on in one single survey.

Um, so I think we would want to work with the team, talk a little bit about some of the different kind of elements of feasibility um of and what the goals would be of those two different um versions of that sales tax increase.

Um, we could try and touch on it in the survey as a follow-up, but to do that kind of full 75-word ballot question tests on two versions of the sales tax and the parking tax might be challenging.

Um so it's something we would work through with the team to figure out the best way to get that data.

Right, that's why I was curious because of what you were saying about the two, and I'm saying the way it looks, that's why I was wondering about the verbatim of how it was going to be used.

So that's something that's to be determined at this point of whether it would be all three or just two.

Is that correct?

Yeah, I think so at this point, yeah.

So it's it's not all three, uh, Lucio.

When we're uh talking about uh combining the sales tax increase 0.375 and 0.875 uh and 0.54 measure G, it would be just one sales tax measure that we are um that we are gathering uh opinions off.

And uh the way I envision FM3 would do it, that they would say, hey uh the council wants to add sales tax of 0.375 percent to to sustain essential services.

What do you think about that?

And then uh FM3 could consider saying uh no.

Uh let me share with you that voters approved measure G.

This one is running out in November 2028.

Uh, what would you think if the council wants to combine that and ask voters to vote on measure G, uh, including uh the point three seven five as one measure what do you feel about that these are the techniques that that uh companies like FN3 would apply and uh then they gauge out of that that voters would say well oh yeah I understand I voted for measure g it should be renewed or voters would say no we just want to do one or the other but uh it's not three separate tax measures uh when they when they gauge the public interest uh they they are uh basically engaging over the phone with uh uh uh with uh voters that have voted in the last three four elections uh very uh representative sample of of voters and in the city of Monterey with that voting history and at that time they will um build upon information and saying now let me explain to you uh um what other issues are being part of the tax measure would that be interesting for you as well so it's uh it's an iterative process to the agree and at the end uh after all the um uh um uh responses have been collected uh uh uh the public opinion poll firm uh has a group feeling about what uh what uh the voters will tell us and uh it can very well be that they say oh the voters feel very strongly about 0.375 but they don't trust you guys to give you another point five percent two years early or four years early so so there these are the mechanisms that they use and uh I'm not telling Lucia how to do her job uh I just wanted to um uh rephrase Lucia's answer because we are not asking for two separate sales tax measures and it was my impression that Lucia uh felt that that was what we are doing or we we really want to focus just on one sales tax measure but we want to find out is it the point three seven five or can we add the point five to that what do voters think about that and then the other one is of course the parking tax.

Thank you for the clarification.

But she could you provide clarification in regards to because I my my understanding of what you were trying to communicate maybe was a little bit different than than that but could you just provide clarity from your perspective?

Yeah absolutely I think um what I was trying to say was just that we wouldn't we I I think that what Hans laid out is maybe Hans should be upholstered what the same manager laid out was um very much how I would recommend it approaching it if we wanted to test kind of two versions of the sales tax and also the parking tax um so kind of starting with a base case and a follow up all I meant by not being able to test three is that I wouldn't recommend kind of split sample in an ideal world right we would be able to split sample and which is divide the sample into two groups and have one group here one version one group here the other version but just given the breadth of what we're trying to cover in this survey um and the read we want to get on the sales tax I would recommend doing that kind of follow-up structure instead.

Perfect any other questions for the council please Council Garcia.

I actually had questions around the uh the the questions for the polling and uh Hans uh you answered I think what where I was gonna go with that so thank you um in and but I I still am curious and and Lucia you may have covered this and maybe I missed it uh in terms of the timing of the polling what what does that look like?

Um absolutely I think that for the phase one the team and I um I I would like to get that going as soon as possible while I realize that uh the June election is still several months away I think gathering that initial information will really be informative for the city in terms of determining what the next steps if there are going to be next steps but they should be um and so for that poll I think as soon as the team is ready on the city side I would think we should get that going and typically our process for kind of from the kickoff moment to the time that we are delivering results is a roughly a six to eight week process overall um for the second poll, I think the timing is a little bit more flexible, just depending on what we've learned from the first poll what the next steps are um to then determine whether when in 2026 exactly we would want to do the the follow-up polling that looks at November.

Um so I my sense is that we're not really doing polling at this point to determine when we should have certain items.

We're we're kind of almost pre-forecasting that piece.

We're just polling whether or not these items should be um on the ballot for the specific election.

Is that fair to say?

Yeah, I think that's that's fair to say.

Uh the idea is to uh identify we we have a pulse from council on what we like to put on each of the uh each of the ballots for June and November, and uh this will help us formulate more data from voters and and see if we truly want to uh place that.

If there's strong there's uh there's not support, then we may need to look at other alternatives, but uh we're we're hoping to uh have some great data to help us move forward identify how we address the 10 million dollar strategies before we spend the effort putting items on the ballot.

Okay.

Um and then given I I appreciate having it being broken down into two phases to kind of meet that.

Um, I'm assuming there's some um statistical benefit from um not having too many um initiatives on the same polling that's done.

Um I guess my I there's something I'm trying to get to here, but I guess I'll ask first how much time in between each poll is usually recommended.

So there isn't a specific timeline in terms of between each polls.

I think in terms of the phase two polling, and this is something that I think the team will have to uh discuss a little bit, is for example, if there were nothing on the ballot or there was only let's say I'm speaking completely on hypotheticals here, but only the parking tax on the June ballot, then we might want to poll in the spring for the November 2026 ballot because similar to doing the June polling now, we want to get the data in advance to understand and what the city's next steps are.

That said, um there are if there were a sales tax increase on the June ballot, um the polling in the spring for a November 2026 other sales tax renewal could create some confusion.

Um it could also be something that kind of needs to happen anyway, just given the the overall timeline of having those June and November elections not too far apart.

Um so I think that that is kind of why I'm not being too specific about when I would recommend doing that phase two polling, just because I think we have to find the learnings of the phase one and then also just work with the team on a timeline that uh works with kind of the overall calendar for the city.

Um so so, but in terms of the stuff we're gonna have enough time between the two polls that I have no worries about like impacts to data integrity or anything like that.

I would frankly uh only be worried if they were running concurrently.

Okay.

Thank you for that.

And if I could add just uh briefly that the decision to place items on the ballot in November are due to the county elections office by the first week in August.

So there's the ballot in June.

By the time we have the poll, there's the decision has to be made by July on what items, if any, are placed on the ballot in November.

So it doesn't allow that much time for analysis and polling and decision making.

So that's why we're recommending spring.

I I'm I'm just wondering maybe why we wouldn't um look at maybe doing even three phases, uh, just because if we're having this stream, like the the second bullet of phase two seems to me um leading us more to it being an afterthought as opposed to really truly weighing and considering if those are something that we want to consider.

So I don't know if anybody has any thoughts as it relates to that.

From a stack perspective, but then maybe we can open it up for discussion.

Well, right, do you do you want discussion or do you want questions?

Well, I'm just I'm wondering from a technical perspective, um, staff or Lucia, if if you all have any thoughts on that.

Okay, yeah.

I I think what Nat described about the specific election calendar timeline is sort of the tension that I was alluding to in terms of timeline.

Um, I do think that many communities do um do a kind of a poll in the spring, kind of for the reasons we're talking about, but also then do a follow-up short tracking poll.

Um, right after that could be something that could be done really um after the June election, but prior to placement, just to do a gut check on uh where the electorate is, especially after having just voted potentially in June on other local taxes.

So I do think that that would be um something that could be useful and is a tool that is adopted in in other communities often to kind of break that phase two into into two portions, but um yeah, we can be flexible to to meet the city's needs on that.

So that's helpful.

Um, councilman rush.

Just one last question for me.

The poll would be a sampling, because I I can remember when we were doing S.

Um, I never got polled and my feelings were hurt.

So it's a sampling.

You're you aren't going to reach out to everyone and see how they feel.

No, it's a it's a random sample.

Um, uh in the first poll, we actually recommended 500 because we're focusing mostly on June, but wanted to have a capture the opinion of of some of the voters who vote November but not June to kind of get a preview if possible.

Um, but yeah, it'll be a 400 to 500 sample and it's a random sample of voters.

That's correct.

And then we set demographic quotas to make sure that they uh the demographics of our survey sample mirror the demographics of the voters likely to participate in each of the respective elections.

Can I ask a follow-up question?

Um, just because I I geek out a little bit over the the polling side of this and kind of getting a sense of the electorate.

How how do you determine or have you determined yet, or how would you normally determine the likely voter?

Um that's a great question.

So we look at previous vote history.

Um, so folks who have voted in previous uh primaries or generals or midterm generals, um, and we usually we look for folks who have voted at least two or three times previously, but we also add in to our sample new registrants because there could be folks who just moved to Monterey who are likely voters.

Um so it really is based on on uh vote history.

Two to three, I'm I'm this is maybe my last question, I promise.

Um, um they've registered they voted in two to three past elections over what period of time?

Over, oh sorry, two or three or more, right?

So it's it's includes people who vote every single time too.

Um and we usually look back about three or four elections.

Okay, okay, perfect.

Thank you.

That was good.

That was good.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Um, okay.

With that, we'll go ahead and open it up for public comments.

So uh anybody on Zoom, you can use a raise hand function.

Um in the meantime, I'll check in the chamber, and I already see folks are lining up.

Anybody else that's not already making their way to the left of the podium that's still sitting that wants to speak on this item.

So I'm only seeing three speakers that are standing.

All right, so we'll go ahead and cut it off to those three speakers.

I'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one.

We have three on Zoom.

We'll go ahead and start in the chamber.

We'll give three minutes.

I'm not sure if I understood it correctly, Hansler, but I think you said that this was going to be a phone poll.

And I just wanted to say that in my opinion, among my group of friends, my my family, which is all generations, we don't answer the phone call.

If we do not recognize phones that we have a um we have the identity from our phone group, we let it go to voicemail.

Furthermore, if I understand it's a survey, I personally would not do that.

Even if you look at AARP, for instance, and some of the scam notices, they say they start out with a poll and they start asking you, and then you find out, oh, is this about finances?

You're wanting to know how much I can afford or how much I feel I can afford.

I'm out of there.

I mean, if it were me, if and Gene, of course, it's a random thing, it may not be me.

But it would seem to me that if you do the surveys like you've done with your Monterey news bulletins, and you have the survey there, that those people that are likely to respond are the voters, are the people that are also likely to vote.

The ones that wouldn't respond would be the ones that they don't get interested in politics anyway, don't really care, don't really get involved, don't have an opinion.

I would think those that you might be able to reach by a written survey, like you've done on so many other issues, might be a better way to do it, or maybe you could complement it and find out if those if this if the um if you put it on a survey for people to voluntarily give you their opinions, and again, I think those are the ones likely to vote.

Um, then if you don't get enough, then you go to your your um online or your callers.

But I know most of my friends, we do not answer our call our calls if we do not have it on our ID.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mayor Williamson, council members, and I would like to echo Nancy's comments about the phone survey.

I too would not answer my phone, and I would prefer to see it as an online survey or sent out to the to various addresses.

Um, I want to thank you for exploring a wide range of strategies for reducing the city's structural deficit.

It appears from your options that the highest value items come from the indirect strategies.

I fully support the renewal of measures P, S and G and reinstituting the stormwater fees.

However, I am opposed to any bond measure.

Our proper tax property taxes are already inflated by MPUSD's recent 340 million dollar measure a bond, which we will be paying back for the next 30 years.

Property owners are currently paying off three combined MPUSD bonds with a total payback debt of close to 1.2 billion dollars.

Please find alternative financing for any needed public safety infrastructure, such as say as a sales tax initiative, increased admission taxes, and an adjustment to the aquarium lease.

I am adamantly opposed to the city selling any city-owned property.

This approach would be extremely short-sighted on the part of the council.

And once these properties are sold, they are lost to our city and all residents forever.

I also strongly oppose using NCIP funds as a city slush fund.

If there is truly a financial emergency, that is what the city emergency funds are for.

Stealing NCIP funds either in the future or by defunding projects seems like a poor financial management practice, and at the same time deprives neighborhoods of needed infrastructure projects that we know will never be funded and approved if neighborhoods are forced to rely on the city to provide project funding.

Please don't get greedy as you eye NCIP funds.

The city has financial alternatives, and I urge you to consider them all.

Thank you.

Good evening, good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council, City Staff.

My name is Martine Watkins, and I am a senior manager of local and uh government and business affairs for the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

And many of you had heard from me, and so it's nice to be here in person to see you all.

I want to start by first of all thanking you all for your service to the community.

And I know it's a very um thankless job often and a very tough job.

So, so thank you.

Um, on behalf of the aquarium, we recognize the complexity of your decisions ahead, and we appreciate your dedication to the well-being and the long-term well-being of Monterey.

The aquarium is proud to be part of the Monterey community and to contribute to the cultural, educational, and economic vitality.

Last year, we welcomed more than two million visitors, many of whom visited through our free programs, school programs, community access initiatives, and local residence day, generating significant business for local hotels, restaurants, retailers, and the city parking uh revenue.

As many of you know, we're proud to have just wrapped up two weeks for free admission for our local residents.

From I just learned recently from January to July 2025, just this year, our investment in national and international digit digital marketing campaigns brought new and returning visitors to Monterey, generating approximately a hundred million in economic impact, including two 22 million in tax revenue, approximately 60,000 hotel rooms and 90,000 hotel nights and approximately 36 million in lodging revenue.

And we're proud of that.

We're proud to be fulfilling the role of a high-impact economic partner.

And we want to help identify sustainable solutions to appreciate the opportunity to engage constructively with you all.

That said, an emissions tax puts us in a fundamentally difficult position.

It wouldn't just impact the aquarium.

It would ripple through the entire visitor economy.

As a nonprofit organization, our mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean.

And a tax like that would strain our operations and reduce attendance.

During this fiscally challenging time, we want to focus our energy on working in partnership with the city, not navigating impacts that could limit our ability to fulfill our mission.

We believe that there is a productive path forward, and we hope the council is willing to set aside the emissions tax so that we can really focus on working together toward long-term solutions that support what makes Monterey thrive for residents, business, and visitors alike.

I want to thank you again for your leadership and for the opportunity to be here and speak with you as well.

Have a great evening.

Tom, you can go first.

Thank you.

I have to apologize in advance because I stepped out of the room for a minute, and so maybe I missed the answer to this question.

But my question has to do with the stormwater utility fee.

Technicality SNAFU, whatever you want to call it, where the stormwater fee wasn't being collected.

So my question is, why then would that have to go back to the voters if it was already an approved fee?

If we're just uh getting back to billing people for it.

Anyhow, that's that's all I have.

Thank you.

Next, we have a telephone caller with the last three digits, 902.

Good evening.

My name is Anina Beattie.

Um I'm not sure that the poll is needed.

Um, first I'd like to know has an independent audit been conducted on the city's books by an accounting firm.

And then it seems to me a special meeting just on that topic of what the the uh current situation is and the gap that's needed to be filled in as well as options, but there were options that were not included, and certainly aren't being proposed tonight.

Um, and I'm I'm including the comments that I plan to give September 2nd, and then your system didn't work.

I don't support selling city property or taking in CIP money.

Once property, as uh Marta said, is gone, it's lost permanently, and it's just a temporary one or two year benefit.

Um, and that's really short-term thinking.

Um, the Casanova Oak Noel Center must be preserved.

It's an important asset to the community.

And regarding taking money from NCIP, Car Week was a perfect example of the major impacts to residents from tourism and NCIP provides a small offset to those impacts.

Measures I didn't see considered by staff, maybe I missed it.

Monterey currently gets six cents out of every property tax dollar.

That's just not rational or viable.

Monterey must petition the state to redistribute the property tax revenue just as the county of Monterey did last year, or decided to start that process.

The cities need to get a much bigger share of property tax revenue as they're due.

That's where we live.

Um, the uh military uh account has to be audited if it's not being audited, and I don't see reports on that.

Um, city management salaries frozen, um, incentivizing sales tax generating businesses and protecting small businesses, um, incentivizing hotels to lower their rates, and reducing and deprioritizing entities that don't generate generate property tax or sales tax.

Um, revenues that are ongoing streams, I disagree with the previous one of the previous speakers that admission tax on all local places to go for entertainment, such as the aquarium is important.

And increasing the aquarium lease amount, increasing the sales tax and the TOT, that's just going to be sustaining part of the sustaining revenue into the future.

And then any real estate transfer fee and vacancy tax.

I utterly opposed STERS.

And more bond measures just burden people whose um property tax and all the other fees are going up.

And giving incentives, I disagree with giving incentives to developers like the motel on Fremont and incentives to hotels to remodel or remodernize.

It's the hotel rates, not the amenities that are the problem in Monterey.

And that's what I hear visitors say repeatedly.

It's not convenient but more affordable for them to stay in Marina or even Salinas.

And they would rather stay in Monterey, but this is about the rates, and the hotels must fix this problem, not the city.

Um I um I just want to say I made a mistake at a previous meeting, not intentionally, um, and I intended to apologize September 2nd because I want to be a trustworthy voice and advocate for the community, and I'll say that more about that.

Thank you.

And our last speaker is Esther.

Hello again.

Um, so I wanted to make a comment from the perspective of the majority of the residents of our city, which are renters that are extremely strapped just with the housing costs that they are paying.

We already know that.

We already know the the studies show all of that data.

So I kind of want to say that I don't support um the the streaming tax that was brought up at some point, and um as far as an entertainment tax, I would I would say that something that would be limited to tourists, kind of like how we would limit parking, maybe to tourists for them to pay or for residents to get a break.

Um there are very few affordable entertainment options for anybody that are affordable, let alone the majority of our residents.

Streaming in and of itself is not cheap, and most people aren't even going out to eat anymore that are locals because we can't afford it, they can't afford to go out to the movies even.

So to tax streaming seems like it would affect disproportionately these the lower income people because I don't know how how the what other options people would have for entertainment, and it seems like those wouldn't bring in enough money to make that much of a difference.

I also want to bring up that a lot has been talked about, the Kona Rec Center, but I was made aware today that there's a park called Archer Park that is also supposedly an underused park that is potentially in the same position of sale or otherwise as the Kona one, and I'd like to hear more about that because that is in an area where there are other rec centers and parks close by that I think that that would be a smarter target than the only the only rec center on this side of the city.

Lastly, I want to bring up that we already have heard about montage not paying their property taxes as a nonprofit, but I think we can get creative in asking them to partner with us on some other things that they can join in as community members.

And one example I'll give you is programming at CONA or other locations.

They can do nutrition and wellness programming, all kinds of other things, but they are flush with cash, and the fact that they are basically skirting millions of dollars in tax revenue to us means that we should go ask them as a community member to help us out in other creative ways.

And I plan to do that with some NCIP projects, asking them to match our funds.

Okay.

With that, we'll go ahead and close public comment.

Thank you for all those folks that were able to provide some comments.

Um I'm gonna pass it to staff here in a second to answer some of the questions that came up.

Um, but I'm gonna try to take a swing at some of this here a little bit, and and I staff could probably speak to this better than I can, but um surveys are just scientifically proven that it and it's randomized.

It's it's there's some intentionality around that, where if you just post a survey online, doesn't quite um meet the mark in regards to sample size and statistical representation of the of the um population.

Um the public safety bond, um, I would just make an uh a case that there could be a way that we do it that doesn't necessarily tax uh do a property assessment um uh on hero homeowners.

So I don't want us to limit ourselves just because we're making an assumption around how bonds are usually conducted.

Um the stormwater fee um from what I recall from our last meeting, it's because of the way that the funding is being collected.

So previously it was through the monthly the bi-monthly bill from Monterey One Water, and when the transition occurred to start collecting it via the tax rolls through the city that dropped it, and so now we have to pick that up again.

And I'm assuming staff can correct me if I'm wrong there, but uh that's correct.

Uh uh with the following cave on that the stormwater fee when we transfer when we wanted to transfer it over to the property tax rule that our established stormwater fee will not hold the test to be collected then through the property tax fee that will require us to um re uh issue the stormwater fee in a two-step process that we are doing right now.

Uh the first step is that uh we are presenting the rationale for that, and the voters have to uh decide whether they accept the stormwater fee or not, and then there has to be a second uh uh so-called Prop 218 process where we then go out and set the fee with the with the help also of all the um up to 18 property owners.

So uh the the switch from the uh established uh collection through monarch monterey one water to the property tax rule.

Um made it clear that we have to that we had to update our stormwater fee to make it eligible eligible to be collected through the property tax rule.

So it was not a SNAFU, it it was just something that happened from the transfer from the previous billing system to the new billing system through Monterey County property tax rule.

Can I ask a clarified question on that?

It's two-step process there's two steps in the process, but does that mean they have to be done um concurrently?

No, it can't be done at the same time, it has to be done uh sequentially, okay.

And Andrea can can dive deeper into it if you really want to.

Okay, it's uh just uh just to clarify.

So we are doing a stormwater fee study, so we are looking at the fee and what we need um in order to maintain our storm drains.

So the way the process works is we need to have a prop 218 process because it is a property fee, and so after this prop 218 process, then we have to have a simple majority vote of the property owners.

So it is a two-step process.

Um we've taken lots of lessons from San Francisco and other cities that had challenges with stormwater fees, and so we're taking these lessons learned, and we'll follow the process so that we can have it in place um and approved by August 1st of next year.

Okay.

Okay, thank you for that.

And then I'll just do one other thing here, which was there is a um, I can't remember who who stated this, but there was um the idea of having the city audited, and we are audited regularly.

So I just wanted to put that out there as well.

Anything else from staff on please.

Please a question earlier or a comment about survey methodology, how our voters surveyed and uh the current uh plan is to target 400 voters in the June election, and then 500.

That's our sample size for November.

Uh what they do is uh FM3 will go through the voter registration files and their random sampling will be split between phone calls and email slash text messages.

So it will not exclusively be based on the phone phone calls, recognizing the comments that were received in public earlier.

That 5050 split allows for a robust sample size and recognizing that folks won't always answer their phone.

They'll get an email if they get a text message as well and then they'll actually fill out the survey online using those links provided.

The rest will receive the phone calls that that come in and again the data does come from the voter registration role.

And I would just offer that the assumption that the folks that are engaged and receive our newsletter is representative of our community I think is a little bit not accurate.

I know many people in the city that vote are regular voters but aren't necessarily super engaged in what the city is doing or perhaps even receiving our newsletter um so there's a science to it it's been um tested and it's it's refined and of and I think there is a lot of argument and debate that's happening over the last couple of election cycles around the reliability of surveys but um this is the best way for us to be able to get a the best um sample of of where voter sentiment is um and then I and I do just want to clarify too that the financial audits are available on our on the city's website.

So if anybody wants to check those out they're available for the public to view um okay so now it's back to the council um for motion and deliberation please council.

It's no motion it's just a presentation for feedback.

Thank you.

Okay.

I just wanted to offer now that we're at the not at the question stage that I feel strongly that um the point three seven five percent additional sales tax should be on we should poll for the spring ballot.

And I don't think we should combine any discussion with G.

If anything we could do it in three phases and do g in a couple years.

I think it's asking too much to hypothetically combine G with the 3.75 for for no advantage that I can understand.

And we've already had a lot of questions about it so people on the dais you know have good questions about it.

I think the public will find it even more challenging and quite unnecessarily we don't need to touch G.

I wouldn't touch G.

And then I would put PNS on depending on the polling although I'm getting the feeling from the community strongly that they're going to support the PNS renewal for the fall ballot and then again I would do G in the fall of 28 and stagger these not overwhelm people not make it a heavy burden to understand what we're asking of them and I'm not going to comment on anything that's not taxed because I think the question tonight is about the tax measures.

Anybody else um I would just add I I appreciate the confusion that comes in when you add layers to it but I think there's nothing there's no harm in asking the question.

So I think it's good in the format in which we have it established and let's use the data to help drive that we end up ultimately having to make, even if it doesn't change positions.

Okay.

With that, we'll go ahead and move on to our final item of the night.

Drum roll, please.

Woo!

Here we go.

All right.

I was by myself there.

Thanks, everybody.

Nobody joined me.

None.

Unless you're at home and you join me, I appreciate you for it.

They didn't join me or you're right.

All right.

Our last item, uh public appearance item is 13.

Approve or deny creating an ad hoc committee for the recruitment of the city manager.

Um with that, I will pass it to Brett.

Evening, Mary, good evening, council members.

Um, as you just stated, I'm here to ask council to approve or deny creating an ad hoc committee for the recruitment of our city manager.

Um, this idea came about during a meeting with our recruitment that we recruiter, excuse me, that we retained in September on September 22nd.

Um did I say, sorry, September 2nd.

Yes, thank you, 2025.

Um, and so the idea behind this is to have an ad hoc committee that would review the brochure and kind of manage timelines um and evaluating key deadlines and milestones.

So that's it.

Um I would just add to it, so um Vice Mayor Garcia and I met with Brett and the consultant to have an initial follow-up discussion post the last council meeting.

Um the consultant provided the the the draft timeline that's attached to the agenda.

Um, so also looking for any feedback at this time from the public or the council as it relates to um the process in which we're going to be going through for the recruitment.

Um and then as it relates to the flyer, just to clarify, um, everybody in the council will be meeting with the consultant independently um so that they can solicit ideas, feedback from council in regards to the information that will go into the flyer.

Um it just makes that helps to streamline the process and make it a little bit quicker, faster for us to get through that as opposed to having us to come back to council every single time and further delaying the process.

So that's kind of a little bit more color there.

Um, Dr.

Barber.

So let me get some clarification for this since we don't have any paperwork.

I want to know what what what brought this about that with me you need uh ad hoc now that we've done the recruiting agency, and now they want to ad hoc is that in addition because they're already, as the mayor said, going to be talking and meeting with the council individually to be able to see what we're our thoughts are.

Um, is this more for I mean for what reason?

I I know you said review the brochure, manage the timeline, but wouldn't the recruiting agency be doing that or you'd be doing that?

How I'm I'm just kind of confused.

Um, so yes, to your question, the recruiter would be doing that in terms of managing the timeline and reviewing deadlines.

Um, it could work uh a few different ways.

It could work where HR works with the recruiter to do the brochure as well.

Um, in our conversation, these are as as she's talking.

She just kind of threw some ideas out.

And so in order to even entertain it, we just wanted to bring it forward because the whole council would have to say that's even doable or a desire or not.

That was my takeaway from it.

I don't know if Mayor, if you want to add any.

Yeah, I mean, I'll just put it out there that my whole goal with this process is to be as transparent as possible, um, while also balancing the timelines that we have.

So the there was a desire to not even necessarily have this come forward in front of the council, but I wanted to make sure that everybody in the council and the public had eyes on this, particularly as we're starting the process off.

I just wanted to make sure that we're all tracking it on the same page.

So I mean, otherwise the uh recruiter as as an alternative is listed, would do pretty much what she's done.

I know she's reached out to all of you looking to meet with all of you.

Emails would go to all of you.

Um, I think that's that's the that would be the difference.

I think, and I think I would just clarify the wire.

So, like to to your point, Dr.

Barber.

Yep, she's gonna be obtaining all that information and soliciting that feedback from all the council through the independent conversations that she's gonna be having with us.

But then the idea is to just make sure that there's some eyes on it from the city's perspective before it goes live.

Okay, and who would the ad hoc committee uh I appreciate it, thank you.

Committee um be uh containing them.

They would be containing people from the um public, the staff, council.

Council members, yes.

So okay, let me get this right.

So you're gonna have an ad hoc committee that has council members, but yet the recruiters already meeting with the council members individually already.

That's what's coming forward, yes.

This is the recommendation from thank you, thank you.

You're welcome.

Okay, uncle next.

You're saying it's a recommendation from whom the consultant.

This is the the I the everything that's being presented is from the consultant.

All right.

So we hired the consultant.

My understanding was she was gonna we're paying her $35,000.

My understanding was she was gonna do the timeline.

She had a proposal with with steps, it did not include any discussion of an ad hoc committee.

Um, I'm surprised that this has been on the agenda.

Um, I want to be part, I want to be on the ad hoc committee.

Let me let me say that.

Um, I want to be part of this whole process.

I was feeling very good September 2nd.

We all agreed on her, she was gonna lead us.

And I thought we were all included and we were all on the same page, and now it's splintering up into some are going to be ad hoc, which means some won't be.

That to me is not the essence of transparency.

I'm sure she can design a timetable that includes all of us getting the same information at the same time.

Um, what else do I want to say?

Um council member Smith isn't even here to participate.

Um, so I'm uncomfortable.

I want it as inclusive as possible.

I don't want to be left out.

So there we are.

I would just provide one clarification in regards to councilmember Smith.

I did reach out to him before the council meeting and recognizing again, it's trying to find some balance of moving this forward to not delay the process too much.

He was good with having us move forward with the discussion today.

And we have a special session that we potentially can have on the 24th, where she brings a brochure and we look at it and we we comment.

This is this is not rocket science.

This is not something that we shouldn't all be participating in because we're under time pressure.

She had the whole thing laid out.

Um, she's very competent.

She can do this.

Okay, please, Councilmember Ski.

So I I think um, well, uh what I'll share is that uh what you just described, uh, council member rash.

I I think all that is still um on the table.

So part of uh the reason why this specifically is coming to council is to maintain that transparency and and council could decide to not even consider this, right?

But um we weren't gonna make that uh decision.

I wasn't gonna make that decision.

I was part of that conversation.

Um, and the way that I understand it, if we look at the uh timeline document, which is on uh what is it, packet page two to seven, if you look at the task column, breaks it down into the various items, right?

That are uh recruiter uh outlined.

And I think that's where she recommended that it would be possibly a good idea to um identify an ad hoc committee because of the number of items, and because it'll streamline the process.

So it we look at each of the items.

Um text approved for the brochure or um uh targeted outreach, the ads placed, email blast.

She can do all that, but her effort is to have some eyes on all that before it goes out, right?

Um without an ad hoc committee, the way that I understood it is that for each of those items potentially we'll have to wait until a council meeting for there to be direction, right?

Whereas if an ad hoc committee is uh selected or or established, um, then all those items might be able to happen in uh in a quicker uh time frame.

So that's that's all the this is.

Uh I'll just add my thoughts to it.

Um again, I want to clarify this was brought to us by the consultant.

So um uh we're we're just trying to find a way to help streamline.

And my assumption is, and I don't want to necessarily fully speak on her behalf, but what I what I remember from the conversation, the reason why um she recommends this is because it it almost becomes a um a wordsmithing exercise.

And so if anybody's ever sat in a strategic planning discussion and you're trying to like redo your mission statement, that's like not even a sentence and can take a long time.

So imagine taking a whole flyer and five council members and the public trying to sit here and nitpick what words should be in, what words should be out, what phrases should be in, what phrases should be out.

Okay, we're gonna agree on this one, we're not gonna agree on this one.

I can see that taking an extreme extremely long time.

I'm at a space where we either move forward with the ad hoc committee or we just say, consultant, figure it out yourself.

I'd rather have somebody in the city have eyes on it.

That's my preference, but um uh if that's the if that's the the will of the council, you know, we'll we'll we'll we'll go that direction.

So do you okay?

Do you want to counter or do you want Dr.

Bermer?

So open conversation, please.

Um back to council member Garcia, just getting clarification of what you just said.

Um you stated that um this was more for um this was your understanding that basically whatever decisions that they were making with the brochure, and I guess the timeline wouldn't be anything that they would have to go back and forth with us about, but but with the brochure, your understanding is that they couldn't go uh ahead and and proceed with different uh pieces of the document without coming to us first.

Is that that with the thing?

No, um the recommendation as I understood it from the recruiter was that they she can move forward with all these tasks without really consulting with the council.

It would be preferred to have some eyes on the content, right, so that somebody from this side and not from her staff is just giving the green lights, right?

And and I think there's benefit to that, so that we make sure that the information that's being presented to the general public, right, that's being produced by our recruiter, um, is in line with what we've all spoken about.

And and I guess I would also add here that um in my understanding of this, there's opportunity and and as there should be that if there's an item that comes up, a task that should come in front of the council, then the ad ho ad hoc committee would also verbalize that, right?

So does that answer your question?

Uh yeah, it actually does thank you for that.

Um I'm just looking uh at the at the brochure that uh um that um was the Bob and Bob Murray, that's it for um I was just looking at what her proposal had, and some of the different things she uh spoke about um and possibilities of some items.

So I mean, I guess if you think in terms of okay, this is just really kind of having a second layer on it, then that's one thing, but I mean, I guess my my whole point is I I don't think it needs to be too much of a double layer because it's they're already going to talk to us one-on-one.

They're already getting that information before they even go in to even start the brochure.

So they're already going to have some sort of idea of what that looks like and what we're looking for.

But then I get I understand to have that that piece or person to of the council that gets them sort of layer of transparency so that we're involved in it so that we know what's happening as opposed to just the recruiter recruit it and uh agency that's doing it on their own.

Okay, I get that, but I just think it's we have to make sure it doesn't become uh too uh um uh uh um you know confused and and collect you know kind of um scope creep.

Right, like I just want to make sure that we don't get into that.

Like that line, it's like that fine line.

Outside of that, I'm okay with that that you know, one piece of to say, okay, there's a person that can be firm.

I don't, you know, I personally I'm okay not being on the ad hoc.

Um, but so that means it would be you guys, right?

So whoever that is, I don't long as that is something that is basic stuff, then it doesn't make any difference for me to get involved with it because that's not what I'm supposed to be doing at the city council.

I'm not supposed to be doing the the daily stuff that they're doing with the brochures.

That's what I'm entrusting them to do.

But you know, I understand that if it's something that if they're going to go forward with and you want we want to make sure that we have some sort of set, then that's fine.

But I think we need to make sure that that we keep the ad hoc.

Um, I guess you could say the their responsibilities to be very small.

It shouldn't it does need to be confluent.

You know, it doesn't have to, it doesn't need to be something that's bigger than it needs to be.

Um I think that's that that's the line that I'm I'm concerned about.

Yeah, the way I I see this is um I mean I wouldn't feel comfortable having just a consultant run with it, right?

And and us not not having even one person look at what's being put out into the universe about this, right?

So the the way that I see the role of the ad hoc is to just take a look, make sure that everything looks right, and then just give the green light.

But if there is something that doesn't look right, then it would be our responsibility to raise that item and then bring it to council if needed.

That's that's how I'm looking at this.

The other option is to have the special study session, which was always scheduled for the 24th of this month.

And she presents the brochure to all of us, all of us see it, the community sees it, and we make a decision that night, which stays on the schedule.

Um I want to be included.

The alternative is if people don't care if they're on the ad hoc, that I be included in the ad hoc.

That's that's one solution.

I prefer the most inclusive um to have it on the 24th.

She brings forward her brochure, we look at it, we approve it.

Okay.

Let's take a pause because we're getting more into the debate side, and let's just open it up for public comment.

Oh, please, Brett, you're already hopefully that felt good though.

Not really.

Um I wanted to add and offer that uh my expertise as an HR director.

I do many recruitments, have looked at brochures.

We recruit for directors and managers, and so um I'm happy to look at the brochure, I'm happy to review it, I'm happy to give the okay.

Um, there's gonna be pertinent information that's on there that candidates want to see.

Um, and that will be on there.

There'll be information about the city.

She'll have the information from all of the council members for that personal part of it, but I am uh more than qualified to review and be the sign-off for the city for the brochure.

I like that.

I like that.

Awesome.

Okay, perfect.

Let's take it out for public comment.

So for folks on Zoom, you can use the raise hand function for folks in the chamber.

Feel free to stand up to the left of the podium or identify yourself by raising your hand.

We have one ticker in the chambers.

So we'll go ahead and cut it off to that one speaker.

I'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one.

We have two on Zoom.

So we'll go ahead and start in the chamber.

As you all know, this is such an important position to replace Hans.

And I think all of your eyes need to be on this.

I think I don't think this is something that you should take up as an ad hoc.

Like I think it should be a community effort.

And I I really encourage you to not have an ad hoc uh committee.

Thank you.

Okay, with that, we'll go to our callers on Zoom.

First speaker is Esther.

Hello again.

Going back to the very first comment, uh council comment that council member barber made.

You're talking about redundancy.

You know, she she specifically said, so you guys are all gonna look over something and talk to them, and then you're gonna have an ad hoc committee come and look at it again.

I was gonna suggest a study session, which council member Rash did, and I was gonna suggest that if Britt is going to be the HR specialist and could put her eyes on it.

I think you're looking at too much redundancy here by adding an ad hoc and complicating it more than you have to.

You guys have professionals that you're paying a lot of money to let them do their job, have your HR person whose job it is to know what it is about this from with direction from you guys, look at it.

You guys are gonna talk to them anyway, and then just have it in front of you all in a study session.

By the time it gets to the study session, it should already be whittled down and and you know, wordsmiths and massaged enough that it shouldn't be, you know, a line by line debate.

So I just think that you're you're talking about the word of the of all of this is just too much redundancy.

Thank you.

And our last speaker is um telephone caller with the last three digits 902.

This is Nina Beattie.

Um, I I oppose an ad hoc committee.

Um I think the brochure should come back to the special meeting for approval, and that way the public can see it, and the public can make comments about it.

Um, I think it's very important to see what's being sent out, um, what sort of parameters are being put out, because as far as I know, that has not been discussed publicly.

Um, in addition to timeline that was submitted with the agenda states under second round assessments, leadership team, stakeholder panel in the AM, followed by council panel and the PM.

Who are the leadership team and the stakeholder panel?

They're undefined.

Um, why are these groups interviewing candidates along with the council?

Um this is special access, and the public is denied access.

So I think that's a completely inappropriate, should be the council panel period.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Okay.

With that, we'll go and close um public comment just to kind of respond to the question around the leadership team and stakeholders.

So the leadership team is city executives and stakeholders are key stakeholders within the community.

So they could be residents, they could be business owners, they could be whatever we choose to make that.

Um, so I just wanted to answer that.

I'll open it back up to the council.

I'd like to make a sorry.

Oh, yeah.

I'd like to make a motion to be able to have uh Brett as the HR director to be the second pair of as to keep the transparency for uh this recruitment for the city manager position.

Let's see if there's a second on the motion and then we can.

If I could could I clarify the motion, I think um really what it would be is a denial of the request to form a ad hoc subcommittee for any purpose in connection with the city manager recruitment.

Okay, so and and Brett would automatically not just denying it.

I want to make sure that there is something in place though.

So how would I do that?

Because I don't want to just deny it and not have that yeah but but we'll see to that happening.

Well, I want to make it on the mote on the in the minutes.

Okay, or we could do consensus by the kind of general consensus from the council if that's the consensus.

Okay I think what you're saying is we always had a process before the ad hoc committee was even imagined we had a process between the Bob Murray firm and HR.

I don't think there was necessarily a clear yeah I want to be clear that's my point I want to be clear about it I don't want confusion in it I want to be clear clearity I'll jump in really quick because that was part of my question I why why then didn't that come up during our conversation and why was the ad hoc recommended in the first place then so maybe you can clarify that.

Um the ad hoc committee came from the recruiter and so in terms of is that something that can be approved or not I think it had to come to the whole council so that's why we're here for that why didn't I recommend that I would be the one to be the liaison I think the conversation it just didn't unfold in that way.

So uh so just to follow up so let's say council then requests that you be involved in that way with um all the items that all the tasks that are outlined um so do you see that impacting the timeline because part of the argument right to establish an ad hoc was to streamline the process.

Um I don't want to get in the position of trying to defend why the ad hoc suggestion is here I mean like I said I think it was brought forward and then the way to find out if that was something that the council had an appetite for was to ask the whole council um I don't see it impacting the timeline I think um the recruiters doing the work they were hired i i'm not going to now all of a sudden become the lead recruiter in terms of a brochure you know we can look at their brochure they're pretty standard that she'll get your feedback she'll put it in I think that's something that can get off I she absolutely has to consult with all of you some of these timelines I mean these are going to be your dates who you want to see and the like the stakeholders and the execs and the committee and who like all of that is really from all of you on what you desire and who you want to be involved on that.

And so I kind of I don't have a definitive but I think it's something we have to work together because the outcome is I think we all have the best interest for the same outcome.

Thank you.

I'll just um throw out that I think it is good to have eyes on it from a council perspective um in as much as I I think staff can do a great job I think I it's important for the council to stay um accountable to it and um it's just a different perspective so I I don't know what the well I'll make a motion that the Bob Murray firm presents their brochure on the 24th at our special session and we review it it's the public is involved to the degree that they have public comments we pass it and we move on is there a second on the motion okay seeing none we'll continue the debate any other comments I I I'll throw out maybe a different option if if it's not comfortable for it to be a ad hoc committee.

Would the council be comfortable with a member of the council having a look at it as opposed to an ad hoc committee?

I'm okay with that.

As long as it's me.

I want to be in as involved as any other council member.

It has to be open to everybody to be equitable.

Right.

So I would say I'm okay.

One person can do it.

I don't care who, but I think it needs to be open to everybody.

I mean, I know your energy and enthusiasm.

Um, Councilman Barash.

Um, I mean, I've known you for many years.

I know that you're passionate about this stuff.

Um I would just offer that, and I'm trying to be somewhat sensitive to the fact that I'm sitting in the position, but I think it probably is best suited for the role of the mayor um to serve in that capacity if that's what the council agrees to.

Um so I will make that recommendation uh or that motion um that I work with Brett and the consultant to do the review and replacement of the ad hoc as proposed.

That's my motion.

Is there a second?

Second any discussion on the motion.

What was Dr.

Barber's motion?

Hers was the long time ago.

All right.

Don't want to resurrect it.

I didn't get a second, though.

I think I think the idea there was though is just have staff look at it.

So not have any not have anybody on eye, not anybody in council to have eyes on it.

Any other discussion on the motion?

All right, call the question.

All those in favor, aye, any opposed?

No.

Sorry, I didn't get a sense of what your vote was.

Aye, okay, perfect.

Okay.

So motion passes three one.

Just wanted to make sure we had it clearly for the record.

Thank you for that.

Um, before we leave this item, I just wanted to make sure you kind of stayed hyper focused on this idea of the of the ad hoc committee.

Is there any other feedback as it relates to the proposed timeline that's provided?

I I presume that's Bob Murray and associates will do a fine job of getting us through the timeline.

I mean, yeah, I mean, you didn't you weren't satisfied with their ad hoc piece.

So I'm just I'm asking in a sense of this is the time to provide feedback at the beginning so that way council has full eyes on it.

So maybe just a quick yay-nay from council, just so I can make sure we're all on the same page.

I know we're gonna be doing one-on-ones already.

Uh, I think my one on one's coming up on Friday.

So I'm fine with it because that that way I still feel like I'm a part of the process, and I feel like we're still the way the process has been laid out, are including the public in it as well and keeping them abreast of who's who and what and the people that are coming forth and our interviewers.

I'm fine with the process.

Okay.

You're good.

I'm I think they've done a fine job doing the process.

And to your retort, the ad hoc committee was not mentioned to me until I heard it from an employee about an half an hour before the meeting.

So that in itself is disturbing.

So, you know, you wanted to retort to me.

I'm gonna retort back.

I just want to clarify the point that I'm making is I I'm asking if there's any feedback on the timeline that was provided.

And then you and then and then you said it looked fine, even though there was an ad hoc portion of it.

You jabbed me back saying I was complaining about Bob Murray and associates' recommendation for the ad hoc committee.

So you jabbed me, and I'm I'm saying jabbing you back.

I had no notice of any idea of an ad hoc committee until a half hour before we met today.

I don't think that's collaborative.

I don't think that's fair.

I don't think that was the spirit that we ended on September 2nd with.

We all went out of here feeling really good.

We're all in this together, and then ad hoc committee.

So I'm fine with their timeline.

Okay.

Did you have something you want to add?

Yeah, I just want to jump in really quick because um the agenda was published with this specific item, and it clearly states approving or denying the creation of an ad hoc committee.

And I had Dr.

Barber's same question.

Who is the ad hoc committee?

I mean, it wasn't even clear that it was going to be of the council.

And and that's I think what the purpose of the item being here today was to have that discussion.

Because I it it speaks to the transparency, right?

I mean the agenda is published for everyone to see.

And um, you know, it's up to us to to read it.

Um I mean, I well, that's all I'm gonna say.

I I I think the information works.

Yeah, okay.

With that, we're gonna go ahead and move off this item.

Um and we're gonna move to council comments.

So council comments, anybody have anything that they want to share.

Oh, just said it's a beautiful day, so nothing else to say.

Okay, thank everybody for being here.

Anything else for the council?

Okay.

With that, we will go to city manager reports.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor and Council.

Uh, we will launch our new website design on September thirtieth.

Uh parking day on Alvarado Street is this coming Friday on nine nineteen.

And uh on uh September twenty-sixth to twenty-seven, we have uh visitors from our sister city, Nanao, uh, in town hosted by the Nanao or Sister City organization.

And um I think on Saturday we had a great event, City Hall in your corner at uh in District Four.

Uh a lot of folks showed up and uh thank you to the council members who who attended that meeting as well.

And uh I think a lot of um good connections were made.

The uh we observed that the main attractions were the tables that dealt with recreation and steam, and then the other tables were lesser frequented, but uh I think it we can call this as another good successful successful event uh in Montecito at Montecedo Park district four.

I do have to say that the uh tool the board that um uh our public work staff used uh for that they borrowed from M1W for the stormwater tool.

Yeah, that was pretty cool with the little poop and uh which is actually chocolate sprinkles.

Um but it was a really great activity for kids and also adults to learn how our our stormwater system works.

So um yeah, those are good events to come to.

So thanks for shame that.

Oh, for the um prior topic sessions of the um pleasure for it looks on the date you pay me.

Yes, um, uh so we we have uh two uh tree ordinance days penciled in that we have not yet officially released, but I believe they were October fifteen and October twenty third, but I I'm not hundred percent sure right now, so I I will verify that.

Sure.

So I'll wait.

Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Beautiful.

With that, we're gonna go ahead and adjourn at six forty-nine.

Thank you, everybody.

Have a good evening.

Thank you.

You can't do that, yeah.