Monterey City Council Meeting - August 18, 2026
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Monterey City Council Meeting - August 18, 2026
The Monterey City Council met on August 18, 2026, in afternoon and evening sessions. The council approved consent items, denied an appeal for a rooftop sign, approved the Del Monte Center landscape plan, received a presentation on winter storm preparedness, and discussed a financial roadmap to address the city's structural deficit. Public comments addressed a variety of community concerns.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were approved unanimously. Item 3 (traffic resolution amendment) was pulled for separate discussion.
Item 3 – Traffic Resolution Amendment (Stop Control Changes)
- The council approved amendments to Resolution 98-168 to add stop controls at Pine Hill Way/Skyline Drive and Upper Ragsdale Drive/Lower Ragsdale Drive at Wilson Road, remove stop control on Ragsdale Drive at Lower Ragsdale Drive, and add yield control at that location. The public works department explained the changes improve safety and operations. The motion passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
Afternoon Session – General Public Comments:
- No public comments for non-agendized items.
Item 9 – Rooftop Sign Appeal:
- Applicant Brad McCoy and Tiffany DeTulio (Salinas Valley Health) presented arguments that the sign would improve healthcare access visibility from the air, noting it would not be visible from the street. They argued the sign ordinance does not contemplate rooftop signs and requested a waiver.
Item 10 – Del Monte Center Plan:
- Applicant Mike Myers (Lifescapes) and Justin Leininger (Federal Realty) presented the landscape refresh plan. Councilmember Rash asked about artificial turf materials and playground surfacing alternatives.
Item 11 – Winter Storm Town Hall:
- No public comments during the afternoon session, but later in the evening session, Lee Whitney (Glenwood neighborhood) praised the wildfire town hall and emphasized preparation. Pastor Ethan expressed support.
Evening Session – General Public Comments:
- Several speakers addressed non-agendized items: a visitor described a fall due to cobblestone streets; Ian Santa Cruz (IAFF Local F-166) and Bill Bazuska (Monterey Firefighters Local 3707) spoke against contracting out fire services at the Presidio; Jing Wu (Monterey resident) reported an e-bike hit-and-run and called for GIS updates and a Safe Streets coalition; Gabriel Kramer discussed Car Week improvements and congestion pricing; Nina Beattie discussed school safety, property tax reapportionment, and city spending.
Item 16 – Roadmap to Resilience:
- Vicky Norton (council candidate) supported the roadmap but raised concerns about sales tax revenue loss from auto dealer relocation and opposition to Measure S. Another speaker (Gabriel Kramer) advocated for vacancy taxes, congestion pricing, and noted community frustration about closed restrooms. Chris (MEA president) expressed support for the plan but urged spreading vacant positions across departments. Tom asked for clarification on full cost recovery through fees. Esther supported the presentation but cautioned against misinformation. Nina Beattie called for property tax reapportionment, support for sales tax measures, and criticized city spending on a new website and magazine.
Discussion Items
Item 9 – Appeal of Rooftop Sign Denial (5 Lower Ragsdale Drive)
- Staff (Matthew Belger) presented that the proposed 3,537 sq ft roof sign, visible only from aircraft, did not meet sign guidelines (max 50 sq ft) and was found extraneous advertising. Planning commission denied it. The applicant argued it would identify healthcare services from the air and serve public good. The council asked clarifying questions. Public comment: none. Council members Rash, Barber, Smith, and Mayor Williamson all agreed that the planning commission did not err; the sign was inconsistent with the ordinance and would set a bad precedent. Motion to deny the appeal passed unanimously.
Item 10 – Del Monte Center SC Plan Amendment (Landscaping & Amenities)
- Staff (Fernando) presented the project: replacement of 18 trees with 205 new trees (11:1 ratio), new seating, play area, dog relief areas, landscape lighting, removal of concrete. Planning commission recommended approval. Council asked about artificial turf (ForeverLawn Fusion Prism with sand infill) and playground surfacing (cork vs. rubber). Applicant addressed water use, maintenance, and safety. Council praised the plan. Councilmember Rash requested exploring less toxic materials. Motion to approve passed unanimously.
Item 11 – Winter Storm Ready Town Hall Presentation
- Assistant City Manager Nat presented plans for a 90-minute town hall on September 30, 2026 at the Conference Center, featuring National Weather Service, PG&E, County emergency management, city departments. The city has seen 151 downed trees and 82 road closures in past storms. Council discussed outreach to elderly and mobility-impaired, evacuation coordination with military bases, and community preparedness. Public comment supported the effort. Council commended the proactive approach.
Item 16 – Roadmap to Resilience (Financial Future)
- City Manager Dante Hall presented a six-point roadmap to address the city's structural deficit, including understanding the fiscal gap (30% inflation since 2020, 260% insurance increase), evaluating service levels, reducing long-term costs, enhancing revenue, partnership opportunities, and community engagement. The city balanced the 2026-27 budget with one-time funds and defunded ~30 positions. The plan includes community workshops and "budget brews" from September to December, with council action in early 2027. Council discussed the need for diverse community input, downtown revitalization, North Fremont corridors, and the importance of Measure S sales tax renewal. Council members shared support and suggestions. The item was a presentation only, no vote.
Item 17 – Mayor's Request for Council Support for Prop 37 (No Action)
- The mayor requested discussion without action. No public comments. No action taken.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar items (1,2,4-8) approved unanimously.
- Item 3: Traffic resolution amendment approved unanimously.
- Item 9: Appeal denied, planning commission decision upheld (unanimous).
- Item 10: Del Monte Center plan amendment approved (unanimous).
- Item 11: Presentation received; town hall to be held September 30.
- Item 16: Presentation received; community engagement process upcoming.
- Closed session: No reportable actions on performance evaluations; direction given on property negotiation.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good afternoon, everybody. Happy Tuesday. Welcome to our afternoon session of today's council meeting. It's August 18th, 2026. I'm going to call the meeting to order. And I will pass it to Clementine to share to do roll call and share announcements with the public. Councilmember Barber. Present. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Rash. Here. And Councilmember Smith? Here. And Mayor Williamson. Here. And my browser decided to restart itself. Um public comment and participation information is provided on this meeting's agenda, which is online at Monterey.gov slash agendas. In-person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference with our meeting. Consistent with the First Amendment and the Brown Act, individuals have the right to speak at public meetings, which includes the right to criticize or support city policies or actions. With that, we're going to roll right into general public comments. So this is for items that are not on today's agenda. It's for non-agendized items. If you have general public comments, this is the opportunity to do so. How our public comment period works is we identify those that want to speak during public comment at the beginning of the public comment period. Once we identify those folks, we then cut it off, and only those folks will be able to speak. So everybody has an opportunity to speak during public comment, but you have to identify yourself at the beginning of the public comment period. So I'll start with folks on Zoom. If you want to start navigating your way to the raise hand function, in the meantime, I'll check in the chamber. Anybody in the chamber wish to speak for general public comment, non-agendized items. So I will go back to folks on Zoom. I'll do a countdown of five, four, three, two, one. Nobody on Zoom. I'm not going to question it. All right. Moving on to consent agenda. There's been no items requested to be pulled. Um council, is there a desire to pull anything from consent? No. Please, sir. Uh I'd like just a brief report on item three, because I think that'll be of um of an interest for the neighborhood. Okay. Any other items requested to be pulled? All right, not seeing any, so we'll go ahead and pull three. We'll now open it up for public comment on the consent agenda. So with the exception of three, we're going to pull that and discuss that separately. So for folks on Zoom, you can navigate your way to the raise hand function. Anybody in the chamber wish to speak on anything on consent or wish to pull anything from consent. All right, I'm not seeing any takers.
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