OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Novato City Council Meeting - October 28, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 28, 2025
BodyNovato, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:40:31
Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

Good evening.

0:06

Good evening and welcome to the City of Nevada.

0:12

Hi, we're gonna get started now.

0:14

Thank you.

0:15

Welcome to the City of Novato Council meeting for Tuesday, October 28th, 2025.

0:20

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:24

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:33

Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

Laura, if you please call roll.

0:44

Councilmember Eklund.

0:46

Councilmember Jacobs.

0:48

Present.

0:48

Mayor Pro Tempara, present.

0:50

And Mayor O'Connor.

0:52

Present.

0:52

Thank you.

0:53

I want to open this evening's meeting just to take a moment to acknowledge the loss of one of our colleagues, Mark Milberg, earlier this month.

1:00

This has been an extremely challenging and emotional time for council staff and our community.

1:05

We held a memorial event for Mark on Friday, and it really was a wonderful way for everyone to celebrate his life and contribution to Novato.

1:12

I want to thank everyone that attended and to the team here at the city that helped to organize it and make it so special.

1:18

Now in Mark's memory, we're going to take a moment of silence.

1:38

Thank you all.

1:40

And there was no closed session before this evening's meeting.

1:43

So we'll move on to approval of the final agenda.

1:47

I'll make the motion.

1:48

I'll second the motion to approve the agenda as presented.

1:52

Thank you.

1:53

And Laura, if you please call the vote.

1:54

Councilmember Eklunds.

1:55

Aye.

1:56

Councilmember Jacobs.

1:57

Aye.

1:57

Mayor Pertem Farak.

1:59

Aye.

1:59

And Mayor O'Connor.

2:00

I pass this for zero.

2:02

Thank you.

2:02

Uh moving on to council reports.

2:04

We'll sound start with Councilmember Jacobs.

2:06

Thank you.

2:07

I'll be quick because I've got a number of things on here.

2:10

I went to the Spirit of Marin Business Awards in September.

2:15

Attended that.

2:16

I attended Coffee with the Cop in Ignacio in October.

2:20

Attended the Marin Sonoma Narrows ribbon cutting.

2:24

I attended the chamber fun run, which was wonderful.

2:29

And then the Novato Fire District Pancake Breakfast.

2:34

I attended the Cal Cities Conference and in Long Beach and got some great information.

2:40

I attended the DNBA Nostalgia Days Cruise on Friday night and the show on Saturday, and that was a wonderful event.

2:47

I attended the Novato Small Business Networking event right here in the council chambers, and that was a great event put on by the city, the DNBA, SBDC, and the and that was it.

3:03

And the chamber, excuse me.

3:06

I attended the uh trick-or-treat downtown Novado and gave out candy.

3:11

Uh was very well attended.

3:13

And the San Marin Halloween parade, the fire district was there and the PD was there, and that went off without a hitch, and the weather was wonderful.

3:21

And I attended and was a judge at the pumpkin carving contest right here outside the council chambers for the employees.

3:29

Thank you very much.

3:31

Thank you.

3:33

Yeah, thank you.

3:34

Thank you very much.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Economic Development█████████████████████████25%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████15%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████11%
Community Engagement████████8%
Workforce Development███████7%
Environmental Protection██2%
Arts And Culture██2%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Novato City Council Meeting - October 28, 2025

The Novato City Council met on October 28, 2025, beginning with a moment of silence for former Councilmember Mark Milberg. The council addressed routine business, public comments, and key agenda items including entitlements for a golf driving range, a building codes update, the downtown business improvement district assessment, and filling a vacant council seat.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent calendar was approved unanimously with a 4-0 vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Christina Niles, CEO of the Novato Chamber, expressed gratitude for the city's partnership in the Leadership Novato program.
  • Kim Staley, director of the Novato Chamber, introduced the Leadership Novato class of 2026 and honored Mark Milberg's contributions.
  • Larissa Thomas and Tina McMillan from the Finance Advisory Commission praised the finance staff for completing backlogged audits.
  • Sylvia Barry from the Sedmarine Improvement Association reported on a successful neighborhood Halloween parade.
  • Jim Gilday spoke in support of a consent item related to a memorial for the Hamilton Refugee Transit Center.

Discussion Items

Stone Tree Golf Club Driving Range

  • The council held a public hearing to consider entitlements for an existing golf driving range, including CEQA review, general plan amendment, zoning map amendment, and a use permit. Staff recommended approval, and no public comments were made during the hearing.

Building Codes Update

  • A public hearing was held to update the city's building codes to the 2025 California Building Standards Code, with local amendments for wildland urban interface, gate safety, and administrative provisions. No public comments were made during the hearing.

Downtown Novato Business Improvement District

  • The council reviewed the annual report and proposed budget for the Downtown Novato Business Improvement District (BID). Discussion focused on budget deficits related to tree light and planter maintenance. Councilmembers expressed support for having the city reassume maintenance responsibilities to alleviate financial pressure on the BID.

Filling Vacant City Council Seat

  • The council discussed options to fill the vacant District 5 seat. Councilmember Eklund advocated for a special election, citing fairness concerns, while other councilmembers supported an appointment to ensure representation and continuity.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved 4-0.
  • Stone Tree Golf Club Driving Range entitlements approved unanimously 4-0.
  • Building codes update approved unanimously 4-0.
  • Downtown Novato BID budget approved with direction for staff to work with the DNBA on having the city reassume maintenance of downtown tree lights and planters.
  • Decision to appoint an interim council member for District 5, with a 3-1 vote (Councilmember Eklund opposed). The appointment process will include applications, interviews in early December, and a start date by December 9, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Good evening and welcome to the City of Nevada. Hi, we're gonna get started now. Thank you. Welcome to the City of Novato Council meeting for Tuesday, October 28th, 2025. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Laura, if you please call roll. Councilmember Eklund. Councilmember Jacobs. Present. Mayor Pro Tempara, present. And Mayor O'Connor. Present. Thank you. I want to open this evening's meeting just to take a moment to acknowledge the loss of one of our colleagues, Mark Milberg, earlier this month. This has been an extremely challenging and emotional time for council staff and our community. We held a memorial event for Mark on Friday, and it really was a wonderful way for everyone to celebrate his life and contribution to Novato. I want to thank everyone that attended and to the team here at the city that helped to organize it and make it so special. Now in Mark's memory, we're going to take a moment of silence. Thank you all. And there was no closed session before this evening's meeting. So we'll move on to approval of the final agenda. I'll make the motion. I'll second the motion to approve the agenda as presented. Thank you. And Laura, if you please call the vote. Councilmember Eklunds. Aye. Councilmember Jacobs. Aye. Mayor Pertem Farak. Aye. And Mayor O'Connor. I pass this for zero. Thank you. Uh moving on to council reports. We'll sound start with Councilmember Jacobs. Thank you. I'll be quick because I've got a number of things on here. I went to the Spirit of Marin Business Awards in September. Attended that. I attended Coffee with the Cop in Ignacio in October. Attended the Marin Sonoma Narrows ribbon cutting. I attended the chamber fun run, which was wonderful. And then the Novato Fire District Pancake Breakfast. I attended the Cal Cities Conference and in Long Beach and got some great information. I attended the DNBA Nostalgia Days Cruise on Friday night and the show on Saturday, and that was a wonderful event.

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