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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Novato City Council Meeting – October 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 13, 2026

BodyNovato, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 13, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:28:17

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:09

Thank you, everyone, for joining us for Tuesday, October 13th, 2026, Navado City Council meeting.

0:18

Before we begin our meeting, I'd like to take a moment to recognize that today marks one year since the passing of Councilmember Mark Milberg.

0:28

Mark cared deeply about this community.

0:31

He helped shape much of the work that continues today.

0:35

I'm grateful that we are together tonight to remember Mark and honor his service.

0:42

Later this year, we'll hold a community event to dedicate the new playground at Hamilton Amphitheater Park in his honor and rename the park, Mark J.

0:54

Milg Milberg Community Park.

0:58

For tonight, we open this meeting in Council Member Mark Milberg's memory in honor of his friendship, his service, and lasting impact he made on Navado.

1:13

So now please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speaker 2

1:20

I pledge

Speaker 3

1:21

allegiance to the flag

Speaker 1

1:23

United States and

Speaker 4

1:26

the Republic.

Unassigned speaker

1:31

And individual liberty.

Speaker 1

1:41

We did have closed session.

1:44

Gary Bell, is there anything to report out?

Unassigned speaker

1:51

Thank

Speaker 5

1:51

you, Mayor and Council members.

1:53

There's no reportable action from closed session.

Speaker 3

1:55

And Laura, can you please take roll call?

1:57

Councilmember Eklund.

1:59

Present.

1:59

Councilmember Carkle?

Speaker 6

2:01

Here.

Speaker 3

2:02

Councilmember O'Connor?

Speaker 6

2:03

Here.

Speaker 3

2:03

Mayor Perchem Jacobs?

2:05

Here.

2:05

And Mayor Farack.

Speaker 1

2:06

Here.

2:07

All right, moving on to ceremonial matters and presentation.

2:11

I'd like to call up Steve Torrens, Director of Emergency Management from the Marin County Office of Emergency Management to give a presentation.

2:21

Welcome.

Stephen Torrance · Speaker 7Inferred

2:25

Thank you very much, Mayor and Council.

2:27

Thank you very much also to uh city staff.

2:30

As mentioned, my name is Stephen Torrance.

2:31

I have the pleasure of serving as the Director of Emergency Management for the County of Marin.

2:36

Specifically today, we're gonna be highlighting a couple of new things that are coming online, but also uh uh going out and um having a conversation with members of the public and elected staff uh regarding the upcoming El Nino.

2:48

Uh with that, this is a countywide effort uh where we are working not only with the county departments but also the cities, towns, and special districts in order to make sure uh that we are best supporting each other and best aligned in uh as we go into the season.

3:01

Uh before I move in, I also want to recognize uh we have uh uh staff from Supervisor Eric Lucan's uh team in the house as well, um, as this is really not only just talking about what the county departments are doing, but across the board what the collective elected officials are making sure that we are trying to share with members of our community.

3:19

Um as of today, uh we have a couple of things that we are looking forward to uh with the upcoming season.

3:26

Uh this year uh we have a fort uh unfortunate um compounding of a number of things that are going on uh related to El Nino and uh not gonna belabor uh the El Nino uh conversation too too much, uh but one of the things that we are focusing here on Marin in Marin County uh is the impact of uh elevated sea levels, uh which we are already seeing as of this week uh in multiple portions of this uh the county, uh our upcoming keen tides, which are unfortunately going to correspond with our our holidays uh which are projected to hit on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, um, in addition to the general winter storms that we typically see around that time of the year.

4:04

Uh with that, we recognize that there are going to be a number of compounding factors that we do expect to hit all at the same time.

4:11

Um the main thing that we are uh recognizing with uh the specific convergence of the holidays and the upcoming El Niño and tides is that we have a lot of people that are going to be coming into the county uh to visit their loved ones, but also a lot of people traveling.

4:25

Um as we have that, we are making sure that number one that we are uh pre-positioning resources throughout the county.

4:31

Um, and one of the things I would like to highlight as we collaborate throughout the the the Marin County uh is that

Unassigned speaker

4:38

the

Stephen Torrance · Speaker 7Inferred

4:38

Board of Supervisors recently appropriated about three million dollars for the collective preparedness and mitigation uh throughout the county, and uh those resources are being deployed uh throughout the county to make sure that we can harden um infrastructure throughout the entire county, uh, but also making sure that we can collaborate best with our city and town partners who are also taking mitigation actions as well.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

With that, our goal is to collectively make sure that we are mitigating and preparing for the upcoming season as much as possible.

Stephen Torrance · Speaker 7Inferred

5:06

With that, there are some up some uh additional factors that we know are going to be some of the pinch points within our communities uh throughout the county, uh and that is the individual and personal preparedness, which we are asking people to join us in that effort.

5:21

Um, this uh the last couple of months, uh a number of agencies across the county have been working uh collectively under the Ready Marin umbrella in order to make sure that uh resources are available countywide and information is being shared robustly.

5:34

Uh the regional coordination is uh is a uh uh is a program which the city of Navado is uh is a part of.

5:41

Uh and with that, we are making sure that resources such as countywide sandbag locations are publicly displayed, um, and also toolkits.

5:49

How can you protect your family and actually how can you protect your home and business as we move into the season?

5:55

With that, we also know that there are a lot of people that are new to our community.

5:58

Uh, whether you've just bought a home, but uh just moved into the county or you just work here, uh, we are uh working to make sure that people know what their risks are throughout the county.

6:08

Um, and we've recently launched the ReadyMarin.org/slash o Nino page, which is going to be that location where people can see what those impacts are countywide, uh, but also what are those mitigation efforts that they can put in place today.

6:22

We are going to continue to work with a number of agencies, Nevada Police Department, Nevada Fire District, the city, of course, and then also our surrounding partners to make sure if there are resources that we can improve that we can get ready for the community, that they are ready to be able to support community members countywide.

6:40

In addition, um, as we move into the response component of it, uh we are making uh we are uh making uh an update to the county's emergency operations plan.

Unassigned speaker

6:51

Uh

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Strategic Planning███████████████████19%

Public Engagement██████████████14%

Procedural█████████████13%

Public Safety██████████10%

Public Works████████8%

Historic Preservation███████7%

Environmental Protection██████6%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Parks and Recreation████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Novato City Council Meeting – October 13, 2026

The Novato City Council met on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM at 901 Sherman Avenue and via teleconference. The meeting included a presentation on El Niño preparedness, proclamations for Bullying Prevention Month and United Against Hate Week, approval of a consent calendar, discussion of traffic safety on Santa Maria Drive, a construction contract award for the Scott House Renovations project, an update on the Police Department’s Strategic Plan, and consideration of the 2026–2029 City Council Strategic Plan Work Plan. Votes were taken on multiple items; all passed unanimously unless noted.

Consent Calendar

Approved the consent calendar as submitted by a single vote (5-0), including: waiver of ordinance readings; approval of closed session and City Council meeting minutes of August 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026; adoption of Ordinance 1736 updating the Conflict-of-Interest Code; receipt of the fourth quarter agenda item list; award of a construction contract to Integrity Construction Maintenance, Inc. for the Police Department Water Infiltration Project (not to exceed $244,130); authorization of the Second Amendment to the street sweeping agreement with Marin Sanitary Service (total not-to-exceed $1,802,840); ratification of the Community Action Resource and Empowerment Program grant application (up to $279,000); and receipt of the first quarter payment register.

Public Comments & Testimony

John T. expressed concern about a drug rehabilitation facility being established on Vineyard Road within 600 feet of a school, urging the Council to pass an ordinance prohibiting such facilities within 1,000 feet of schools, citing similar actions in San Rafael and other cities.
Matt Kaye performed a Halloween-themed song ("The Five Days of Halloween") for the Council.
Suzanne Crow, Chair of the Recreation, Cultural and Community Services Advisory Commission, requested that the Council not fill one of the commission's vacancies, allowing the membership to decrease from nine to seven, citing improved functionality with a smaller group.
Jeremy Hogan, board member of the Reuse Alliance, thanked the city for supporting a recent Repair Fair and encouraged future events.
Susan Magnone, representing the Novato Historical Guild, invited the community to Family History Day on October 17, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on the Civic Green.
No remote public comments were received.

Discussion Items

Traffic Safety on Santa Maria Drive (E.1): Mayor Farac introduced a proposed agenda item to evaluate traffic‑calming and safety measures on Santa Maria Drive, citing resident complaints, a petition with over 40 signatures, and recent wildlife strikes (two deer and two squirrels in six months). Councilmember Eklund asked about broader speeding issues and requested a list of other problematic streets. Police Chief Naugle confirmed that the department receives many complaints about Santa Maria Drive and has been working on potential solutions. The Council unanimously approved directing staff to bring back recommendations and cost estimates, and City Manager Cunningham offered to combine this with ongoing work to expedite the process.
Scott House Renovations Project (J.1): Staff presented the project to renovate the historic Scott House as the future home of the Novato History Museum. Key details: the project budget is $2,784,300; the construction contract was awarded to Murray Building, Inc. as the lowest responsible bidder; five additive bid alternatives (stage, Civic Green improvements, break room, gutters, window coverings) were excluded due to higher-than-expected bids. The Novato Historical Guild raised $3.2 million and deposited 90% of the required funds. Councilmember O'Connor suggested that the city separately fund the stage improvements. Councilmember Eklund supported exploring grants for the stage. The Council unanimously approved the resolution awarding the contract, authorizing the City Manager to execute the contract, and amending the FY 2026/27 CIP budget. A separate motion to direct staff to develop a proposal for the stage improvements also passed unanimously (5-0).
Police Department Strategic Plan Update (J.2): Chief Naugle presented progress on the three-year strategic plan (FY 2026/27–2028/29), highlighting six goals, 18 objectives, and 40 strategies. Key accomplishments included developing an organizational alignment document, modernizing technology, implementing a crisis communications plan, expanding social media engagement, and investing in employee wellness and mentorship. The department is nearly fully staffed. Councilmember Eklund asked about community input and suggested future evaluations include external perspectives. Mayor Farac praised the positive momentum and morale. No public comments were received. The item was received and filed.
2026–2029 City Council Strategic Plan Work Plan (J.3): Assistant City Manager Hanson presented the work plan containing 62 actions across five strategic goals (quality of life, infrastructure, public safety, economic vitality, organizational excellence), with over half already in progress. Councilmembers proposed several amendments: Eklund requested adding specific actions regarding Marin Valley Mobile Country Club bond payoff (2027) and a proactive homeless outreach program; Karkal asked for a holistic master planning effort for Hamilton properties; O'Connor suggested items on housing for vulnerable populations, a synthetic turf sports field, beautification of Redwood Boulevard center islands, metrics based on net growth rather than meetings, and teen programs; Mayor Farac asked to accelerate the emergency operations plan upgrade to Year 1 and to create a public dashboard for progress tracking; Jacobs requested changing broker meeting metrics to progress-based measures. Several Councilmembers noted the timing language was unclear. The Council voted 4-1 (Eklund opposed) to direct staff to bring back a revised draft incorporating the feedback for approval on the consent calendar at a future meeting.

Key Outcomes

Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (5-0).
Santa Maria Drive Traffic Study: Unanimous direction (5-0) to staff to bring back recommendations and cost estimates; staff indicated they will combine with existing work.
Scott House Renovations Contract: Resolution awarding contract to Murray Building, Inc. for $2,784,300 passed unanimously (5-0); related actions (authorizing City Manager, budget amendment) also passed unanimously. A separate motion to direct staff to develop a stage improvement proposal passed unanimously (5-0).
Police Department Strategic Plan Update: Received and filed without vote.
Strategic Plan Work Plan: Motion to bring back revised draft with Council feedback on consent at a future meeting passed 4-1 (Eklund voted no). The Council also endorsed accelerating the Emergency Operations Plan update to Year 1 and developing a public progress dashboard.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you, everyone, for joining us for Tuesday, October 13th, 2026, Navado City Council meeting. Before we begin our meeting, I'd like to take a moment to recognize that today marks one year since the passing of Councilmember Mark Milberg. Mark cared deeply about this community. He helped shape much of the work that continues today. I'm grateful that we are together tonight to remember Mark and honor his service. Later this year, we'll hold a community event to dedicate the new playground at Hamilton Amphitheater Park in his honor and rename the park, Mark J. Milg Milberg Community Park. For tonight, we open this meeting in Council Member Mark Milberg's memory in honor of his friendship, his service, and lasting impact he made on Navado. So now please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag United States and the Republic. And individual liberty. We did have closed session. Gary Bell, is there anything to report out? Thank you, Mayor and Council members. There's no reportable action from closed session. And Laura, can you please take roll call? Councilmember Eklund. Present. Councilmember Carkle? Here. Councilmember O'Connor? Here. Mayor Perchem Jacobs? Here. And Mayor Farack. Here. All right, moving on to ceremonial matters and presentation. I'd like to call up Steve Torrens, Director of Emergency Management from the Marin County Office of Emergency Management to give a presentation. Welcome. Thank you very much, Mayor and Council. Thank you very much also to uh city staff. As mentioned, my name is Stephen Torrance. I have the pleasure of serving as the Director of Emergency Management for the County of Marin. Specifically today, we're gonna be highlighting a couple of new things that are coming online, but also uh uh going out and um having a conversation with members of the public and elected staff uh regarding the upcoming El Nino. Uh with that, this is a countywide effort uh where we are working not only with the county departments but also the cities, towns, and special districts in order to make sure uh that we are best supporting each other and best aligned in uh as we go into the season. Uh before I move in, I also want to recognize uh we have uh uh staff from Supervisor Eric Lucan's uh team in the house as well, um, as this is really not only just talking about what the county departments are doing, but across the board what the collective elected officials are making sure that we are trying to share with members of our community. Um as of today, uh we have a couple of things that we are looking forward to uh with the upcoming season. Uh this year uh we have a fort uh unfortunate um compounding of a number of things that are going on uh related to El Nino and uh not gonna belabor uh the El Nino uh conversation too too much, uh but one of the things that we are focusing here on Marin in Marin County uh is the impact of uh elevated sea levels, uh which we are already seeing as of this week uh in multiple portions of this uh the county, uh our upcoming keen tides, which are unfortunately going to correspond with our our holidays uh which are projected to hit on Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, um, in addition to the general winter storms that we typically see around that time of the year. Uh with that, we recognize that there are going to be a number of compounding factors that we do expect to hit all at the same time. Um the main thing that we are uh recognizing with uh the specific convergence of the holidays and the upcoming El Niño and tides is that we have a lot of people that are going to be coming into the county uh to visit their loved ones, but also a lot of people traveling. Um as we have that, we are making sure that number one that we are uh pre-positioning resources throughout the county. Um, and one of the things I would like to highlight as we collaborate throughout the the the Marin County uh is that the Board of Supervisors recently appropriated about three million dollars for the collective preparedness and mitigation uh throughout the county, and uh those resources are being deployed uh throughout the county to make sure that we can harden um infrastructure throughout the entire county, uh, but also making sure that we can collaborate best with our city and town partners who are also taking mitigation actions as well. With that, our goal is to collectively make sure that we are mitigating and preparing for the upcoming season as much as possible. With that, there are some up some uh additional factors that we know are going to be some of the pinch points within our communities uh throughout the county, uh and that is the individual and personal preparedness, which we are asking people to join us in that effort.

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