The Santa Rosa City Council met on September 12, 2023, in a regular session that began with a closed session at 1:30 PM and reconvened in open session at 4:12 PM. All seven council members were present. The meeting included proclamations, staff briefings, consent calendar approvals, and a contested vote on a development agreement for a downtown parking garage.
I'd like to ask the interpreter currently in the Spanish channel to commence translation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live translation in Spanish is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish, can join the Spanish channel by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar. It looks like a globe. All right, welcome. Sorry for the delay. Um this is our September 12th, 2023 meeting. It is now four twelve, and we will be starting our meeting. Madam City Clerk, may you please call the roll. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Stapp. Here, Councilmember Rogers, Councilmember O'Krepke, Councilmember Fleming, here, Councilmember Alvarez, President. Vice Mayor McDonald, here, Mayor Rogers. President. Let the record show all council members are present. We have no study sessions today, so we'll go right into our proclamation that we have, and I will be uh presenting this proclamation. Whereas throughout the United States, the week starting on the third Monday of September is recognized as National Pollution Prevention Week. And whereas throughout much of California, cities, counties, and other stewardships organizations are recognized the third week of September as Creek Week. And whereas 238 creeks and approximately 350,000 residents of the Russian River watershed are connected and mutually support each other, making the Russian River along with its tributaries and associated features, important resources to the people of Sonoma and Mendocino counties. On Sunday, September 17th, our stormwater and creek staff will lead a guided nature walk along Santa Rosa Creek, beginning of Flat Rock Park and traveling upstream to one of our restoration sites.org slash Creek Week to register. For anyone that cannot attend one of these in-person events, we do have virtual online activities listed on our website as well. Thank you for your time, and we look forward to seeing you all at the uh Creek Week events this year. Thank you. We are now taking public comments on item six point one. If you're in chamber and would like to comment, but have not provided a speaker card or your name, please make your way to the podium. If you are participating via Zoom, please raise your hand or dial star nine. You will have three minutes and a countdown timer will alert at the end of that period. Seeing no one in Council Chamber wishing to provide public comment, I'm going to turn it over to our Zoom host where I see one participant with their hand raised. Thank you, Tina. Caller, I have enabled your permissions. Go ahead whenever you're ready. We can hear you. Go right ahead. Hi, I am calling in about uh the garage on the third street, Courthouse Square Garage, with an opinion that I think this should remain open. Hi. This is the wrong item. We're now taking public comment for item six point one, which is our proclamation. I hate to say it, but it's really hard to follow all this because we're seeing different things online than what we're hearing on the phone. Okay. I apologize about that. So if you what when will we be up or when will I be up to be able to say something about when the mayor calls item 12 on the consent calendar, you'll be able to provide public comment on all items on uh the Kinson calendar today. Okay, so when do you think she'll be on item 12? As soon as we get through the agenda, we'll be on item 12. Right now we're on 6.1. Okay, will you just open the phone for me then? I will open the phone for you so you can give your comment. All right, thank you so much. Or can I just record it? Uh I believe it's too late to record it, and I'm sorry, but we can't take any more time in the meeting, so we'll be there briefly. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor.