Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting Summary - April 16, 2024
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Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting Summary - April 16, 2024
On April 16, 2024, the Santa Rosa City Council held a regular meeting beginning at 3:00 PM with a closed session, reconvening at 4:03 PM for open session. The meeting covered consent items, public hearings on housing and community development plans, approval of bonds for affordable housing projects, and reports on public records and water reuse budgets. The meeting adjourned at 6:27 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved (7-0) all 11 consent items:
- 13.1: First Amendment with Conservation Corps North Bay for vegetation management ($200,000 total).
- 13.2: Acceptance of $514,440 from Sonoma County Measure O for the inRESPONSE program.
- 13.3: First Amendment with ODP Business Solutions for Police Department SAN upgrade ($358,024.33).
- 13.4: Cooperative purchase with Motorola Solutions for police radios ($799,782.54).
- 13.5: Extension of Sonic LLC agreement for internet and public Wi-Fi ($313,040 total).
- 13.6: Professional services agreement with Sage Renewable Energy for EV infrastructure master plan ($370,000).
- 13.7: Extension of local homeless emergency proclamation.
- 13.8: Infill Infrastructure Grant application up to $9,530,057 for downtown surplus sites.
- 13.9: Service contract with Santa Rosa City School District for summer youth programs.
- 13.10: Budget amendment appropriating $1,850,000 from General Fund reserves for the Bay Cities Paving settlement.
- 13.11: Second reading of ordinance converting Riley Street between Fifth and Seventh to two-way (introduced 4/9/24, 7-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda matters (Item 14, 5:01 PM):
- Tom LaPenna (Santa Rosa Manufactured Homeowners Association) requested a senior zoning overlay and reduction of in-place transfer fee from 10% to 5% to match county ordinance.
- Ian L. (District 6) read a poem urging a ceasefire resolution and divestment from Israeli companies.
- Ruby Nunn Curtis (District 4) supported a ceasefire resolution and divestment from General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.
- Duane DeWitt (Roseland) promoted a veterans' trail and healing garden along Roseland Creek, inviting attendance on April 20.
- Valerie Schlafke (Sonoma County Housing Authority) supported senior zoning overlay for mobile home parks.
- JoAnn Jones (president, Country Mobilehome Owners Association) supported senior park zoning for all 12 manufactured home parks.
- Ari Vinion (District 2) called for adding a ceasefire resolution to the agenda.
- Item 9.1 (Litigation report): Duane DeWitt questioned why the city must pay $2.75 million in the Bay Cities settlement.
- Item 13 (Consent): Duane DeWitt commented on items 13.1, 13.7, 13.8, 13.10 – requested Conservation Corps work in Roseland, noted homelessness ongoing, suggested extremely low-income units for infill grants, and criticized settlement funding from General Fund.
- Item 16.1 (Consolidated Plan): Michael Titone criticized vagueness of the plan regarding unsheltered residents on the Joe Rodota Trail; Stacy Steele spoke in support of unsheltered residents and requested healing spaces.
- Item 18 (Non-agenda matters): Tyler Hilsabeck and Michael Titone urged the council to pass a ceasefire resolution.
Discussion Items
- Closed Session (3:02-3:55 PM): Conference with labor negotiators; no reportable action.
- Proclamations/Presentations:
- Proclamation of Sonoma County Wine Month accepted by Mike Haney (Sonoma County Vintners Foundation).
- Sonoma County Library Director Erika Thibault, with commissioners David Cahill and Sarah Laggos, provided an update: 1.2 million visits in 2023 (37% increase), circulation exceeded 4 million, Sunday hours implemented, $51.3 million budget, and a $3.6 million fundraising goal for the new Roseland Library (planned design completion late 2024).
- City Attorney Report (Item 9.1): Teresa Stricker reported on a settlement in Bay Cities Paving & Grading v. City of Santa Rosa: city pays $2.75 million, design consultant GHD pays $3.75 million; lawsuit will be dismissed. Caseload ~30 matters.
- Council Member Reports (Item 11): Reports on attending events, sister city meeting with Jeju, South Korea, and appointments. Council Member Fleming abstained from approving March 26 minutes (Item 12).
- Item 15.1 – Annual Public Records Requests Reports: City Clerk Dina Manis presented 2022 (1,321 requests, 957 fulfilled) and 2023 (1,316 requests, 827 fulfilled) reports. Only 2-3% of requests were denied due to exemptions. Council directed future reports be placed on the consent calendar.
- Item 15.2 – Preliminary FY 2024/25 Regional Water Reuse System Budget: Nick Harvey (Santa Rosa Water) presented: $47,769,055 O&M, $11,000,000 CIP, $21,673,172 debt service. Santa Rosa's allocation increases 5.34%. Board of Public Utilities recommended approval.
- Item 15.3 – PEMHCA Section 115 Trust: Continued to May 21, 2024, regular meeting.
Public Hearings
- Item 16.1 – Consolidated Plan 2024-2027, Action Plan 2024/25, Fair Housing Plan: Nicole Del Fiorentino and Koy Stewart presented. The plan authorizes submittal to HUD for CDBG, HOME, and HOPWA funds. Public comment received; adopted 7-0 (Resolution RES-2024-058).
- Item 16.2 – TEFRA Hearing for Vigil Light Senior Apartments (1945 Long Drive): Issuance of up to $20 million in tax-exempt bonds for 49 senior units (PEP Housing). No public comment; adopted 7-0 (Resolution RES-2024-059).
- Item 16.3 – TEFRA Hearing for Del Nido Apartments (850 Russell Avenue): Issuance of up to $55 million for 206 affordable units (Eden Housing). Council Member Alvarez recused due to business proximity. No public comment; adopted 6-0 (Resolution RES-2024-060).
Key Outcomes
- Consent items approved 7-0, including $1.85 million appropriation for lawsuit settlement.
- Public Records Reports accepted; future reports to be presented on consent calendar (motion by C. Rogers, second Stapp, 7-0).
- Regional Water Reuse Budget approved 7-0 (Resolution RES-2024-061).
- Housing Plans and Bonds for three affordable housing projects were approved unanimously (with one recusal on Del Nido).
- Item 15.3 (PEMHCA Trust) continued to May 21, 2024.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on 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, 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. Mayor Rogers present. Let the record reflect all council members are present. Thank you. Moving on to item six. Um, which is our closed session um item. Madam City Attorney, can you please report out on closed session? Thank you, Madam Mayor. Council members. Um there I have nothing to report. There was no reportable action taken in closed session. Thank you. Moving on to item seven, which um is our proclamation uh for today, and that will be read by our own vice mayor staff. I'm back. Thank you, Madam Mayor. All right, it's my honor to welcome Sonoma Wine Month. Whereas the grapevines of Sonoma County have awakened from their winter slumber and hopes for another good harvest run high. And whereas the four hundred Sonoma County wineries, including many in Santa Rosa, produce wines for more than sixty grape varieties that rank among the world's finest. And whereas Sonoma County boasts a remarkable nineteen designated American viticultural areas in which grapes are grown, representing all of Sonoma County's beautiful ecosystems that include oceanside meadows, mountain hillsides, and valleys cooled by marine fog. The fog is still very important to the grapes. Now, therefore, be it resolved that Natalie Rogers, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire city council, does hereby proclaim April 24 Sonoma County Wine Month in the City of Santa Rosa. People are a little happy up here about Wine Month. Um Thank you very much, Vice Mayor. I would like to invite the representative or representatives that are here to accept this proclamation to make a comment at this time if you would like to do so. Thank you so much. My name is Mike Haney. I'm the executive director of Sonoma County Veteriners and Sonoma County Veterans Foundation, and I want to thank the council here tonight on behalf of our team, our board, and of course our Sonoma County wine community. Thank you so much for this great honor. We so appreciate it, and uh we're humbled by this uh wonderful proclamation. So thank you all so very, very much. Thank you. Um we are going to have public comment. Um, Madam City Deputy Clerk, if you can facilitate that, and if you want to start making your way down, because we will like to take a picture with you after our public comment. We are now taking public comment on item 7.1. If you're in the council chamber and would like to comment, but have not provided a speaker card or your name, please make your way to the podium. Mayor, I am seeing no one approach the podium for public comment. Thank you. You can come on down a little. Take a picture of the moving on to item seven point two, madam city manager. Item seven point two is the presentation. Sonoma County Library Director will provide an update on Sonoma County Library service to the citizens of Santa Rosa residents, excuse me. There we go. Good evening, Mayor Rogers, City Council members, and City Manager Smith. I'm Erica Tabot. I'm your county librarian, and I am joined today by your commissioners, David Cahill, who represents the city of Santa Rosa, and Sarah Lagos, who represents the uh city and county. And we're uh here to share some information about our library and the resources that we provide. In July of last year, we are in July of last year.
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