St. Helena City Council Regular Meeting – October 27, 2026

The St. Helena City Council met at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in the Vintage Hall Board Room. Mayor Paul Dohring and Councilmembers Aaron Barak, Michelle Deasy, Kate Spadarotto, and Scott Diaz were present. The Council adopted a shortened agenda, approved the previous minutes, heard public testimony, recognized new officers and community projects, acted on consent items, introduced an AB 1572 water-conservation ordinance, amended the water-filtration rebate program, and accepted the Finance Committee’s two-year report. The meeting was extended to 9:15 PM, and all roll-call votes were unanimous (5-0).

Consent Calendar

• Agenda adopted with Item 10.5 (Downtown Sidewalk Rehabilitation Phase 1B plans and authorization to issue a request for bids) pulled and rescheduled to the November 10, 2026 meeting.
• Minutes of October 13, 2026 approved with a correction to a staff title in the record.
• Approved as part of the consent calendar: appointment of a Parks and Recreation Commission member through June 30, 2028; adoption of the Napa County 2026 Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan including the St. Helena Annex; approval of the Sanitary Sewer Management Plan Version 9; authorization to replace Police Department and Parks and Recreation vehicles (amended, see below); and waiver of second reading and adoption of the design-build procurement ordinance (Municipal Code Sections 3.04.210(D) and 3.04.245). Item 10.3, new job classifications and salary schedules, was pulled for separate discussion and later approved with amendments.

Public Comments & Testimony

• George Calaganides (2202 Diamond Mountain Road) objected to the city’s water-flushing procedure that instructs residents to turn off and then restore their water supply valves. He said this is unrealistic for an aging population, absentee owners, and residents who are away or physically unable; he urged the city to turn off water meters instead and said the procedure has not received proper and thorough vetting.
• Daniel Hale (1565 Pine Street) said during the water-filtration rebate discussion that $50,000 would be exhausted quickly, that six-month retroactivity was arbitrary, and that using Water Enterprise Fund money was “borrowing from Peter to pay Paul”; he asked the Council to work through the issues before approving.
• Written public comments were received from former Mayor Alan Galbreth, Michelle Covell, and Tamara Sorensen. Written comments from Michelle Covell regarding Item 10.2 were shared with the Council.

Presentations & Public Recognitions

• Mayor Dohring read a proclamation declaring October 18–24, 2026 as National Friends of Libraries Week in St. Helena. Deanna Griffin, Director of Friends and Foundation of the St. Helena Public Library, thanked the Council and said the organization is budgeted to grant $175,000 this year. She noted the library dates to 1893 and invited residents to the “SIP and Support” event at Cliff Family Tasting Room, where 20% of patron spending would benefit the library.
• Lucas Batzik, Executive Director of the Napa County Resource Conservation District (Napa RCD), presented the Sulphur Creek Fish Passage Project. The project replaced a 1916 bridge that blocked about 3.2 miles of high-quality salmon and steelhead habitat with a free-span, Caltrans-standard bridge. Batzik said the effort took more than a decade, began with neighbor Brent Randall and his stepdaughter, and now gives fish about 16 times more opportunities to reach spawning habitat while also improving fire access. The companion video was included in the meeting packet after a technical glitch. Brent Randall added remarks from the audience.

Staff Briefing and Presentations

• Chief of Police Justin Tharp introduced four new officers – Christian Chiprez, Michael Freese, Jesus Martinez, and Justin Ray – in a pinning ceremony. Tharp stressed these officers filled vacancies and did not increase the number of sworn staff; family members pinned each officer.
• Public Works Director Joe Leach gave a water system update. He reported that the system-wide flushing program began the day before (October 26), with door hangers, a website, and pre- and post-flushing asbestos sampling. CCTV inspection of the Bell Canyon transmission main is complete; staff are evaluating proposals from Hazen and Sawyer and Electro Scan (each about $10,000–$12,000). Tank 1A cleaning was rescheduled from Halloween weekend to November 7 after equipment damage, and Tank 2 rehabilitation is expected to begin in early December. SCADA upgrade design work is moving forward. Leach acknowledged record inaccuracies in the south end and said restaurant coordination will occur as flushing moves north. Councilmember Spadarotto asked about a mildew smell on Spring Street; Leach said that area is a sewer-lining project, not a water main, and offered to investigate.

Discussion Items

• Item 10.3 – New Job Classifications and Salary Schedules: Interim Administrative Services Director Susan Casey requested approval of six new job classifications replacing seven budgeted classifications, increasing authorized headcount by one, with a maximum salary/benefits increase of $311,000 if all hires enter at top step. She said FY 2025-26 actual salary/benefits were about $700,000 under budget, providing vacancy savings. Councilmember Deasy criticized the job descriptions as “old and tired municipal job descriptions” and questioned some salaries, particularly for Library Director and Parks and Recreation Director. Staff explained salaries were based on a 12-agency North Bay comparator group. The Council approved the resolution with amendments removing the Library Director and Parks and Recreation Director classifications/salaries from the schedule for further review and directing staff to work with Vice Mayor Deasy to update job descriptions; the item passed 5-0.
• Item 10.6 – Vehicle Replacements (reconsidered): Staff asked the Council to reconsider the approved vehicle resolution. Instead of a Ford F-150 hybrid pickup and Toyota Tacoma (original total $94,458.37), they requested two fully electric Chevrolet pickups at $98,008.44 total, about $4,386 more, after a $15,000-per-vehicle state Clean Fuel Reward. The Council approved the amended resolution 5-0.
• Public Hearing 11.1 – AB 1572 Non-Functional Turf Ordinance: The Council introduced and waived the first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 13.04 water conservation regulations to comply with AB 1572. Public Works Director Leach explained the phase-in: government properties from January 1, 2027; institutional/commercial/industrial in 2028; HOA common areas in 2029; single-family homes and recycled-water uses are unaffected. The Council made the CEQA finding and passed the ordinance 5-0.
• Item 13.1 – Water Filtration Rebate Program: Staff recommended separate rebates for new filtration systems and replacement filters, with a $50,000 budget from the Water Enterprise Fund (Fund 561). After public comment and discussion, Councilmember Diaz moved for a 50/50 city/customer cost share; Councilmember Barak’s amendment added six months retroactivity, which Diaz accepted. The final program has a $2,500 maximum residential rebate (50% of a $5,000 project), a $2,500 maximum commercial rebate, and six months retroactive eligibility. The motion passed 5-0.
• Item 13.2 – Finance Committee Budgetary Findings and Recommendations: Finance Committee Chair Chris Warner, joined by members Mark Smithers, Greg Dawley, and Gary Rose, presented the committee’s two-year advisory report. Key findings included: the city has maintained balanced budgets and strong reserves; the city should reinstate additional discretionary payments toward unfunded pension liability ($450,000–$600,000 per year across enterprises); about $2.5 million per year of Measure U&T/MOE funds are sufficient to reach a 70 Pavement Condition Index by 2030; city-owned asset information is outdated; and the city has not consistently followed its own financial policies, including state-required monthly treasurer reports. The committee’s forecast showed general fund reserves declining from 70% in FY 2027 to 59% by FY 2030 under current service levels. The Council received and accepted the report 5-0 and directed staff to bring back options for making the Finance Committee a permanent subcommittee and to schedule a future deeper discussion of pension pay-down.

Key Outcomes

• All substantive votes were 5-0.
• Item 10.5 moved to November 10, 2026.
• Item 10.3 approved with two classifications removed for further salary review.
• Item 10.6 approved as amended to two electric Chevrolet pickups.
• AB 1572 ordinance introduced and first reading waived.
• Water filtration rebate program amended to 50/50 cost share with $2,500 residential and commercial caps and six-month retroactivity, using the $50,000 Water Enterprise Fund budget.
• Finance Committee report received and accepted; staff directed to propose a standing finance committee structure and schedule a pension-funding discussion.
• Mayor Dohring announced a donation of approximately $270,000 from a disbanded nonprofit for parks, recreation, and public art, to be brought to a future Council meeting.
• The next regular City Council meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2026.