City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you. Ready to go.

It having reached the hour of 5.30 p.m., I am calling the September 1st, 2026 Modesto City Council meeting to order and ask the city clerk to call the roll.

Vice Mayor Williams is absent. Council Member Wright.

Here.

Council Member Skudia-Brayton. Here. Council Member Alvarez. Here. Council Member Rickey. Here. Council Member Bavaro. Here. And Mayor Zwollin.

Here. Will everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the invocation from Lance Lowell Neighborhood Church. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I'm going to pray to open up the meeting, and you can join me if you would like. Lord, we thank you that your mercies are new every morning. Because of that, each new day carries hope that today can be better than yesterday. Tonight, we ask that you not only work in our community, but also work in each of us, especially in the leaders who have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving our city and making decisions that shape its future. Lord, we are grateful for every person who serves on this city council, for their time, energy, sacrifice they give and give on the behalf of our community. We thank you for the many blessings that we enjoy here. At the same time, we realize that we face challenges that must be addressed. Give them wisdom and courage, patience and discernment so that they can know how to make the right and difficult decisions. Lord, you have made us each different, and because of that, we will not always see the things the same. Help us grow as a community in a way we can listen to one another, speak to one another, and treat one another with love, integrity, respect, and humility. Give this city council wisdom tonight in all of their decision-making. Lord, we thank you for this community that has been given to us. Help us all, leaders and citizens alike, to steward it well and seek the good of our neighbors. I pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you. Does the city clerk have any announcements?

Yes, Mayor. A reminder, public comment is three minutes. For those attending in person, speaker cards can be found at the entrance of the chambers. If you're joining us remotely and would like to comment through Zoom or by telephone, please use the raise hand feature or press star nine on your phone. When the relevant agenda item is announced, the mayor will then call on you when it's your turn to speak. Thank you.

Thank you. Do any of the council members have any conflicts of interest? Seeing none, will the city attorney please report out on closed session?

Yes, Mayor. The council met in closed session today regarding a few items related to existing litigation and anticipated litigation. No reportable action was taken.

Thank you. Next on the agenda is acknowledgements and presentations. First is a proclamation declaring September 6th through 12th is National Suicide Prevention Week. I will read the proclamation. Suicide and suicide attempts have lasting impacts on the mental, emotional, and physical health of everyone. According to the CDC, in 2024, over 2.2 million people attempted suicide, and over 48,000 people succumbed to suicide. Notably, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults aged 10 to 24. It is imperative that through education and dialogue, we foster an informed community that recognizes the weight of suicide. In doing so, people may feel comfortable speaking up and in finding the help they need. In 2025, the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline received a 12% increase in calls, suggesting that people are becoming more comfortable asking for help. National Suicide Prevention Week provides a critical platform to raise awareness and extend empathy and support to those we care about. Through continued education and conversations, more people are encouraged to seek assistance and build healthy and content lives. This week, our community unites to address mental health challenges and reduce the stigma to get help. Resources that can save a life include suicide hotlines, counselors, therapists, and even calling a friend. Now, therefore, I, Suze Wallen, Mayor, do hereby proclaim September 6th through 12th, 2026, as National Suicide Prevention Week in the City of Modesto, and urge all residents to raise awareness, support each other, and make a positive impact to save lives. Is Kirpa here? Kirpa Gill? Yes, okay. Kirpa Gill... Founder of Lead Her Up, Gunit Bella. Founder of The Remedy Project, Lauren Polito. Area Director of the Greater Sacramento and Central Valley American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be accepting the proclamation. If you'd like to step up and make any comments, now would be the time. Welcome.

Good evening, Mayor, council members, city staff, and community members. My name is Kirpa Gill, and I'm the founder and president of Leader Up, a youth-led organization focused on leadership, empowerment, advocacy, and mental health awareness. I'm honored to be here tonight to accept a proclamation declaring September 6th through September 12th as National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide does not have an age, background, or specific type of person attached to it. Behind every statistic is a person, a family, a friend, a coworker, a student, a parent, or a community member. This is why recognizing National Suicide Prevention Week is so important. It gives our community an opportunity to come together, raise awareness, reduce stigma, and remind people that support is available. For me, this issue is also deeply connected to why I had founded LeaderUp. I experienced bullying when I was younger, and those experiences showed me how important it is to have people around you who are willing to listen, support you, and take your struggles seriously. Instead of allowing those experiences to find me, I wanted to use them as motivation to create something positive for others. Through Leader Up, we focus on creating supportive community events, encouraging conversations about mental health, building confidence, and giving people the tools and resources they need to advocate for themselves. While our organization focuses heavily on empowering young women, the message behind our work extends far beyond a specific group of people. Mental health and suicide prevention are community issues, and everyone has a role to play. Prevention is not simply about what happens when someone is already in a crisis. It can also be about what we do every day to build stronger and more supportive communities. It can be checking in with someone you care about, listening without judgment, and encouraging someone to reach out for support. Knowing where resources are available are heavily important as well. We are fortunate enough to have resources and organizations here in our own community that are working every day to support mental health and connect people with help. Organizations such as NAMI Stanislaus, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Central Valley, who is here with us tonight, and Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services are just a few examples of the important resources we have in our communities. Our school, healthcare providers, and community organizations also play an important role in making sure that people have somewhere to turn. However, having resources available is only one part of the prevention. We must also continue to make sure that people know where these resources exist, feel comfortable reaching out, and are met with understanding rather than judgment when they do. As someone who works with students, community organizations, and local leaders, I've seen how much can happen when different parts of the community comes together. Suicide prevention requires all of us, families, schools, workplaces, community organizations, healthcare professionals, and local governments, to recognize something that we can all address together. I am especially grateful to the city of Modesto for recognizing National Suicide Prevention Week and giving this important issue a place in our community conversation. A proclamation like this may only take a few minutes to read, but the message behind it is much bigger. It tells our community that mental health matters, that prevention matters, and that every person deserves to feel supported and valued. On behalf of Leader Up, thank you for allowing me to accept this proclamation and for recognizing the importance of suicide prevention. I am proud to stand not only as a youth advocate and organization founder, but as a member of this community committed to helping build a culture where people look out for one another. Thank you.

You're welcome. Did anyone else have comments this evening?

Good evening, everyone. My name is Guneet Bella, and I'm the founder and executive director of a youth-led initiative dedicated to promoting health equity, expanding health education, and improving access to resources in our community called The Remedy Project. On behalf of The Remedy Project, I am incredibly honored to accept this proclamation as we recognize Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This recognition represents more than the work of one organization, but rather the importance of listening to young people and ensuring that every individual has access to the support, resources, and the care that they deserve. I founded the Remedy Project with the belief that health and wellness should never depend on a person's income, background, transportation, or ability to speak openly about their struggles. Since then, our youth team has worked to make health education more accessible, create spaces for honest conversations about mental health, and connect members of the community with valuable resources. Mental health affects people of every age and every background, yet many young people hesitate to speak openly because they fear being judged or being misunderstood. Others may not know where to find reliable information or trusted support, and that is why awareness, education, and compassionate conversations are critical. Whether through wellness fairs, school presentations, community partnerships, or our equity exchange interviews, our goal has always been to help people feel informed, supported, and most importantly, heard. I would like to thank everyone presenting this proclamation for recognizing our mission and believing in the power of youth-led change. I also want to thank our volunteers, community partners, mentors, community leaders, and every person who has trusted us with their experience. This work would not be possible without the City of Modesto. Although this proclamation celebrates what the Remedy Project has accomplished, it also motivates us to continue. There are still barriers to overcome, conversations to begin, and people who need to know that they are not alone. We are deeply grateful for this honor, and we look forward to continuing to build a healthier and more equitable community together. Thank you. You're welcome. Lauren?

Does Lauren have any comments tonight? Is Lauren Polito here? No? All right. Thank you very much, both of you, for your comments. Council member comments. Council member Scudia Brayton.

Thank you Mayor and thank you Ms. Gill and Ms. Bellew for being here and receiving this recognition. Thank you for your service to our community. This subject is no longer taboo, it's real and it impacts our community, it impacts our family for generations to come. And as was said earlier, it has no boundaries. So thank you for the work you do in bringing it to the forefront and providing avenues, in particular for youth, to enter a realm of better mental health and the prevention of suicide. This is something that's much needed, and again, your service is much appreciated. Thank you very much.

All right, any other comments from council members? All right, seeing none at this time, thank you for being here this evening. I'll now bring the proclamations down to present.

Thank you.

Thank you so much. All right, item two, proclamation declaring September 15th through October 15th, 2026 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. I will read the proclamation. First proclaimed in 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month honors the independence of several Latin American countries and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Modesto's population is over 45% Hispanic and represents a fundamental piece to Modesto's cultural makeup. It is thanks to the accomplishments and contributions of Hispanic individuals in our community, our nation, and our history that we thrive. Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month cultivates a more harmonious community as we cherish the culture these residents bring, enriching Modesto through leadership, language, traditions, food, music, and art. The 2026 theme, Pioneers of Change, Shaping the Future Together, emphasizes the resilience of a united society that can shape a more inclusive future to inspire generations to come. Unity is both a social celebration and collective effort. And the city of Modesto proudly recognizes the generations of Hispanics that have shaped our society, economy, culture, and values. Now therefore, I, Suze Wallen, Mayor, do hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th, 2026, as National Hispanic Heritage Month, and I urge all residents to participate in cultural events, activities, and educational opportunities that honor the vibrant Hispanic way of life. Accepting the proclamation will be Laura Malagon, founder of Ballet Folklorica Las Volcanas. Hopefully I said that okay. All right, so please step up if you have some comments, Laura.

If you don't mind, I would like to be joined by Asia Fonseca and Timna and Maestro Martinez.

Sure. If you can put the microphone down so that. Yes, sure.

Do you mind if you come? Timna, come with me and Asia. Just like a couple of sentences. And I am so grateful and honored to be in front of you. You are doing a wonderful job in our city, and I thank you for that. We celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the history, culture, and vital contributions that Hispanics give to our community. Ballet Folklorico Los Falcones is a great example of citizens that make a better place to live, that carries their dances and traditions of our ancestors. For almost 30 years, Ballet Folklorico Los Falcones have been sharing their cultural roots with pride. Thanks to Mayra Martinez, Timna Reyes, Yaki and Natalie Aguilar, that have been helping us with that group. The group of dancers, their parents and students that give their time and effort to our community. And to all of you that support our amazing group of dancers, Los Falcones, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You're very welcome. Thank you all for being here this evening. I was told that maybe two people were going to come and look at, we have such a fabulous group. I really appreciate you being here. Do we have any comments from council members? Council member Scudia Brayton.

Do you want to go first, Eric? Go ahead. Sure.

Oh, Council Member Alvarez. Thank you, Mayor.

Well, thank you. I'm very proud to be here with you tonight. Tonight, I'm proud to recognize National Hispanic Heritage Month observed through, I think, September 15th, October 15th. uh... from not mistaken uh... this month gives us an opportunity to celebrate this uh... the generations of hispanic and latino residents who helped uh... shape our city through uh... culture entrepreneurship public service education uh... to our family are are are are traditions you name it uh... every walk of life is is is impacted by hispanic culture in california In Modesto, that legacy is visible through our neighborhoods, our small businesses, our schools, our community organizations, and it's also reflected in the many residents who work every day to make our city safer, stronger, and more welcoming. As a proud Latino and council member, I'm grateful for those who came before us and before myself, and often overcoming tremendous barriers to create greater opportunities for the generations that followed. MAY WE HONOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS, NOT ONLY DURING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, BUT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR. I'M GOING TO TRY TO READ THIS IN SPANISH. Celebramos las generaciones de familias latinas que con su cultura, fe, trabajo y espíritu de servicio han contribuido al crecimiento de Modesto. Como latino y concejal, agradezco a quienes abrieron caminos y crearon nuevas oportunidades para las generaciones que seguimos. Honoremos sus contribuciones durante este mes y durante todo el año.

Muchas gracias.

Thank you, Mayor. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, both the Mayor and I wore bright floral blouses to also celebrate with you all. Muchas gracias por estar aquí hoy. It's an honor for families and children to come and celebrate THIS MOMENTOUS RECOGNITION FOR THE MONTH OF OUR COMMUNITY. AS THE MAYOR INDICATED IN HER PROCLAMATION, VERY WELL SAID, THE FACTS STATED IN THE PROCLAMATION, HISPANICS, LATINOS CONTRIBUTE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF VALUE TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO MODESTO, TO CENTRAL VALLEY. HAVING THE POPULATION BE 45%, THE LARGEST ETHNIC COMMUNITY IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY AND IN MODESTO, an immense contributor to the economy, to the culture, to just the beauty of our people. I see a lot of color here today, and I know that your dresses symbolize much more than just culture and heritage that we have in our beautiful Hispanic Latino community. I see white, which is Veracruz, which is an elegant white attire that goes back with influence of Afro-Caribbean in Latin American countries. We have... My blouse represents from the region of Chiapas because it has the embroidered flowers on it. And there's other influences out there from various regions in Mexico, for example, the Yucatan. has a lot of ribbon and a lot of color. So again, you represent, just like any other ethnic community or community in general, there's much diversity in Hispanic and Latino communities. And I just think it's lovely that it's represented here. And Mrs. Malagon, I know that you are instrumental in making this group just a tight and beautiful group. And I know that you do all of your services for free. And I think that's a beautiful thing that you do for our community, so continue to do that. Thank you all for being here and I wish you all well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, Council Member Rickey, wait just a moment. Wait, more comments, Council Member Rickey. Thanks, Mayor.

I also want to thank you guys for being here tonight. Hispanic Culture and Hispanic Heritage Month, it's more than just a month to me. I mean, it is a pillar of our community, and it is a foundation of our community. And so I appreciate you guys coming tonight and celebrating it with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you very much for being here this evening. I will bring the proclamation down.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. All right, next on the agenda is public comment. Public comment tonight is available both in person and through Zoom. Thank you for joining us. The city council meetings are a place where everyone is encouraged to share insights, listen and participate in the decision making process that benefits our community. To ensure a fair and respectful environment, the mayor is responsible for maintaining order and decorum. as outlined in the city charter and the rules of decorum posted at the entrance of the chamber. I ask that we are all respectful of all members of the public, presenters and council members. Anyone who disrupts the meeting may be asked to leave. I appreciate your cooperation as we discuss key issues and make decisions that affect our city. We will now open public comment for items not on the council agenda. You have three minutes to speak. If you're participating remotely, please use the raise hand feature or dial star nine on your phone to indicate you'd like to provide public comment. I will alternate between participants attending in person and those participating remotely. First, I have we the people.

Hello, Mayor and Council Members. It's my first time here. Nice to meet you all. I come today before you as a thinker, and I just want to share some information with you. Knowledge is power, a phrase first coined by Sir Francis Bacon, the Attorney General of King James of England in the 1600s. He argued knowledge based on inductive reasoning and careful observation of events in nature to form scientific understanding. Today, I want to share with you my observation of events in the economic and political nature around us, if you will, to alert you to possible prosperity as well as peril ahead of our city and our nation. Q-Edge Corporation, the American subsidiary, recently acquired $55.25 million worth of land in Santa Clara County. Who is Q-Edge Corporation? They are the American subsidiary of Hong Hai Technology Group in Taiwan, which is also the mother company of Foxconn in communist China, better known by the world. How will this acquisition impact Modesto, which is arguably the bedroom community to the largest manufacturing workforce in Northern California, as well as the home to many veterans? Another edge muse, Edgerunner, a startup in Seattle, Washington. whose co-founder has communist Chinese family background, was awarded Army AI development project that received 1.4 million real soldier conversations to develop AI command project that will allow weapons to proceed even in the event soldiers should perish. City of San Jose recently changed zoning of former IBM data center. in consent agenda. What do all these mean for our collective future in this great country, specifically for our unique community as we move into the end of industrial era as we know it and moving into the great unknown of the AI era? Disclosure, above observations and information are all public information. Thank you.

You're welcome. I do not see anyone online. Is that correct? Next is Bruce Hammerstrom.

Good afternoon.

My name's Bruce Hammerstrom. I've been here before. I've lived in Modesto since 1965. I own a home over by Modesto, or by Davis High School. I own it outright. I'm being harassed by this man right here. I've asked you to reach out to me. I've asked you to contact me to try and help me and my helpless family, and nothing's happened. I'm here today specifically to complain and bring to your attention the fact that this man right here, after every city council meeting, when I show up here to expose this corruption and ask for help, I get fined. After the first one, I got a $1,250 fine for my house, supposedly some violations, code violations. After this last one, I got a $2,500 fine while I'm appealing the $1,250 one, which I just appealed today. It's not right to send out these citations without giving me time with a notice of violation, which isn't sent out. It stresses me out. It stresses my family out. It's not right. It's abuse. It's harassment. Luckily, Chief Gillespie, who I just met today for the first time, he helped us out on one of these about two years ago and got it dismissed because it's ridiculous. I'm going to ask him to do the same thing again. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. I need help. My family needs help. I'm 69 years old. I'm not going to have a heart attack. I'm not going to have a stroke over this. But I'm not going to be persecuted by this man right here. And I noticed that my council member hasn't showed up today. hasn't shown up today. And it's because I ask him, will you reach out? Will you contact me? Will you at least let me communicate with you about what's going on? Oh, nah. Okay. So how much time do I got? 45 seconds? Okay, I'm not going to be put on agenda and do a full thing until this stops. Every time I come out here, it's going to be, there's $3,900 in citations for nothing. trees growing in my backyard. They have no jurisdiction over the trees in my backyard. There are no trees. There's a lemon tree. There's some primate bushes. There's a couple other things that are just ridiculous, like the water out in the street. It's not even on my property. You know, come on. So I'm asking this guy to resign immediately. I'll make sure that happens. Your tenure as a city attorney is going to end, and it's going to end soon.

All right, thank you very much. You're welcome.

Nice seeing you again, too. Mayor, I would like to give my total voter confidence to our city attorney, and the city attorney is doing an excellent job, and what this gentleman said was offensive to me regarding our city attorney. Thank you, Mayor.

Next is Milt Treeweiler.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, and staff. Are you paying attention and keeping up with the news? Do you really understand what's happening in the world today? We will have very serious trouble in the near future for the city of Modesto and the nation. Is Earth's average temperature warmer than it was 70 years ago? Yes. Almost every region on the Earth, including land and ocean areas, has a higher average temperature today than it did 70 years ago. Global average temperatures have risen from 57.4 degrees Fahrenheit in 1955 to 59.4 degrees Fahrenheit in 2025. That's a two... degree Fahrenheit rise in just 70 years. These averages are determined by averaging the temperatures of over 23,000 weather stations around the Earth. Next, we have the threat from skyrocketing national debt, which is now over $40 trillion. Just 14 years ago, in 2012, the US national debt was $14 trillion. Now it's $40 trillion, $26 trillion increase. This is a major concern. You cannot ignore this debt. It will go higher and higher until it overwhelms us and swallows us all up with high inflation and high interest rates. The main reason for this debt rise is a structural mismatch where federal spending significantly outpaces tax revenue and higher fuel costs rippling through the entire economy. Who will be hurt? Low income households because they spend the largest share of their money on basic goods will feel the pinch the most. Please be aware that growth will not make Modesto a better place because residential growth never pays for itself. It will be the current residents of Modesto who pay for this growth. There's no need for the city of Modesto to annex any land north or west of the city. It would be a bad choice to do so, harming almost everyone in the city. The last thing I want you to be aware of is we must not allow data centers here in Modesto or in Stanislaus County. Data centers will suck up our water, eat up our electric power, and pollute our air. The Dater Center advocates are not concerned about what is best for our children, our grandchildren, and our descendants, but how much money they can make. We must aggressively fight against data centers here in Modesto and Stanislaus County. Just a warning, data center people will try to bribe you with money, with services for your home, or provide you with trips and other pleasures to get your vote. We must have an ordinance that will ban data centers in the city of Modesto and all the rural areas of Stanislaus County. Thank you.

You're welcome. Next is Teresa Gamboa.

Good evening, Mayors Wallin, council, city managers, city attorney, city clerk and staff, members of the public. My name is Teresa Gamboa and I'm the chairwoman of Woodland West Community Neighborhood. And tonight I would like to invite you to our annual Family Fun Day. This is a great event that we hold every year. I think all of you have a flyer and an invitation. And we have, we supply pizza and water and games and kites and special guests such as yourself. And it's a lot of fun. So I just wanted to tell you about that. And it's a great time for our neighborhood to get together and have a little bit of fun. So I hope some of you will join us. Thank you.

Thank you. Next is, I don't see anyone online still, correct? Derek Castle.

Good evening, Mayor, council members, city staff, and . I want to give the city a huge round of applause for something that I read in the city manager's blog. It was regarding bridge housing. As you know, it's coming up to three years since you unanimously allocated $3 million for bridge housing tiny cabins. Over these past three years, we've been encouraging churches and other organisations to donate the use of their land for bridge housing similar to Dignity Village. But after three years, we've been able to only secure one small property, Grace Gardens, with its 12 cabins. Finding donated land is really hard. I know that from personal experience. When the Church of the Brethren offered to donate its vacant property to the city for family bridge housing, we encountered huge neighbourhood opposition. We didn't give up, but we did have to quickly pivot to a slightly different approach. For a while now, I've been advocating that the city should also pivot. If we haven't received significant offers of donated land over the last three years, then it's time to stop relying on that one strategy. That's why I was thrilled to read the city manager's blog, and I quote, we are exploring opportunities to purchase land for bridge housing sites. That is a huge step forward. We're now looking beyond donated land and considering purchasing or possibly leasing property. That opens up many, many more possibilities, including commercial and industrial areas. Back in January, you may remember I told you about a church in District 4 with vacant land. It was perfect. It was on a bus route well away from residential neighbourhoods. The church wanted to help, but it was an older congregation that needed to sell the property to keep the church going. At the time, however, they were told the city was only considering donated land. This is why this change is so exciting. I'm now much more optimistic that we can finally find the land we need for another dignity village or two. I'm particularly looking forward to our bridge housing program providing tiny cabins for the unsheltered people living in my alley, sleeping on cardboard with some of them in wheelchairs. Thank you, Joe. Your blog rescued me from despondency. And thank you to our hardworking and talented city housing staff. They're doing an amazing job. So thank you, council members. Thank you, Mayor.

You're welcome. Next is Donkey Wilburn.

Welcome. Good evening, Mayor and members of Council. My name is Dakai Wilburn and I'm a resident of Modesto, California, a much more proud resident after the proclamations made tonight. That comment wasn't in this, but I just had to make that. I'm the founder and president of VARS, Volunteer Animal Retrieval Specialists, a Modesto-based 501 nonprofit. We perform high angle rescues for stranded animals in situations where standard services are unable or unavailable to respond, usually cats. To date, VARS has completed 41 technical rescues across this region, completely free of charge to residents. I want to specifically commend Modesto Fire Staff who recently referred a resident to us for a cat stuck high in a tree. Thanks to their quick, timely thinking and a seamless handoff, we were able to achieve a safe rescue in hours. Turlock Police and Fire Dispatch has also reached out to get our information on file. That trust means a great deal to us. Thanks to their, oh, I'm so sorry. We would welcome the chance to explore what a more formal structure might look like. I emailed a formal comment to your August 25th meeting instead of attending it in person. An active rescue call came in that afternoon and I chose to respond to the animal in need. Because it has been a week without response, I wanted to come in here tonight and warmly renew that invite. We are not here to hand you a finished framework. I don't have all the answers. We want to partner with you to build one together. I ask that the city manager and city attorney's offices sit down with us for a brief operational workshop so your teams can ask us questions and we can explore together what an arrangement might look like on the city's terms. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Modesto would have the chance to be among the first city, if not cities, if not the first city in our area to explore formalizing a relationship like this. We would be proud to build that model right here with you.

Thank you for your time.

You're welcome. I would ask if you would share your card just to make that connection for response. Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much for being here. Is there anyone else wishing to speak under public comment for those in person or online this evening? I do not see anyone online, no one in person. So next on the agenda is consent items. An item may be removed from consent and discussed at the request of a member of the public or council member. Is there anyone on the council that would like a consent item removed for further discussion? Seeing none, is there anyone in the public that would like an item removed from consent for further discussion or comment? Seeing none, if you are participating remote, oh, I'm sorry, excuse me. Okay. Item five. All right. If you are participating remotely, please use the raise hand feature now or dial star nine on the telephone to indicate you wish to remove an item from consent. I do not see any hands raised online. So will the city clerk please read the consent items.

Item 3, consider approving the minutes for the August 25, 2026 council meeting. Item 4, consider accepting the improvements of the Sonoma sewer trunk extension phase 3 and 4A project as complete, authorizing the city manager or his destiny to release payments totaling $1,173,469. Item 5 was removed from consent. Item 6, consider entering into a memorandum of understanding with Stanislaus County for the reimbursement of costs related to the Riverdale Water System project for a total amount not to exceed $4,203,518.

All right. May I have a motion to approve the consent calendar as read? So moved. Second. Moved by Council Member Wright. Second by Council Member Scootia Brayton.

Will the clerk please call the roll? Council Member Wright. Aye. Council Member Scootia Brayton. Aye. Council Member Alvarez. Aye. Council Member Rickey. Aye. Council Member Bavaro. Aye. And Mayor Zwollin. Aye. Carries 6-0.

Next item, excuse me, item five. Consider approving the second amendment with HDR Engineering Incorporated of Folsom, California to complete assigned work and gain regulatory compliance for the Carpenter Road landfill in Modesto, California, thereby increasing the agreement amount by $820,774 through the duration of the agreement. We will have a staff report. Welcome.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. As mentioned, this is a request for a second amendment with HDR Engineering to perform a compliant close, or to help us gain a compliant close with the Carpenter Road landfill. Engineering services provided will be permitting engineering contract and construction oversight. Basically, they will walk us through this project from start to finish.

All right. Thank you. Any questions from council members regarding this item? Seeing none, any comments from the public? Uh-huh.

Good evening, Council, Mayor and Council. Kevin McLaughey, District 1. So my question is, I don't understand what's being built here. I don't understand what the result of this project is going to be. It's going to be on landfill, but I don't understand what is being engineered here. That's not clear to me. Thank you.

All right. Would you like to respond, please?

Sure. The approval of this contract, nothing is being built with it, but what it will do is give us consulting services for engineering and construction. The total plant itself is on the west side of Carpenter Road landfill. There was water intrusion, and what that did is it exposed trash. And so HDR is going to come in and help consult as we get in contractor to help us remove the trash from the dirt, bring back compaction compliance, and do hydro seeding to cover it up. That's what's needed to gain the compliance closure for the landfill.

All right, thank you. Any other public comments, please?

Yeah, Bruce Hammerstrom again. Yeah, I've been riding my bicycle down the path alongside the landfill there. And I just wanted to be clear on this. Is it because of the flood that dug out the ‑‑ okay.

All right.

And the answer was positive. Thank you. Any other members of the public that would like to speak regarding Item 5? Seeing none, I will close public comments. Any comments from council members? Seeing none, I need a motion for resolution approving the second amendment to the agreement with HDR Engineering Incorporated of Folsom, California to complete assigned engineering and permitting work as next steps to gain regulatory compliance for the Carpenter Road landfill in Modesto, California, increasing the agreement amount by $820,774 to a new total amount not to exceed $1,172,224 through the term of the agreement and authorizing the city manager or his designee to execute the amendment. Do I have a motion? Motion by Councilmember Alvarez. Second? Second by Councilmember Rickey. Will the clerk please call the roll for this item?

Councilmember Wright? Aye. Councilmember Scudier-Brayton? Aye. Councilmember Alvarez?

Aye.

Councilmember Rickey?

Aye.

Councilmember Bavaro? Aye. And Mayor Zwollin? Aye.

It carries 6-0. Next is council comments and reports. Do any councilmembers have any comments and reports this evening? Councilmember Rickey?

Thanks, Mayor. In today's economy, it's more important than ever to support entrepreneurs and independent business people. Several months ago, the city had to shut down several local vendor fairs that weren't permitted. While the city's working on a permitting solution to give these events the regulation that they need, I'm hopeful that the city can find some solutions soon. A pilot program could bridge the gap while the community waits for answers because lots of people really rely on these events for their livelihood and in tough times like this, we should make that a priority. The lack of progress in crime reduction in Enslin Park is really frustrating. The city has worked for years to try to clean up our neighborhood parks, and we've actually seen a lot of improvements. But unfortunately, that same progress just hasn't happened in Enslin Park. It's a small neighborhood park. but it's had significant issues with drug abuse, prostitution, disorderly conduct, littering, assaults, and others. It's time that we put an end to this consistent bad behavior in public that's been going on for years and years at Anselm Park. And finally, it's time that we fix Stanislaus Animal Services. Thus far, they've refused to make any changes to improve the lives of animals or this community. However, they have successfully given themselves a raise. It's time that this entity starts to help the community. We need dog licenses collected. Apparently, this is an uncomfortable endeavor for animal services. So they unilaterally decided that they just don't need to do it anymore. As a result, Sasa just doesn't provide services to the community. And with all due respect to the agency, issuing and collecting dog licenses is the law. And your refusal to do your job and to follow the law is putting the entire community at risk. Feral cats are basically everywhere. Stray dogs are having litters everywhere. There's no vaccination programs here. What is Stanislaus Animal Services doing? Well, they're giving themselves raises. And they're leaving dozens of empty kennels that the taxpayers paid for because that's what their consultant's best friends told them to do. You guys work for the people. It's time to figure it out. Thanks, Mayor.

Any other comments from council members? This is council member time. Sorry, public comment is over. Council Member Alvarez.

Thank you, Mayor. I want to echo the sentiments of my colleague, Council Member Rickey, in the vein of entrepreneurs and pop-up events and small micro-permitting. I had sent over a memo that my colleagues, Nick Bavaro, and Chris Rickey signed onto as well, over to staff a couple of weeks ago, that outlined some recommendations to provide the council some recommendations on micro permitting and options that are possible. And so I did get an update from staff, which I'm happy to report. They have been working collaboratively with different business stakeholders like the Chamber of Commerce, both the Modesto Chamber, the Stanislaus Latino Chamber, Visit Modesto, and other CBOs or community-based organizations that work directly with the business community to make sure that we get their input and their ideas as well, rather than just moving unilaterally and pretending that we know all the answers. It's never the case. We want to take our time to get it right, and we want to convene all the relevant stakeholders to gather input, recommendations, strategy, and then put together a proposal that we think is best fitting for the moment. And to obviously maximize the entrepreneurial spirit here in Modesto. So I'm happy to report that it is moving along positively. But I understand the frustrations, how slow government moves. But the reason for that slow movement is because we want to get it right. Thank you, Mayor.

Any other comments? I'll give my report. In the spirit of community collaboration, I attended Modesto City Schools Key Communicators, where we meet with many... people in our community that are involved in multiple ways, whether it's through education, law enforcement, all the different key players that meet to make sure that we're aware of what Modesto City Schools is doing. There's 30,000 students in Modesto City Schools, so these are our children, and it's very important to keep those lines of communication open. Also in the spirit of collaboration, I attended the Turlock State of the City Address by Mayor Amy Bublak. Hundreds of people were there. It was inspiring to listen to what our neighbor city is doing and an honor to be present. I also attended, along with Councilmember Rickey, Shabika's 90th anniversary celebration and the McClure Meadows Ribbon Cutting, which is a partnership with many groups in our community to provide affordable housing for people and we're so grateful to be a part of that. Sunday I attended a viewing, a screening of the movie No One Cares About Crazy People and I do care about everyone and it was an honor to be there. Many people attended at the State Theater to bring attention to those that are struggling with severe mental illness. on the streets are, we were represented by our police department. Lieutenant Schuller attended and many people came together to help understand and support. I often get asked what my vision is for Modesto. And we do have a beautifully portrayed strategic plan that lays out what our council has unanimously approved as our strategic plan. But one thing that I noticed last weekend that I wanted to share, that sometimes vision goes beyond a formal plan. So Friday evening, I took the opportunity to drive by 4th Street Park with basketball players playing, soccer players playing, skaters on the new skate park. The water park was full with swimmers. Then I had the opportunity to drive through Modesto at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning. Our streets were sparkling clean. were following traffic laws. My husband and I commented on how beautiful our city looked, even at that time. Then Saturday morning later, I drove by Grace Ada Park on my way to downtown. The pickleball courts were packed. There were teenagers anxiously, enthusiastically arriving to play tennis in the park. Then I drove by Byer Park. Same thing, pickleball courts full, youth playing softball. Went to watch my grandchildren at Mary Grogan Park. The new play structure that just opened was full. There had to be over 100 children playing on the structure there. The soccer fields, again, were full with hundreds of children. And I heard, listened to one of the... parents that was sitting next to me up on the field and they said, are these, is this grass even real? Is this turf? Because the fields were so level and well maintained. And I wanted to thank our field crews and staff who worked so diligently to take care of the properties that we're responsible for. On the way home from the park there was a protest going on on McHenry Avenue that was calm. And I know that our law enforcement officers did a lot of planning. That was not by chance. There was a lot of communication and efforts to have that turn out like it did. I wanted to encourage everyone, as far as a vision, take personal responsibility, coach a team, pick up litter if you see it. That late night route I ran, I saw one piece of litter on the street throughout the whole city. Volunteer. Write a note to express appreciation. Look for the good, and if all you find is negativity, do something positively to change it. I thought of Sam Walton, who assessed how his store was doing in the original days, not by analyzing copious data, but by driving in his old pickup truck from his one-story ranch house in Arkansas to a Walmart parking lot. And if the lot was full, he knew it was okay. And he drove on and went back home. So we're not perfect. But we're doing okay. And as I drove through our city, I was so proud to be the mayor of this city. Are there any other comments from council members? Seeing none, does the city manager have any comments and reports?

Yes, Mayor, thank you. Next Friday, September 11th, the Minnesota Fire Department, in partnership with our local law enforcement agencies, public safety partners, and emergency services, will host a September 11th memorial ceremony at Modesto Fire Station Number One, located at 611th Street. As we observe the 25th anniversary on September 11th, our community will gather to honor the victims, survivors, and first responders. Ceremony will begin at 846, the exact time the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Guests are kindly asked to arrive by 830 to allow for seating and observance. Finally, Mayor, Modesto residents are invited to take part in the upcoming drive-up and drop-off event, our free disposal event on Saturday, September 19th from 8 to 12 at 1600 Legion Park in Modesto. This convenient, no-cost opportunity allows City of Modesto households to dispose of unwanted household items quickly and responsibly. Please remember to bring proof of address. Business drop-offs are not permitted at this event. That does it for me, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you.

Are there any matters too late for the agenda? Seeing none, I am calling this meeting of the City Council to be adjourned.