City Council - Regular Meeting

Mr. Mayor, it's now 6 p.m. Are we ready to begin? We are ready to begin tonight's meeting. Yes. Recording in progress.

Wow, quiet quick. Um, good evening and welcome to the regular meeting of the Paluma City Council in the Pedaluma Community Development Successor Agency for Monday, January 26, 2026. Uh if you wish to provide public comment uh on tonight's agenda, please fill out a speaker card and they are located at the back of the uh room and please bring it to our clerk who is at the front of the room uh on my right. Also note that uh we do our meetings with a concurrent translation system. They're available for this meeting in Spanish and in a variety of other languages. And to access uh the translation online, please use the link that is on the agenda. If you're holding an agenda, if you're at home and can see this on the agenda, uh or if you're in the room, we have the QR code in the back of the room you can uh sign on with. So, with that, I'd like to have our city clerk take our roll call for the evening.

Barnacle, present. Kater Thompson here. D Carly here. Now here. Quint here. Shribs here. McDonald here. And we do have a quorum. Thank you very much. Let's all please rise for the pledge of 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.

And we'll have a moment of silence here. Also, from time to time, the council uses uh this opportunity to honor a member of the Paluma community who's contributed to the fabric of Paluma through their efforts and their life and who has recently passed. And tonight, we'll be closing our meeting in honor of Sid Lipton. And I'd like to ask Councilwoman Kater Thompson to uh say a few words about Mr. Lipton. Uh, thank you. Um, Sid Lipton, a good man, left us. He tried his best to stay around till his 100th birthday. He didn't make his birthday of April 13th, which is my birthday also, but a different year. Um, he was a good man. He was very benevolent. Um, and I'm really glad that we're closing the meeting in honor of him. He's worked with PEP for many years. He um worked at Benet Israel um on their building um building committee, but he also worked for Wright and Artsky and this goes way back and it was a contracting group and he was just a really good human. So I'm going to miss him.

He has been involved in very many community efforts. So it's appropriate to close the meeting in honor of S Lipton tonight. Uh with that we move down to our um agenda approval and I look up and down the das at this point to see if anyone wishes to change the agenda from as you have it printed in your hands. Seeing no one wishing a change the agenda is adopted as printed. Uh tonight our uh first item of business is our presentation we have and the presentation is uh about Sonoma water and the updates we have on the water transmission system and the capital projects involved. And I'd like to invite Chelsea Thompson, our director of water, resource and utilities, to the podium to start the presentation.

Good evening, mayor and council members. Um, my name is Chelsea Thompson, director of water resources and utilities. And tonight we have Sonoma Water here to provide an update on its transmission system, capital, and maintenance projects. Sonoma Water is a wholesale water supplier that provides water to more than 600,000 residents in portions of Sonoma and Marin counties, including the city of Paluma. This presentation is being provided in advance of the fiscal year 26 and 27 water transmission budget and rate setting process. So, Sonoma Water will return to council in March with a presentation on Pedaluma's imported rates for the upcoming fiscal year. Um, with that, I'll have Kent Kent Guily up.

Good evening, Mayor McDonald and members of the council. I'm Ken Gily, director of engineering at Sonoma Water, and I'm joined by my colleague David Royal, who will be up here in a moment, um, who's our assistant general manager of our operations and maintenance division. Um, we really appreciate the opportunity to be here, um, this evening to present updates on, as Chelsea mentioned, some of Snowwater's water supply transmission system projects, our capital projects, and some of our maintenance efforts. Um, we'd like to highlight some of the ways that Stone Water's continuing efforts to assure the reliability and resiliency of our water transmission system that serves your pedaluma community. So, it's about this time last year that we were reporting to the various boards and councils of our uh various water contractors. We unfortunately missed the opportunity to present to your council. Um, many of the updates I'll be providing are given relative to what we were reporting about this time last year. Um, we do hope you find the information to be helpful ahead of the budget uh, excuse me, the budget discussions that'll be occurring um, in March and the presentation to your council that Chelsea made reference to. We do have a number of slides, so I'll jump right in. But actually, I want to take the opportunity to thank council members Kater Thompson and Darly for their roles on our water advisory committee, which is a significant point of coordination um, for Sonoma Water with our water contractors. and we had the privilege of uh going on a tour with both of you um this past year. Um appreciate that role as well as Chelsea Thompson's and Dan Herrera's role on our technical advisory committee and various other staff um that we engage with on flood control and sanitation as it relates to our penro sanitation zone. So we appreciate all the points of coordination and partnership with the city. Uh next slide. So we'll touch on um some of the project projects that were

recently recently completed in 2025 or are in active construction um or those that are in upcoming design as well as some planning and maintenance efforts. Next slide. So quickly just by Chelsea gave some of this but just quickly for introduction for those who might be less familiar with Snow Water uh in the room we are a wholesale water supplier some 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties. Our direct customers are the retail water suppliers or our water contractors that are shown on the slide. Um, which are many of the cities and the water districts that supply directly to individual homes and businesses. Our primary source of water is the Russian River. It's aided by two federally sponsored storage projects, one at Lake Mendescino and the other at Lake Sonoma shown in the graphic there as well. convey well that water supply through the Russian River um and where we divert it from the river um where we divert water from the river at our pumping production facilities near the Wooler Mirabel area near Forestville and into our water transmission system which is the uh black dotted lines you could barely see as being black dotted but that's the southern portion of that graphic there. um and Pedaluma being at the southern end of our uh water transmission system. Um though we do have um contractors in in Marin who serve in Marin County as well. Next slide. So I'll start here with a snapshot of our 2025 active and completed water transmission system construction projects. They're ordered here on this list um by their contract award date. did these were most of these were touched on in the the updates we gave last year. Um but this list does provide a good overview and update of the current um schedule outlook for completing these various projects uh along with their awarded contract values. You can see that uh a few of these construction contracts have been

completed uh including a couple of contracted phases of um our Santa Rosa plane wells project and a contract for recoding a couple of the tanks. The remainder of these projects um are in active construction and nearing completion in the first half of 2026 um with the exception of our Wilfford booster station project that just awarded in December and will complete in 2027. So I'll take a little bit closer look at those. Next slide please. Um at the top of that list was our Eli booster pump station. It's a project that we were reporting last year and highlighted as being uh subjected to significant procurement delays for our electrical equipment. Finally, in 2025, we did see that gear uh delivered. Uh it arrived this last October. Um the f those two lower photos see that see that gear rather large gear being hauled into the site come on Eli Road there. It was very tight. Um it is a theme of I I guess I'll highlight there that electrical gear supply is has it took three and a half years for that gear to arrive. Uh we awarded that contract in early 2022 and it arrived in October. So that is the worst case for us but electrical gear in in general has been uh had long very long lead times for our projects in recent years. Um this is a FEMA funded uh resiliency project to replace electrical gear and to protect it from flooding that occurs near Eli Road in the Penro Pedaluma area. Uh we are now scheduled to energize that new switch gear this month and the project is anticipated to complete in May once we relocate the generator and get it elevated. Next slide. And under our multi-year tank rehabilitation program uh wherein we are recoding the systems 18 abovegrade welded steel steel storage tanks. We're also replacing cathotic protection systems, corrosion protection systems,

uh addressing minor repairs and eval evaluating potential seismic vulnerabilities that may need to be addressed. Early in 2025, um we had wrapped up the contract for Katy 1 and Castania tanks. So on the northern and southern ends of Pal Pedaluma, they provide a combined 18 million gallons of storage along the Pedaluma aqueduct. The work for that for those two tanks included interior and exterior coatings, replacing and repairing corroded structural elements and new cathotic protection systems. Um we are also reporting that the Castania tank south end of town um represented the removal of our last co colar lined uh tank. So we were espec especially pleased to uh complete that contract. Next uh in May we completed um oxid well number three drilling contract. So this is part of work to complete the rehabilitation of three production wells in the Santa Rosa plane primarily utilized for drought resiliency. Two of those three wells, um, our Sebastable Road and our accidental road wells are substantially funded with a $6.9 million, uh, state drought resiliency grant and include as part of the rehabilitation the enhanced functionality to operate as aquifer storage and recovery wells. Um, having the capability to recharge the groundwater from our water transmission system with those wells and to store available winter water uh, for later withdrawal and use. So accidental road well uh where we had to install a whole new well drill a whole new well we completed and closed out that well drilling contract in 2025 and at last year's reporting uh the design for the subsequent well activation contract wherein in includes the construction of pumping and piping and electrical instrumentation and controls that was just wrapping up at that time. Um that contract was awarded last year is under construction. It's expected to be uh substantially complete

next month, making the well functional for production purposes. Our grant closeout is in March. For this well, we weren't required to do the pilot testing for the ASR, the aqua storage and recovery work. Um that'll be implemented um next next year or later this year. Thanks. Um and at Sebastal Road Well, that well activation contract was substantially completed this past fall. You can see in the photos there on the left, you can kind of make them out. It's a very it's very small site. It's very cramped with a lot of underground work. Um, but we did get that substantially completed. Next slide, please. Um, and at this well site, the ASR pilot testing is required under our grant and it's currently underway unlike the accidental road well. Um the ASR pilot test was initiated in October consisting of two cycles of injecting groundwater, injecting water into the groundwater, storage of that groundwater and and then periods of recovery uh involving extensive water quality and groundwater level monitoring per the schedule and protocol that can be seen up there. Um the little green tag at the bottom indicates where we're currently at. We're actually one step below where that indicates we're in the very last stage of recovery for that second cycle um of the protocol. So we do uh expect to complete this month and move to move to grant closeout next. So next on our 2025 list is our Katy 3 tank. It's a singular 18 million gallon tank. It's the ugly looking one in that photo up at the top there. Uh it has now got a pretty new paint exterior paint job. Um at last report we had just advertised and awarded the recoding contract early in 2025. Um in addition to the interior and exterior work, the cathotic work and minor repairs, we're also structurally retrofitting this tank um by um for seismic purposes by widening the

foundation ring to address a seismic vulnerability. That detail there, that white graphic uh is just us detail of us widening that foundation. In addition, you may be able to see on those on those two photos to the far right on the the middle one and the lower one, we had these retainer clip clips in the roof structure that were failing and causing our which resulted in those roof beams tipping over several of them and so we needed to repair those as well. Uh those have been repaired. So the status of the project is that the exterior coating is done, interior coating is primed, foundation widening should be wrap up the end of this month and completion for this project is scheduled in March. Next, so moving on to uh corrosion protection for our aqueducts. um our work converting our passive cathotic protection systems that are at their end of useful life to an impressed current system uh for both our Santa Rosa and our Katy aqueducts. Um was reported last year to soon be advertising the phase one contract in early 25 2025. That phase did ultimately award this past July consisting of some eight rectifier rectifiers and anode well sites and eight test stations. um that contract is currently procuring material and is expected to complete in June of this year. The larger phase 2 project which would wrap up those two aqueducts has two to four times as many um elements to it is currently in the process of wrapping up design and securing well not wrapping up design but working on the design documents and securing the rightway and permits associated with that in order to advertise in fiscal year 2728. Both uh phases require significant coordination with PG with respect to cathotic protection system that they may operate uh in close proximity to ours. Thanks. And finally on that 2025 list of

projects um at the Wilford booster station located along the Pedaluma aqueduct in Ron Park, we're updating outdated electrical equipment, addressing seismic vulnerabilities, and installing a redundant pump set for resiliency. Um this pump station normally pumps to the south towards Pedaluma. Um under normal operations it is unique in our system however is the one pump station that allows us to pump north also. So under certain exceptional operational conditions um it can benefit the northern and eastern portions of our of our system. Maybe during a construction shutdown or following a disaster of some sort. It it does give us some operational flexibility. Um, this project was just awarded last month and it will uh continue into 2027. So that's our list of the 2025 completed andor active construction projects. So next and looking forward into 2026 um and other capital projects that are in design and scheduled to advertise in 2026 with a couple of exceptions up there. Those are shown here on this list. Um I'll be focusing on those that are planned to advertise over the next few months. One of those is our Ralphine tank number one. It's a 6 million gallon tank located at the upstream end of our Sonoma aqueduct serving eastern Santa Rosa and Sonoma Valley at from Spring Lake area. Also, our Sonoma tank number one um reco recote project on that. It's located at the terminal end of the southern end of our Sonoma aqueduct. our river diver our RDS or river diversion structure resiliency improvements involves um needed pump and motor control center uh replacements and seismic resiliency improvements for a facility located along the Russian River where our inflatable dam is located and where we divert water out of the river and pump it into our transmission system. Um and our Warm Springs Dam hydro power project. It involves uh electrical upgrades to restore the

function of our hydroelect electric facilities at Warm Springs Dam up at Lake Sonoma. Uh the revenue of which helps to uh offset or moderate water transmission system uh rate increases. the remaining projects on there, our water treatment system modernization, CT compliance project and our WER road storage facility as well as cathotic uh phase 2 um or or later this year or later this year, I'm sorry, cathodic phase 2 in 2027. My last slide before David comes up um is just an update on our on our master de our master plan development for our water transmission system. It's looking at a range of future needs for our transmission system uh for a 20-year uh planning horizon through the year 2045. It's a three-year effort. Uh last year, our consultant had completed tasks associated looking at baseline conditions, developing a project prioritization methodology. In the current fiscal year, they're going to be working with the contractors looking at water demand projections um through the process uh where all all the water contractors and us are developing our urban water management plans and they'll be developing basis of cost information. And next fiscal year, they'll be looking at the identification of actual projects and the compilation of the plan um in fiscal year 2627. And with that, I'm going to turn over to my colleague David. Thank you. Uh good evening uh Mr. Mayor. Thank you for having us council members. Um as a pedaluma resident, I'm privileged to be here tonight to share with you some of the uh work that we're doing in our on& and M group or operations and maintenance in Sonoma Water. Um again, my name is David Royal. I'm the assistant general manager of that group. And what I'd like to share with you tonight is a discussion on a a piece of software that is extremely near and dear to my heart. Uh in the last two years,

we have implemented uh a new computer maintenance management system uh from a vendor called NextGen. Um what we've done is we we left um our old system which I I won't name. Um but I feel really fortunate that we've had um water agency upper management buy in on bringing on a new system. Um and what we did over the last two years, we broke it into two phases. Uh phase one, we really focused on our water and wastewater systems and the maintenance associated with those. Um and then in the last year, we've brought on the rest of our groups, which would include our collections team. um field maintenance there are the folks that work in our in the streams especially in uh in PedalMa and uh SCADA industrial waste and then lastly our emergency and safety management team um it's been really a labor of love we inherited you know we bought this piece of software that was a blank slate and through the help of all maintenance staff we have been able to populate it with all of our assets um and then create work orders for each one of those um as well as the PM schedules um to to get that work done. What's what's really been beneficial about this software for us is that we are able to capture all the labor associated with it um the costs associated with upgrades to our infrastructure. And so what that will do in the future is help populate our asset management program uh to give real data to the need to replace our aging infrastructure. Next slide, please. Uh so here's a quick overview of um our Sonoma Aqueduct, the Paluma Aqueduct, and the Santa Rosa Aqueduct. Just to give perspective to those and some of the tanks that we have associated with those mainly in Soma. Um as Kent indicated, we've been undergoing a a tank maintenance project for several years now. And then after that, that we move into um our tank recote process.

Um, as Kent indicated, also Castania tank was our first tank to get um a rehab. Um, and in addition to that, our security team is also implementing uh security cameras as well as security fencing around all of our tank sites. Uh, next slide, please. So, as an example, we'll use NextG uh for this tank maintenance program. Uh, contractors who are doing the work will provide us um monthly reports which we'll update into our program. um that will allow our engineers to see in real time the work that's being accomplished. Um and then we'll create work orders based on those systems and then provide those uh to field staff so that they can with their tablets in the field um look at the tanks you know configurations where the valves are the work that needs to be done and um we can also track exactly how much maintenance is going into each tank. Next slide please. So for example, uh this is one of our tank sites where we have both linear and horizontal assets. Um if we have a series of valves that are stacked on top of each other, it would be impossible just through a GIS map to identify them. But here you can see we have valves uh you know stacking vertically and then horizontally the pipes that feed them. Uh so in real time staff in the field can click on a valve see the manufacturer date of install maintenance that's been done on that piece of infrastructure um and then update you know the records as they as they continue their work in the field. Uh the the mobile integration piece has really been vital for this. Uh staff don't have to come back at the end of the day to upload all the information that they're gathering in the field. It can be done in real time. Uh and it's been a big savings for us.

Next slide. So, an example of some of the work we've been doing, this is Oakmont tank um on the Soma Aqueduct. We've been replacing a lot of our valves as we get the contractors ready for the maintenance, the tank cleanup and uh tank reco projects. Uh so, it's been a real good opportunity for us to schedule everything to stay just one step ahead of the contractors that are coming in. Next slide. Um, here's an example of uh the same tank where we're installing our security fence fencing and our security cameras. Um, we have a really robust security team now and um we get briefings from um the the United States uh uh from the CIA, from the FBI on threats that are happening in the systems throughout the country. and we're able to utilize that information to keep all of our tanks safe um and try to stay one step ahead of threats as they as they might enter the system. Next slide, please. So, this is an example of um one of the vents on top of the tank. Uh they used to be like 500 lb steel uh caps. Now, we've replaced them all with fiberglass that are far more easy to manage. Uh and our maintenance staff can take care of them themselves. Um, so a lot of the projects that Kent was talking about, our mechanics and our field staff, um, are working on that infrastructure all the time. Um, and as you're aware, with the budget season coming up, um, and your own aging infrastructure that you're aware of, um, it's really important to prioritize everything that we do and uh, the water contractors really want to know, you know, where is the money that we're going that's going for all of these rate increases. Um, I can assure you that maintenance staff are taking care of all the infrastructure to the best of their ability and um, we'll continue to do so. Uh, one thing I'd like to do, Kent mentioned that um, Council Member Kater Thompson and D Carly went on a tour with

us. I'd love to extend that invitation to all of you if you'd be interested in checking out um, our water system. You'll get to see not only the production side where we take the water out of the river um and treat the water, but then you know the aqueducts, the storage tanks, and how it gets to you once it leaves the river. Um I'm hopeful that you guys found that tour helpful and uh I know that we love giving them. Uh our staff take a lot of pride in our infrastructure and um if you're interested, please let um Chelsea know and she'll set that up with us. I think that's the last slide. So, if there's any questions, uh, Kent and I are happy to, uh, provide answers to those.

Thank you very much. Great presentation. Um, uh, I before I bring it up to the council and ask if there are any, uh, questions, I should note to the public that if public has comment on this presentation during general public comment, please feel free to have a card in to add that comment so that it can be included in the record, too. And, uh, with that, I look at the council to see if there are any questions. Council member Shribs.

Um just to check on the whole system. Um I know that on on my personal computer they're getting all sorts of spam and attacks and requests. Um and this systems all over the US are being under attack. How secure are are the systems that are conserving our water and controlling this water flow for us? That's a great question and we talk about that all the time with our IT department who tries to stay one step ahead of the bad guys out in the world. Um we have been assured that they are doing everything they can. We work in conjunction with uh County of Sonoma IT group as well. And um I think the only thing that got through the system was a hacker from Romania who was just trying to see if they could get in. Uh there was no malicious activity that occurred from that. But as far as I know, that's the only time we've had anybody get into the system. um they're not trying to control um the our SCADA system or the maintenance of our system. Uh really it's just I think they're fishing to see if they can get in. So Okay. And I think you talked a lot about the um pipes coming into where the stations are and the pumps, everything. What about the actual pipes themselves? Uh are they all up to speed and up to grade and good for the next 50 years or do we need to really replace a lot of pipes over the next 20 years? Yeah, we're definitely starting to look at um an assessment of all of our piping and aqueduct systems right now. Um what we do sort of on a periodic basis is take coupons or take little chunks out of the pipe and analyze it to see how much steel is left, how much wear has there been, is the concrete coating that's inside still intact. And for the most part, a system that is, you know, 40 to 60 years old is in remarkably good shape. So, um, we are just starting to take a look at, you know, where are the needs for replacement, prioritizing those projects, but right now for for now, our system looks pretty sound.

Good. Um, and then, um, when we're moving water, especially in the Russian River, the gravel beds out, at what point does it actually get treated for, um, both, uh, for the chlorine and to create it more basics? Uh, because I remember you used a couple terms in there about the treatments and and coatings and the like. Um so can you explain the uh treat when is it treated and and so when the water comes out I believe it's basic when it gets to our house. Um so could you explain that a little bit?

Okay. So what we do is we treat uh with chlorine in the quesons themselves. So we have six quesons where all there's two pumps in each quesan and that's how we extract the water from the gravels of the Russian River. Um as that water is introduced into our piping system it's treated with chlorine on site. Then it makes its way to um our treatment facility where we dose with uh costic. Uh the reason we do that is we don't want um lead or other chemicals in pipes to leech out. And so by adding costic, it it pro precludes that from happening. Okay. Good. Still it's fairly more at the beginning rather than after the tanks and everything.

Exactly. It's all before helping protect those tanks now that you've got them coated. Yes. Okay. Good. I just wanted to check on those things. Thank you. Yeah. Council member Quinn, thank you. I'm curious how the um how you s how you see the pilot programs or the pilot test for the ASR going at this point? Does it look promising? Um are are you optimistic, skeptical? Anything that you'd share? Thank you. Kent, would you like to address that? Sure.

I don't know if we have a strong opinion at this point. They've been successful um because we didn't want to um overcharge the the wells. Um we we the recharge rate was lower than we were hoping to be able to target. That just means the groundwater level was higher than we were expecting it to be at the time that we were doing the pilot test. Um but we haven't done the analytics yet on all the data. We we had multiple monitoring wells around uh the the two wells that we were um implementing ASR at. We've been do we do water quality samples there, but all that data is we're just wrapping up the ASR elements now on the one well. So, we haven't done the analytics yet, but um so far from our groundwater folks, I haven't heard any alarm bell going off. So, we're encouraged that it's the systems functional. Um during a case of a drought, we would expect those groundwater levels to be depleted and there be more available capacity uh for winter water recharge. Sure.

From this side, Council Vice Mayor Darly, thanks David and Ken for the presentation. Good to see you both and um I appreciate all the work that you do. It's it's an amazing infrastructure and I still tell people about that tour. Um you know, and try to teach them about it because it it's a it's an amazing system. So, thank you for the update. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh I want to ask if uh if there's a plan for a parallel pedaluma aqueduct at some point.

Um in long range planning there certainly had in the past we've developed a design for a par for a par parallel one. Um in conversations with other other customers of ours there's been discussion of potential parallel line as well. Um those are not planned immediate planned immediately. We need to take a look at the urban water management plan and looking at demands there. Um but there have been long range discussions of a potential pipeline but there's nothing nothing in design at this stage.

Wonderful. Thank you. Um and uh I want to thank you for the presentation tonight. Um and all and I just want to know it's nice to see you Mr. Guily again. Uh Mr. Guily and I worked together approximately 20 years ago at a different 25 35 to 40. Boy, you're older than I thought. But it's nice to see how it's nice to see how far you've come and and uh what good basics Municipal gave you. Yes, absolutely. Thank you very much for being here tonight and I hope you'll stay in case there are any questions during our general uh comment period. Thank you very much.

Okay. Thank you. Um and that moves us to our general public comment period. And during general public comment, the public is invited to make comments on items of public interest that are within the city council's subject matter jurisdiction and not listed on the agenda. So public comments are limited to three minutes per person and depending on the number of persons wishing to address the council. Time will be allocated equal shares totaling no more than 20 minutes. If we have more than 20 people wishing to speak, additional comments will be heard after the last business item. And I'll note we only have one public hearing tonight, so it's a good night to have a full house. Um, and so with that, I'd like our clerk to um announce both whether we've received any online and proceed with a message.

Yes. Uh, we have received 25 general comments and those are posted online. Uh, I also have a number of cards. I believe I have 18 right now. Uh, at this time I will start a 30-se secondond clock for general public comment. During these 30 seconds, members of the public should bring their speaker cards to my desk if they have not already done so. Speaker cards received after this time may not be accommodated. We have 18 general public comment cards tonight. And um the rules allow the mayor a little latitude on that. And I'd like to keep all the speakers immediately. And I would like to set the clock at 90 seconds tonight. One minute and one half. Um, I will note to the public that one minute and one half goes exceedingly fast and so hitting on your key points will be necessary and if the key point has been made by others, express a support of what's been previously said rather than consuming time to repeat what we probably all understand to be important as is. So, um, with that, um, our, uh, first speaker tonight is Clint Gilbert to be followed by Dominic Fazuzi, followed by Fred Pucha. So, uh, Clint, first up,

good evening, council members and mayor. Thank you. Uh, my name is Clint Gilbert. Uh and I'm the first of three to be here to present to uh our mayor Kevin McDonald. Uh for many years I chose to stay home on Veterans Day rather than watch the parade. I simply didn't want to be reminded of my time in Vietnam and the war there. That changed when I joined the Santa Rosa chapter for the Veterans for Peace. I finally saw a way to transform that memory into a me into a message of hope. And now I march in solidarity for peace. Veterans for Peace is a global organization of military veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true cause of war and the enormous costs of war with an obligation to heal the wounds of war. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly working to end all wars. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh, Dominic Fizuzi.

Good evening, council members and mayor. Um, my name is Dominic Favi. I serve as vice president of the local chapter, Veterans for Peace, Chapter 71. Five years ago, VFP joined with Rotary with a goal uh dedicating a peace poll with uh the phrase may peace prevail on earth in eight languages on the campus of every school in Sonoma County. We have done 93 polls thus far including all the schools in Paluma. At each dedication, we have the students and teachers recite um a peace pledge uh which was created by fifth and sixth graders um from Santa Rosa. Um council members and citizens in the audience, please, if you'd like, repeat after me. I pledge to use my words to speak in a kind way.

I pledge to help others as I go throughout my day. to help others. I pledge to care for our earth with my heart, healing heart and hands.

I pledge to respect people in each and every land. I pledge to join together as we unite the big and small. I pledge to do my p my pe my part to create peace for one and all. Thank you.

Thank you. And uh Fred Pachuka. Fred Patuchia, the president of Veterans for Peace for Cinema County. I had four tours in Vietnam as a naval officer between 1965 and 1970. If that doesn't make you want to work for world peace, nothing will. We had 93 peaceful dedications, but the one mayor elected official was most impressive is Mayor Kevin McDonald. So whereas Paluma Mayor Kevin McDonald rode his bicycle to attend peace pole dedications at every school in Sonoma in Paluma where each poll had the phrase may peace prevail on earth in eight languages and were sponsored by Veterans for Peace and local Rotary clubs. Whereas Mayor Kevin McDonald keeps a peace pledge written by fifth and sixth grade students on his screen saver so that inspires him every day when he opens his computer. Whereas Mayor Macdonald came to the defense of Ellen Obsler, a pedaluma mother who was carrying a sign saying, "War is not healthy for children and other living things as part of the Veterans for Peace entry in the Paluma Armistice Day parade and who was being verbally attacked for being too political." Whereas Mayor McDonald wrote a response to the parade incident that said in part, "Veterans Day is such a fraud holiday, it is intended as a sign of respect for those who have sacrificed for our freedom, yet is inherently interconnected with war. If it does not conflict our soul,

thanks. Thank you, Fred. We are I'm going to have to and where whereas Mayor McDonald by his words actions represent the best spirit of pedalum in America. That time is up and as much as I'm flattered by the the all the comments. Okay. Therefore I proclaim Kevin McDonald an honorary member of Veteran for Peace. Thank you. Thank you very much.

We all need a role model in this time. That's why I'm here. I wasn't going to come. Thank you very very much. Kevin role models up with Thank you. Um our next speaker is Christine White to be followed by Jodie Johnson.

No. Um my name is Christine White. So, thank you council members and mayor for allowing me to speak tonight. First of all, I wanted to thank council member now for your service as vice mayor. I've learned a lot from you during these meetings and you're always respectful and your passion for pedaluma is evident. Uh, thank you to congratulations first of all to council member D Carly. It's hard to call you that anyway for your new position as vice mayor. I'd also like to thank you for speaking out in early January meeting on behalf of your constituents and the citizens of Pedaluma regarding the changes that were added at the last minute to the general plan to allow for buildings to go from six to eight stories. Clearly, what the citizens wanted when the referendum by Pedal and the Historic Advocates was created was for an opportunity to vote on such huge changes. It's not a yes or a no. it was an opportunity to vote. Um, I'd also like for the council to re-review the parameters that they had if you were going to revisit the ones for the overlay because the parameters with respect to building heights and what was required were weak at best, especially when it came to recycling and garbage was an option, not a requirement. And lastly, I just appreciate, as they said, for us sitting here and when we come up to speak to be treated with respect and for not to be called nimbies. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh Jod Johnson to be followed by Janice Barker.

Good evening, mayors, city council, and staff. Our bad actor large investment mobile park owners are doubling and tripling down on retaliations, demands, and misrepresentations to residents, realtors, and communities. As they continue to weaponize the legal system against our residents and our city, they're increasing their elder and vulnerable family abuse in a way that no one should be okay with. Residents of Capri received unlawful demands regarding insurance. Realtors selling in Capri are being told that Harmony has obtained 51% of residents compliance, that they can raise ground rents to fair market value. They are thumbming their nose at the rent stabilization ordinance, the vacancy control, and all protections. We no longer have a 51% rule to go after an attempted increase in ground rent. We have an arbitration system. No doubt the arbitration system is not working for them because simply they haven't been able to prove after zero awards in six arbitrations. We have tried to share with realtors the RSO and the senior park overlays, but park owners are trying to make the demand to the realtor and in some cases not allowing the realtor to be present with their client in any park management meeting. The those secret meetings are where egregious harm is done to buyers who have no relevant information before purchase. Our residents went to the state capital to testify to SB722, which is the cleanup to SB79. The intent of SE SB79 and housing around transit was never to make mobile home residents.

Janice Barker to be followed by Jennifer Bole. Good evening.

Our residents were applauded by the by the Senate Committee of Local Governments for organizing and sharing relevant information. Senator Calderon even stated that we mobile park residents have been let down in many jurisdictions, but of course we feel we have not been let down by our city who stands for the truth, the facts, and for the most vulnerable. Capri residents received last week an annual packet from Harmony with a demand for home insurance. There is no relevant MRL code attached as is required by the state. Now there can be no demand from a park owner for a mobile home owned by the residents. Insurance must be maintained by lending institutions, but that is between the resident owner and the lending institution. We must bring your attention to Angel from Littlewoods. Again, in the first arbitration, it was discovered that Angel had been abused with an MLS listing ground rent that showed $4.99 turning into almost $1,300 of ground rent. If that wasn't bad enough, we now see Angel has received a 4.46% increase last year and last, while his fellow fellow neighbors received the 1.1% allowable increase. When addressed to Harmony, Emily Coder Croer, Junior Regional Property Manager.

Thank you very much, Jennifer Bole to be followed by Tim Bordius.

Good evening. When addressed to Harmony, Emily Quarter, Junior, regional property manager for Harmony, stated that it was because he had signed a long-term lease in 2023. Not only was this not allowed starting January 2025 because of AB2782, but Angel never even knew he had signed a long-term lease because he was never given an option. In fact, all mobile park residents in Paluma are protected under rent stabilization as it comes to allowable annual allowable increases or passroughs. Youngstown Park Management continues to sell to all ages and has saturated the listings of 12 Michael Drive, 29 Pamela Drive, 132 Pamela Court online as all ages while a senior park overlay zoning in effect from October 2023 remains and litigation plays out. They defraud potential buyers into believing this is an all age park. Littlewoods residents while facing no parking closure processes.

Thank you. Tim Portius to be followed by Wayne Clark. Littlewoods residents, while facing no parking, closure, possess, and now 7-day notices, feel no relief from any of this opposition by park owners. We lift our voices quietly, but we will not submit to the injustices that continue to happen. Every check and balance to park owners and management is met with their business plan motto. We will do whatever we want against any MRL or city ordinance. We will bury you in legal debt and make you submit. Park management will come after a resident for too many potted plants. Something is very wrong with this very onesided accountability. Our residents, we're not going to quit. We'll keep coming. Pedaluma Mobile residents united strong. This is all true. Everything and many of you know already the awful cruelty that these animals are putting upon us. And thank you. Thank you for your help in trying to fight these animals. We really need you and you're really showing up. Thank you.

Thank you. Wayne Clark to be followed by Darren Rakuzen. Oops. Pardon me.

Okay. Howdy, folks. Got to go really quick. I'm back. Karen, uh, little thing. I'm Canadian, boots on the ground, Vietnam, stage four cancer survivor. Okay. I work on everything that moves. Okay. And I appreciate this city like big time, unlike some people in this room. This is what we've been doing with ICE. We're at the overpass, 101 overpass. We're on Saturday at the crossroads. And we had an incredible turnout on Thursday at 4:00 over at Lake Casey. We need to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis, Minnesota. And uh I really appreciate the pedalum hands, United Against Hate. Did Trump get the memo? I don't think so. You know, he is Oh, yeah. Pure hate. And it's just like what a wakeup call. Okay, we're talking about ICE agents. Okay, they're probably all Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, 3%age are definitely MAGA. The reg like our Pedaluma police are incredible. The fire department. What is happening? Why is Minnesota's police department being overridden? Five times more ICE agents. It's crazy. Incompetent. The whole Bush Bush. I'm sorry, Mr. Bush. W Trump's You couldn't have a more incompetent.

Thank you. I'm I'm going to ask that we um It's for items of council subject matter discretion. I have to tell you that. And so any comments you make have to be related to what Pedaluma can be doing. Oh yeah. And doing better. But your time is expired. So thank you very much for the I know you'll do a great job. And our next speaker is Darren Rakusen to be followed by Jody Kleinmith.

Thank you, Council and City Clerk. Uh, I came to general public comment to bring up a point uh that I found from reviewing the city's quarterly expense reports. I encourage anybody watching or listening to go and review those if you want more insight into the finances and expenses of the city. There's a convenient report every quarter that breaks out where every dollar is spent. Uh, but one of the items that I came across that doesn't quite have the level of granularity I think we need is the uh cow card purchases. So, Calard is kind of a discretionary spending credit card that employees get uh to make purchases in the course of operations. Fiscal year 23 and 24 the purchases totaled $991,000 and in 2425 it was $1.35 million. Now, I assume those are all on budgetary items for operational reasons. But on this report, we're seeing payments to those credit cards, not the expenses that make up those balances. Right? So, it's the only item on there that doesn't really show what the expense was for. It just shows we're paying a card off. And I think the dollar amounts are significant enough where I don't know how those reports could be modified. if there could be an attachment that shows those Calcard spending reports. Um, or maybe if there's any commentary about the internal controls, how those are managed, you know, how those because it doesn't go through the normal procurement process. I would imagine it's kind of employees discretion. So, just what the city's controls are on that and if any more details could be offered. Thank you.

Thank you. Jod Kleinmith to be uh followed by Kathy uh FICO. Hi, my name is Jody Kleinmith and I'm here to talk about the recent closure of Kavanaaugh Pool. The pool's an important resource for many of the most vulnerable people in our city. Parks and Rexs have chosen to close it during the winter when other outdoor activities are difficult for some. Mean many of the senior attendees have health issues that are greatly reduced with the warm water at Kavanaaugh. They have also made swimming lessons for young children unavailable. I know my kids wouldn't go into the colder water at the swim center. risk assessment people from the city's liability insurance came and looked at the pool recently and they have decided that we need an extra lifeguard at Kavanaaugh pool even though it's extremely small. Um Liz Evers who has managed the pool for 16 years has had the same liability insurance coverage for the last 10 years. She's been told recently that she would have to purchase new insurance coverage that would cost her about $25,000 more per year. I was a corporate controller for most of my career responsible for purchasing liability insurance. It seems to me that the city will have to purchase this insurance regardless and would get better rates than an individual. I'm wondering if Liz could keep her current coverage and the city could purchase an umbrella's cut policy as well as pay for the additional lifeguard and then we could get the pool back open. I think the general consensus is that Liz does a fantastic job and I'm heartsick about losing her. Thank you.

Thank you Kathy Fico. Kathy Fico to be followed by Thomas uh Jeff Bradley.

Good evening everyone. My name is Kathy Fico. I'm a lifelong Pedaluma resident, retired nurse with over 50 years experience in emergency and community nursing and leadership. Kavanaaugh pool has been a part of my life for a very long time. What occurs at Kavanaaugh goes far beyond exercise. It's a safe, accessible, and welcoming space, especially for older adults, people with disabilities, and those managing medical conditions. It supports our physical health, mental health, and social connection. It reduces isolation and builds community. For some, like my husband, it's the only form of exercise he can do due to spinal stenosis. Likewise, for others who are recuperating from fractures, knee replacements, osteoarthritis, or frailty. That is why the abrupt 48 hour notice of closure with no explanation and no prior engagement with us, the community, was totally wrong and deeply distressing and disheartening. The city knew as early as last year that it planned to take over all pull. If the city knew as early as last year it planned to take over all pool programming operations. I must ask why wasn't a staffing plan already in place? Why wasn't additional staff recruited or reassigned to ensure a smooth transition? And why did this result in sudden closure instead of continuity? What are your plans and how can we be involved in decision-making? I also want to be clear, the Washington Street Swim Center is not a viable option. We do water aerobics, not lap swimming, and all of us require water temps about 3 degrees.

And the next speaker is Thomas Jeff Bradley uh to be followed by Linda Spiel.

Hello, my name is Jeff Bradley. I live locally. Um, I am a proud pedalum and I'm talking about the Kavanaaugh closure too which happened so suddenly with so little warning. Um, the pool was closed Friday. We found out Wednesday I believe. Uh, I had the great fortune of having my now 95year-old neighbor across the street tell me about it when I retired and I was having health problems. As has been said, it is so much more than just an exercise program. It's a wonderful thing. I know some of you have come to the pool. Um besides Christini's exercise classes which were not without equal um what they call free uh self-guided so much happens and it is a vulnerable group of people who get together friendships hardships death the all the problems of life are met in those warm waters with warm hearts. It's what Pedimma talks about with blue zones and trying to promote the community we want. Um I can't believe a solution can't be found either. The insurance is going to have to be bought one way or the other. I think it's absurd, having been a lifeguard myself, that this small pool needs a lifeguard and an instructor. I think if the insurance company's asking for that, we need to look at a different insurance company. Um, many people are feeling lost and abandoned. I'm glad Parks and Wreck, Drew, and others came out on Friday, uh, day late, but came out and met people and talked to them. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there. So, I'm saying please find the will to find the answer and don't close this pool. And the swim lessons are so important in the taught program as well and there is no alternative. Thank you.

Thank you. Linda Spiel to be followed by Judy Serell. Hi. Can you hear me? Um, thank you for letting me speak. and I'm another pool lady and uh I was shocked to have the pool being closed and I've been going for over 20 years and we've always had a lifeguard there. It's a small pool. It doesn't need two lifeguards. It's crazy. And I just uh request that you really think about this and and give it back. Thank you. Thank you, Judy Surell. to be followed by Lucy Vitali.

Hi, my name is Judy Svel. I'm a retired teacher taught in Peduma for 22 years and I'm a regular at Kavanaaugh. Um, I think it's important for us to look at buckets. Uh, Chris Rebelo, I'm not sure how to say her last name, but she's a chairman of a committee that studies these things. and she said that she would in a in an Argus Courier article said that she one of her goals is that uh we don't put elders in buckets we look at them individually what do they what are their individual needs and I would like to stress that the many of us at Kavanaaugh cannot go to the colder pool because we have doctors diagnosed conditions that the warm water does not trigger them But the cold water does. And that means that if we go to the cold big pool, colder big pool, that we're going to be less healthy, not more healthy. And that's why we're all so devastated. We need our warmer pool. It's not a big pool. I know it costs to heat it, but it's not a very big pool. We can't heat the big one that way. So this is a an incredible resource that our community has and I hate to see it shut down even temporarily. Our 95year-old wonderful an comes every day. She can't go to the big pool. It won't work for her.

Thank you very much. Lucy Vatitali to be followed by Sher McClendon.

Greetings. Hello. I'm going to skip the beginning since I don't have as much time as I expected to have, but um my husband and I moved here in 2017 to Paluma. We love it here. One of the reasons we chose Pedaluma as our new home, moving back to this area after being gone for 30 years, uh, was this legendary swimming culture here in this town and the Blue Zone, the cool block initiatives, Pedaluma's commitment to public transportation, cycling and walkability, all those things. Yes, Kavanaaugh pool the cherry on top. As you can see, I am a proud pedaluma Kavanaaugh pool peep and I have been an enthusiastic participant at the Kavanaaugh pool since before moving here. I've enjoyed aerobics and yoga classes in the pool as well as self-guided exercise at the minimum of three times a week for many years. During this time, I've also cultivated friendships with the pool peeps, our cherished impromptu swim club. I like to call them my cavanistas, too. I credit those warm healing waters to helping me deal with an old knee injury and subsequent total joint replacement. The rehab in the warm pool was part of my success, as was the support and empathy from others who had experienced similar issues. Last, as a former educator, I must champion the children's programming at Kavanaaugh. The disruption to the toddler and youth lessons already filled and including a waiting list is unacceptable. Comparing those two pools is like comparing apples to oranges. I beg you to reconsider.

Thank you. Sherry McClendon to be followed by Chantel Rogers.

Hi. Um, nice to see you all. I think the biggest piece I'm also talking about the Kavanaaugh pool is that you know if we look right over here it's saying this is what what the goals of Paluma are. I've lived here for almost 50 years now. By the way, there are usually four nurses in that pool. Four retired nurses at a time. It's kind of hilarious. We make fun of it. Also, of those nurses, two of them, including myself, used to be lifeguards. So, the whole thing is rather absurd. Now, let's talk collaboration, please. How did this come down to three days? Get out of the pool. What? I mean, I I'm talking great power here, okay? At this point, and I'll talk about bald power for our little babies. What I mean, this is truly one of the most absurd things that Paluma has done. And I adore Paluma. Believe me, I've had so many people move here. Um, if we want a blue zone and we want to support our elders and our youngsters and the people that live here in Paluma, it is about not being isolated. It is about being healthy, having exercise and that can happen in this pool for truly next to nothing. Let's work on collaboration so we can figure this out. Got it.

Got it. It's Chantel Rogers.

Good evening. Um, I'm going to talk about the pool, too, but I'm going to highlight the loss of the swim lessons for children. Um, with the children's swim lessons being cancelled and no swim lessons at the larger pool. We no longer have public pool swim lesson options for children. um not all families are in a position to um take private lessons, join a club or have some other alternative. So for me, it's really an equity issue in terms of working families having access to something that's not only a uh childhood right of passage, but a really critical skill for our children to be able to master to be water safe and to continue in their um development. I mean, Paluma has uh had swim lessons at the Kavanaaugh Center for generations. Maybe some of your kids learned to swim at the the the swim center. I know mine did. Um and maybe even your younger council people learned to swim there yourselves. Um and uh it's really something that I feel is is a is a is a big loss and an anacceptable turn of events. Um, and I really hope something can be um, figured out so we can bring back the swim lessons for our kids. Thank you.

Thank you. And that uh, closes our public comment. And I do want to thank our Sonoma water reps for u staying with us to this. And um, with public comment closed on that, I think uh, I think there isn't anybody on the council dis who doesn't know that Kavanaaugh's a real gem in the community. And I'd like to ask our city manager if uh she can say a few words addressing the Kavanaaugh closure.

Thank you, mayor, council, community, and staff. Um before I ask Drew um to to speak, I wanted to address the the closure of the pool. Um we recognize, and as you've noted tonight, that Kavanaaugh and its programs are deeply valued by our community, and we fully recognize that this interruption is frustrating and upsetting uh for those who depend on the facility. And we want to acknowledge that that direct impact. The closure was driven by one overriding concern that was community safety and staff are working very closely um to explore solutions. Um but unfortunately those efforts didn't produce an immediate or workable resolution with our current service provider. Um we really regret the disruption of the closures caused and are working really quickly to reopen the facility. Um, and in the meantime, our parks and recck team, as Drew will uh talk about, with the full support of my office and our citywide team, are ensuring that existing uh swim memberships, classes, um, are honored and wherever possible, current programming will be accommodated currently at the Pedaluma Swim Center, but very quickly at the Kavanaaugh uh, pool. Staff will also continue working with um, the Kavanaaugh patrons to accommodate their needs during this transition. We are grateful to uh Liz and Forever's Aquatics for running these programs and facilities and serving our community, especially during a time when the city wasn't financially able to bring those services inhouse. Uh we are also grateful to the community for your support of these programs and facilities. We recognize the community connection that occurs at these facilities and that's why we are really trying to make sure that when we reopen Kavanaaugh that there's a refresh um and then a corresponding um capital improvement budget for um improvements that are sorely needed at facility. And

with that, I'm going to turn it over to Drew um to add more detail. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh city manager Flynn, good evening. city council, uh, mayor community, and I'll keep kind of looking back at our Kavanaaugh community. I'm sorry that I'll have my back to you most of the time, but thank you. I know this has been a, um, a really hard week, and I know we were just, um, scratching the surface with some of your testimonies here tonight about what this pool means to you, uh, and how important it is to to get it reopened in a way that that brings it back to to be the value that you all see in it. So, I was taking some notes uh during public comment. I just want to provide a couple of responses uh for the council who have also had a lot of questions rightfully so. I know there were a few details shared last Wednesday and that's where I want to start is just apologize to this community um for that. um the messaging that initially went out um you know did not stress that this is a temporary closure did not provide much details about why uh and this was always I think um maybe a fear among the community that that that the city would uh would transition and that would somehow mean closures not opening and I wanted to start by saying um you know I I own that and and this did not roll out the way that I had intended it to and um we can go through a a little bit of reasons why we're here, but I do want to focus on um reassuring you all of our 100% commitment to reopening the Kavanaaugh pool. Um we are not in the in the business as as someone who work in community services um who works with our dedicated team every day. We we are not in the business of closing pools and restricting access to recreation. And we fully understand and appreciate it is not just the the physical well-being uh of the pool. It it is the community. It's the social connections. It's all of the culture that you have helped create to make Kavanaaugh what it is. And

that's what we're committed to maintaining is to allow you all to go back there and have that space. Um again, you know, being committed to reopening Kavanaaugh pool. um maintaining the atmosphere that you have set, not making drastic changes, but sustaining the programming that exists there now. Those are the goals. We uh care about this community. Um we're passionate about what we do. We we are talking about a temporary closure in the matter of weeks, not months. And I know it was uh abrupt and for that again uh we apologize. I want to address a couple of um points that we made. Um the insurance requirements has not changed since the original um agreement with Forever's Aquatics. I think what has changed is the ability for third party operators to obtain that insurance. Um, we're not seeing any other regions, any other jurisdictions that manage public pools able to do that through a through a private public partnerships. So, our insurance requirements again have not changed. Um, but it is becoming increasingly hard to get that insurance and we are in a fortunately in a position where where our insurance model allows us to absorb that along a consortium of other cities and we recognize that's a that's a challenge for these providers. That's not without an effort from Liz and that's not um anything that she's done without trying to to make it work. Um and we of course did not want to close under these circumstances. Um it is imperative that we maintain one dedicated staff of a lifeguard with the sole responsibility for surveillance at the pool at all times. And that's the difference here. um we want to keep this pool open and and the best way I know

how to do that is to make sure that we are holding that requirement so that we're able to keep our insurance able to keep that pool open. Um we understand um how silly that sounds when you have RNs in the pool, you've got doctors and nurses there uh and you have certified instructors that are also teaching. Um, but this is really the most important requirement that we have for us to be able to reopen that pool and sustain it being open through perpetuity. Um, this is also a really poor way of reintroducing our staff to the community. I know we haven't been there. Uh, we've been happy being behind the scenes. So, this is the last way we wanted to reintroduce oursel to you all. So, we are just here um to put names behind the faces. Uh again, we we can't go backwards um to re ressage and and and engage you when we should have. Uh but moving forward, we we commit to more um direct dialogue with you um more readily updates and again committing to phased reopening in the matter of weeks, not months, and continuing to update you on our progress as we go. So with that, I'm happy to answer any questions from the council. Um and and again, appreciate the opportunity tonight. Uh thank you very much for that explanation. Uh hadn't really intended to open it to questions, but if there uh and I'm sure that as we move into council comments, council will uh offer their thoughts loudly. Um so um I appreciate you being in the house and appreciate the city manager addressing this issue and I think all of us look forward to a rapid reopening of this critical program for our community. Thank you. Um, I'd like to bring it up for council comments now. Uh, and um um um we've gotten lax over time. I keep saying we should be three minutes of council comments as we demand of the

public and and we only give the public 90 seconds. But so for this meeting, I'd like to set the clock and keep the council on their three minute uh straight and tidy here. and um and I'd like to start with council member Shribs um with any report you have of the period since our last meeting.

Okay, first off um I am uh part of the pedal wetlands alliance for over 20 years. We provide a lot of service to the city helping maintain Schelenberger Park. Uh we recently went out and did some cleanup over at Ellis Creek and we're uh we've done the kiosk and I'm working on the QR codes for the trail but uh brings lots of tourism. It's a burning hot spot. Uh and lots of folks come for tourism and walk around to support that. So um sorry about six years ago we wrote a Penelma wetlands field guide. Um and it just turns out this one's hot off the press. This is the third edition hot off the press as of this last week. And so I provided a copy for everyone up here, but it's now going to be available at copper fields and other places here around town for anybody who wants to go birding out there or uh identify the plants. Of course, I I I actually did all the plants and uh all my photographs are in here, too. So, I'm I'm co-author, by the way, too. That's so I have to say that. Uh anyway, um so that's just a recent thing. Anyway, so take a look at that and go out to Scholenburg Park and take a walk. Um and with your field guide, of course. Anyway, the uh other there's a couple meetings I attended the um uh climate action committee. Um, we're going to be moving to every other month meetings. Um, and then going to be doing lots of advocacy to support all all that we already have in motion. I also attended the groundwater sustainability meeting and not a whole lot of events there, but that but just business as usual. Uh, at the trees meeting, I went and visited that urban forestry management plan is on its way. It's going to be very high goals, but it's still going to be a bit loose and so I'll be supporting that coming down the line. We need a new technical manual and lots of complaints about the lollipop of trees around town. Lots happening. Maybe we can do something about that. I'll talk uh to staff a little bit about what we can do. Um and then I'll be attending on Saturday um a conference at UC Davis on the um uh planning and conservation league. Anybody wants to ask um wants to ask me a question or ask them a

question, I can carry the question and bring it back on that. And with that, I'm done ahead of time. And thank you very much, Council Member Quint.

Thank you. Uh, I want to just express my thanks for the community coming out tonight and advocating for the Kavanaaugh pool and I hope that we can get that reopened as soon as possible. Um I also attended the uh the latest transit advisory committee where we received a um a presentation on uh service adjustments um service adjustment options uh to um to address the upcoming budget shortfall that's expected in the coming budget. U so if you're interested in that, there will be I believe February will be a followup to that. So, uh, if it's a topic that you're interested in, I would encourage you to, uh, pay attention. Uh, I want to offer I want to take a moment, uh, particularly in light of the events that have unfolded in Minneapolis over the last couple weeks and just recognize Pedaluma Police Department. Uh, I want to begin um, you know, with this positive note, uh, on our community on our community's public safety. I've seen firsthand the professionalism, the respect and commitment that our Paluma Police Department brings to their work. Uh PPD exemplifies community centered policing that prioritizes both safety and dignity. I was honored to attend a recent swearing in ceremony for a new peace officer, a new community service officer, and a new dispatcher. All three of these um new employees are graduates of Kasa Grande High School, which is a testament to the value that our department places on this community and homegrown talent. This kind of recruitment service reflects well on Pedaluma and helps build trust between law enforcement and residents. And I want to say thank you to the officers,

the staff, and the volunteers who work every day to keep our city safe. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Now.

And thank you to all that came out tonight to share your concerns. And please feel free to call or email me to further discuss your concerns. I appreciate all of you for taking your time to being here tonight and I understand the frustrations of a limited time at the podium for public comment and your telling of these personal stories. I know many have left, but it touches my heart because this is why we love Paluma so much. In the past few weeks, I have made time to meet with community members in person, listen to their concerns and ideas for the future in Paluma. Congratulations to the newly sworn in police department officers and dispatchers. I attended the badge ceremony along with the mayor and council member Quint last week. It's always a wonderful opportunity to meet the family members, friends, and the Pedalum Police Department staff and volunteers behind the law enforcement staff members who keep us safe daily. Every two years during the last 10 days of January, communities across the country conduct a point in time count to measure how many people are experiencing homelessness in their area. The PIT count provides an only a nationalwide snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. Local pit counts will take place on Friday morning at CS. This effort is required by the US Department of Housing urban development, otherwise known as HUD, for all communities that receive federal funding to support housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. By volunteering for this PIT count, I will gather valuable information that highlights local needs and support efforts to improve housing and service areas across the county. This is something totally out of my comfort zone and very early in the morning, but it's so needed to get the correct count on

our unhoused population. This is something I have learned so much already about thanks to our mayor and former council member Dennis Posake about our unhoused population in our community and this year will be challenging for funding but together in the county coalition. We are determined to find solutions. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Barnacle.

Thank you for everybody for coming tonight. Um, I agree. It's unfortunate. The timing is terrible and we um we do make mistakes and I'm uh I'm hopeful. I'm certain that we will um take the steps we need to to reopen the pool because um of course we we know that it's important for the recreational, the exercise, the social, all of that. Um we have an aging population and um part of that is making sure that resources like the pool are um remain open and remain a resource for our community. Um, so thank you for for coming here tonight and speaking up and um I want you to know that I personally um support it um and that I um I know our staff does and I um fully trust that uh our staff are going to do everything they can to reopen it as fast as can. Um I also want to take a moment tonight to just speak about what we're seeing across the country. Um it's uh I think what we're seeing in Minnesota is a blueprint for what we're probably going to see elsewhere. Um and I think we need to take it as um a warning sign and as in a blueprint for how we can prepare. Um we were alarmed when the campaign uh promised mass deportations. Um and although they framed it as the worst of the worst, what we've actually seen is very different. Um what we've seen is actually this is about quotas, intimidation, and rhetoric. Farms, job sites, schools, places of worships, and even homes are no longer safe. People are being detained without proper warrants and deported without due process. It's unconstitutional and it's abhorrent. Now we're witnessing US citizens being killed in f by federal enforcement actions followed by our federal government covering for them. This is how civil rights erode. Not all at once but step by step. History shows us what happens when we wait too long to act. I fear that as a matter it's only a matter of time before pedaluma is on the list of places where ISIS is going to be. I want to be sure that our city attorney looks into laws

uh strengthening our laws to make sure that we have all the legal backing to um take corrective actions after. I don't think that they're going to stop anything um here, but I want to make sure that we have the ability to prosecute people, anyone who's involved in this stuff. I want to make sure that we have the ability to seek civil penalties um for anything that we can. Um, and I also think it's important that as community members, we all start looking to build the community networks and the decentralized uh, resource and mutual aid that we're seeing out in the um, in Minnesota right now. Um, it's a good time to start looking at um, the nonprofits that are doing this. I'm not going to name them right now, but you can look around and find them because um, when this comes here, we're all need going to need to step up and be um, as passionate as we are about this pool in support of our immigrant communities and everybody else. This is about protecting our neighbors, our constitutional rights, and the rule of law. And I hope that we all step up um in this time because it's not going to go away until it goes away. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Kater Thompson.

Um thank you. And Council Member Barnacle, I appreciate um everything that you stated on that. And for me, this is like 1933 Germany. Um and the brown shirts came in. They came in and just beat people up. And this was my family. My great-grandparents on both sides, my aunts, uncles, cousins, they never made it back to this country because they were all murdered. And that's what is happening in our country today. This is a replica of what's happening. And it can h happen in Paluma. And I'm very concerned um that our police can do what they're supposed to be doing and you don't have to step aside for these thugs coming in. This is not policing and it's very disturbing. Um, the blueprint started a long time ago and we are here and I personally am not surprised at what I'm seeing but I am horrified by it. Um, and with that I'm going to go to the Kavanagh pool. Um, Kavanagh's near and dear to my heart. a lot of people that were here. Um, I do recognize your faces, but you look different because usually we all have swimsuits on when we're at Kavanaaugh

and it's not pretty

and it's not pretty. and Chantel. I actually took my first swim lessons at Kavanaaugh pool and and my husband is a lifeguard there and so he's you know the self-guidance is there because Jerry is there all the time playing his music as Kathy you know wrote to me and said um this is a family and people come because they feel comfortable there um they like each other and after they get out of the pool I mean people just sit around and actually chat and they want to make sure that everybody's okay. Kind of like our mobile home park friends. It's the same thing. It's just a different activity. Um I am very disappointed in what happened. Probably the most disappointed up here. I feel as though this should have the way this came down was really unacceptable and today it's unacceptable. I think the pool should be open unless we have a real time frame. Is it going to be opened in two weeks? I want to know when this is going to happen because there's plenty of lifeguards to open that pool tomorrow and I know everybody that was working there would step up and work to make sure that that pool was open for our community and then we should have a plan of what is the plan. I don't even know what the plan is and I'd like to know what that plan is. And so my personal opinion is we need to go backwards. We need to reopen that pool and we need to respect um what the public is saying. Um they're not going to go to the big pool because it is way too cold. That's just not what an older body likes and it's not going to work. And I'm not I'm I'm going for more than three minutes. Um and I just think that we we need an answer. This was this was

a real failure. Um and it failed a lot of different people. So, I'd like an answer. I'm not going to get one tonight, but I would like to see that poll open and then restart and have an actual plan because I think the plan was that there were going to be changes. People knew there was going to be changes. Um, and we need to go back to the time frame of those changes and that was in like summer, I believe. could have been fall, I mean early um in the spring, but whatever the time frame was that this is not it. And so I'm really suggesting that we reopen this and go back to what we were doing with a plan to close it. So the city is going to take over or whatever the plan is, but the council doesn't even know the plan and I'd like to know that. Um and I do want to thank everybody who came and spoke. um been there many times with all of you and we are a family just like I say our mobile home park and I'm not done. Um I was at um this last week in Sacramento at a league of California cities conference and I'm on the Cal City's community service policy committee and the hot topic was AI and I really would like to understand AI how it actually works within the city. I mean, there's just it it goes so many different layers and it's really to protect us as council members um from not um using devices that have AI hooked up to it. I mean, there's just so much to this um and I don't understand a lot, but I learned a lot at this conference. In March, we'll be having wrapping up another policy committee meeting. Um, and we'll be discussing more about this. But there's also other issues coming up with um the environmental policy meeting and just the cost of PG and what's going to be happening with solar and the public has right to know. And I'm not

quite done, Kevin. Sorry. Um, we're going to try a new policy this year. Well, you might have another policy, but Kavanaaugh came up and there was a lot of other things to talk about. Um, and the other thing is, um, that I had an event at my home for Congressman Mike Thompson because the east side that is now his district because of the changes and 54 people came. It was a it was a good attendance, but my house is small, but I really appreciate the council members that did um, come and listen to him. And um, there's going to be changes, so thank you for giving me the time. Okay, Vice Mayor Darly.

Good evening everyone. I have no liaison appoint um no liaison reports tonight. Um our last parks and w meeting got cancelled for January and so that was the only one I had. Uh last Friday attended Native Suns palenta and stew feed. That's a wonderful event, community event that helped raise thousands of dollars for children with cleft pallets. They do that every year and they've they've been doing that for a long long time. So, that's a really great community thing to help children. And so, now I'd like to talk about the Pedaluma Peeps and what happened to them last week. And thank you for loaning me the hat. I'm happy to support you all. And first of all, I appreciate that so many of you come tonight to speak and support each other. You know, um I must say that I'm sorry for what has happened to you all. This was not any of your fault. Yet, you were the ones that suffered from the decisions made. and I don't think it's fair that you be the fog guy I drew. The closure of the pool came as a big surprise to me last week as I was first made aware of it by the community. I'm concerned and I believe all my colleagues are as well about the abrupt decision made and how vital the pool is to all of you. Not only because your fellow swimmers are your family, but also swimming and services that were offered are essential to your health and well-being. We should be building trust in our community. Instead, we have a room of room full of understandably upset and frustrated and hurt residents. I don't find the sudden closure and the manner in which it was done acceptable. This makes us look bad as a city and breaks that essential trust with the community. This was all preventable. However, the city now has a good opportunity to not only restore the use of the pool as quickly as possible, but to also see to it that the pedaluma peeps that all the pedaluma peeps with special medical needs um that need to keep swimming during the week are taken care of in the interim.

Thank you very much. Um I also u want to thank everybody for being here tonight speaking on the Kavanaaugh issue. I think we've heard a strong consensus that we want a solution here. Um I I do want to appreciate that staff has owned the communication problem uh that existed and uh and now I I think I'm hearing a guarantee that they're owning the restoration and fix for the pool. So uh and staffing to get it back open for those who need it. Um I'm also truly touched by all the Veterans for Peace who uh came tonight. uh at every peace pole installation throughout the school district uh I continue to be moved by the experiences their memories of war and we have to continue to listen and hear um all those with lived experience and wisdom. So a big thanks to them. Uh last Monday there was no council meeting that's why we're on the uh this this week cycle and it was in honor and in respect of Martin Luther King Day. However, um I received many messages of how individuals and groups chose to celebrate and most impressive were those who chose to get out and do work projects in the community and for those less fortunate whether they were volunteering at CS or cleaning up on the river. It's that kind of community effort that makes Paluma what the special place that we all know and love. Um I attended several uh business organizations meetings to hear their concerns in this past two weeks. I met with interfaith groups to uh discuss community building and the benefits that brings to all of us. And I met with the interns that are here in town from Americaore. Um and um and then uh with uh council member now met with other mayors and elected around from all over the county to see how we can better organize and better affect uh uh solutions in the homelessness uh sector because that's such a huge problem.

though it was down 20% over the last couple of years, we'd see it's already rising and this point in time count that she's participating in is as a critical effort. Um and then just just one one more note uh we are now currently taking applications uh at the city for all our committees and commissions or a variety of which have uh openings at this point in time and you can get of course get forms from our clerk or I believe we have them in the back of the room even tonight if you're interested in being on one of the committees and commissioners that has openings here tonight. So um I'm thinking the city manager is our next report up. Is there any We're we're good on that front. Um I and I had I'm sorry, one other note. I I do want to appreciate Council Member Barnacle's points about um you know um all the actions that are happening nationally and how everything that happens nationally happens in Pedalumi either first or sooner or later. And so um those things are are critical and locally we have uh North Bay Rapid Response and I hope everybody become familiar with who they are and what they support in this times. And then I just want to note that I admire the Minneapolis mayor's leadership. That's not the kind of crisis any of us wants thrust on them. And and uh we question h how would we stand in the face of such actions and that brings us to our consent calendar for the evening. Moving on to the consent calendar for the evening. And um so that gives us a little chance to um stretch legs for those who are heading out. Would you like some water?

All right, the consent calendar for the evening. And um for the consent calendar uh as we start uh the discussion here, eight eight items on I'd like to invite our assistant city attorney city manager to um um Brian Cochran to make announcements regarding um item eight.

Thank you, mayor, and good evening, council. uh wanted to do a quick verbal report out on the changes that are anticipated for unit 8 under item number eight on our agenda uh to so that we are in full compliance with the government code that requires us to do such report outs. Very little is changing in this compensation plan. Um just for clarity, our unit 8 staff are all of our department heads as well as our assistant city attorneys. So that's the universe of employees we're talking about. The only changes that are proposed are to extend the compensation plan for one additional fiscal year. So it would be running through June 30, 2027. There is a 0% cost of living adjustment proposed. So essentially no cost of living adjustment proposed. Uh and other than that, there are a few uh administrative cleanup wording changes, but other than that, no changes proposed. Thank you very much for that input. And then um I'd like to look up down the dis and see if any uh council members any item they need to pull from the consent in total.

I've got questions about item three.

Well, let's um let's do questions next. Not seeing any item being taken separately. Um then um let's have council questions on the consent calendar in total. And I'll uh start with our vice mayor. Thank you. So, in in looking at the report for item three, you know, versus what was approved to um you know, what's now proposed, um there's a massive increase in cost there. And so, it's you know, you've got admin going from 5,000 to 150,000. Uh planning going from 600,000 to a million and then contingency costs um exceeding an extra million dollars. And so I'm wondering from when this was originally approved, what has now changed and where is that money going to come from?

Do we have staff available to um answer the questions?

Hi, uh Paul Gage, uh senior project manager with CIP. Um so initially the previous budget was a preliminary estimate. uh the plans for the project weren't fully developed. We didn't we had a what we call a rough order of magnitude of what the cost is. We have to put our best foot forward and assume what the costs are going to be. Uh since that time we have obviously completed the plans of of what they are and uh there's been some uh substantial increases in the project scope. Uh the project is going all electric. That's not the only reason. Uh while we're still going through it, we learned that we had to upgrade the whole electrical system in any case and we are going all electric. that did at cost. But uh one of the big items you're seeing there is the contingency number. And what that equates to is uh this is a historic building. It's 100 years old. There's a lot of asbestous and lead in the building. We're very limited when we're doing our destructive testing of what we can actually open up. It's an active forestation with people working there. When we break open a wall that has lead, that's that's bad for the area. The you know, the asbestous can get into the into the atmosphere and we have to protect the firefighters from that. So, um, basically we can only do very small amounts of testing. So, we're limited to see what's actually behind those finished surfaces. Um, so what we're trying to do here is make a bucket of money available that during construction if we run into these issues, we can pull from it instead of the project running out of money, us halting halfway through, and then having to come back to council and try and get more money appropriated to finish a project. All we're saying is we want to have a bucket of money here that we're not intending to spend, but if we have to, it's readily available. that we can pull from it and keep the project moving forward. So that's the big increase on the uh contingency side of things.

Okay. So it's it's primarily along at least the contingency part of it is primarily along the lines of asbestous.

Uh asbestous is a big one. Uh asbestous and lead, but it's also a building that is 100 years old. Um like we don't know when we pull down some finishes that we haven't been able to remove because like I say, it's an active uh building. We may find dry rot in some structural beams that need to be addressed. they can be very a very expensive operation to run new new steel girders across a building while uh supporting at the same time. That's a huge cost increase. H also, you know, we could see problems with the footings, the foundation. These could be all gigantic problems that we have to deal with. Um so the smart thing to do is to put some money aside in a bucket and not say we're going to spend it somewhere else in the city just to have it sitting there as a placeholder. Hopefully we don't need it, but if we do, it's there and it's available and we can keep the project moving forward. Mhm. And um where do we know at this point where it's it's about 1.6 $1.7 million where it's going to come from?

Um I can't speak to the question. You want to speak to that? Yeah. So we have just uh started our CIP planning for 2627. This is a little bit complicated because the project is going to span multiple fiscal years. Uh but we have identified measure H revenues as essentially what will cover that gap. Uh so that that will be likely it's not 100% but it will likely be the main source that will be covering that initial contingency that uh that Paul just explained.

And measure H is the the new dedicated tax for fire equipment and personnel. Similar um funding source that will be used for a portion of the new public safety building. Okay. Okay. And it it did mention that, you know, this is being done alongside the midyear budget update. Um, but we haven't seen that yet. And so, I mean, is staff confident that this will work?

Yes. And especially because only a a portion of the project is going to land in the current fiscal year. So, when we bring those budget adjustments, we'll true up the project budgeting for this fiscal year, what we think is going to be spent in this fiscal year. And then subsequently as we bring the CIP uh workshop and the CIP budgeting for next fiscal year that will be synced up with the remaining project expenses that will fall uh in the next year. Thank you. Can I just add a little follow-up question there? Is is the project going to go into a third fiscal year as well or does the contract complete in in the NE in the coming fiscal year?

It's a it's a 12 uh 12-month contract. That's the period we're looking at. So, uh, we should the target is to be complete in, uh, March 2027. Do you like seeing things complete? Yeah, that's that's Thank you. Other on the, uh, consent calendar, Barnacle,

I have a question. Um, we received a letter and then we received a response. Thank you for the response. Have we looked into verify the the claims from both parties in the in the letter? Um so we have spoken with staff and reviewed the correspondence. Um, and based on that review, which we only had time to do today, um, I do not see anything in the um, letter that we received from local 751 that um, f first of all, it's not a bid protest. it wouldn't be timely and the local doesn't have standing to submit one. It really seems to be focused at um raises raising questions about Midstate's responsibility based on um some information that's that's for which we're not giving given much in the way of specifics regarding past mid-state projects and in particular um prevailing wage compliance. Then we received a response from Midstate um um arguing that there that that that there's no pending issues for them with respect to um prevailing wage compliance with um that we know that they're not um disbarred because um staff have reviewed that to confirm. And also there's some information Midstate provided about their what's what's referred to as their XMOD or their their um claim experience or history um that they provided. And so they they insist in in their correspondence that they there's no responsibility issues with respect with

respect to Midstate um and their ability to carry out the project. What I can tell the council um in terms of procedures that apply to award of a public works contract like this is um since this is this is not a bid protest um and doesn't come from a entity that's um that's um eligible to provide one um and since this is a project subject to competitive bidding under a charter and also state law um and staff have determined that the mid-state bid bid is the um lowest responsive bid. And since we have no, including the information that we've seen today, there's no um um actual evidence that Midstate is not a responsible contractor. Um the council's options um if they're to award this project are to award it to Midstate or to reject all bids and rebid the project. And I I'll leave it to staff to talk about what kind of implications that has um for the project and also um then much needed um seismic and other safety upgrades in in the facility. Um so um there is a procedure under the law um and we actually recently brought um um local regulations to um that would that would streamline and um make more transparent um those procedures um for determining whether a um a a bidder on a city project may be not responsible for purposes of receiving the award. Um but that requires a hearing under the state law and also under the regulations we brought to the council that they asked us to work with stakeholder groups to to um to modify. Um and we're not agendaized for that tonight. Um and and a finding of non non-responsibility has to be supported by substantial

information in the record which we do not have. So, um I you know I'd be happy to have staff if they want to talk about um their work um verify. Let me let me ask if that answers the council member's question. It it does. Thanks. And I'll just end by saying I do we do know staff work to um verify Midstate's eligibility to be awarded the project. So I'll stop there and thanks for the question. Thank you. Any other questions on the consent calendar in its entirety? Council member D Carly. Oh,

I I just want to go back to some of the cost increase and um I guess ask ask you Brian to clarify, you know, with admin and planning, those are those are costs that we control and I don't think the project has changed since. So, how how did those how did those go up? I I would actually have to ask uh Paul or one of the CIP team members to to speak to that. I'm I'm I don't have the detail on the uh the reasons or the the detail behind the cost increases at my fingertips.

Um on the admin side of things, and I am not the expert here to speak on this, so Jonathan here may be a able to help, but the city changed a formula for providing the cost for admin that wasn't used previously. So it's become a percentage of the project is allocated then to our admin fees that come from CIP. So that formula h brought that cost up to meet the formula that wasn't used previously when we estimated it. So Jonathan, I don't know if you want to speak more to it.

Yeah, I can speak to it. Good evening, mayor and council members. Uh I'm Jonathan Sara, the deputy director of public works. Um so partly when we were estimating those figures in the past, we were kind of using an estimate based on what we've seen in the past. Now what we've gotten from finance is they've actually calculated what that admin time will be over the year for our staffing and so that equates to a rough percentage and now we've applied that when we see it in the larger projects it reflects higher than you know when we were kind of estimating based on what we've seen spent and so it it is higher um and that covers both the legal costs and uh the CIP admin time and then also finances city manager time that all go to those CIP projects as well.

Okay, thank you for clarifying. Yeah, thank you. Thank Thank you very much. And that takes us to public comment and I'll let the clerk take it here.

Yes, we did receive um five comments on item number two and two comments on item number three. And I do have some cards. If anyone else would like to submit a card on the consent calendar, this is the moment. several cards and we're setting the timer at 3 minutes. And uh the first speaker is uh Ben Hartzik and the second speaker will be Pat Dragon. Good evening. Um, my name is Ben Hansvik and I'm a senior estimator for Midstate Construction. Um, I'm commenting on item three. Um, 18 years ago I moved into Paluma. Well, not Pedaluma, I'm sorry. I'm a Sonoma County resident. I live in Roner Park, but I've been working in Pedaluma uh making the drive-in every day for uh 18 years. And um, Midstate Construction is is who I work for. I was involved in the estimate for the fire station. Um, I'm also aware of the uh the letters and the uh the attacks on mid-state construction. Um, I wanted to stand and represent that we are a local contractor. Um, that we have successfully completed numerous projects within Pedaluma and I I wanted to point out a handful of those. The Haven at Maria Drive, uh, Building C, Pedaluma Marina, Pedaluma Sherin, uh, Kellgrren Apartments, Mary Isaac Center, Ka Grande Apartments, Edis Street Apartments, uh, Richard uh, Lieberman Apartments, Village Square Retail Building on Lakeville Highway, Safeway, Exchange Bank, TJ Maxx, Sprouts, the East

Washington Place Shopping Center, uh, Roundwalk Village affordable housing, um, Waterfront Apartment, formerly known as Rivertown, Theodore Square, uh the Theater Square parking garage, um Pedaluma River Place, which recently just comm completed, uh Alura Apartments off of Baywood, and currently we're working on the Adobe Road Winery. Uh Midstate is a responsible local contractor, and I would encourage the city council to award the project to Midstate. will do a good job for you and we'll add that to another list or we'll add that project to a list of other successful projects. Thank you. Thank you very much Pat Drager to be followed by Darren Racken.

I just wanted to point out that Ben missed the Pedaluma parking garage. Um in any case, um I've been working at Midstate Construction for 45 years. Uh 34 of those years have been in Paluma. So I've been at Midstate for every project that Ben just mentioned, plus the Pedaluma parking garage, of course. Um as he said, we are a responsible contractor. Uh we are aware of the letter that was uh sent to you by the Carpenters Union. We we did send a response. Um the issues that were presented were really without merit. Um, and I hope that the response we gave you gives you an adequate response to that letter and the items in that letter. Um, we are happy to be the low bidder on the fire station number one. We'd love to be working on this project with you and we're certain that it will be a successful project. Um, we can assure you that all of the workers, laborers on the project will be paid prevailing wage. Um, and we monitor prevailing wage very closely. Um, and that's pretty much it. We would very much like to do this project with you. Thank you.

Thank you, Darren Racusen, to be followed by Nicholas Harris.

Uh, thank you, mayor. And I'm really uh, a lot of the points I had were addressed by Council Member Darly. And I think when I looked at the budget, the main thing that stuck out was that contingency item, was the administrative item, which sounds like a change in finance department calculation, but then also planning time. Uh, and I'm just wondering if there were additional discretionary hearings, anything like that that would have increased that um by, you know, a few hundred,000. I think this project is a kind of a microcosm a little bit of CIP projects and and this might be a trend that I I don't totally understand, but it what I worry about is when we come in with a CIP project, if it's under bid or the scope isn't fully flushed out later down the road when it's time for implementation, we have a roadblock. We have to come back to council. And I know Mayor McDonald has said before his concerns about really following through and finishing CIP projects. Uh so when we see something like this, when it appears like we're coming back around due to an increase in things like contingency, things like hearings or admin, it feels like is there something we can do to make sure that's consistent and that, you know, those are items the city has control over? How are we making sure those aren't roadblocks to moving projects forward, getting projects done and and setting appropriate expectations in the bud in the budget uh and with the public who goes to these hearings. So, uh thank you.

Thank you very much, Nicholas Harris.

Good evening, council. Uh Nicholas Harris, uh Kavanaaugh pool swim lesson alum, probably 1992 or three. I don't remember when that was. Um uh yeah, a lot of the uh concerns um or things that I wanted to bring up and uh discuss have already been covered. Um and I did submit a written letter that will probably be added to the record. Um, so I think really the thing that that sticks out and what I am concerned about is the midyear budget update and the language that was included in the staff report and the uh resolution is drafted. Um, we don't have a midyear budget update. Uh and I I think it's uh misleading um especially in the future looking back at at what the resolve of the council was to say that there was a meteor budget update and the impact the financial impacts of the project were fully understood and the decision to move forward and award uh was based on that. To be clear, I'm not against awarding the construction contract. um has nothing to do about Midstate and that letter that was sent. I'd really just like to have um a complete context of what the impacts are of this project as it is being approved. And if it means delaying it until the next meeting, it's only one week away. I think that that's reasonable. Thank you.

Thank you. That was our last speaker, public card speaker. So, uh, we close public comment and bring it back up to council. Um, any comment before motion? Any motion? Council member Shri, are we are we going to do one through Yes, we're doing the entirety of the consent calendar. We did not separate any items. Okay, so one through eight. I'll make the motion. Thank you very much, council. I'll go ahead and second the motion. One through eight. Thank you very much, Council Member Sh. And uh to the clerk, uh may we have a roll call vote? Yes. Barnacle. I. Gator Thompson. Yes. To Carly, yes.

Now, yes. Quint, yes. Shribs, yes. And McDonald, yes. Motion carries unanimously.

Thank you very much. Thank you to all the staff. Appreciate this. I think it's a milestone project in the city of Paluma. every hundred years we need to update that firehouse. So, um, and that brings us to item eight. And item eight is a housing element implementation program in induction of the first reading of an ordinance to adopt a zoning text amendment to modify the city of Paluma implementing zoning ordinance um certain sections, certain tasks. And I'd like to turn it over to O'Brien O, our community and uh economic development director, as well as Andrew Triple, our planning manager, and Emanuel Ersu, our principal planner. Uh, take it away. Thank you, Mayor McDonald, members of the council, members of the public. My name is Emanuel Ersu, and I'm the uh principal planner that uh worked on this zoning code amendment. Um so the item before you as uh the mayor introduced is an ordinance introduction of an ordinance to amend the zoning code and this is part of the city's program to implement the uh 2023 2031 housing element. Uh so the uh objectives of this uh zoning code amendment uh are to implement a specific uh provision of the housing element. It's found in program 7 addressing development constraints uh in particular as they apply to residential care facilities. Um we're amending both the uh the implementing zoning ordinance and the smart code. Uh the smart code, as you know, applies to about a 400 acre area between Lakeville and Pedaluma Boulevard south from uh Highway 101 to the west end of uh downtown. Uh in

addition to addressing the land use regulations uh for residential care facilities, we're also uh uh creating parking standards which currently do not exist for residential care facilities. Um so this is all as I mentioned in the context of the housing element which is derived from uh state mandates uh and also to address our local housing need. Uh so state law requires us to streamline and we want to do this from a local perspective anyway the development review process to make it more cost-effective and reduce uh processing time uh caring cost time associated for uh applicants. Uh also um under state law this is part of uh furthering of fair housing uh uh laws. So providing housing for all segments of the community including folks who have special housing needs. Uh under our housing element uh we do have a regional housing need allocation. Uh some of these units uh may count towards that uh regional housing need allocation. So it does help meet the the housing need in that in that respect. Um and as I mentioned, it's uh really one of the driving goals is to to meet our uh local housing needs for our aging population. Um the population 65 and older is uh growing quickly uh in terms of its percentage of the population. Uh and especially the uh population 85 and older, which is uh really the population that tends to to be a higher uh user or in need of this type of housing. Uh so under the um housing element to the housing action plan there are several uh actions that are are to be

taken uh removing or addressing development constraints uh is part of that as you see on this slide. There are other areas uh that um will also that are also goals of the housing action plan. Um within the development constraints section of the housing element, there are specific areas that uh are to be addressed. Residential care facilities and streamlining development review are being addressed by this uh by this ordinance. So this process began with the uh preparation of the housing element. Uh as uh some of you may have been involved in that process. It was a long process that involved extensive uh robust public outreach process. Um that culminated in the preparation and the adoption of the uh housing element which was then subsequently certified by the state. Um, and uh, specific in the housing element was a program that I mentioned to address residential care facilities and the uh, uh, zoning regulations pertaining to them. In October of this past year, we presented to the planning commission at a workshop a draft proposal to implement um, the housing element as it pertains to RCFs. Uh and then at a public hearing on December 9th, the planning commission made a recommendation that is now before you in the form of the uh of the draft ordinance. So the changes to the to the ordinance uh there a handful of them. They uh consolidate the definition of residential care facilities. Currently we have uh four three or four definitions for different types of residential care facilities and these are distinctions that are made at the state level for licensing purposes. Uh from a local zoning standpoint they really don't make a difference uh for

our purposes. So we thought it would be simpler to just combine those definitions into one definition. Um also we the housing elements uh program says to remove constraints and remove the uh conditional use permit requirements so you have outcomes that uh are certain. So when a applicant a developer comes to the city they know that they're able to on a particular piece of property under certain zoning to develop a residential care facility without the need for a use permit that would entail public hearings and and so on. and the uncertainty associated with that. So, uh this ordinance would permit by rights residential care facilities in all residential zones, uh mixed use zones and in commercial districts. Currently, parking for residential care facilities does not exist. Uh so, what we do in this situation under current code is we require developer to obtain a parking study. We go to a traffic consulting firm. They prepare a study uh and then bring that to the city and we'd evaluate that. We're proposing uh this ordinance to include a uh specific parking standards for residential care facilities. So, as I mentioned, we're changing the definition. In essence, a residential care facility under the new definition is a facility that provides 24-hour non-medical care supervision typically with the assistance with activities of daily living. Uh in the case of uh facilities that provide care to minors, these are for minors that cannot live with their parents or guardians. Um and the um so that's the the changes to the definition of the residential care facility and the ordinance goes into

specific language that we can get into detail if uh any council member has questions about it. Uh these are the current types of residential care facilities that our zoning code um has definitions for. The the top three uh residential care facilities for the elderly, adult residential care facilities and residential care facilities for chronically ill. Uh these are all licensed separately under the state law. As I mentioned, there's no purpose for our there's no reason under local zoning purposes to make these distinctions. Um, real quickly, the uh the difference between a use that's conditionally permitted and one that's allowed by right is if it's conditionally permitted, public notice and a public hearing is required. It is not exempt from SQA. Um, and the uh review standards are qualitative in nature. uh versus a permitted by right. There's as long as it meets the definition of a residential care facility. Uh it's a ministerial decision, meaning we're looking at quantitative standards um that are objective and it is exempt from see unless there's a an exception to the exemption. So under a current code um the the code defines three types of uh residential care facilities but lists five in the tables of uses permitted uh in chapter 4 of the zoning code. Uh residential care with six or fewer clients are allowed by right in the residential zones. Uh under state law, there's preeemption of local preeemption of regulations of facilities with six or fewer residents. Um in other words, we cannot impose any requirements uh for a residential care facility in a that's located in a

residential zone that we do not apply uniformly to any residential use in that same zone. So um so that's why they're permitted under existing zoning uh by right for six or fewer residents. The primary change we're making is in the mixed use and commercial zones where they're e either permitted by rights but have certain limitations which footnotes 10 and six uh refer to or are subject to a conditional use permit. Uh footnote six um only allows the use um on upper floors or behind a uh ground floor street funding use. Um and then in other areas on the property, it's allowed by a conditional use permit. And then footnote 10 says they're only allowed above ground floor. So the tables that would be changed in uh chapter 4 of the zoning code um are tables 4.1 through 4.4. 4.1 and 4.2 are uh put together in this table. U we would remove the references to residential care for six or fewer and for seven or more which is not even allowed under current zoning anyway in that in the residential zones. And we just have one new definition, residential care facility. It is permitted by right with uh no restrictions in all of the residential zones. And then in planned unit districts and PUDs or PCDs where residential use is the principally permitted use, they would also be permitted in those areas. in the mixeduse uh and commercial zones uh they would be permitted by right um

with uh few caveats. One is uh a facility in the mixed use of commercial zone would be subject that is subject to site plan and architectural review. It would also be subject to objective design standards uh pertaining to frontage on the streets to ensure transparency to the streets and and opening up to the public realm to have that interaction between the street and uh and um and the facility. And then this is the the use table from the smart code. Uh we would add residential care facility as a permitted use. Currently the smart code is silent as it pertains to residential care facilities. Um so we would allow it uh add it as a permitted use uh subject to footnote number two which uh in areas where shop fronts are required which is in the downtown the core of the downtown. Uh there in those locations it' only be allowed on upper floors or behind a ground floor use. Uh in terms of parking, we'd establish a parking requirement uh for uh residential care facilities. Um for facilities that are in single family or multifamily uh dwellings, uh there would be um one space required for every four clients above 10 clients. Uh facilities with 10 or fewer clients would be subject to the underlying parking requirements of the zoning district. And then uh in all other zones except for the R1 through R5 zones, there'd be two spaces for the first six clients and then one for uh every four clients uh above that. And then some of these facilities as I mentioned have uh fully

contained apartments within the facility. So you know a unit with a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, living area. Uh those units would have a separate parking requirement which would be a half a space uh for uh each one of those apartments plus the one for every four in the other portions of the building that are not uh a dwelling unit do not meet the definition of a dwelling unit. Um and then the same requirements for uh residential care facilities, parking requirements for residential care facilities would be applied in the uh smart code. Uh and then this is the list of uses in chapter 24 uh the administrative procedures chapter of uh the which requires uh spar review for various types of uses. Uh we would add uh number 14 at the bottom of this list. Uh residential care facilities with seven or more clients in mixed use and commercial zones would be subject to site plan and architectural review. So the planning commission as I mentioned provided its input at uh two uh two meetings a study session in October and then a public hearing in December of 2025. Uh all the planning commission's comments have been incorporated into the draft uh ordinance that is before the uh city council this evening. Um the this is implementing the housing element uh specific uh program of the housing element and so we're relying on the environmental review um that was prepared for the uh for the housing element. Um, so staff recommends that uh the city council introduce the ordinance that's

before you this evening. Um, and this ordinance, as I mentioned, will uh amend the uh and the smart code addressing land uses, parking, administrative procedures, and definitions. Um, and then also just wanted to point out that at the December 9 meeting, the city council or excuse me, the planning commission also considered separately under a separate agenda item a request uh by a developer to construct a residential care facility at 1221 Pedaluma Boulevard North. That facility was approved by the uh by the planning commission subject to several conditions including one condition that they did not obtain building permits until this zoning code amendment is in effect. Um so that facility would not be permitted as designed and submitted um under current existing zoning regulations. So this ordinance would need to be adopted and in effect before we can issue building permits for that project. Um and they did submit uh building permit applications uh just before the end of the uh of 2025 and those plans are in plan check in the planch check process right now. Um the other thing I'd point out is we did have uh the city granted uh approval for us another uh residential care facility in the riverfront project that was granted back in 2023 I believe it was. um uh their approvals have been extended um and are good. They're valid through uh June of this year. I spoke with the developer this afternoon. They said they're still actively pursuing uh financial partners and in working on the project. They've not abandoned that project. And that was for a facility with 106 uh total uh beds or 70 of those are apartments and then

36 um memory care uh beds. That uh concludes my presentation and available for any questions. Thank you very much. Great presentation. Um kind of a big topic here. Uh like you say, there's several uh properties that are looking to move into this area. So, it's important that we get deep into this one. So, I'd like to start with some questions. Um comments later, questions now. Council member Shri.

Um okay, questions just to uh differentiate thing because uh having um my mom going through 13 years of various facilities and looking for them here in town. So, uh the difference between a residential care and senior apartments with care of some sort. So there's a there is a definite line here. We have to note that you didn't talk about the differences between those about senior living senior living apartments with daycare type of help or allowing even 24 help inside the rooms versus medical care 247 by the office. So I think everything you're saying so far refers only to 247 care with having a actual nurse on site 247. Is that correct?

Residential care facilities are not skilled in nursing facilities. Skilled nursing facilities are more acute care facilities with very strict uh state uh staffing requirements, staffing ratios. Uh that is not true for residential care facilities uh for the elderly or in under this combined definition residential care facilities. Um there are licensing requirements. Uh I'm not familiar with the details of those. We do have representatives from Gallagher senior living here. They could probably provide some additional details regarding specifics of licensing for residential care facilities. But they do typically they provide non-medical care although they could may provide limited medical uh medication reminders uh that sort of thing. So under a very specific care plan um they um typically have um staff 247 housekeeping staff staff that uh helps with uh dressing and feeding uh as necessary. um social services type staff, uh activity staff, that that sort of thing.

Okay, good. So, there's a a bracket here. There's care facilities above residential care, which is highly medical, and then there's a whole section below, which is senior assisted, not senior assisted or even senior apartments with food, let's say, um and help. So where's uh so you you defined the top line which was the medical part adding in the 247 but you didn't define the bottom bottom. So what's where's the difference between senior living and residential care where is that line drawn so we know exactly what we're applying here.

Yeah. So um the I think the line would be if a state license is required. So if it's a facility a residential care facility that is licensed by the state then that would fall under this category. If it is apartments that are restricted to seniors but they're not providing they they don't have a suite of services that they're providing then that would not meet the definition of a residential care facility.

Okay. So I just want to make clear because my mom was in uh the vintage house uh which is off Washington and that's where the fine line is. uh they provided apartments and food um and and even cleaning services and the like, but they allowed medical care within and if even was 24-hour nurse, it was allowed in there. That's that's that would not be residential care. That's still senior living, not residential care. So, there's a line there. So, a vintage house,

whereas um the facility right in front of it is would be more um the residential care, but that's almost like 24/7 medical. So that that's like almost above but not quite. So there I'm saying there's a couple residences here that where do they fall in this category residential care? Where does the evidence house fall in? And there's a place next to it. Where does that fall into it?

For sure. Thank you, council member uh planning manager Andrew Triple. I'm I'm not familiar exactly with the uh facilities that you're referencing, the characteristics of the care that they provide, but our code does differentiate between a residential care facility that provides non-medical care versus a health care facility that does provide that medical those medical services, whether it's acute care, assisted living, and such. the residential care facilities can have a memory care component to them or an assisted living component to them. But I believe and I I would love to to cross check with uh the folks here from Gallagher Senior Living. I believe though that that still even though they provide support for say taking pills and things like that, it still doesn't rise to the level of the medical care that you would receive in a healthcare facility.

Okay. But I just want to make sure we're we're we're differentiating there. There's a bottom line and a top line. This is in middle area here uh that we're talking about. Um so that we have senior apartment living uh zoning and residences would be different from what we're talking about here.

Right. And and I think as as um Emanuel pointed out, these are also facilities that are licensed by the state. So it would be differentiated from say a multifamily project that was dedicated to seniors and that would just be age restricted. So this these residential care facilities while they oftentimes do provide um independent living units for persons over the age of 60 or 65, they don't necessarily have to. that that would be let's say compare that then to a multif family project where it is specifically age restricted to provide independent units to persons over a certain age.

Yeah. So be clear like like our Danko U Meridian Apartments have social services that's not a residential.

Okay. Just I make sure everyone's clear on on what we're bracketing here top and bottom on on the zoning. Um we'll later comments about that. Um but you asked you mentioned parking and there's parking u expectations but you didn't say what those parking expectation was. What what what are the expectations in parking units per per unit per per resident per what? What is it? The uh recommended parking is for memory care beds or for units that do not have do not meet the definition of a dwelling unit. It's one parking space for every four residents. And then if within a facility um there are independent or self-contained units, there'd be one parking space for every two units or 0.5 per per unit.

Okay. That that's pretty minimum parking for um a six person house in a residential area. That's like a driveway. Okay. Um um is that a minimum or a maximum by the way? That that's a minimum. That's a minimum. Just want to be clear on what what that requirement is. um minimum there. Okay. And then you mentioned downtown. It wasn't quite clear um if someone builds something like this in the downtown area, are we saying we must have retail or cannot or we're allowed to not have retail? I wasn't clear on which way you were saying.

Sure. So, so within the uh central pedaluma specific plan boundary development is regulated by the smart code and the smart code has what are called frontages uh that are assigned to certain corners uh certain portions of streets typically at the corner. So, for instance, at the corner of um East Washington and I'm going to forget the cross street Copeland, right? There is a shopfront frontage and that means that you do have to have ground flooror retail at that precise location. This uh proposed amendment would not change that requirement. So only in the only in the smart code does it respect the the shopfront frontage requirement to have a ground floor um activity generating use such as retail.

Okay. Because I can imagine uh there's places where they might build downtown or near downtown that may be forced into having retail and that doesn't make sense to me because these facilities really don't uh are not related to retail at all but may be a very good service to have near downtown. So, I want to make sure we have that zoning correct of of where where how much retail is going to be required if they're in that near zone. So, I'd like to get that mapped out a little bit. Um, so there's a couple spots near downtown that I think you the zoning may force retail and I'm going we shouldn't do that.

Well, it doesn't necessarily force retail specifically. What it does is says that you have to have um sort of a a ground floor design that looks more commercial in nature. that's consistent with our with our um downtown development and but you could have some sort of activity generating use within that. So I think a great example is the Spirit Living project over in Riverfront um there at the circle and on their ground floor they actually integrated they brought the uh the dining areas down to the ground floor. They brought some of their activity areas down to the ground floor and then they actually added a portion that was a restaurant as well. So there are ways that they can bring those uses out of the core of the building into the ground floor, front them. Oftentimes we've been doing that with multifamily as well with community spaces and multifamily developments. So it really what it what it tries to do in the downtown area where those shop frontage are are designated. It tries to respect the form and design of the building, but there is flexibility within the actual how the interior space is used.

Okay, good. I just want to make sure there was that flexibility in there that that wasn't going to be a a stickler on if they're near the downtown area.

Uh moving on to um uh basically it's affordability and getting some grant monies involved. So um a lot of these folks um elderly uh can't afford it fully themselves but it's highly subsidized either by government or by insurance companies to pay for all all of this. So if the individuals cannot directly pay for it out of their pocket but it's paid for by either insurance or government subsidy or something like that medical program that they're on. Is that accounted as an affordability unit? And if so, does this account in Reena as lowincome unit so that we have some of those low incomes covered by Reena? Not just a unit, but it's actually low income. If the person is actually being supported by other than themselves, is that counting?

I do not think that would count as a below market rate unit. Um, under state law, there is preeemption on regulating the rents in residential care facilities. Uh so the city cannot require an inclusionary so we cannot apply our inclusionary housing requirements to to these types of facilities. We can apply uh the commercial linkage housing linkage fee to uh to these units at least to the portions of the units that do not um include the fully contained individual apartments. Um so like the common dining areas, the memory care unit components, um any of those areas that are not typically associated with a uh multifamily residential building, we could include in the square footage that's counted towards the commercial linkage fee um commercial housing linkage fee. Uh but under state law, we're not allowed to uh impose uh in require inclusionary housing or rent restrictions.

Okay. I just want to check on on some of the uh the numbers we might be able to use for Reena. Another thing Reena uh question is um if you have six residents there uh but you also happen to have your caretakers does that count as six units for arena numbers or does it count as eight because we have caretakers also living on site?

Yeah. So in terms of for arena numbers, we will look at the floor plan of the facility and for every unit in the facility that is fully contained with its own kitchen um bathroom and sleeping area that will count as a housing unit. That would meet the the HUD definition and HCD definition of a housing unit and we could count that as a towards our regional housing need allocation. Okay. So in the larger facilities, they will have kitchens and bathrooms uh for each unit, but in a lot of care facilities, it's just going to be a bedroom with two people in it and only one kitchen for the whole house.

Yes. That would only count as if that would be counted as one unit. Correct. Versus a um the two proposals, I understand, are multi-units and every one of those probably has a kitchen bathroom. Each one of those would count as a unit per um that's being uh used. Exactly. Just want to make sure I was clear on what's a reunion and what's not. Yeah. And what counts and what doesn't count on all that.

Um and I I asked several questions ahead of time. You got me really nice. Thank you for the write up on that. You gave the numbers out. I don't know if the others uh saw those uh that report out on the numbers. Um but you didn't mention them at all. Um about the need and I don't know if you want to go over that now or if there's anybody interested and I thought those numbers were were vital. I don't know if you'd like to say so the public hears those some of those estimates of what's needed. Thank you and I'll pass it on after that.

Thank you. Um appreciate appreciate all your uh questions I think half the time. Um a question begs the next question and so let me have a few follow up here. So the Gallagher proposal is it a 100% state regulated property? Yeah. Yes. Okay. I thought I was what I was here and just want to confirm it. Um, and then in the senior living that's not residential care, senior apartment, etc. Is it streamlined? Is there is there that would not fall. So senior housing does not fall under this under this ordinance

and it's not so it's kind of old school and less streamlined than I'm just thinking residential's moving to streamline. all the different things that are moving to streamline and that sector is maybe left behind on the streamlining. I I think that what what we're proposing is a streamlining measure because uh by permitting the land use by ride, we're eliminating that that description. So, we're addressing this real well that maybe there's a component that we're not addressing really well that council member Schwitz brought up. Um and then um does this apply to conversion of housing? Somebody says, "I want to open a business in an existing large house." So, this applies to that as well. Yes. Yes, it does.

Um and then, um say hi, um hypothetically, um the Aubberine business downtown, um you know, the old J C Penney and Marine Outdoors, etc. Um could a proposal be made on that property for to become residential care? What would it what challenge would that present to us? I mean, it fits the zone, one of the zones that we were discussing.

Yeah. As long as it's in a commercial or mixeduse zone or residential zone, it would be permitted by right. Um if it's in uh on a block that has a uh shop front uh requirement uh under the central pedalum specific plan then there would be some certain design requirements on the street frontage or the use would be behind the street fronting use but otherwise

so I forget in the central specific plan is that side of the boulevard part of it. It's a smart code that's the other side. I'm getting my codes mixed up. Smart code is only the easterly side of the boulevard, but central specific is both sides and and and more. Okay. Um and then you were talking about linkage fees are any of the proposed projects or you know, can you visualize um subsidizing through any of our housing funding? Is that what you're saying? We could take money and put it into is any money going into the Gallagher project that um is this city subsidy for project?

Uh no, the city the the Gallagher project is a a private uh market rate development project. However, the commercial linkage fees that would be required to pay would contribute to the city's housing fund. They would be paying, right? They would be paying to support future housing development. Excellent clarity. Thank you. Um, and do we leave any zoning codes out? Uh, does this ordinance cover essentially every zoning code? It it covers all of the uh residential, mixed use, and commercial zoning districts in both the ICO and the smart code. It's not going to include business park or industrial zoning districts. Good.

Or for that matter, open space or agriculture. So, thank you. Um and the objective standards for these kinds of projects there are they developed and in place that we say objective standards have to apply to this and those are in place. Yes. So they're permitted by right. Um so as long as they meet the you know the setbacks and all those requirements um they would be subject to site plan and architectural review but not a conditional use permit. Absolutely. Next question. Um, you know, is everything still subject to spar? Yes.

Okay. Fabulous. Thank you. Great questions. Council member Shrebs. Thank you. Uh, anyone else with questions? Seeing none. Oh, wait. Uh, Vice Mayor, how were the parking requirements determined for this?

Yeah. So, um, did a few few things. uh first is looked at the applications that were submitted before us where we had parking studies that were done. Um so the spirit living project is a very different location, very different type of project than on a very small site uh than the Gallagher uh project. Um so the Gallagher project has much more parking um than this requirement is. the spirit living project is pretty much right on uh course with what we're recommending. Uh we had suggested to the planning commission uh one parking space for every three clients. Um the and looking at the other thing we did is look at other zoning codes in the area. Um the range seemed to be between one to two one parking space for every two clients to one for every four. uh we had recommended one for every three uh to the planning commission. Planning commission discussed it and felt that that may be too much parking and so uh the planning commission's recommendation is one for every four uh clients. Um so yeah, those were the kind of ways we came up with the the parking requirement. Okay. Yeah, because I think um maybe with Gallagher it perhaps it makes sense. Um but others I mean I think it's more circumstantial with others with residential or commercial or mixed use. Um where I don't know that we understand you know what sort of implications that's going to have because parking is such a huge huge issue in Paluma. Um, are there I I'm curious, um, you know, with with such a low threshold for parking, does this qualify the city

for more regional grants or are there other benefits that would be encouraging us to do this? Can I just add and I just want to clarify for count for Vice Mayor Darly, this is a parking minimum, correct? That's correct. Yes, that's correct. So, parking minimum, that's the threshold, not the maximum. So, we're not we're not limiting parking. We're just saying this parking minimum, right? But I think people with doing these projects would be more inclined to have as few spaces as possible, you know, to maximize construction or whatever whatever it is that they'd like.

Sure. I'd like to actually we we actually see the opposite. Um typically, especially here in the North Bay, the market wants to provide more spaces than what the minimum is. So um they're they're going to do their analysis and it's likely going to be based on um certainly in the case of for well for example living they have extensive experience in the industry and so they've got a lot of data that they bring to bear when it comes to establishing their parking need and they would they would strive to meet that need. So, I I would suspect that the minimum is helpful in ensuring that we get the amount of parking that we're comfortable with, but the the market would likely provide the amount of parking that they're comfortable with.

Yes. But then then we could still potentially be stuck with the minimum, you know. This is true. Yes. Yes. So I mean back back to my question. I mean does do these are we making these policies to qualify for more grants in any sort of way from from maybe you know SCTCA or MTC or anybody else or so does this help the city in any sort of way?

It doesn't help um the intent isn't around securing additional grants as Emanuel had pointed out. We looked at exemplars um different zoning um codes in different cities and then looked at the reality of what we're seeing applications come in at um to get us to this um to these ratios.

Okay. And I guess if we think that it's going to be higher and that's what their data suggests, why don't we meet that? Well, there's the, you know, some of the factors that we're trying to encourage is development of residential care facilities within walkable environments. Um that being the assumption that you know you you do have residents of these facilities who are mobile, who can get out, who enjoy uh being in a connected community and and the freedom of of not having to have a car. And so in setting the um the minimum parking standards where they are, uh we are using it to incentivize uh development of these facilities. Certainly by not by not having a higher minimum parking standard, but at the same time by permitting them by right across our residential, commercial, especially commercial and mixed use zoning districts, we are seeking to create opportunities for these facilities in these walkable environments where there would be less demand for parking.

Okay. But you say it would decentivize them to raise it, but that they also would want it raised by their own data. Well, if their own if their own data indicates that they have a preference for parking, then presumably they would propose the facility that reflects their preference, but it would still have to meet the minimum amount of parking.

Mhm. And um Okay. Okay. And then parking aside, um I share similar concerns about either, you know, other MU MU2 zone parcels, buildings, you know, mentioned J C Penney building, others that those could be those could all be turned into facilities of different types or I mean of of residential care facilities. They could be yes, they could be converted for use as a residential care facility. uh presumably that you know the the building the construction typology and such would have to support that.

Mhm. And I know that this is SQA exempt but wouldn't something like you know including commercial in this be something that you'd maybe want to consider through SQA or other means if if you're putting a a care facility in for the elderly next to a commercial facility that's very loud. you know that could create a lot of conflict. Sure. So the SQA exemption only applies to the action on the zoning text amendment. The projects would be subject to SPAR and that is a discretionary action and so they would trigger SQA um at the time that a a project specific application is made. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions on this before we go to public comment? Okay. Public comment on this. And with that, our clerk to help us out.

Yes, we did receive uh two public comments on this item and I do have uh several cards and I see one more coming. Anyone else? Okay, let's start with Darren Rakuzen to be followed by Brooke Ross. There we go. Thank you, mayor, staff, uh, council. I have one specific item on this and then kind of brings me into two broader items. The first one being the parking minimums. Hearing the discussion about this, it is a minimum. Uh but I will say that when we think about ensuring there's maximum flexibility for developers into the future, a lot of the impetus in driving down parking minimums is to allow for more buildable area, more flexibility for people to get projects done. We also want to think about and make sure it's in the conversation or in the balance about safe and efficient operation for whatever the facility type is. And it just stuck out to me that um you know we just saw the Gallagher project and they did not choose to minimize parking as was stated the market in their case tended them toward offering actually over the old standard. They were at 1.65 I believe uh per person to parking and I just want to make sure that the actual developers or operators of this facility their best practices for running that type of facility play a role in determining what the minimum is. Right? because we can make a no minimum. Obviously, we aced that there is some balance to be struck between having enough parking for the safe and efficient operation, but not too much. And I just want to make sure that in that conversation, not just planning commission, our local land use experts,

but developers and folks who operate the facilities are helping inform that conversation, which I assume has happened. Uh, but this also gets me into a broader discussion when we think about mixed use getting converted to allow for residential uh care facilities. You know, I had a when this came before planning commission kind of a shortened debate with um Commissioner Goldman about this issue and just thinking from an urban design perspective, you know, the purpose of mixed use and how having commercial on certain thorough affairs encourages the creation of community space and active street frontages, right? And this has been a discussion item forever. whereas allowing residential in those same areas does not necessarily kind of inculcate this sense of community and people uh having such an active street. So I just want to make sure as we're thinking about this as we're thinking about the balance to be struck between pure like market driven hey let's allow pure residential like this is residential care facilities but in the general plan we're going to open up mixed use to a lot more pure residential uses. We want to think about the urban design implications of that and really where are we in the balance of trying to use zoning to inform some kind of urban design sense of place that we all want versus where are we letting the market decide. And at the planning commission a lot of folks were like look we have to let the market decide. We have to allow for residential and mixed use and commercial because that's what people can build right now. That's what makes projects possible. But then, you know, we get bogged down in a lot of discussions in the general plan about 15inute neighborhoods and hyper planning out dots of commercial. I just want to make sure we're consistent in how we figure out like is this market driven? Are we using zoning as an urban design factor and also we're updating the ICO when we communicate about the general plan, let people know the changes are already happening.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Brook Ross to be followed by Moren Gotchaw. Good evening, Mayor McDonald, council members, and city staff. My name is Brooke Ross, and I'm here this evening to voice my support of the zoning amendment, especially as it relates to residential care facilities. I think that it um helps to remove the barriers and to um increase the production of housing for vulnerable populations, including seniors. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Moren Gotchaw. To be followed by Christine White. Hello. So I was taking a look at it and I'm I want to discuss the parking element or the parking calculation and um so what the existing policy said that if you had a facility over seven clients that you would look at the actual operational needs, the staffing requirements, the neighborhood parking availability, the public transportation and the sight specific conditions. um in this um now you want to change this and do a calculation, but you're doing that calculation and you're kind of putting it across all of the different factors, the residential, the commercial, and then that other category. And and they're very different. And so when I was looking at what an RS RCF facility has has the following types of visitors or people who are there and there's staffing and the staffing that they need are um potentially direct care, nursing, administration, kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance, aids. It's, you know, we have a large group of facilities. So there's multiple things. So, if you're looking at it from let's just do uh residential 10 10 residents in a in a residential community under the calculation that's only two spaces because in the residential note it says the 1:4 ratio doesn't kick in until after 10. So, you have three three four people potentially. You have visiting physicians, therapists, physical therapy, podiatry, dental services. You have delivery services. You have

visiting family. So now we're at two parking spaces in the residential with potentially seven to eight people needed. And and so it just doesn't make sense that you would use that calculation. I understand it's a minimum, but I think you're more likely to have a contractor stick to that minimum in a residential than you do in potentially a commercial where they have more flexibility. They're in a bigger property. And so I don't think you should use this calculation. I should in a residential. Plus, if you are, let's say you're on B Street all the way down versus being right downtown, you're seven blocks away versus two blocks away. That's a big difference. You have access to mass transit. You know, if these are facilities, meaning you have possibly disabled people. So, I think there's I think you're lumping everything at least for the residential piece into something that you're trying to cookie cutter and it's not a cookie cutter situation. And I think what will happen is you'll get residents upset and then all of a sudden you won't have success. You'll have everyone not wanting this facility. I feel like we should use res I'm for the idea of it just so you know. Thank you.

Thank you Christina White to be followed by Chantel Rogers.

Thank you. I'm going to build off what Moren just said. having had experience and I mean as of yesterday going to the TAM and Greenbre they have your minimum parking probably there. So everybody is parking on the street including like my mom who needs a walker they have one handicap spot for a guest to come and she was coming to visit her friend. So the minimum isn't enough for all all the people. So everybody on all those side streets for people who live there, there are people that are visiting people in the TAM, working in the TAM, um uh whether they're a doctor, whether they're nurse, whether they're housekeeping, all parked on the entire streets and over by the apartment complexes, the entire things were full. So it for me, it's fine. I can walk, but for my mother, it was very difficult for her to find some place. she'd wait until somebody moved out of the handicap single handicap spot so she could take that spot. So, please reconsider this. The same thing um on the other hand where you're talking about do we need it by some commercial. My mother-in-law lived at the Redwoods. She started in independent living and then went to assisted living and then she had to go somewhere else for memory care. So, I've gone the gamut with all of this. But when she was independent living, she could walk across the street to go to Safeway and do her shopping. she still felt that independence there. They had a few more parking places, so we could usually find something, but we also could park in the Safeway parking lot. So, there's a balance there for how do how do we make this work? I think there's a need for it. I'm supportive of it, but I think we really need to think about how are we handling the parking for it so that we don't have our citizens upset and so that we have a place for everybody to come and visit in these, you know, situations where those that are visiting are often less mobile as well. Thank you.

Our next speaker, Shantel Rogers, to be followed by Dwayne Bellinger. Hi. Um, first off, I just want to say I'm a little disappointed that the what the city put up on its um um agenda site, which I printed out all 20 pages of, was not the presentation that we got. So, usually I can follow along and I wasn't able to do that um tonight. And so, I wasn't able to go back and take a look to find the answer for this question because I wasn't I didn't see it. I didn't follow it when we were going through. Um I'm just trying to clarify which kinds of facilities are going to all be lumped together now because we're making decisions for every single kind and we're talking about mostly all the questions are elderly facilities and whatnot. But on the page that came from what I saw that you guys posted, it listed these as possibilities. residential care facilities for the elderly, adult residential facilities, residential care facilities for the chronically ill, but also group homes, social rehabilitation facilities, and small family homes. So, my question was, are we talking about um rehab centers? Are we talking about um uh halfway houses? I mean, if I were just looking, I I would assume that that was. And you know, there's nothing wrong with those. We need to to to anticipate that as as well. But I wouldn't think that we we'd be looking at the same kind of byite um possibilities for developers who would be doing all of those and consider that to be the same considerations. So I just was hoping for some clarification on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Dwayne Bellinger. Um, thank you, council, council member. Um the the one place where I've seen um a problem is when I we go to pick up somebody who's limited mobility to take them for a day at the park or take them out to dinner is that we find that the two parking places, one of them is occupied by one of the workers there and the other's occupied by a long-term um resident and there's no place to conveniently park to pick up somebody within walking distance of somebody with limited mo ability. And it would be nice if there was some requirement that one of the parking places be available for for those who don't have a car but are having friends pick them up. And I I don't know how you could change anything to make that happen, but it would be nice to be able to to pick up people to take them to out to dinner. Thank you. Was our last speaker closes public comment. Um, there were probably a couple good questions in there that I'd like staff to take a stab at. Um, do you have a favorite question you want to answer from what you heard or you want me to paraphrase back uh what I heard?

Um, I would love for you to paraphrase so we make sure that you're we're hitting all of your questions.

Well, the first one on my list is uh does this parking requirement is it is it one sizefits-all and is that appropriate the minimum? So, one of the things I would uh point to is the parking requirement for small facilities in existing single family neighborhoods, which is where most of the existing facilities in town are located. Um so the the code proposed code requirement would be that you meet the base parking requirement for single family home which is uh three parking spaces uh for a residence with three or fewer bedrooms. For every bedroom with every house with four or more bedrooms, there's an additional parking space per bedroom. So, a six-bedroom house would require six parking spaces. Um, so that's that's what the parking requirement would be for uh residential care facilities in a single family or multifamily residential zone. So, I think that addresses the comment that I believe uh Moren, I apologize, I didn't get her last name um made. Uh and then with regards to to the larger facilities, as I mentioned earlier, we we looked at the parking study that was done for the uh Spirit Living proposal. And based on that parking study, that's really what we pegged this to. the when we apply the standards for parking under this proposed ordinance, it would meet what was being proposed um based on the parking study that was prepared for the Spirit Living facility. Uh for the Gallagher project, their parking requirement under this code would be 43 spaces. They've decided to provide 164

spaces. So way above the the minimum required. Um, so I think again a lot of it's going to come down to, you know, the specific location of a facility if it's in a denser core area versus an outer area where the lot lot sizes are larger. Um, so it's and gives the developer flexibility in in terms of how much parking they're going to provide. Other question I heard was um there's a lot of types that are getting lumped into nonCU including group homes or maybe a different animal than you know what we're strictly thinking of. Do you have an answer to that?

Yeah. So, uh that is correct. So, um, again, under state law, uh, group homes, small family, uh, care homes, those are, uh, cities cannot regulate those for small facilities with six or fewer residents. Um, so those are all lumped in into this definition. um includes community crisis homes, social rehab facilities, group homes, foster uh family homes, crisis nurseries, uh residential care facilities for chronically ill, adult residential care facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly. Um and so and if the state comes up with more categories, we

So, so if you um you're saying can't regulate, but if they're in single family residential or in other residential neighborhoods, other zonings, those still apply even though you can't regulate the the use, the parking requirement would still that underlying parking would still be Yes. Because those are the same parking requirements that we apply to a single family home in a single family district. Then um there's um comment to the uh experiential data, anecdotal data of parking is inadequate at the door. Um um and something needs to be done about that. How do you reply to that?

Start it please. Um I think the response is um there's there's we need to strike a balance. Um there's planning for people and there's planning for parking. And so I think what we're striking I think we are striking that balance. We've looked at you know what's being proposed. We've looked at what other cities are doing. Um at the end of the day this is a cost factor. Um and so it's it's something we want to be mindful of. It's something planning commission um also um had a really robust discourse on. Um I don't know the specific um project that was being referenced. It sounded like perhaps it was in Marin. Um maybe not a local one. Um but you know again council has the the purview um if they um want to seek something different. Um but with what we've looked at, what we have received um as a city um we're confident that this is going to strike a balance for uh production of housing um as well as uh providing um a minimum level of parking required.

U thank you. Um, yeah. So, I just want to make sure we got a chance to begin a um a answer to some of those questions. And, uh, Council Member Barnacle, you want to weigh in?

Sure. Um, the planning commission was pretty robust on this and we heard it twice, so I do feel pretty comfortable with what we where we landed. Um, I'll say, um, I hope we we addressed some of the visitor parking issues in residential neighborhoods with the description that we got there. Um, one of the things I'll just say we the the discussion about Spirit, right? We heard Spirit Living has not abandoned their project, but they are looking for financing partners. So, um, and this is a cost factor, right? So, um, we have a project in our town that is trying to get built and currently is looking for financing partners and struggling to find them, right? And so um to increase the parking requirements would create additional cost burdens on projects like that. That was one of the discussion points at the planning commission. So we're like um and then noting that other projects like the Gallahert project are going to provide the parking that they need. So, um this is about, you know, trying to make sure that we're prioritizing building housing for people, a critically, you know, um critical need. Um definitely and you know, we're an aging community. There's going to be a growing demand for this. We've already seen that with the data that's been provided. And um we're prioritizing like the flexibility to try and produce these units over the um the mandates for parking and and making sure that we're trying to um just create opportunity.

Thank you. Anyone? Um council member now?

Um I just wanted to chime in. Um I'm very familiar with the Springfield um residential care facility on the east side and I attend St. James Church and they have a shuttle that takes um probably a dozen parishioners from Springfield across the street. You would think that an active community, you know, aging but active, they could walk across the street, but that's a very large intersection. So, a lot of these facilities have shuttles to get their clients to um the local churches to local facilities that like the senior center. So, I just want to keep in mind that to back up Council Member Barnacle, some of these facilities might choose to have a shuttle and move their um clients instead of having parking because this is an active aging community, but not everybody's going to be able to drive because of ailments. You know, they can't walk across the street. They might not be able to be driving, but they might have visitors. So, we can take all of this into each facil's um you know, blueprint more or less what they're going to offer their their clients. So, Gallagher is going to be topnotch. I'm looking forward to it and I'm I I know a lot of people in single family homes that are looking to, you know, downsize and move into those things. Um these residential care facilities like that was pointed out in public uh comment do have a lot of staff and those staff members may not be able to take public transportation. They will be needing some sort of parking for

their employees. Um there's going to be a lot of staff from housekeeping to maintenance to um medical. And then we also have to think about what parking for visitors. So we do have to think about those things. But I know that at Springfield we can park across the street those that are able-bodied and walk across to visit people that are staying at Springfield. So that's the only one I am familiar with. But council member Barnacle, thank you for your input on um is it spirit living is it will be much different than our Gallagher plan. Council member Shribs,

comment time. Yes, it's comment time. Go get him.

Um yeah, so being uh I had to move my mom from several facilities working my way up the line uh 13 years. So, uh, I did investigate lots of facilities here in town to keep her close and, uh, so yeah, there is first off a high need, um, because it was very difficult to find, especially an affordable place, um, to, uh, because now the costs can be anywhere. Um, we were getting away with anywhere from $2 to $3,000 per month for for um, this is would be a house. Um, it would be three bedrooms, six occupants, double occupied per bedroom. So, six people, three-bedroom house. That's pretty typical for these places. Uh, in a um usually a little older home um uh because they got at a cheaper rate and it's in a probably a neighborhood that um doesn't have huge density of cars there. Um because there's a market going on. Um they have to be able to market for the clients and the clients families are usually paying or taking care of all the monies. And so there that's one of the things you look at when you're um enter a facility, enter a parent into the facility or or relative is can I visit? How much care do they get? Does are they get is the laundry where do you keep your supplies? Turns out to keep almost the garages are full of supplies. They're not used for garages. They're used for supplies for the house. And if it's a standard home here in Paluma, you're going to have usually a twocar garage and you're going to have two parking spaces in front of that garage and that's it. Um, and so yes, there will be all the doctors, nurses, and help usually the one I I use required their help to park on the street or to transport by bike or or get dropped off. Um, and they kept those two spots open for visitors all the time. So, they had a market plan so that when I came to visit my mom, I could actually pull into the driveway all the time. And even for the service folks, they they said those had to be stay open for visitors. So

there's usually a market plan that's required by for their marketing to get people to come and but these places now um are up to four or 5,000 a month. Those are the cheap places. They go up to $10,000 to $12,000 per month now. Pretty standard. Um so there's a huge market for out there as um what clients. So the parking is part of the huge plan as far marketing and bringing the clients in. So they're going to take care of themselves. They're not going to find themselves. So the parking part is at one space per what does it limit? What does it prevent from happening? And I think that's the purpose of this is the minimum is to prevent something from happening. What does it prevent? So it prevents someone from getting a fourstory uh four bedroomedroom house for um and putting in large numbers of folks. So one or two spots in there. But if they have a five or even a sixbedroom house that still only counts as two even at one to three or one to four. It's only one or two parking spaces. So, there's no real limitations there um for residential, but it will limit in a downtown near downtown if it's a older house with only one little parking space in front of the house and almost no parking because it's pretty crowded at the times on the street. So, okay, that's where the the only real limit might happen that would be prevented by this ruling. So that's that's pretty minimum prevention versus opening the door and saying, "Okay, you're on your own. You're you're creating a facility. You're creating your market. You got to figure out how to fund it. It's up to them basically to figure out how much parking they're going to need for their business." And they're going to fail if they don't have enough parking. So that's not going to happen. I'm not worried about parking spaces minimums. Um we want to prevent really bad situation. And might it apply to a downtown area where there's almost no parking and they have a large facility, a six-story facility putting put in? Think about how the implications there for this parking. Do they need one

parking space if they're downtown and have a fourstory with 30 units in it? How many parking spaces are they required to have? Will that be different than because we could easily have senior parking down uh senior a complex downtown fourstory in some of the a couple of the empty lots. So that's where I'm concerned about the parking is the downtown or near the downtown area. Whereas this would prevent someone from creating a residential in the downtown area either at a house or at a six a four-story and being not affordable housing. It just be limited to four stories. Okay. So that's one limitation I'm worried about. The other one is um um we want to make sure especially on the Gallaer and in living um spirit that um that do we have the adequate uh spar and standards um and design standards and street level standards that there's expectations of it's got to look pretty nice from the street um because some of these facilities may want to try to get away from uh look I think for marketing they have to market to the clients and the families. Usually they want to have a nice job of the family coming likes to visit. So that's usually not a problem but we should have some standards in there and we need to make sure that after that we do the zoning that we also make sure the standards and designs are in there also in place. Then um as far as the need goes, I think there was applica uh if you look at the answers to the questions I put in showing the need. I think by 2040 over the next uh 15 years, we're going to need we have the Galler coming in with like 130. We have Spirit Living coming in like 80. Still not enough. We need another hundred. So that was the thing and that's what we discovered here in town for the our population and dynamics that we have. And my wife was a hospice nurse for 25 years. So I had lots of discussions with her about where do we cook people, where are they go? And so for the last over 25 years I've

been having these discussions with her. So we have um high need here in town for all these types of residential and all the way up and not just the residential but also the next levels up. We need to actually think about that. uh we needed more assisted living um and actually medical for the next higher levels which is not in this bracket. So that's where another concern I have. We need to actually open it up for someone opening up a higher level uh facility for us because we may lose some of the stuff on up on B Street. Um they may not be uh financially may run into problems up there or whatever. So we need to we need what we have on B Street. We need more of that to skilled nursing facilities. So let's think about that in including in the next round not just residential but the medical also please um so that's for high need and um the two proposals coming in and then um and I think you already answered the questions about uh if it's residential six uh clients or less just about any household. So, we make sure that we work with the folks on marketing because in every neighborhood that somebody wants to go in, guess what? The neighbors are going to come in. What are you doing? There's going to be 10 people parked here every day now because this house has all these people coming in and out all day long. So, um we need to also be prepared and work with wherever's coming in and work with that neighborhood. it must be it'd be nice if it was accepted and appreciated rather than um argued with. So, uh we need to think about a marketing plan going into this situation if it's going to be residential, especially in our traditional single family home neighborhoods. All of a sudden, this is a culde-sac and you're going to move what into my neighborhood and and parking is already limited a little bit really. Um, so that battle, uh, they we need to at least have folks have a voice and have encouragement to find the right house in the right place so the

neighbors accept it. So that's going to be a hard part right there. But that that's going to be a battle, but I just want to make sure we're aware of it and take care of it. Um, so but those are the comments I have right now and we just have a high need. We need to get as much of this the lower level also senior living, the residential and the higher. need all of that as fast and as soon as possible because of our population is aging. Thank you.

I appreciate um your comments on need. That's really critical in a in the community and of the points you made. It sounded like you were satisfied with the ordinance regarding design spar process being included and um and it was uh recommendation to planning for outreach when when applicants come in and things. But I didn't quite uh hear where you landed on downtown parking. Was there a question or was it

um sort of like well something I would like us to think about is if we have a situation of of senior living that's being provided that's has um is it senior condos basically just u basically dining and some maybe some athletics and then everybody's on their own. that next level up of residential care. Um, currently if having that one parking space is going to prevent anybody from even looking at a property in the downtown area because there's not enough parking because it's not going to be able to meet that standard of one per for for the 30 units that want to build into a single building. So, um, so are we stopping at downtown or are we going to allow that downtown and have them um, so it's all totally val and Uber and Lyft? is going to be adequate for that or are we just going to say, "Hey, stay out of downtown." Um, so I just thought I'd just bring that up and see what how the council

I think I understand your point now. Um, Council Member Quint, anything on this one? Yeah. Um, for me, I wanted to It was It was a shame that Council Member Now left. I wanted to appreciate the comments that she made with the shuttle. I thought that was very insightful. Um, beyond that, I think it's a slam dunk. Um, we need housing. We need housing desperately. Um, and uh, this is one measure to help make it easier to build housing. So, thank you very much. Do you want to make uh, that first comment one more time?

I would I wanted to express my appreciation for your comment on the shuttle. I thought it was insightful and and u anyway, I just appreciated it. Thank you. And um from here, Vice Mayor,

I just I just want to get a little bit of clarification on the parking with residential because I I thought I understood you said a six-bedroom house would have six parking spots. Um but then I don't know if maybe there's a difference between um bedrooms and clients at facilities because then in here it it in um the proposed changes talks about two spaces for the first six clients and then an additional quarter space for every client thereafter. So the two covered spaces or uncovered spaces for the six first six clients that's in the non-residential zones. um and then one space for every four clients on top of that in the single family or multifamily residential zones. Um so for a facility with up to 10 clients, it's the base single family or multifamily parking standard applies. So the base standard uh for a single family home is three parking spaces. Uh if you have a four bedroomedroom house or larger for every bedroom, it's an additional parking space. So uh a five bedroomedroom house would be five parking spaces, six bedroom, six spaces, so on. Um so it's not tied to to clients um until you get up to 10 clients. And then if you have more than 10 clients then it's one for every four on top of whatever number of bedroom count you have. So whatever the base requirement is.

Okay. And then in in residential are bedrooms allowed to be bisected or or you know to have one bedroom but two people in it a wall or however that's set up and then

is that factored into parking too? So you you could have so there either private rooms where there's one occupant per room or uh you have semi-private rooms where you have two uh two people in a room. I don't know if there are state requirements in terms of minimum bedroom size for these types of facilities. I'd imagine there are um and I believe there are under the building code there's a minimum bedroom size requirement. Uh, council member or I'm sorry, vice mayor. I also I also think it's important to recognize that in our residential zoning districts, the state does not allow us to regulate other than what we would regulate for a residential use. So, we we don't really the state doesn't give us any flexibility on parking in residential zoning districts. It's whatever we require for a residential dwelling unit also applies to a residential care facility.

Okay. Thank you. Um I mean the kind of the way I feel about this is I think the minimum is too low and I think I' I'd be much more apt to support it if if it were 75 or one or something higher. Um, I think it's interesting that we have two applicants right now kind of on opposite sides of the spectrum where you have one that wants, you know, a lot of parking and then you have one that says they can't do it with the minimum as it is. Um, so I I think that I think that would be an or would have been an interesting opportunity to analyze that a little bit more coming into this and see what the constraints or circumstances were between those two. Um, but I mean, nonetheless, it it seems to me that the minimum is is low. And, you know, looking at going back to the zoning questions I had, I think I think, you know, this allows us to be a little bit too free with stuff. And you know, and I mean, downtown's always the example, but there's other areas of of mixed use where, you know, this might this might become a problem or or some an unintended consequence or something we didn't desire, you know. And then at the same time too um you know our our commercial zones um in Paluma having such a desire now to to build our economy and and you know bring back business and everything. Um, I also don't not sure that we should be opening up commercial to something like this, you know, and and I do acknowledge that there is a need for more care facilities in Paluma, but um, this this seems like too broad of a plan at this point to support it.

Thank you. Um I got um I'm going to weigh in now and and um I kind of um agree with you on uh the point that um um we're opening up an awful lot of opportunity for residential. I mean anything could go into residential now and and that sort of to Mr. Rakisen's point too where um there's just so much going in and um you know we we have conversations going on about um shuttering um u commercial space demoing act uh existing vacant commercial and turning it into residential um and um yet I'm not seeing any housing being built. I mean not not not to any substance. Um you know a lot of what the public and u ourselves feel is traffic and we feel parking things like that but we have a housing crisis and that's kind of where my front of mind is is that we have affordability crisis housing crisis and um I don't want this to um um be solely a conversation about parking. Uh I I think um as pointed out by uh council member Shri um this is all integrated into better housing policy. Um as seniors move in in here this is opportunity. It's need in that uh as you age you do have different housing needs. But it's also right now if you don't move out of the big house you raise the kids in then um new families don't come in and and that's problematic in our community. And um and so it does provide opportunities. And so I think we're fishing around for better ways to create housing to occur on so many different levels. And um streamlining this and finding out if we get one more applicant next year, one applicant this year is is is wonderful,

but shall we say not impactful to the need to basis of need. Um, I I also think that um as we talk about all this parking and whatnot the other day with the transit meeting that occurred, um, we were talking about the dollars for Luma Go or they were talking about the dollars for Lumigo or transit routes and things like this without overtly saying it's housing policy. You know, we can't just cut a bus route because we don't have the money for the bus route. They have to say we're cutting busers and that impacts our housing policy and it impacts our climate policy and all these things are tied together. And I my take on this is I I I just want to see one good thing happen. I don't have a fear that every possible thing will happen. I I I want to see one more new project come in and I think this will help. Council member Barnacle.

Yeah, I appreciate the comments from my colleagues. Um, so I think absolutely this is a housing policy. Um, if we see unintended consequences from these things, we can, you know, we're not going to see them in such wide swaths that like, oh my gosh, now we've got, you know, 50 applications for residential care facilities next week and our planning department's overrun and, you know, we're really, really in a hurt. We're going to see something that happens and we're going to change our our policies. Um, right now what we're seeing is our policies are preventing us from getting this. Um, and so that's, you know, one of the reasons why I feel comfortable with this because I I would love to be on the other side of something and seeing the other problem, right? Um, in terms of, you know, downtown and things like that, I absolutely want to see more housing downtown. I would love to see people downsizing from the suburbs and, you know, going and living in walkable areas and more social environments where they can, you know, play chess on the chess tables that hardly ever get used, you know, things like that. So, um, with that, um, I'm going to make a motion for to adopt this and, um, hopefully we see support

and we have a motion by Barnacle and Council Shri before I second it. One more question just to answer clarification. No, we do. You want to do the second first and then hit the question? Okay. Yes. Go. I would like to second the motion. Thank you. And then your question. Just for clarification of parking, um there's usually in residentials there's a two-car garage and a twocar apron in front of that garage. Does that count as two or four parking spaces, especially when the garage is full of supplies? And I'm going to ask staff to um repeat back the question. The the mic wasn't on and so I wanted to be captured.

Sure. So, the the question that the council member posed was if we have a residential uh dwelling unit with a twocar garage and then two tandem parking spaces or or sidebyside parking spaces rather in front of the garage. Does that count as two parking spaces or four? The answer is it would count as four parking spaces. However, if the garage is multi-purposed, shall we say, for something other than parking, then do we reduce that to two parking spaces? And the answer is no. we uh we would still count it as four.

So anyway, that that's one of the the problems I'm seeing. Someone could just have um if that's counted as parking, then they could just have a not even an apron, just a two-car garage right on the street and that's kind of and they fill it up with storage and there's zero parking in actuality. So I would prefer if if there's in the rule a parking space is a parking space for a car, not a storage. If their intent is is the garage is going to use a storage, that does not count as parking. That must be one of the requirements put in if that's the intent. Sure. Under state law, council member, then we would have to make that regulation for the entire city for any residential use. It can't just be for uh residential care. That might be worthwhile doing actually.

Can I Okay, council member Quinn. Um what what's the official term? Call the question. Can we vote? Yep. There you go. I I think that's a thing. And uh so we have a motion by Barnacle and second by Shribs. And uh may we have our roll call vote, please? Barnacle, I. Gator Thompson, yes. Now, uh D Carly, no. Now, yes. Quint, yes. Shribs, yes. McDonald, yes. Motion carries with Council Member Darly voting no. Thank you very much. Um, Council Member K Thompson,

I just want to make a comment that when the Deer Creek Shopping Center was being developed, uh, former mayor David Glass really pushed for a facility like this and it went down and now here we're reversing everything because what was done then really inhibited housing and the housing at Deer Creek was not allowed either and then that was reversed. So, this is just another world goes around, doesn't it? Yes. So, um I think that uh heads us towards the adjournment of our meeting, but before we close, I just want to mention one more time that we're closing in honor of Sid Lipton and his long service and long life in Paluma. Thank you very much. This meeting is adjourned.