The Cloverdale City Council has a small but mighty agenda for its meeting Wednesday night, Jan. 25. The council is slated to discuss its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending plan, consider amending its decision to purchase a Portland Loo restroom for the Plaza and lastly, to review and consider options relating to the sale, possession and use of fireworks in town, including potentially placing a measure to ban fireworks on an upcoming ballot.
For full details on the meeting, which will be available to watch in-person or on YouTube or Zoom, view the agenda here.
ARPA Spending
As part of the American Rescue Plan Act, Cloverdale received $2 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, disbursed to the city in two pools — one in July 2021 and another in July 2022. The city has until the end of 2024 to obligate the funds and until the end of 2026 to spend them.
The city’s first spending allocation report is due to the state in April, and the updated funding matrix for the city’s ARPA funds is coming before the council for possible approval alongside a resolution approving a budget amendment incorporating ARPA funding into the city’s 2021-22 budget.
A restroom at the Plaza
The council will be discussing a potential amendment to its 2020 decision to purchase a prefabricated Portland Loo restroom in the Cloverdale City Plaza, potentially opting instead for a traditional prefabricated restroom.
“Staff had identified a product known as the Portland Loo which is considered a ‘bare necessities’ public restroom. The concept — which was designed and patented by the City of Portland, Oregon — is a stainless-steel facility with a single toilet and several other features that minimize opportunity for vandalism, bathing, extended occupancy and other undesirable activities. These facilities have been successfully installed in various California cities including nearby Emeryville, Monterey and Arcata with favorable results. The City of Santa Rosa has identified an installation site and will be procuring a Portland Loo for that site,” reads the background information on the item.
“Since that time, the Public Works subcommittee has provided staff direction to consider a more traditional restroom similar to the facility at Vintage Meadows Park. The thought was a more traditional restroom facility would provide more privacy and would be more appropriate for the City Plaza. Like the Portland Loo, traditional prefabricated restrooms are built off site and placed using a crane,” the agenda continues.
Three potential restroom options range in price from $149,945 to $274,000, with the Portland Loo coming in at the lowest end and two different traditional restroom models costing more.
Fireworks
Cloverdale is currently the only municipality in Sonoma County that allows the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks and, for the past few years, has been whether or not it wants to keep or amend its municipal code to continue allowing the use of legal fireworks.
At the request of both community members and the city council, city staff are bringing forward the options available to the council when it comes to addressing the use of fireworks.
As presented to the council in the agenda, city staff is seeking direction from the council regarding what step(s) they want to take when it comes to potentially regulating fireworks. Listed options include:
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Adopt an ordinance to amend the city’s municipal code to prohibit the sale and use of fireworks in the city.
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Prohibit the sale and use of fireworks in the city for one year under Cloverdale’s current municipal code.
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Place a ballot measure on an upcoming election to enable voters in the city to consider whether to prohibit the sale, possession and use of fireworks in Cloverdale.
As part of this option, the council can either place a council-sponsored measure on the ballot for voters to appeal, amend or enact an ordinance or place an advisory measure on any upcoming general municipal election, special election or established statewide election ballot.
If the council were to place a council-sponsored measure on the ballot, the council would draft a proposed fireworks ordinance and submit it to voters for possible approval. If the measure is approved by at least 50% of voters, it would take effect 10 days after the results of the election are certified.
If the council were to place an advisory measure on the ballot, it would seek voter opinion on whether to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale and use of legal fireworks in the city and seeks to inform the council on where the community stands, rather than have a legal or binding effect when it comes to the creation of an ordinance.
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Implement no changes, allowing permitted fireworks sales and use to continue.
In past discussions surrounding fireworks, the proponents of a ban on the sale and use have cited increased fire risk to the area. Opponents of the ban have cited the importance of local fireworks sales to some of Cloverdale’s service clubs who use fireworks sales as main fundraisers.
