The Cloverdale City Council meeting slated for this Wednesday, March 10 has a small agenda that packs a heavy punch. The council will be discussing its draft budget goal statements, reviewing the city’s new emergency operations plan and considering a resolution that defines the Cherry Creek Affordable Housing project as a priority for the council and authorizes the city to submit an application for a community development block grant for the project.
The public session of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. and the meeting will be viewable either by Zoom or on the city’s YouTube page. To view the full meeting agenda, click here.
As part of the meeting, the council will have its regular student liaison report. It will also be issuing a proclamation declaring March 2021 as Women’s History Month in Cloverdale.
The council will be considering the following items under its consent calendar:
● Approving the Feb. 24 council meeting minutes
● Authorizing participation in the Employment Risk Management Authority for employment practices liability
● Resolution approving a pre-annexation agreement with the Six Acres Water Company
● Resolution approving an agreement with Axon Enterprises, Inc. for the purchase of police department tasers and upgraded body-worn cameras and equipment
Budget goals
Every year, the Cloverdale City Council discusses and adopts the goal statements it wants to use to help guide how it allocates its money. At Wednesday’s meeting, the council will give direction to city staff about the draft budget goal statements for the next (2021-22) fiscal year.
Per the council agenda item, the goals set for the 2020-21 budget include: economic recovery, revenue enhancement, public safety and emergency preparedness, housing and homelessness, infrastructure and technology and planning and sustainability.
As part of this agenda item, the council will also be reviewing the budget calendar and viewing a presentation about council goal setting and the budget process.
Emergency operation plan
Over the past year, the Cloverdale Police Department has been at work updating the city’s emergency operations plan, which was last updated in 2007. The council will be presented with the emergency operations plan and review it for possible approval.
“Although the outdated plan includes the functions and principles of the California Standardized Emergency Management System (EMS), National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command Structure (ICS), it lacked a comprehensive approach to identifying strategic goals and objectives necessary to address significant emergencies the community has experienced within the past five years,” the agenda item background states.
Because of this, coupled with Sonoma County being struck by numerous fires, floods, power shutoffs and a pandemic in the past handful of years, the updated emergency operation plan further addresses how the city will respond in the face of disaster.
Perhaps one of the more notable aspects of the plan is a new evacuation plan system — the previous plan didn’t include evacuation routes — that identifies zone boundaries within the city and evacuation routes.
Cherry Creek funding
The council will be voting to authorize submitting an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for the 2021-22 year in the hopes of receiving a community development block grant of $600,000 to help with funding the Cherry Creek affordable housing project.
According to the council agenda packet, past grants have helped fund the pedestrian and sidewalk improvements to South Cloverdale Boulevard between Citrus Fair Drive and South Franklin Street and pedestrian improvements at Healdsburg Avenue and South Cloverdale Boulevard.
“The Cherry Creek Supportive Housing project has been reviewed and approved by the planning commission. The city council has reviewed and approved several agreements related to the project including a lease agreement for the property, affordable housing agreement, development agreement, grant agreement and pre-development loan agreement. At this point the project is close to obtaining a building permit with construction scheduled for this year.
The city’s financial commitment to the Cherry Creek Supportive Housing project is summarized below:
1. $1.9 million loan from unspent bond proceeds, and additional sources.
2. $250,000 pre-development loan to be paid from the city’s inclusionary housing fund.
3. Long-term land lease for the use of the site.
Despite the city’s and other funding commitments, the project continues to have a gap in funding. The aim is to fill the gap with CDBG funding,” the council agenda states.
