At its next meeting on Monday, Oct. 4, the Healdsburg City Council will be discussing next steps for the implementation of a universal/guaranteed basic income pilot program.
The council will also consider approving the contract renewal with the County of Sonoma for Healdsburg Fire Department protection services for Fitch Mountain and Dry Creek, the unincorporated areas of Healdsburg.
The meeting will start at 6 p.m. and will be held via Zoom.
Proclamations and presentations
The meeting will kick off with several proclamations including a proclamation declaring Oct. 14 Children’s Environmental Health Day in the city of Healdsburg and a proclamation declaring October 2021 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The council will also read a proclamation declaring Oct. 13 as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day in the city of Healdsburg.
Healdsburg City Manager Jeff Kay will provide an update on COVID-19 and the drought.
Universal basic income (UBI)
City staff will be asking for direction from the council on desired next steps in the implementation of a UBI pilot program including whether to issue a request for proposals and how to best incorporate community engagement into the process.
UBI is a guaranteed payment provided on a regular basis to each program participant. The goal of a UBI payment is to provide enough funds to cover basic costs of living and establish a level of financial security for recipients.
The concept of a UBI program, also known as guaranteed income, has been part of a larger budget discussion across multiple city council meetings.
On Sept. 7, the Healdsburg City Council voted to allocate $250,000 over the 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal years for the implementation of a UBI pilot program.
Since then, the city has received a UBI proposal from local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg. Corazón proposes to create and administer a program where Corazón would provide $500 a month to 50 families for 24 months.
The proposed program would be open to folks who meet each of the following criteria:
-City of Healdsburg residents who are pregnant in their first or second trimester and earn no more than 50% of the area median household income.
According to the agenda item report, the focus on pregnant women aligns with the parameters of an upcoming State of California funding opportunity.
As stated in the agenda report, “According to Corazón, ‘from 2018 to 2020, Healdsburg had 393 births of which 140, or 36%, were Medi-Cal births for Healdsburg residents. The Medi-Cal births during this time period serve as a proxy to estimate the potential pool of applicants that may be eligible to qualify for an income supplement program, which we estimate to be around 140 during this time period, or about 47 annually.”
The total program cost is estimated to be about $428,200 for a two-year program leaving $178,200 to be raised from non-city sources.
Fire services contract renewal
The city of Healdsburg Fire Department has been providing contractual fire services to Fitch Mountain and Dry Creek for almost three decades.
The current contract expired on June 30, 2021 and is up for a one-year renewal that would expire on June 30, 2022. The council will have to vote to approve the contract renewal.
The Fitch Mountain zone includes all unincorporated areas of Fitch Mountain. According to the agenda item report prepared by Healdsburg Fire Chief Jason Boaz, the zone generates an average of 44 calls annually.
Most of the calls are for hazardous conditions such as fallen trees and power lines.
The Dry Creek zone includes 65 square miles of unincorporated Sonoma County areas to the west of Healdsburg city limits. These areas include the lower Dry Creek Valley, Westside Road to Sweetwater Springs and the Mill Creek area. The Dry Creek area generates an average of 217 calls a year, with medical emergencies being the most common incident.
If the council doesn’t approve the contract renewal then the county would have to look at contracting fire protection services from other fire agencies and it would eliminate a general fund revenue source for the city.
