Sept. 23 meeting will also cover waste collection rates, Home Sonoma County program, temporary housing urgency ordinance, among other items
The city council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 23 is chock-full of items that span a variety of subject matter.
The meeting will be held virtually over Zoom and broadcast on YouTube starting at 6 p.m. To view the agenda, click here.
The following items are on the consent calendar for the meeting:
● Approval of the minutes for the Sept. 9 council meeting
● Resolution approving a new annual maintenance services agreement with Miksis Services, Inc to provide sewer maintenance and rehabilitation
● Amending the 2020-21 budget to incorporate a contract with Andersen Excavation to remove the trailer at city hall
● Resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a professional services agreement with Moe Engineering, Inc to provide a feasibility study for the Cherry Creek Reservoir Added Storage Capacity project
● Requesting the city council award the purchase of Neptune water meter registers to replace existing registers that are no longer functional
● Resolution authorizing the city manager to purchase routine goods for Public Works
Proclamation and Presentations
The council will be issuing a proclamation declaring Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as Latino Heritage Month. It will also be proclaiming September as National Suicide Awareness Month.
Additionally, the council will be receiving a presentation by Sonoma County Regional Parks about establishing Russian River access between the former Preston Bridge and the Mendocino County line. On Oct. 7, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution accepting the deed the county is acquiring underneath a 48-acre county easement that will allow it to develop and manage a new access point for the river.
Bob Lagomarsino will also be presenting an update on the city’s local hazard mitigation plan preparation. Earlier this summer, the city conducted an open survey to residents to try and get a feel for how community members prioritized local emergency preparation.
New Business
As part of its regular agenda, the council will be viewing a presentation from OpenGov about a software that can be used by the city to help with budgeting and planning, licensing and code enforcement, as well as permitting. Information about OpenGov has been making its way through the city’s Finance, Administration and Police Subcommittee for the past few months and will be coming to the council for approval of a five-year software services agreement.
A resolution approving the solid waste, composting and recycling rates for the city will be brought forward. The solid waste rates were previously adjusted in September 2019. In July, Recology Sonoma Marin submitted a rate increase with new rates to the city, effective Sept. 1.
The council is being asked to give direction on whether or not to extend or terminate an urgency ordinance adopted on Oct. 8, 2017 following the Sonoma County Complex Fire. The urgency ordinance was extended for one year in 2019, and is set to expire on Oct. 23. Measures adopted in the temporary housing ordinance allow multi-family residential uses in the service commercial zoning district subject to obtaining plot plan approval, allow the use of recreational vehicles on private property in every district except downtown commercial, and reduce impact fees for new accessory dwelling units.
It will also have a discussion on the roles and responsibilities of Home Sonoma County regarding homelessness.
Home Sonoma County was created in 2018 to serve as the county’s formal structure for issues related to homelessness that would help it coordinate its response. While Home Sonoma County has been in place since 2018, discussions about restructuring its leadership council are ongoing and cities throughout the county are being approached to give feedback on how it should be restructured. Namely, the leadership council has a majority of its representatives from the county’s two largest jurisdictions — Santa Rosa and Petaluma — concerns about adequate representation for the smaller cities in the county have been raised and, in February 2020, the Mayors and Councilmembers Association expressed a desire to have the council include representation from each of the county’s cities.
