The Sebastopol City Council is meeting virtually Tuesday night, July 7 at 6 p.m. You can watch it live, or watch a recording of it after the meeting occurs.
Here’s what’s on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting:
As part of its consent calendar, the council will be considering the following items as part of its consent calendar:
- Approval of minutes for the June 16 and June 23 council meetings
- Approval of the 2020-21 city budget schedule
- Approval of the extension of Emergency Proclamation of Local Emergency issued by the director of emergency services
Talking tobacco
The council will be receiving an informational presentation from the Gravenstein Health Action Coalition, in collaboration with Tobacco-Free Sonoma County Community Coalition, and will consider if it wants to direct staff to prepare a tobacco retail license ordinance. The recommendations for a potential tobacco retail license include 10 provisions to the license, such as: restricting flavored tobacco products, banning the sale of all nicotine e-cigarettes, restricting retailers from accepting or offering tobacco discounts or coupons, setting a minimum price of cigarettes and a minimum size for little cigars, prohibiting tobacco sales in pharmacies, limiting the proximity that tobacco sales can happen near schools, not allowing licenses to new retailers whose inventory is half or more tobacco, not allowing any new tobacco retailers and not allowing retailers to transfer their tobacco licenses.
While the Gravenstein Health Action Coalition is recommending the retail license ordinance, the council would first have to vote to move on with next steps, before the council makes moves to possibly adopt an ordinance.
Promoting racial equity
The council will discuss and consider approving a resolution committing the city to promoting programs, services, policies and relationships that promote racial equity.
“Over the years, the city of Sebastopol has attempted to identify, as individuals and groups, what diversity, equity and inclusion mean to our organization and our community. Despite these efforts and intentions, this work has failed to achieve racial equity,” the draft resolution states in part. “The city intends to understand its relationship with race and must strive to gain a deeper understanding of actions and impacts. The efficacy of this work; to identify and track outcomes of racial equity work, must be reported to our community. Difficult questions must be considered, directed conversations must be engaged in, learning must continue and an unwavering commitment by all members of our community is needed.”
Black Lives Matter art proposal
A report from a Public Arts Committee meeting on Monday, July 6 will be given to the council. The committee will be discussing potential ideas for a Black Lives Matter art project. The commission will be presenting the council with its recommendation on the art proposal, and the council will be discussing details on the concept, as well as location and funding.
Small business loan program
On the heels of other California cities approving small business loans in the wake of the economic impact of COVID-19, the city of Sebastopol is considering doing the same. The city council will discuss and give direction on Sebastopol potentially adopting a similar program to ones seen locally in Healdsburg, or in cities like St. Helena or San Rafael.
In a draft loan program created by city staff, the program may have a tiered approach, with businesses with five or less full-time employees eligible to receive up to $5,000 and businesses with six to 25 full-time employees eligible to receive up to either $15,000 or $20,000. The draft has the suggested repayment terms for tier one businesses as three years and tier two businesses as five years.
Should the council move forward with creating a small business loan program, the funds would come out of the city’s unassigned general fund reserve.
Banner permits
The council will also be considering a resolution updating the city’s banner permit program. The council will also be discussing the city’s new “Shop/Savor/Play” banner series, which encourages people to patronize local businesses while marking the “grand reopening” of Sebastopol’s downtown.
