Sebastopol City Council Preview

The Sebastopol City Council convenes for a regular meeting at 6 p.m., Jan. 19 over Zoom for a largely report-laden assembly.
According to the agenda, the meeting will kick off with presenting a certificate of appreciation to Engineering Manager Henry Mikus in recognition of his retirement and another certificate of appreciation to honor outgoing Design Review Board member Gregory Beale.
Following public comment for items not included in the agenda, the council will address the consent calendar to approve the minutes of the Jan. 5 regular city council meeting and the Jan. 13 special city council meeting, the agenda said.
In addition, the consent calendar slates a notice of completion for the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center bathroom renovation for approval, along with approval to allow city manager and attorney Larry McLaughlin to sign the Water Upgrades $ave Master Agreement for services and adopt a resolution that creates the Water Upgrades $ave program’s fee schedule.
The Water Upgrades $ave program is a regional efficient water utilities plan designed to meet state conservation goals and regulations, run by the Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA), the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), according to the RCPA government website. 
Councilmembers will then receive a receipt of presentation and acceptance of Sebastopol’s annual audit for the year ending June 30, 2020, the agenda said.
Next, the council will hear a report from its Housing Sub-Committee and another from consulting firm CoMission on business council activities and survey information. The city contracted CoMission in 2020 for economic development and community vitality work, according to reporting by Sonoma West Times & News last May. The agenda did not specify whether the CoMission report pertains to its business or residential survey or both.
At Mayor Una Glass’ request, the council is scheduled to discuss and consider a letter of support for the Sonoma County West County Transient Occupancy Tax Measure, the agenda said. The measure up for a March vote proposes an additional 4% west county lodging tax to primarily fund the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District’s consolidation into the Sonoma County Fire District and the West Sonoma County Union School District’s efforts to hold off consolidation, according to the Board of Supervisors’ Ordinance No. 6330 and reporting by Sonoma West Times & News in December, 2020.
The meeting will conclude with reports from McLaughlin and clerk Mary Gourley, Glass and other council members on agency, committee and subcommittee developments and potential directions for representatives, the agenda said.