Alturas City Council
Special Meeting
City Hall Council Chambers
April 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m.
Alturas City Council Mayor Paul Minchella called the special meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. at the City Council Chambers. Councilmembers present: Paul Minchella, Jennifer Engel, Duanna Knighton, and Jodie Larranaga. Councilmembers absent: Brian Cox. Staff present: City Clerk Tacie Wheeler, City Treasurer Long, Director of Public Works Farnam, Fire Chief Lloyd. Public attending: 1.
All present joined together in the Pledge of Allegiance.
No public forum.
Discussion/action Item
Councilmember Engel says that she is on an Ad Hoc committee with Councilmember Larranaga that was formed almost a year ago. The City of Alturas does not need a full time manager/administrator, but it could have saved us a lot of money in investigations over the last year, and could really help mitigate some of the recent situations that have occurred in the office.
Councilmember Minchella asks about the increase in duties for Mr. Farnam, and if it decreases anyone else’s duties.
Councilmember Engel states that it will add some duties to Mr. Farnam, but it will not be taking away anyone else’s duties. It will also help alleviate some Council commissioner’s positions, as it will flow through just one person instead of 5.
Fire Chief Lloyd states that he read the job description and it states that the City Administrator would have direct supervision over the Fire Department. He states that their bylaws specifically state that they only report to Council. He says he will not report to a City manager; he will continue to report to Council. He adds that he trusts Mr. Farnam and works well with him, but down the road when Mr. Farnam retires and they get someone else in there is what he is worried about. He says that this is a small City, with a small amount of employees that has operated this long without a City Manager and does not see a reason to need one now.
Councilmember Engel says that she understands where he is coming from, but explains that we are one of the very few cities in California that do not have a City Manager. It provides continuity when we have new councilmembers every two years, and it will only be about 10% of Mr. Farnam’s job duties. She adds that this doesn’t have to be a permanent thing, either, so if Mr. Farnam quit tomorrow, this job duty could be pulled or changed to fit the City’s needs.
Director of Public Works Farnam states that this position will not be doing the budget for the Fire or Police departments, which are both general fund. Most of Public Works is restricted funds, so there is not a conflict of interest. He says this is a delicate job. There will still be department heads and staff reports and budget meetings. The City manager does not take on all of those things. Even still, in the end City Council will have the final says on matters, not the City Manager.
Fire Chief Lloyd says that the way the job description is written, the City Manager will be his direct supervisor, and it goes against their bylaws. It needs to be written differently.
Councilmember Engel says that they can word it differently so that it excludes the Fire Department.
Treasurer Long says that she has been against having a City Manager since she started. She does agree with Fire Chief Lloyd. However, recently, with some of the things that have happened in the office, she has changed her mind. She feels it would have been very beneficial to have had a City Manager to have a buffer with some of the happenings. She states that the City has a very young Police Chief with limited managerial experience. When she started, she did not have any managerial experience. She feels having a City Manager will be a great tool to have in these situations when maybe more managerial experience is needed.
MOTION by Councilmember Engel, SECONDED by Councilmember Knighton to approve the City Administrator job description with the following adjustments: under ‘Supervision Received and Exercised’ add a bullet point to say “Supervision will be reflected by the City Council approved organizational chart”, and to also add “community development pertaining to Planning and Building.” 3 AYES, 1 NO.
Discussion/action Item
Public Works Director Farnam starts his presentation and explains that there is a problem on the sewer main on 12th Street. They initiated pumping of it every four hours around the clock. The pipe is flowing now, but they don’t know how long it will last. They have already purchased the pope, but they need to contract out to excavate and set the pipe, help with tie ins and backfill/haul material. It will come out of the sewer fund.
They are looking at a soft estimate of $100,000. All the barriers still need to be figured out. He plans on calling every local contractor here to see who would be able to do it.
MOTION by Councilmember Knighton, SECONDED by Councilmember Engel to approve Resolution #2026-8 declaring an emergency condition and authorizing immediate repair of a collapsed sewer main between 12th and 13th Street without competitive bidding, pursuant to California Public Contract Code §22050. ALL AYES.
MOTION by Councilmember Larranaga, SECONDED by Councilmember Engel to go into closed session at 10:04 a.m.
Reconvened to open session at 10:28 a.m.
No action taken.
With no further business to come before City Council, MOTION by Councilmember Engel, SECONDED by Councilmember Larranaga to adjourn the meeting and to return in regular session on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 2:00 pm, City Hall. ALL AYES
Respectfully,
Tacie Wheeler
Tacie Wheeler
City Clerk