CITY OF ARCATA
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
COUNCIL CHAMBER JANUARY 17, 2024
1 SPECIAL MEETING
A special meeting of the City Council of the City of Arcata was held on the above date at 5:27 p.m. with Mayor Matthews presiding. Notice of this meeting was posted on January 12, 2024.
PRESENT: Matthews, Stillman, Atkins-Salazar, Schaefer, White. ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Diemer, City Attorney White, Assistant City Manager/Personnel Director Demello.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was received.
CLOSED SESSION
A. EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1): City Manager.
The City Council met in closed session in the City Manager's Conference Room.
CLOSED SESSION REPORTS
A. EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)(1): City Manager.
The Council returned to the Council Chamber at 5:54 p.m.
RECESS: The Council recessed from 5:54 to 6:02 p.m.
Mayor Matthews stated there was nothing to report out from the closed session.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:03 p.m.
REGULAR MEETING
A regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Arcata was held on the above date at 6:03 p.m. as a hybrid meeting, via teleconference utilizing Zoom Video Communications and in person, with Mayor Matthews presiding. Notice of this meeting was posted on January 12, 2024.
PRESENT: Matthews, Stillman, Schaefer, White. ABSENT: Atkins-Salazar. STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Diemer, City Attorney White, Director of Community Development Loya, City Engineer Khatri, Finance Director Miller, Director of Environmental Services Sinkhorn, IT and Digital Media Specialist Carrillo, City Clerk Dory.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Mayor Matthews read a statement acknowledging that Arcata sat on ancestral Wiyot land.
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FLAG SALUTE
Mayor Matthews led the Pledge of Allegiance.
CEREMONIAL MATTERS
A. Proclamation Recognizing January 2024 as National Mentoring Month.
Councilmember Stillman read the proclamation and presented it to Executive Director of Big Brothers/Big Sisters Florence Parks, who, along with the first Lunch Buddy for Sunset Elementary School, Vonnie Fiero, Heather Markson and Ivory Browning, spoke about the benefits and importance of mentoring.
REPORT BY COMMISSION/COMMITTEE
A. Receive Annual Report from the Planning Commission.
Scott Davies, Chairperson of the Planning Commission, gave an oral version of the Commission's annual report to the Council.
EARLY ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Mayor Matthews invited public comment.
Maureen Kane urged the Council to adopt a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza.
Scott McBain distributed pictures of flooding on Jolly Giant Creek during the rainstorm and high tides on January 13, 2024.
An unidentified member of the audience encouraged the Council to adopt a cease fire resolution for Palestine.
Paul Pitino stated "cease fire" and "no judgment."
Shannon Townsend requested the Council adopt a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza.
Fred Weis listed several items pertinent to the Gateway Area Plan that he had not seen come to fruition, i.e., Terner Labs, 3-D visualization, work product from PlanWest Partners, etc.
Tamar thanked the Council for not putting a cease fire resolution on an agenda.
Mayor Matthews closed Early Oral Communications.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Matthews invited public comment.
Joanne McGarry requested item F be removed from the Consent Calendar for further discussion.
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Mayor Matthews closed the public comment period.
ON MOTION BY SCHAEFER, SECONDED BY WHITE, AND WITH A FOUR-TOZERO VOICE VOTE WITH ONE ABSENCE, THE COUNCIL ADOPTED THE CONSENT CALENDAR FOR JANUARY 17, 2024, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEM F. APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF ONE FORD F350 WITH SUMMIT TRUCK BODY ($134,526.32, INCLUDING TAX AND FREIGHT) AND AWARD PURCHASE CONTRACT TO HARPER MOTORS; AND AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS. AYES: MATTHEWS, STILLMAN, SCHAEFER, WHITE. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: ATKINS-SALAZAR.
ABSTENTIONS: NONE.
A. Approve the Minutes of the City Council Meeting of January 3, 2024.
B. Bi-Weekly Report on Disbursements.
C. Adopt Ordinance No. 1566, An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Arcata Amending the Arcata Municipal Code Title II, Chapter 10, to Make Biennial Consumer Price Index Adjustments to Campaign Contribution Limitations; Waive Reading of the Text and Consent to Read by Title Only.
D. Authorize Investment in the California Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System (CLASS).
E. Authorize Investment in California Asset Management Program (CAMP).
F. Item VIII-F was moved to Items Removed from Consent Calendar.
G. Adopt Resolution No. 234-27 Approving an Application for Funding and the Execution of a Standard Agreement and Any Amendments Thereto from the 2023 CalHOME Homeownership Program Super NOFA.
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR
F. Approve the Purchase of One Ford F350 with Summit Truck Body ($134,526.32, Including Tax and Freight) and Award Purchase Contract to Harper Motors; and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Applicable Documents.
Mayor Matthews invited public comment.
Joanne McGarry asked for a report on the status of the City's fleet.
Mayor Matthews closed the public comment period.
ON MOTION BY SCHAEFER, SECONDED BY STILLMAN, AND WITH A FOUR-TOZERO VOICE VOTE WITH ONE ABSENCE, THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE PURCHASE OF ONE FORD F350 WITH SUMMIT TRUCK BODY ($134,526.32)
INCLUDING TAX AND FREIGHT) AND AWARDED THE PURCHASE CONTRACT TO HARPER MOTORS; AND AUTHORIZED THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE January 17, 2024
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ALL APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS. AYES: MATTHEWS, STILLMAN, SCHAEFER, WHITE. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: ATKINS-SALAZAR. ABSTENTIONS: NONE.
OLD BUSINESS
A. Consider Inclusionary Zoning Policy.
Director of Community Development Loya said the City Council asked the Planning Commission to include a moderate income rental component to inclusionary zoning. He corrected a mistake in the staff report in Table 6 stating that the state density bonus limits were not raised. He explained recent changes in state density bonus law noting that theoretically a developer could attain a 200 percent density bonus. Additionally, the new law added additional concessions. He laid out the Planning Commission's inclusionary zoning requirement proposal of very low income at 3 percent, low income at 6 percent and median income at 10 percent, and the inclusionary zoning requirement would be triggered for developments of 30 units or more.
He said every single project that would be subject to the City's inclusionary zoning requirement would be required to provide 13 to 16 percent of the units as inclusionary.
Mayor Matthews invited public comment.
Joanne McGarry said we want a community that can live safely, sanely, and affordably, and includes affordable housing for as many people as possible.
Gregory Daggett recommended the Council invite local developers to talk to the Council about their ability to build housing and how restrictions would affect that.
Fred Weis recommended the City get help with this as he felt the numbers were not accurate. He said the goal was to create housing people could live in.
Mayor Matthews closed the public comment period.
The Councilmembers expressed a desire to hear from local developers about affordable housing being built in Arcata and inclusionary zoning.
ON MOTION BY SCHAEFER, SECONDED BY WHITE, AND WITH A FOUR-TOZERO VOICE VOTE WITH ONE ABSENCE, THE COUNCIL DECIDED TO
MAINTAIN THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDED INCLUSIONARY ZONING LIMITS OF THREE PERCENT (3%) FOR VERY LOW INCOME, SIX PERCENT (6%) FOR LOW INCOME AND 10 PERCENT (10%) FOR MEDIAN
INCOME, AND LOWER THE THRESHOLD RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION FROM 30 UNITS TO 15 UNITS. AYES: MATTHEWS, STILLMAN, SCHAEFER, WHITE. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: ATKINS-SALAZAR.
ABSTENTIONS: NONE.
City Manager Diemer said she would contact developers inviting them to contact Council members individually.
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ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
Mayor Schaefer invited public comment.
An unidentified member of the audience encouraged the Council to adopt a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza.
Andy Rostad suggested Arcata change its name back to Goudi'ni.
Joanne McGarry said she had been disappointed in Arcata and asked what the children would say about Arcata and what it did or did not do about the children in Gaza.
An unidentified member of the audience requested the Council put a cease fire resolution on its next agenda.
Gregory Daggett spoke about his disappointment that traffic laws were not better enforced in Arcata. He said he would have to report this to the Attorney General's office.
An unidentified member of the audience urged the Council to adopt the cease fire resolution put forth by the Redwood Peace and Justice Coalition.
Jeffrey Harris said a lasting cease fire must not be put into place until Hamas had been eliminated. He read a history of Israel and the Middle East.
Fred Weis reminded the Council that Arcata's Housing Element stated 20 percent of the Gateway housing would be deed restricted to residents with income below 80 percent of the area median income. He said the Gateway Area Plan process had not been transparent.
Mayor Matthews closed Oral and Written Communications.
COUNCIL AND STAFF REPORTS
A. Receive an Update from City Engineer Netra B. Khatri on the Eighth and Ninth Streets Improvement Project.
Assistant City Engineer Caisse gave the Council an update on the Eighth and Ninth Streets Improvement Project. He said the City had received an $850,000 Infill and Infrastructure Grant.
He said the project included sidewalk improvements, sidewalk widening, raised intersections, and opportunity zones for art or events. He said the project was awarded in September 2023, work had begun in October, and currently all of the hardscape improvements were installed— bulb-outs, concrete work, and reduced number of driveways in/out of the Co-op. He said the contractor was currently waiting on delivery of the enhanced flashing beacons for Eighth Street.
Engineer Caisse said the next step was to apply a slurry seal and then new paint markings, weather permitting. He announced and Eighth and Ninth Streets would soon become one-way streets, just as soon as there was two to three days of good weather to allow the final work to be completed.
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B. Other Council and Staff Reports.
Councilmember White reported on her attendance at a Chamber of Commerce Mixer, a Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration on January 15, 2024, at the Community Center, and a meeting of the Homelessness and Housing Working Group.
Councilmember Stillman said she, too, had attended the Chamber Mixer. She announced the Council office at the Intermodal Transit Facility would be ready soon.
Mayor Matthews said she had an upcoming meeting of the Housing, Community and Economic Development Policy Committee at CalCities. She reported on her attendance at a meeting of the Humboldt Waste Management Authority. She said she would like to see an agenda item to discuss renaming the D Street Neighborhood Center. She said she would be participating in the Point-in-Time Count on January 23, 2024. She announced the City had several openings on committees.
Councilmember Schaefer reported on her attendance at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bridget Dory
City Clerk