Special Meeting Minutes 2/14/2025 Page 1 of 5
The following information comprises the minutes for a regular meeting of the City Council, a joint meeting of the Banning City Council and Banning Utility Authority and a joint meeting of the Banning City Council and the Banning City Council sitting in its capacity as the Successor Agency Board.
MINUTES 2/14/2025
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Council Member Cynthia Barrington Mayor Sheri Flynn
Council Member Leroy Miller
Mayor Pro Tem Richard Royce
Council Member Colleen Wallace
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Laurie Sampson, Assistant City Manager
` John Pinkney, Interim City Attorney
Vickie Sellers, City Clerk
Caroline Patton, Administrative City Clerk
John Garside, Multimedia Specialist
Lincoln Bogard, Administrative Services Director
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Flynn called the regular meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
1.1. Roll Call
COUNCIL MEMBER PRESENT: ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
• John Hagen said he urges the council to appoint an Interim City Manager who is independent of the current staff to ensure a transparent investigation into financial mismanagement. He cautions against selecting insiders and suggests considering someone like Bob Fisher to help uncover the full truth and support a fresh start for the city.
• Frank Connolly thanked the City of Banning for taking action to address ongoing issues, including partnering with nearby cities for animal control services. He urges caution in how meeting minutes are documented, emphasizing legal compliance with the Brown Act. While respecting a previous speaker’s concerns, he notes that Lincoln helped uncover serious problems in the utility department and has contributed positively to the city’s cleanup efforts.
• Bill Hobbs expressed gratitude to city officials and support for Lincoln Bogart and Robert Fisher, hoping for positive change in Banning. He emphasized the need for more diverse business development.
• Laura Leindecker expressed support for the City Manager and said she will support the council’s decision for the city.
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3. CLOSED SESSION
3.1 PUBLIC EMPLOYEE APPOINTMENT
Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957
Title: Acting City Manager
The Administrative City Clerk left the meeting early due not feeling well.
4. REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION
John Pinkney, Interim City Attorney, reported that for agenda item 3.1 the Council interviewed Art Vela, Robert Fisher, Lincoln Bogard, and David Newell and reportable action was taken.
Motion to appoint Robert Fisher as Acting City Manager.
Motion by Mayor Flynn
Seconded by Council Member Barrington
COUNCIL MEMBER YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
Motion approved by a vote of 3-2-0.
5. APPOINTMENTS
5.1. Appoint Two by Two Committee Members to Meet with Beaumont regarding Animal Control and Animal Shelter Options
John Pinkney, City Attorney recused himself for item 5.1 because he also serves as a City Attorney for the City of Beaumont.
Public Comments
No Public Comments
Council Member Miller expressed concern about not being included in recent ad hoc committee discussions with the City of Beaumont, despite previously being appointed to represent Banning in intercity matters. He stated that if he’s not going to be included in these discussions, he would prefer to be removed from the position and replaced.
Councilmember Barrington offered to switch roles.
Mayor Flynn clarified that the committee appointments had already been made based on the impacted districts and noted the importance of maintaining compliance with the Brown Act by having only two council members on each ad hoc committee.
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Council member Royce confirmed that the ad hoc committees are topic-specific and separate from the broader committee Councilmember Miller was originally appointed to.
Councilmember Miller confirmed his desire to be removed.
Motion to appoint Mayor Flynn and Council Member Barrington to the Ad Hoc committee for Animal Control and Animal Shelter Services.
Motion by Mayor Flynn
Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Royce
COUNCIL MEMBER YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
Motion approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
6. REPORT OF OFFICERS
6.1 Consideration of Resolution 2024-22, Establishing a Policy to Draft Summary Meeting Minutes, and Repealing City Council Resolution 1995-21; and Resolution 2025-23, Amending the City of Banning Manual of Procedural Guidelines to Update the Form of Meeting Minutes to Summary Minutes Lincoln Bogard, Administrative Services Director, presented the staff report.
Public Comments
• Frank Connolly said he wants to make sure the city is adhering to the Brown Act and the cost of city staff to complete meeting minutes. • Kathleen Dale said she wasn’t clear on the difference between action vs summary minutes. The minutes are not prepared in a way that allows someone to review them and clearly understand what is being discussed.
Councilmembers discussed the limitation of the current meeting minutes, noting they lack clarity and detail, making it difficult to understand what actions were taken or what positions were expressed. They mentioned a past attempt to use AI for transcription, which wasn’t accurate enough at the time. The discussion emphasized the value of summary minutes that include key points such as reasons for votes and public opinion (for or against). It was also noted that action minutes only show decisions made, not the reasoning for discussion. The council supported improving the minutes to enhance transparency without making them overly detailed.
Motion to adopt Resolution 2025-22
Motion by Council Member Miller
Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Royce
COUNCIL MEMBER YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
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Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
Motion approved by a vote of 4-1-0.
Motion to adopt Resolution 2025-23.
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Royce
Seconded by Council Member Miller
COUNCIL MEMBER YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
Motion approved by a vote of 4-1-0.
7. DISCUSSION ITEM(S)
7.1 Discussion of Signature Authority for Warrants Drawn on the City for Payments Lincoln Bogard, Administrative Services Director, presented the staff report. He referenced the relevant section of the municipal code which states that, unless changed by ordinance or resolution, the default check signers are the Mayor and the City Clerk. Some cities alternatively designate the Mayor and the Treasurer. The City Council has discretion to modify the authorized signers by formal action.
Council approval is required for the current signature card. If the Council wishes to change who signs the check, a resolution will need to be brought forward and passed before updating the signature cards.
Public Comment
• Sue Savage, City Treasurer, addressed the Council to advocate for a more legal, transparent, and accountable financial process in the City of Banning. She said there is a need to end the informal practice and adhere strictly to government codes and procedures.
The process should begin with authorization by the Mayor and City Clerk. The City Treasurer, an elected official, should issue checks only after full legal authorization and verification.
Checks are currently signed by two non-elected citizens, who lack the legal authority to approve expenditure. The existing process lacks transparency, with many payments made without prior Council review or public oversight. One example is the Zen City contract.
A suggestion was made to add a regular Treasurer’s Report to future council agendas for ongoing transparency.
Concerns were raised about delaying payments due to an overly lengthy review process.
A suggestion was made to email warrant reports in advance to the Mayor and City Clerk allowing time to review and flag concerns before formal approval without delaying operations.
The Interim City Attorney clarified that the law does not require the Treasurer to sign checks, but the Council can choose to include the Treasurer as a signer.
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It was recommended to have two signers for internal control, suggesting either, Mayor + Treasurer, or all three – Mayor, Clerk, and Treasurer, with flexibility depending on or availability or emergencies.
New Warrant and Review Process:
The Mayor and City Clerk will receive warrants before payment. They will have 2-3 days to review and flag any concerns, if there is no response within the time limit, staff may proceed.
The City Treasurer will also be sent the warrants for review but will not officially authorize at this stage. This gives the Treasurer visibility and an additional layer of oversight before issuing payments.
Payment Authorization: Checks will be signed by the Mayor and City Treasurer.
Next Step: Staff will draft a policy or ordinance revision reflecting this process and return to Council for formal adoption at a future meeting.
Motion to adjourn.
Motion by Mayor Flynn
Seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Royce
COUNCIL MEMBER YES NO ABSTAIN RECUSE ABSENT
Barrington, Cynthia
Flynn, Sheri
Miller, Leroy
Royce, Richard
Wallace, Colleen
Motion approved by a vote of 5-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.
Minutes Prepared by:
Sandra B. Calderon
Acting Administrative City Clerk
This entire meeting and all associated documents may be viewed here:
https://www.banningca.gov/906/Agendas-and-Minutes --- 2024-to-Present