MINUTES OF OCTOBER 17, 2023
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
CORTE MADERA TOWN COUNCIL
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1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Mayor Lee called the Meeting of the Town Council to order at Town Hall Council Chambers, 240 Tamal Vista Blvd., Ste. 108, Corte Madera, CA on October 17, 2023 at 6:30pm.
Councilmembers Present: Mayor Lee, Vice Mayor Beckman, Councilmembers Casissa, Ravasio, and Thomas
Councilmembers Absent: None
Staff Present: Town Manager Adam Wolff
Assistant Town Manager Rebecca Vaughn
Town Attorney Amy Ackerman
Acting Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barry
Public Works Director R.J. Suokko
Town Clerk/Assistant to the Town Manager Lorena Barrera
2. OPEN TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 1 individual:
• Kevin Saavedra
Mayor Lee closed public comment and moved on to the next item.
3. PRESENTATIONS: None
4. CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Lee asked if there were public comments or requests from the public for removal of items from the Consent Calendar.
Councilmember Casissa asked to remove item 4.C. from the Consent Calendar.
There was no public comment and there were no requests from members of public to pull items from the Consent Calendar.
Mayor Lee closed public comment.
Councilmember Casissa provided comments regarding the amount requested for the item and how it had increased from the previous year by $100,000. He suggested that the item be October 17, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 2 capped at the same amount from last year and that when that amount has been reached, staff return to Council to request the additional $100,000.
Town Manager Adam Wolff addressed the comments stating this item is based on time and materials and has a maximum contract amount. He suggested that the item be approved and that staff could return to Council with an informational item that discusses how the money has been spent through that point.
After further deliberation, Council agreed with the suggestion from staff and Mayor Lee called for a vote on the Consent Calendar.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Beckman/Casissa) to approve Consent Calendar items 4.A. – 4.F. with the direction to staff per Councilmember Casissa’s comment for item 4.C.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
The approved Consent Calendar items consisted of the following:
4.A. Accept Accounts Payable Warrants for September, 2023
4.B. Accept Revenue and Expenditure Report for September, 2023
4.C. Waive the Competitive Bid Process Requirements and Authorize the Town Manager to Enter a One-Year Agreement in an Amount Not to Exceed $425,000 with Flores Builders, Landscape Division, Inc., to Provide Landscaping Services
4.D. Confirm the November and December Council Meeting Schedule and Approve the Cancellation of the November 21, 2023 and January 2, 2024 Town Council Meetings
4.E. Authorize the Town Manager to Enter into a Renewal of a Revocable License Agreement (RLA) with Reed Unified School District (RUSD) for the Town’s Continued Use of Granada Park
4.F. Approve Minutes of the October 3, 2023 Town Council Regular Meeting
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
5.A. Public Hearing for the Consideration and Possible Action to Introduce an Ordinance to Amend the Corte Madera Municipal Code (CMMC) Including the Addition of a New Chapter 5.34 (Short-Term Rental Licensing Program) and Revisions to Sections
3.08.020 and 3.08.030 (Transient Occupancy Tax), Chapter 18.04 (Zoning Definitions) and Section 18.08.020 (Permitted and Conditional Uses in Residential Districts) Town Manager Adam Wolff introduced the item along with Consultant Bob Brown who then gave a presentation to Council on the item. Following the presentation, Town Manager Adam Wolff answered questions from Council with the assistance of Consultant Bob Brown and Town Attorney Amy Ackerman.
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 8 individuals:
• Karen Herzog
• David MacPherson
• Jack Gundersheim
• Pati Stoliar
• Margaret Bandel
• Karen Gerbosi
• Bob Ravasio
• Alden Miles
Mayor Lee closed public comment. Following further deliberation, Mayor Lee called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Beckman/Ravasio) to introduce an Ordinance to amend the Corte Madera Municipal Code (CMMC) including the addition of a new Chapter 5.34 (Short-Term Rental Licensing Program) and revisions to Sections 3.08.020 and 3.08.030 (Transient Occupancy Tax), Chapter 18.04 (Zoning Definitions) and Section 18.08.020 (Permitted and Conditional Uses in Residential Districts)
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
6. BUSINESS ITEMS
October 17, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 3
6.A. Presentation Conducted by Consultant, mack5, and Staff on the Process for Developing the Parks and Recreation Master Plans
Town Manager Adam Wolff introduced the item. Acting Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barry gave a presentation to Council and mack5 Consultant David Ross and RHAA Landscaping Consultants Alyssa Gill and Barbara Lundburg assisted with answering questions from Council.
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Mayor Lee closed public comment. No further comments were provided from Council.
Mayor Lee moved to the next item on the agenda.
6.B. Review the Proposed Parks and Recreation Master Plan Specific to Cove Park and Provide Direction to Staff as Appropriate (This is a two-meeting item) Vice Mayor Beckman and Councilmember Thomas recused themselves for this item due to a conflict of interest as they reside in close proximity to Cove Park.
Acting Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barry presented the item. Consultants David Ross of mack5 along with Alyssa Gill and Barbara Lundburg of RHAA Landscaping assisted with the presentation and answered questions from Council related to the item that were specific to Cove Park only.
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Mayor Lee closed public comment.
Council did not have further comments to provide or direction to staff that was specific to Cove Park. Mayor Lee closed the item and moved on to the next item.
Vice Mayor Beckman and Councilmember Thomas returned to the Council Chambers.
6.C. Review the Proposed Parks and Recreation Master Plan for all Parks and Recreation Facilities Excluding Cove Park and Provide Direction to Staff as Appropriate (This is a two-meeting item)
Acting Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barry presented the item. Consultants David Ross of mack5 along with Alyssa Gill and Barbara Lundburg of RHAA assisted with the presentation and answered questions from Council related to the item that excluded Cove Park.
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 52 individuals:
• Clarke Miller
• Pati Stoliar
• David Bell
• Therese Crane
• Stephanie Jackson
• Rafael Aguirre-Sacasa
• Kimberly O’Connell
• Mark Hewlette
• Nerine Torres
• James Harrison
• Nick Spahr
• Judson Holt
• Alex and Greg Sweeney
• Oliver and Jennifer Plunkett
• Sonia Sato
• Nick Opderbeck
• Melissa Scheeline
• Jill Martay
October 17, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 4 • Kathryn Gaffney
• Robin Andruss
• Liane Lee
• Zach Glare
• Laura Meyers
• Frank Carlow
• Pete and Mariam Cline
• Sherri North
• Alex Mossman
• Allyson Peracca
• Sally Ryan
• Meghan Cochran
• Helen Jenkins
• Tiffani Broce
• Kate Kropf
• Sanaz May
• Tory Grigg
• Amir and Angela Movafaghi
• Jennifer Furcolo
• Lisa and Marc Parilla
• Michael Betti
• Katy Miller
• Alison Marquiss
• Manuella and John Dauphin
• Stephanie Hardwick
• Rachel Gould
• Kati Malabed
• William Chuang
• Ramin A Khany and Bibi Ansari
• Melissa Cohen
• Vicki Longoria
• Jeannette Gertmenian
• Lisa Griffin
• Alison Cole
Mayor Lee closed public comment.
Council held a discussion on the item. Upon reaching the hour of 9:30PM, Mayor Lee asked for a motion to extend the meeting to 10PM.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Beckman) to extend the meeting to 10PM.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Mayor Lee returned to the item and continued the discussion. After further deliberation Council directed staff to return to the next meeting with a suggested process through which potential projects would be identified, reviewed and elevated out of the Master Plan on an annual basis for inclusion in the budget process. Staff confirmed the direction provided by Council and Mayor Lee moved on to the next item.
7. TOWN MANAGER AND COUNCIL REPORTS
Town Manager: Town Manager Adam Wolff announced that staff submitted the application to ABAG/MTC for priority sites. He also recognized the work put into Oktoberfest and he thanked staff for being present.
Town Council Reports:
Mayor Lee: He attended the Oktoberfest event and thanked everyone for the work in putting the event together.
Vice Mayor Beckman: He attended the Town Hall ad hoc meeting and Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) Board Meeting.
Councilmember Casissa: He attended the Oktoberfest and also took pumpkins to the residents at the Casa Buena.
October 17, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 5 Councilmember Ravasio: She attended the Oktoberfest event and thanked everyone who volunteered.
Councilmember Thomas: She attended the Community Conversation put on by Supervisor Rodoni and also attended Oktoberfest.
8. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT AGENDA FOR UPCOMING TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
8.A. Review of Draft Agenda for Tuesday, November 7, 2023 Town Council Meeting There were no other comments from Council regarding the draft agenda, and no public comment was received from attendees or via email.
9. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Lee adjourned the meeting at 9:47PM to the next Town Council Meeting on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.