4.E.
MINUTES OF DECEMBER 5, 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 December 5, 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
Community Development Director Amy Lyle
Senior Planner Martha Battaglia
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 64 individuals:
• Beth Cook
• TJ’s gym senior user
• TJ, owner of TJ’s gym
• David MacPherson
• Another member of TJ’s gym
• Doug Harper
• Marla Orth
• Allison
• Josh Larson
• Dana
• Anna Hughes
• Caitlin Pike
• Chris Morrison
• Chris
• Colleen Smith and Elizabeth Shober
• Craig Jaffe
• Erez Cohen
• Erin Cave
• Geoff Mattiuzzo
• Geoff Vaughan
• Heather Liebhauser
December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 2 • Hollis Belger
• Jamie Young Perlman
• Dr. Chris Colwell and Jane Colwell
• JB Ferrarone
• Jean Bolte
• Jeannette Thorson
• Jon de St Paer
• Josh Larson
• Julie Knox
• Kasey Hovencamp
• Kelli Wunderlich
• Kim Logie
• Lesley Chapman
• Lyle
• Mallary Walker
• Mary Wiese
• Melanie Traub
• Michael Burns
• Michelle
• Mo Pritzker
• Ned and Catherine Heagerty
• Nell Marshall
• Nicolas Chu
• Peter Schumacher
• Renee Tremmel
• Richard Palmer
• Ryan Vicari
• Saul Perlman
• Scott Thorpe
• Sean Flahive
• Stephanie Belger
• Stephen Marotto
• Steve Maxon
• Steve Gregory
• Taylor Kauer
• Tom Fischer
• Vickie Vann
• Cindy Winship
• Mal Thompson
• Florence Adams
• Roger Harrell
• Doug Karpa
• Drew Shea
• Karene Alvarado
Mayor Lee closed public comment and moved on to the next item.
3. REORGANIZATION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL
3.A. Recognition and Presentation of Gift to Outgoing Mayor Charles Lee Town Clerk/Assistant to the Town Manager Lorena Barrera presented a recognition to outgoing Mayor Charles Lee for his term as Mayor.
Mayor Lee shared a few words and thanked his fellow Councilmembers for all of their support and staff for their work.
3.B. Selection of Mayor
Mayor Lee nominated Eli Beckman to serve as Mayor. Councilmember Ravasio seconded.
Mayor Lee opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 3 Mayor Lee closed public comment.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Lee/Ravasio) to select Vice Mayor Eli Beckman as Mayor.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Mayor Lee congratulated Vice Mayor Beckman and they switched seats for Vice Mayor Beckman to take his seat as Mayor.
3.C. Selection of Vice Mayor
Mayor Beckman asked for nominations for Vice Mayor. Councilmember Thomas nominated Councilmember Ravasio as Vice Mayor and Councilmember Lee seconded.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Thomas/Lee) to select Councilmember Pat Ravasio as Vice Mayor.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
4. PRESENTATIONS: None
5. CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Beckman asked if there were public comments or requests from the public for removal of items from the Consent Calendar.
Member of the public David MacPherson asked to remove item 5.C. from the Consent Calendar.
There were no additional public comments and there were no additional requests from members of public to pull items from the Consent Calendar.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment.
Mayor Beckman called for a vote on the remaining items on the Consent Calendar.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Ravasio) to approve Consent Calendar items 5.A. – 5.H. except for item 5.C.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
The approved Consent Calendar items consisted of the following:
5.A. Accept Revenue and Expenditure Report for October, 2023
5.B. Approve the Annual Statement of Investment Policy
5.D. Adopt Resolution No. 49/2023 Establishing Compensation for Part-Time Hourly Employees Effective January 1, 2024
5.E. Adopt Resolution No. 50/2023 Approving a Publicly Available Pay Schedule in Accordance with CalPERS Regulations
5.F. Adopt Resolution No. 51/2023 Allowing One Temporary Sign in the Public Right-ofWay for the Tidalwaves Swim Team from December 17, 2023 to January 30, 2024 Publicizing the Registration Period for the Upcoming Tidalwaves Swim Season
5.G. Adopt Resolution No. 52/2023 Approving the Corte Madera Chamber of Commerce 2024 Budget and the Financial Statements (Audit) for the Years Ending December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021
5.H. Approve Minutes of the November 7, 2023 Town Council Regular Meeting Mayor Beckman returned to item 5.C.
5.C. Adopt Resolution No. 48/2023 Requesting the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to Allocate Fiscal Year 2023/24 Transportation Development Act Article 3 Pedestrian/Bicycle Project Funding for the Public Bike Parking Expansion Project December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 4 David MacPherson provided comments on the item and thanked staff for the work conducted regarding the item. He recommended that Council approve the item.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment for item 5.C. and called for a motion from Council.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Ravasio) to adopt Resolution No. 48/2023 requesting the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to allocate fiscal year 2023/24 Transportation Development Act Article 3 Pedestrian/Bicycle Project Funding for the Public Bike Parking Expansion Project
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
6.A. Consideration and Possible Action to 1.) Introduce an Ordinance Amending the Corte Madera Municipal Code (CMMC) to Add a New Chapter 12.50 (Old Corte Madera Square Parklet Program) to Establish Regulations for Parklets Located in Old Corte Madera Square and 2.) Adopt Resolution No. 53/2023 Amending the Master Fee Schedule to Establish a New License Fee Related to the Old Corte Madera Square Parklet Program
Senior Planner Martha Battaglia introduced the item and provided a presentation to Council. Town Manager Adam Wolff addressed some of the comments that were received via email. Battaglia and Wolff answered questions from Council.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 8 individuals in person:
• Sally Dominguez
• Steve Silver
• Matt Hoffman
• Jean Burns
• Kim Cheatle
• Patsy
• David MacPherson
• Peter Massick
Mayor Beckman called on Richard to provide comments via Zoom. Upon receiving the opportunity to speak, Richard began making comments unrelated to the agenda item.
Mayor Beckman asked Town Clerk Barrera to mute Richard. And stop the timer. Mayor Beckman proceeded by reminding members of the public that public comment should be related to the item being discussed. Richard was again allowed the opportunity to speak and continued to make comments unrelated to the item.
Mayor Beckman asked the Town Clerk to mute Richard and then proceeded to read the following statement:
Before you continue, I want to inform you that Corte Madera has adopted a harassment-free workplace policy, which applies to Council meetings. It is against Town Policy to engage in verbal conduct that denigrates an individual because of their race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or other protected category. The Council welcomes comments and criticisms from the public about the Town’s policies, programs, and services and the acts or omissions of the Town Council. Engaging in verbal conduct that violates our workplace policy also violates the Council’s Rules and disrupts the orderly conduct of our meeting. It interferes with the Council’s ability to accomplish its business in a reasonably efficient manner by distracting Council and the public from the topic at hand. The remarks also interfere with the rights of other members of the public who wish to speak and interferes with the ability of those present to listen and understand Town business and proceedings, and may constitute or contribute to employment or other discrimination.
I have stopped the clock on your comments. This is your warning. You are welcome to continue with your public comment if you refrain from violating our rules and disrupting our meeting. If you cannot comply with our rules, we will not allow you to further disrupt the meeting.
Any Town employee or member of the public in the room may be excused from the room during this speaker’s comments.
The speaker continued with comments unrelated to the agenda item. Mayor Beckman announced to the speaker the following: We’ve given you a warning that you are violating our rules and disrupting our meeting. You have continued to disrupt our meeting, so we will remove your ability to further comment.
December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 5 The Council received disruptive comments from 3 other individuals listed below. All three received the same reminders regarding verbal conduct and disruption warnings and actions during the meeting.
• William Cooper
• Amir Rosenbaum
• Ursula
Mayor Beckman called for a recess at 8:00PM.
Council returned from recess at 8:09PM
Mayor Beckman asked the Town Clerk Lorena Barrera to continue calling on the raised hands and repeated to all members in the public the verbal conduct that was to be followed in the manner that was stated from the statement he read into the record. Mayor Beckman also directed Town Clerk Barrera to mute any other members of the public who proceeded to disrupt the meeting.
Upon muting disruptive comments, Mayor Beckman encouraged speakers to continue their time but warned they would be muted again if disruption continued.
Council received disruptive comments from 4 individuals:
• Andrew Brevik
• Paul K
• Sadie
• Tony Winkle
Town Attorney Amy Ackerman announced that Council may set reasonable rules and regulations for public comment including the total amount of time that is provided for public comment. If Council decided to conclude public comment, a motion would need to be made.
Mayor Beckman turned to the members of the public present in the room and asked if there was any additional public comment.
Council received comments from 1 individual:
• Matt Rogers
Mayor Beckman made a motion to conclude public comment.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Beckman/Casissa) to conclude public comment.
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Council continued with the discussion of the item. After further deliberation, Mayor Beckman summarized the consensus from Council and Town Attorney Ackerman assisted with the suggested language for the introduction of the ordinance.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Ravasio/Casissa) to introduce the ordinance with the amendments proposed by Town Attorney Ackerman which were:
• Section 12.50.040(b)(1) was revised to remove that a qualified business must be within the C-1 (Local Shopping) Zone.
• Section 12.50.080(c) was revised to allow for amplified sound in parklets. • Section to 12.50.120 was revised to extend the grace period from four to six months. • Exhibit A was revised to include Kito’s Taco Shop in the parklet boundaries Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
Mayor Beckman addressed the request to adopt Resolution No. 53/2023. After further deliberation Council provided direction to reduce the licensing fee from $1.25 per square foot per month to $.50 per square foot per month for the first year and $1.00 per square foot per month for each subsequent year.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Lee) to continue the resolution on fees to the December 19, 2023 Town Council meeting.
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
7. BUSINESS ITEMS
December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 6
7.A. Second Reading of Proposed Amendments to Town Council Rules of Procedure and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 54/2023, Rescinding Resolution No. 53/2017 and Approving the Amended Corte Madera Town Council Rules of Procedure Dated December 5, 2023
Town Attorney Amy Ackerman presented the staff report and reminded Council that this item had been introduced at the November 7, 2023 Council meeting. There were no questions from Council on the item.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment. Following further deliberation, Mayor Beckman called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Lee/Ravasio) to adopt Resolution No. 54/2023.
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
7.B. Consideration and Possible Authorization to the Public Works Director to Execute a Contract for Preliminary Engineering, Environmental and Public Outreach Services for Lower Christmas Tree Hill Complete Streets, Undergrounding & Evacuation Improvements Project #23-003 with BKF Engineers for a Not-to-Exceed Amount of $547,983
Public Works Director R.J. Suokko introduced the item and gave a presentation to Council. With the assistance of Town Manager Adam Wolff, answered questions from Council Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
No public comments were received from attendees or via email on this item.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment. Following further deliberation, Mayor Beckman called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Thomas) to authorize the Public Works Director to execute a contract for preliminary engineering, environmental and public outreach services for Lower Christmas Tree Hill Complete Streets, Undergrounding and Evacuation Improvements Project, #23-003 with BFK Engineers for a not-to-exceed amount of $547,983.
Roll call vote: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
8. TOWN MANAGER AND COUNCIL REPORTS
Town Manager: Town Manager Adam Wolff briefly reported on the progress the Short-term rental ordinance and also shared some data on the number of attendees who were a part of some of the Town’s events. He thanked Tim Barry for all of the work behind the events that are getting lots of participation from residents. He also announced that the Town recouped $47,000 that the Town had spent on storm repairs. He thanked Assistant Engineer Demetre Copeland for all of the work conducted in recouping that money.
Town Council Reports:
Mayor Beckman: He attended the Central Marin Fire Council, Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA) meeting the CMSA Finance committee meeting and the volunteer of the year dinner.
Vice Mayor Ravasio: No report was provided.
Councilmember Casissa: He attended the Police Council meeting, Age-Friendly Corte Madera, Marin Transit Board meeting and Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority meeting.
Councilmember Lee: He reported on the Police and Fire Council meetings he attended in November.
Councilmember Thomas: She attended the Colorado artificial turf webinar. She also attended the Marin County Development Agency meeting along with the Marin Healthy Youth wrap-up meeting.
December 5, 2023 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 7
9. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT AGENDA FOR UPCOMING TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
9.A. Review of Draft Agenda for Tuesday, December 19, 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.
10. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Beckman adjourned the meeting in honor of late Jonnie Vaughan at 9:20PM to the next Town Council Meeting on Tuesday, December 19, 2023.