MINUTES OF OCTOBER 1, 2024
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
CORTE MADERA TOWN COUNCIL
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1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Mayor Beckman called the Meeting of the Town Council to order at the Town Council Chambers, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, CA on October 1, 2024 at 6:30 PM.
Councilmembers Present: Mayor Beckman, Vice Mayor Ravasio, Councilmembers Casissa, Lee and Thomas
Councilmembers Absent: None
Staff Present: Town Manager Adam Wolff
Town Attorney Amy Ackerman
Assistant Town Manager Rebecca Vaughn
Community Development Director Amy Lyle
Public Works Director R.J. Suokko
Senior Planner Martha Battaglia
Climate Action and Adaptation Coordinator Phoebe Goulden Town Clerk/Assistant to the Town Manager Lorena Barrera
2. OPEN TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 3 individuals:
• Pati Stoliar
• Bob Bundy
• Janet Lorenzo
Mayor Beckman closed public comment and moved on to the next item.
3. PRESENTATIONS
3.A. Presentation on Corte Madera Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption Analysis and the EV 2030 Goal Provided by Climate Action Committee Chair, Patrick Burtis Town Manager Adam Wolff introduced Climate Action Committee Chair Patrick Burtis who provided a presentation to Council. Climate Action and Adaptation Coordinator Phoebe Goulden and Town Manager Adam Wolff provided an update on the Town’s status in regards to electric vehicles and they then assisted Chair Burtis with answering questions from Council regarding the presentation.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 3 individuals:
• Pati Stoliar
October 1, 2024 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 2 • Charlie Kirschner
• Roy Wolford
Mayor Beckman closed public comment and thanked Chair Burtis for the presentation.
4. CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Beckman asked if there were public comments or requests from the public for removal of items from the Consent Calendar.
There were no public comments and there were no requests from members of the public to pull items from the Consent Calendar.
Mayor Beckman closed public comment.
Mayor Beckman called for a vote on the Consent Calendar.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Ravasio) to approve Consent Calendar items 4.A. – 4.D.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
The approved Consent Calendar items consisted of the following:
4.A. Accept the 2023-2024 Preliminary Revenue and Expenditure Report
4.B. Approve Request to Move the Tuesday, November 5, 2024 Regular Town Council Meeting to Monday, November 4, 2024 so as to not Conflict With Election Night Activities and Affirm that the Meeting will Remain a Regular Town Council Meeting
4.C. Approve Minutes of the September 17, 2024 Town Council Special Meeting
4.D. Approve Minutes of the September 17, 2024 Town Council Regular Meeting
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
5.A. Consideration and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 36/2024 Approving Tentative Parcel Map Application PL22-0055 for Condominium Conversion at 115 & 117 Redwood Avenue
Senior Planner Martha Battaglia introduced the item and gave a presentation to Council. Battaglia with the assistance of Community Development Director Amy Lyle 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. After further deliberation, Mayor Beckman called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Ravasio/Thomas) to adopt Resolution No. 36/2024.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
6. BUSINESS ITEMS
6.A. Review the Shoreline Adaptation Plan Report, Provide Comments, and Discuss Proposed Next Steps
Climate Action and Adaptation Coordinator Phoebe Goulden introduced the item and jointly provided a presentation with Public Works Director R.J. Suokko. With the assistance of Town Manager Adam Wolff and Community Development Director Amy Lyle, Goulden and Suokko answered questions from Council.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 3 individuals:
• J.R. Garibaldi
October 1, 2024 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 3 • Roger Lion
• David Bell
Mayor Beckman closed public comment. After further deliberation, Council provided comments and was in support of the proposed near-term priorities for the next 5-10 years, including fortifying and raising the existing Marina Village Flood Berm.
6.B. Consideration and Possible Adoption of Resolution No. 37/2024 Approving the Storm Drain Master Plan of July 2024
Public Works Director R.J. Suokko introduced the item. He gave a presentation on the item and with the assistance of Town Manager Adam Wolff answered questions from Council.
Mayor Beckman opened up the item for public comment.
Council received public comment from 1 individual:
• Bob Bundy
Mayor Beckman closed public comment. After further deliberation, Mayor Beckman called for a motion.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Ravasio/Thomas) to adopt Resolution No. 37/2024 ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
7. TOWN MANAGER AND COUNCIL REPORTS
Town Manager: Town Manager Adam Wolff reported on the American Planning Association California Conference that he attended from September 28th through October 1st where the Town received an award for the work conducted on the Housing Element. He provided an update on the work conducted to try and acquire a location for an Age-Friendly Center and stated that a lot of work was conducted by staff and the program leaders who want to make this center happen but unfortunately there were some concerns that arose. The location that was being looked at on Meadowcreek brought up occupancy concerns and there were also stipulations that were being put on the Town by the landlord. Therefore, he has communicated this information to all stakeholders and is reassessing alternatives and continue working on the effort of finding a location that will work for the proposed needs of an Age-Friendly Center. Wolff also reported that the Town will be working with the Chamber of Commerce to highlight Old Corte Madera Square merchants with the Marin Visitors Bureau. He provided an update on the Planning Application for the development of affordable senior housing at 240 Tamal Vista Blvd. stating that Town staff had reached out to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for technical assistance on the application and HCD declined to comment. Lastly, Wolff announced that the juveniles responsible for vandalism in the new Town Park restroom were arrested and have been referred to juvenile probation for charges.
Public Works Director: Public Works Director R.J. Suokko reported that he is working on taking steps to decrease the speed limit on Tamalpais Drive and a few other streets in town.
Town Council Reports:
Mayor Beckman: He attended the meetings for MCE, Central Marin Sanitation Agency (CMSA), Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC), the event for the Spirit of Marin Awards and the Southern Marin Chamber of Commerce Cruise mixer.
Vice Mayor Ravasio: She provided an announcement on some of the activities scheduled for Oktoberfest. She commented on the Age-Friendly Center efforts that Town Manager Wolff had reported on and said she would work on finding a new location because the location that had been found was like “trying to put Cinderella’s shoes on the wrong sister’s foot.” Lastly, she reported that the Redwood High School pool will be closed next summer.
Councilmember Casissa: He attended meetings for Age-Friendly Corte Madera, Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) and the Guiding Coalition for the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District (LCMSD). He also attended MCCMC and the Spirit of Marin Awards.
Councilmember Lee: He attended the meeting for the Chamber of Commerce. He spoke of Amy Lyle’s involvement in engaging the local businesses and how her position as a Community Development Director has changed the relationships. He also announced that the Chamber of October 1, 2024 Corte Madera Town Council Regular Meeting Minutes 4 Commerce is hosting the Candidates Forum on October 7th at 6:30PM. He announced the golf tournament for the Chamber and encouraged Town participation.
Councilmember Thomas: She attended the Neighborhood Response Group Timely Topics session where Mark Brown of MWPA was the guest speaker.
8. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT AGENDA FOR UPCOMING TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
8.A. Review of Draft Agenda for Tuesday, October 1, 2024 Town Council Meeting Councilmember Casissa asked for staff to return with alternatives to the issue on the location for the Age-Friendly Center by the first meeting in November. Mayor Beckman stated he did not feel comfortable dictating staff to return with alternatives at a specific meeting as he does not know what the draft November meeting looks like and does not know how much time Town Manager Wolff needs to be able to bring forth a fruitful discussion to Council. Therefore, Mayor Beckman said he would acquire input from staff on timing for that item and thanked Councilmember Casissa for the comments provided.
There were no additional comments from Council regarding the draft agenda, and no public comment was received from attendees or via email.
9. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Beckman adjourned the meeting at 9:11PM to the next Town Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.