MINUTES OF AUGUST 4, 2026
REGULAR MEETING
OF THE
CORTE MADERA TOWN COUNCIL
Meeting video available at: https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=hl-RoW-S86beBdXs To access a guide on how to activate transcripts for the Town’s video recordings, visit https://www.cortemadera.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10133/How-to-Activate-and-Use-the-Transcript-Feature-onYouTube PUBLIC ATTENDANCE OPTIONS FOR THIS MEETING:
Members of the public had the option to attend the meeting in person, or view and participate in the meeting remotely through the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84104397707 Attendees could also call in using: 1 (408) 638-0968 (Zoom webinar ID: 841 0439 7707) Or iPhone one-tap: +14086380968,,84104397707#
Options for Submitting Public Comment for this meeting:
1. Emailing [email protected] prior to 5:00 PM on the day of the meeting,
2. Attending the meeting in-person at the Town Council Chambers, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera
3. Selecting the “Raise Hand” icon in the Zoom meeting or dialing *9 if calling in to the meeting.
To download the complete agenda packet for this meeting, visit our archive center:
https://www.cortemadera.gov/archive.aspx
1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL AND SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Mayor Thomas called the meeting of the Town Council to order in the Council Chambers, 300 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera, on August 4, 2026 at 6:38 PM.
Councilmembers Present: Mayor Thomas, Vice Mayor Casissa, Councilmembers Andrews, Beckman (Virtual), and Ravasio
Councilmembers Absent: None
Staff Present: Town Manager Adam Wolff
Town Attorney Richard Pio Roda
Assistant Town Manager Rebecca Vaughn
Community Development Director Amy Lyle (Virtual)
Public Works Director Chris Good
Associate Planner Tracy Hegarty (Virtual)
Town Clerk/Assistant to the Town Manager Lorena Barrera Mayor Thomas announced that Councilmember Beckman requested for authorized remote attendance due to a contagious illness which is defined as “just cause” under Government Code Section 54953.8.3 subsection (c)(2).
Councilmember Beckman stated there was no one over the age of 18 present at the remote location with him.
Mayor Thomas proceeded with the meeting.
2. OPEN TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
Discussion begins at 00:02:30 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=V46txk4dSFXROzs3&t=150 Mayor Thomas opened the public comment period.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Council received comments via email. During the meeting, comments were received from the following individuals:
• Anita Boch
• Nanette Biers
• Katherine
• Nick Javaris
• Roy Wolford
• David Macpherson
Mayor Thomas closed the public comment period and continued with the agenda.
3. PRESENTATIONS: None
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4. CONSENT CALENDAR:
Discussion begins at 00:16:58 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=ROHtS21tMcUvO5uZ&t=1018 Mayor Thomas asked if there were requests from Council or staff for removal of items from the Consent Calendar. No requests were received.
Mayor Thomas asked if there were public comments or requests from the public for removal of items from the consent calendar. There were no requests from members of the public to pull items from the consent calendar.
No public comments were received for the consent calendar items during the meeting.
Mayor Thomas closed the public comment period.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Andrews/Casissa) to approve Consent Calendar item 4.A. through 4.E.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 5-0 in favor of the motion.
The approved Consent Calendar items consisted of the following:
4.A. Adopt Resolution No. 31/2026 Allowing Two Temporary Signs in the Public Right-ofWay from August 10, 2026 to August 31, 2026 Publicizing the Larkspur Chamber’s “Wine Stroll” Event Scheduled for August 29, 2026
4.B. Accept the General Fund Revenue and Expense Report for the Period Ending May 2026 (item continued from July 7, 2026 meeting)
4.C. Acknowledge and File Disbursements for June 2026
4.D. Adopt Resolution No. 32/2026 Approving a Publicly Available Pay Schedule for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Per CalPERS Requirements
4.E. Approve Minutes of July 7, 2026 Town Council Regular Meeting
5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
5.A. Consideration and Possible Introduction of an Ordinance Repealing and Replacing Chapter 5.06 of the Corte Madera Municipal Code to End the Sale of Tobacco and Nicotine Products by Businesses in Corte Madera, Repealing Chapter 5.07 Upon the Operative Date of the End of Sales, and Making Related Findings Discussion begins at 00:18:18 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=EGnJpHEG62DlMZpe&t=1098 Assistant Town Manager Rebecca Vaughn introduced the item and provided a presentation to Council. Town Manager Adam Wolff assisted Vaughn with responding to questions from Council.
Mayor Thomas opened the public comment period.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Council received comments via email. During the meeting, Council received comments from the following individuals:
• Brett Crowett
• Roston
• Casmere
• Ali
• Millie
• Ada
• Laura
• John Maa
• Nick Javaris
• Brian Lim
• Colonial Liquors representative
• Monty Williams
• Sudisang
• Jeremiah Mock
• Pam Granger
• Kelsie Fernandez
• Holli Thier
• Alexander Junxiang Chen
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• Parsa Mokhtar
• Bridget
• Ashley
• David Macpherson
• Natalie
• Elaini Negussie
• Bob Curry
• Bob Ravasio
• Barbara Solomon
Mayor Thomas closed the public comment period. Council deliberated. Councilmember Beckman moved to introduce the ordinance with a modification to change “FDA authorized” to “FDA approved”. Council continued discussing the item.
After further deliberation and discussion on whether the deadline for retailers should be extended, Town Attorney Richard Pio Roda explained the difference between a minor change in an ordinance versus a substantive change and stated that if Council were to determine they want a change in the deadline, that would be considered a substantive change.
Councilmember Beckman stated he would be happy to make the motion for a date change if that convinced Mayor Thomas to support the ordinance.
After further deliberation, Mayor Thomas called for clarification on the motion made and whether there was a second.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Beckman/Ravasio) to direct staff to bring back the ordinance with modification from "FDA authorized" to “FDA approved” with the inclusion of a 30 day extension for existing retailers to continue selling tobacco and nicotine products through January 31, 2027 instead of December 31, 2026, for possible introduction at the next regular meeting.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-1 (Opposed: Andrews) in favor of the motion.
Council took a brief recess at 8:28PM.
Council reconvened at 8:40PM.
Due to technical difficulties, Councilmember Beckman rejoined the meeting at 8:43PM.
6. BUSINESS ITEMS
6.A. Consideration and Possible Direction to Staff Regarding a Proposed Adjustment to the Associate Civil Engineer Classification Salary Range by 8%, Increasing the Top Step from $11,228 to $12,126 per Month (This is a two meeting process per Council Policy) Discussion begins at 01:51:16 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=lIj2lXqVcFZtZRLc&t=6676 Public Works Director Chris Good introduced and presented the item to Council. Town Manager Adam Wolff provided closing remarks on the item. Wolff and Good responded to questions from Council.
Mayor Thomas opened the public comment period.
Council received comments from the following individuals:
• David Macpherson
Mayor Thomas closed the public comment period. After further deliberation, Council directed staff to bring back item at the next meeting for consideration and possible approval as all were in support of the proposal.
6.B. Receive and Discuss the Mid-Year Report on the Status of the 2026 Work Plan Discussion begins at 02:01:50 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=KPKs_h8YMr7QccBz&t=7310 Town Manager Adam Wolff presented the item to Council and responded to questions from Council.
Councilmember Beckman left the meeting at 9:16PM.
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Per the Council Rules of Order Section 6.10: Meeting End Time, a majority vote is required when the meeting end time of 9:30PM has been reached and there is a need to continue the meeting to 10:00PM.
MOTION: It was M/S/C (Casissa/Ravasio) to extend meeting to 10:00PM.
ROLL CALL VOTE: 4-0 (Absent: Beckman) in favor of the motion.
Discussion of the item continued.
Mayor Thomas opened the public comment period.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Council received comments via email. During the meeting, Council received comments from the following individuals:
• Roy Wolford
Mayor Thomas closed the public comment period. After further discussion, Council thanked staff for the work conducted and the presentation of the information.
7. TOWN MANAGER AND COUNCIL REPORTS
Discussion begins at 02:42:38 https://youtu.be/72rFlcATIcs?si=sQ68Rbi9471bibS5&t=9758 Town Manager: Town Manager Adam Wolff provided an updated on flooding and mitigation response. He gave a report on Menke Park and addressed some of the comments related to the trees. He recommended that Council wait one season and allow for growth of the recently planted trees. He announced the welcoming of David Bracken as a temporary consultant and of Sarah Rahimi as the Town’s new Senior Civil Engineer.
Town Council Reports:
Mayor Thomas: Thomas reported attending the Fourth of July Parade and a concert at Town Park on July 5th.
Vice Mayor Casissa: Casissa attended a Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) meeting, provided an update on fire-related matters. He announced participating in a walk-through of the Corte Madera Intergenerational Center.
Councilmember Andrews: No report was provided.
Councilmember Beckman: Not present for this portion of the meeting.
Councilmember Ravasio: Ravasio attended the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee meeting.
8. DISCUSSION OF DRAFT AGENDA FOR UPCOMING TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
8.A. Review of Draft Agenda for Tuesday, September 1, 2026 Town Council Meeting (August 18th meeting was approved for cancellation at the June 16th meeting) Discussion begins at 02:56:23 https://youtu.be/72rFlcATIcs?si=X04sR0T2GO0hkrvE&t=10583 Mayor Thomas asked whether Councilmembers had any comments or suggestions for an upcoming agenda.
Vice Mayor Casissa requested that future agendas list out “flood efforts” and “Corte Madera Intergenerational Center” under Town Manager report so that these reports can remain ongoing in the future.
Resident Roy Wolford raised his hand to provide public comment. However, he was not called to speak until the start of the Sanitary District Meeting where he stated that his comment was related to the Town Council draft agenda.
Discussion begins at 03:01:53 https://youtu.be/1oNZ8C-cqNw?si=jE_SqZwAsEwm7Uq&t=10913
9. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Thomas adjourned the meeting at 9:49PM to the next Town Council meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.