Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Council Assignments as Representatives and Liaisons to Various Committees for Calendar Year 2023
Date: January 10, 2023
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Council adopt a motion to assign representatives and liaisons to various committees and commissions for calendar year 2023.
Background
Each year, the City Council reviews assignments to committees, commissions and regional assignments that are directly appointed by the City Council. This is typically done concurrently with the City Council reorganization on off-election years in December. On election years when new City Council members join the City Council, appointments are typically made at the first meeting in January.
Many years ago, Cotati had weak representation regionally, so Cotati’s interests were often ignored when decisions were being made. However, over the past decade or so, Cotati has been a key player in regional discussions on a variety of issues, including water supply, transportation, solid waste and negotiating the formation of Sonoma Clean Power, all of which have directly benefited both Cotati residents and the region as a whole. Therefore, it is important to continue to be strongly engaged in regional bodies.
At the December 13, 2022 City Council meeting, each City Councilmember discussed their experiences with their current committee assignments/appointments for the collective benefit of existing and new City councilmembers.
Analysis/Discussion
The current Cotati City Council Appointments and Assignments sheet listing the active committees is attached for review. This is a worksheet listing active committees and approximate time commitments, including a calendar of the various meetings. Current appointees may take this opportunity to update the ‘Hours/Duties’ portion of the appointments and assignments worksheet as needed.
Continuum of Care
The Continuum of Care (CoC) is Sonoma County's collaborative effort representing the homeless services system of care. Governed by a seventeen-member CoC Board, the countywide effort is responsible for oversight of funds designated to the CoC and planning/policy development for addressing homelessness. The CoC Board consists of local elected officials, nonprofit representatives, subject matter experts, and individuals with lived homeless experience, as indicated in the following table. The County of Sonoma Community Development Commission currently serves as the Lead Agency of CoC.
The Goal of the CoC is to achieve Functional Zero homelessness in Sonoma County using a Housing First model. The system of care program is designed to accomplish the following:
• Promote a community‐wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness • Provide funding for efforts to quickly re‐house individuals and families who are homeless, which minimizes the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness • Promote access to and effective use of mainstream programs • Optimize self‐sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness The City of Cotati and the City of Rohnert Park share one “appointed” seat on the CoC Board, which is jointly appointed by both City Councils. Currently, former City Councilmember John Moore serves in this role. However, he has indicated that he is interested in stepping down.
There are also 7 “elected” seats on the CoC Board. Each member entity of the CoC (a long list of public entities, non-profits, healthcare providers, etc.) can have a voting delegate. The voting delegate is not a CoC Board member, so the sole purpose of the voting delegate is to vote on the elected positions. The voting delegate for the City of Cotati is the City Manager.
Seats
Appointed
or Elected Categories
1 Appointed Santa Rosa
1 Appointed Petaluma
1 Appointed
North County; appointed by Cloverdale/HB/Windsor
Councils
1 Appointed West County; appointed by Sebastopol City Council 1 Appointed Sonoma Valley; appointed by Sonoma City Council 1 Appointed Rohnert Park/Cotati; appointed by City Councils 1 Appointed Board of Supervisors
1 Appointed County Safety Net Departments
1 Appointed Largest Homeless Service Provider
1 Elected Elect by Lived Experience group or CoC Voting Members 1 Elected Elect by Youth Advisory Board or CoC Voting Members 1 Elected Second homeless services provider
1 Elected Licensed Health Care Organization
1 Elected Advocate
3 Elected At Large
0 Elected Funder
17 TOTALS
Prior to this City Council meeting, staff of both Rohnert Park and Cotati requested statements of interest from their respective City Council members. At this time, Councilmember Elward (Rohnert Park) has requested to be the primary representative on behalf of Cotati and Rohnert Park (see attached letter). Vice Mayor Sparks has requested to be appointed as the alternate for the CoC Board (see letter attached).
Don Schwartz, the Assistant City Manager with the City of Rohnert Park was recently re-elected to an “at-large” seat on the CoC Board.
Financial Considerations
None.
Environmental Issues
The action of assigning representatives and liaisons to various committees and commissions does not constitute a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15378; therefore, no further environmental review is required.
Attachments:
Summary Committee Assignments (DOCX)
Detail Committee Assignments (DOCX)
Elward CoC Board Ltr of Interest (DOCX)
Sparks CoC Letter of Interest (PDF)