MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE COTATI CITY COUNCIL AND THE SUCCESSOR AGENCY TO
THE FORMER COTATI COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
City Council Chamber, City Hall 201 W. Sierra Avenue
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
6:00 PM REGULAR MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
Attendee Name Title Status
Susan Harvey Mayor Present
Laura Sparks Vice Mayor Present
Ben Ford Councilmember Present
Sylvia Lemus Councilmember Present
Kay Rivers Councilmember Present
Staff Present: City Manger Damien O’Bid, City Attorney John Bakker, Deputy City Clerk Kevin Patterson, Director of Administrative Services Angela Courter, Director of Community Development Noah Housh, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Craig Scott, Police Chief Michael Parish
3. 4.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND NOTICE OF WAIVING OF READING OF ALL
RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES INTRODUCED AND/OR ADOPTED UNDER THIS
AGENDA (ACTION)
A. COTATI CITY COUNCIL – REGULAR MEETING – NOV 28, 2023 6:00 PM RESULT: Approve [5 TO 0]
MOVER: Laura Sparks, Vice Mayor
SECONDER: Sylvia Lemus, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
6. ANNOUNCEMENTS
A. Meeting Orientation for New Attendees/Viewers. In conformance with the Brown Act and the adopted City Council Rules, the meeting agenda includes items labeled as Action Items, where the City Council will consider the item and citizens are afforded the opportunity to provide comments 6 of 392
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
relevant to the item being discussed. The meeting agenda also includes a Citizens Business item, which is the designated place on the agenda where citizens have the right to say whatever they wish.
The City Council may, or may not, choose to respond to comments, as the Government Code allows.
However, if the City Council declines to respond, it should not be perceived as giving credence to or agreeing with any statements that the City Council or its members believe are incorrect, misinformed or purposefully biased.
B. Measure S supports police services, a variety of recreation programs for all ages, and the maintenance of our streets, parks, and public buildings. See details on the web at cotaticity.org C. Citizens interested in receiving City of Cotati community alerts via text or email are encouraged to sign up with CivicReady, by signing up on the City website, www.cotaticity.org, under the “How do I” link at the top of the homepage.
D. Like always, we love to hear from you, so please feel free to contact the City at 707-792-4600 or [email protected]. If you have a non-emergency issue after normal business hours, you can contact us at 707-792-4611 and of course if you have an emergency, please contact 9-1-1. Continue to look for updates on the City's website and social media channels available on Facebook, Instagram, and CivicReady.
7. APPROVAL OF FINAL AGENDA (ACTION)
City Manager Damien O’Bid recommended removing item 9A from the consent calendar, due to a bid protest received by the City, as well as removing item 15B from closed session, as the City was still awaiting information.
8. CITIZEN BUSINESS AND PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS Any member of the public wishing to speak to the Council on any item(s) listed on the Consent Calendar or any matter(s) not listed on the agenda that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Council may do so at this time. Pursuant to the Brown Act, the Council is not allowed to consider issues or take action on any item not listed on the agenda during this period. Pursuant to City Council Policy 2023-01, comments of any member of the public are normally restricted to a total of three (3) minutes in length per person for matters not on the agenda and a total of three (3) minutes per person in length for any and all items on the Consent Calendar. The Mayor may extend the time limit for a reasonable time where a disability accommodation has been requested. To facilitate public comment, the Clerk will alert speakers when there are thirty seconds remaining.
Public comment:
Adrienne Lauby of Cotati
Shelley Berman of Cotati
9. CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
A. AWARD CYPRESS AVENUE SEWER REPAIR PROJECT
B. SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING THE SENIOR MOBILEHOME PARK OVERLAY ZONE BY AMENDING TITLE 17 (LAND
USE) OF THE COTATI MUNICIPAL CODE, AND DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY AT 425 W. SIERRA AVENUE WITH THE SENIOR MOBILEHOME PARK OVERLAY
DESIGNATION
C. PURCHASE OF BUDGETED VEHICLES
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
D. AWARD OF THE REDWOOD DRIVE AND CYPRESS AVENUE PAVEMENT
REHABILITATION PROJECT
E. CONSIDERATION OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH BELLECCI AND ASSOCIATES, INC. FOR THE DESIGN OF THE SIDEWALK GAP
CLOSURE PROJECT
Item 9A was removed from the consent calendar, as the City received a bid protest for the project.
Mayor Harvey recused herself from item 9D, as she owns property near the construction site.
Motions were taken to approve Consent Calendar items B, C, and E, with a separate motion for item D.
RESULT: Adopt [5 TO 0] Items 9B, 9C, 9E
MOVER: Laura Sparks, Vice Mayor
SECONDER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
RESULT: Adopt [4 TO 0] Item 9D
MOVER: Sylvia Lemus, Councilmember
SECONDER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
AYES: Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS:
RECUSED:
None
Harvey
10. DIRECTION OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Vice Mayor Sparks requested a future agenda item on discussing a resolution calling for a cease fire in Gaza, in response to public comments made during Citizen’s Business.
11. REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
A. PUTNAM AND CATOR FIELD FINAL CONCEPT DESIGN DISCUSSION Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Public comment:
Shelley Berman of Cotati
Council reviewed the park design concepts and provided the following feedback to staff:
Putnam Park
1. Include the Laguna Foundation in the design phase reviews.
2. Dark Sky Compliant Lighting with warm light.
3. Use a Hexagonal Meditation Area.
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
Both parks (Putnam and Civic Center/Cator)
• Ensure Shade in Dog Parks.
• Gopher screen dog park and new turf areas.
• Post Baseball Schedules at the parks.
B. REORGANIZATION OF CITY COUNCIL FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2024 RESULT: Approve [5 TO 0] Mayor Laura Sparks
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: Kay Rivers, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
RESULT: Approve [5 TO 0] Vice Mayor Ben Ford
MOVER: Susan Harvey, Mayor
SECONDER: Laura Sparks, Vice Mayor
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Public Comment:
Shelley Berman of Cotati
C. COUNCIL ASSIGNMENTS AS REPRESENTATIVES AND LIAISONS TO VARIOUS COMMITTEES FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2024
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Council reviewed their current assignments and made modifications based on current needs/scheduling availability, as represented on the updated City Council assignments matrix attached.
RESULT: Adopt [5 TO 0]
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: Laura Sparks, Vice Mayor
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
D. PROCLAMATION SCHEDULE FOR 2024
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
Public Comment:
Shelley Berman of Cotati
Adrienne Lauby of Cotati
Irene Hilsendager of Cotati
Council reviewed the list of proclamations for the first half of 2024, provided feedback to staff, and requested a revised proclamations calendar at the first meeting in January.
RESULT: Adopt [5 TO 0]
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: Sylvia Lemus, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Sparks, Ford, Lemus, Rivers
NAYS: None
E. PROCEDURE DURING READING OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Public comment:
Shelley Berman of Cotati
Council discussed the procedure during the reading of the land acknowledgement, and provided direction to staff that they will encourage everyone present in the Chamber to stand while the acknowledgement is read.
12. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
Report by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
13. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS
Councilmembers report out on local and regional events and meetings.
14. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
Public comment:
Nick Ubaldi
15. CLOSED SESSION
Councilmember Ford recused himself from Closed Session, due to proximity of property he owns to the development site.
A. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.8 PROPERTY: APN 144-274-002, 144-274-014, 144-274-015 CITY NEGOTIATOR: CITY MANAGER
NEGOTIATING PARTY: BISHOP REVOCABLE TRUST UNDER
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
16. 17.
NEGOTIATION: PRICE AND TERMS OF PAYMENT FOR THE SALE OF
PROPERTY
B. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54956.8. PROPERTY: PORTION OF APN 144-275-001 AND RIGHT OF WAY ADJACENT TO THE SOUTHEAST
BOUNDARY OF APN 144-275-001, COTATI. CITY NEGOTIATOR: CITY MANAGER. NEGOTIATING PARTY: TESLA, INC. UNDER
NEGOTIATION: PRICE AND TERMS OF PAYMENT
REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
City Attorney Bakker, on behalf of Mayor Harvey, announced that the City reached an agreement with Bishop Revocable Trust to purchase the properties designated as APNs 144-274-002, 144-274-014, and 144-274-015 for $1.65 million.
INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED
A. INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED
18. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Harvey adjourned the meeting at 9:39pm.
/s/ Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Cotati City Council Minutes December 12, 2023
Cotati City Council
Appointments and Assignments for 2024
REVISED 1/2/2024
Name of Committee Current
Member(s)
Alternate
POSITIONS HELD BY COUNCILMEMBERS
Standing Sub-Committees
None
Regional Committees/Boards
(City Council Appointed)
Assoc. of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Sylvia Lemus Susan Harvey CRPUSD (Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District) 2x2x2 Kay Rivers Laura Sparks Rohnert Park-Cotati Library Advisory Board Kay Rivers Ben Ford Mayors’ and Councilmembers Legislative Committee Representative Sylvia Lemus Laura Sparks REMIF/CIRA Board of Directors Damien O’Bid Susan Harvey Russian River Watershed Association Ben Ford Laura Sparks Sonoma Clean Power Sylvia Lemus Ben Ford
Sonoma Co. Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority (SCTA/RCPA)
Susan Harvey Ben Ford
Sonoma Co. Waste Management Agency (SCWMA/Zero Waste Sonoma) Susan Harvey Sylvia Lemus Sonoma Water Advisory Committee (WAC) Laura Sparks Sylvia Lemus Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Santa Rosa Plain) Susan Harvey Sylvia Lemus League of California Cities’ Annual Meeting Voting Delegate (assigned prior to meeting)
(assigned prior to
meeting)
Liaisons
Cotati Chamber of Commerce Sylvia Lemus Kay Rivers
Sonoma Mountain Twilight Rotary Club Kay Rivers N/A
Regional Committees/Boards
(Appointments as Indicated)
Joint Cotati City Council/Rohnert Park City Council Appointments Continuum of Care Board of Directors Jackie Elward
(Rohnert Park)
Laura Sparks
Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association Appointments
Executive Board/City Selection Committee Mayor Vice Mayor League of California Cities’ North Bay Exec. Board Susan Harvey N/A Recommended by City Selection Committee (Appointed by County Board of Supervisors) LAFCO Susan Harvey N/A
Measure “O” Oversight Committee (County Mental Health Tax) Ben Ford N/A
POSITIONS HELD BY COTATI CITIZENS
(APPOINTED BY CITY COUNCIL OR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AS NOTED) AB 939 Local Task Force (Board of Supervisors appointment) Mark Soiland N/A Library Commission-Sonoma County Library (City Council appointment) Cyan McMillan N/A Marin/Sonoma Mosquito Vector Control Dist. (City Council appointment) Susan Harvey N/A