AGENDA
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, March 25, 2025
6:00 PM REGULAR MEETING
The Cotati City Council welcomes you to its meetings that are generally scheduled for the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month. Your interest and participation are encouraged and appreciated.
City Council meeting agendas, minutes and recordings are posted on the City’s Meeting Portal at www.cotaticity.gov. For questions about the agenda or to receive the City Council agenda by e-mail, contact the Deputy City Clerk at [email protected] or 707-665-3622.
Cotati City Council Meetings will be conducted in person in the Council Chamber. To guarantee your ability to participate, you must attend the meeting in person. As a courtesy to the public, the City allows citizens the opportunity to view and offer public comments virtually through Zoom Online video conferencing platform. Technical difficulties may occur that make the Zoom platform unavailable. If Zoom is unavailable, the meeting will continue. Participants considering using Zoom should consider attending in person, if they desire to ensure their ability to view the meeting and offer public comments.
Subject to the above disclaimer, Zoom Online video conferencing is available to watch or listen in the following ways:
1. Using the following online livestream meeting portal link: https://www.youtube.com/@cityofcotati7280
2. Cable T.V. Broadcast, local channel 28
Members of the public can participate in the meeting online by clicking the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86587452117?pwd=DaLoAGnAbX1iPulOVILFofcUYYAJxE.1 If you do not have the ability to join online, but would like to participate in the meeting, you can call into the meeting using your telephone, by dialing one of the following numbers and entering the meeting credentials:
Webinar ID: 865 8745 2117 Passcode: 688991
+1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (346) 248-7799 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (301) 715-8592 or +1 (312) 626-6799 or +1 (929) 436-2866 Attendees may join the meeting any time after 5:45pm. Attendees will be muted until they are called upon for Public Comment. To make a public comment, use the “raise hand” icon on your smart device or desktop computer, or dial *9 if you are using just your telephone. Please listen carefully for the Mayor or City Clerk to address you by name (or phone number) and for the audible Zoom notification that you have been unmuted. Once you begin your public comment, your three minutes will begin.
If you would prefer to submit your public comment in writing, please email your comments to [email protected]. If you are commenting on a specific agenda item or items, please state the agenda item number(s) in the subject line of the email. All comments received via email will be provided to the City Council or Planning Commission in writing and included as part of the record of the meeting.
Notice is hereby given that Council may discuss and/or take action on any or all of the items listed on this agenda.
Any writings or documents provided to a majority of the Cotati City Council regarding any item on this agenda will be made available for inspection in the online Meeting Portal at www.cotaticity.gov and in the City Manager’s office located at 201 West Sierra Avenue, Cotati, California, during the City’s posted business hours.
Disabled Accommodation: Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate formats to persons with disabilities as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should contact the Deputy City Clerk at (707) 665-3622 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
Rules of Decorum: To avoid distraction, the following meeting etiquette shall be enforced. • Silence electronic devices, including cell phones.
Cotati City Council Packet March 25, 2025
• Audience members are advised to keep conversations to a minimum or conduct them outside the building. • Photographs or video recordings using tri-pods or other means that would be distracting are to be taken only from the designated media area. • The Presiding Officer shall request that the audience withhold expressions of support or opposition for speakers in the interest of time and to encourage the full expression of differing views. (City Council Policy 2023-01 III.B.1.) Public Comment (Action items): Public comment on any one agenda item where the City Council will be taking some action is limited to no more than three (3) minutes per person. Action items are typically designated on the agenda title.
Public Comment (Non-Action items): Public comment on non- action agenda items shall be received during the designated portion of the agenda.
Comments shall be limited to no more than three (3) minutes for all non-action agenda items.
Waiver Warning: If you challenge decisions/direction of the City Council of the City of Cotati in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at public hearing(s) described in this agenda, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Cotati at, or prior to, the public hearing(s).
City Council meetings are conducted according to City Council Policy 2023-01: City Council Rules. This policy available for inspection in the online Meeting Portal at www.cotaticity.gov and in the City Manager’s office located at 201 West Sierra Avenue, Cotati, California, during the City’s posted business hours.
Those wishing to address the Council are asked to complete a speaker card and give it to the City Clerk. When you are called, step to the podium and state your name and address for the record. Persons wishing to address the Council are not required to identify themselves or complete a speaker card; (Gov’t. Code § 54953.3); however, this information assists the Mayor by ensuring that all persons wishing to address the Council are recognized and it assists the City Clerk in preparing the City Council meeting minutes.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The City of Cotati recognizes that we’re on the ancestral lands of the Coastal Miwok, who are the original caretakers of this area. We respectfully acknowledge the Indigenous peoples who have been stewarding and maintaining a relationship on this land as knowledge keepers for millennia. This acknowledgement does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities but serves as a gesture of respect to the land we are on.
4. 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 – MAR 11, 2025
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 may consider the item. If the City Council considers the item, citizens will be afforded the opportunity to provide comments 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. However, the Brown Act prohibits the City Council from taking action or considering any item that is not on this agenda, to ensure that other members of the community who wish to provide comment are notified in advance through a properly noticed meeting agenda.
B. Measure S supports police services, a variety of recreation programs for all ages, and the Cotati City Council Packet March 25, 2025
maintenance of our streets, parks, and public buildings. See details on the web at cotaticity.gov.
C. Citizens interested in receiving City of Cotati community alerts via text or email are encouraged to enroll with CivicReady, by signing up on the City’s website, www.cotaticity.gov, under the “How do I” link at the top of the homepage.
D. Have you noticed a street light out, pothole, or issues in a City Park? We want to keep Cotati beautiful and running smoothly, so please let us know what needs to be fixed, by going to the City website under “How do I” and “Report a Service Request.” E. 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. PRESENTATIONS
A. CRPUSD PRESENTATION
It is recommended that the City Council receive a presentation from Maite Iturri, Superintendent of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. No action will be taken.
8. APPROVAL OF FINAL AGENDA (ACTION)
This item will only be opened for the public comment if the City Council proposes to take any action to modify this agenda.
9. 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. 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 timer indicator lights will display yellow when there are thirty seconds remaining, and red when time has expired.
10. CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
A. ANNUAL CANCELLATION OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AND HOLIDAY
CLOSURE OF CITY HALL
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a motion to cancel the regular City Council meetings of July 22 and December 23, 2025, and authorize the annual holiday closure of City Hall.
11. DIRECTION ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
12. REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
A. APPOINTMENT OF PLANNING COMMISSIONERS
It is recommended that the Council ratify, by adoption of a motion, Councilmember Sparks’ and Savage’s nominations to fill the vacant Planning Commission positions.
B. ANNUAL POLICE CHIEF REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
Cotati City Council Packet March 25, 2025
It is recommended that the City Council receive and discuss the annual police chief report for calendar year 2024.
C. MAYORS AND COUNCILMEMBERS COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
It is recommended that the City Council review letters of interest received and provide the Mayor with Direction for voting at the upcoming Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association Board of Directors meeting.
D. UPDATED COTATI CONNECTION AND NEW COMMUNITY MEMBER GUIDE It is recommended the City Council review and provide feedback on the New Community Member Guide and the revised format of the Cotati Connection Newsletter.
13. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
14. CITY COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS
15. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
16. CLOSED SESSION
A. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL—EXISTING LITIGATION (PARAGRAPH (1) OF SUBDIVISION (D) OF SECTION 54956.9) NAME OF CASE: COUNTRYSIDE MHP LLC V. CITY OF COTATI, SONOMA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT CASE NO. 24CV00804
17. REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
18. INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED
19. ADJOURNMENT
Certification of Posting of the Notice: I declare under penalty of perjury that I am employed by the City of Cotati and that I posted this notice on the City’s website, bulletin boards of City Hall, Veterans’ Memorial Building and the SMART Train Depot, on or before March 21, 2025. /s/ Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: PRESENTATIONS
To: City Council
Subject: CRPUSD PRESENTATION
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council receive a presentation from Maite Iturri, Superintendent of the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School Distrcit. No action will be taken.
Background
Analysis/Discussion
Financial Considerations
Environmental Issues
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: ANNUAL CANCELLATION OF CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
AND HOLIDAY CLOSURE OF CITY HALL
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a motion to cancel the regular City Council meetings of July 22 and December 23, 2025, and authorize the annual holiday closure of City Hall.
Background
Historically, due to the high volume of budget meetings in April, May and June and busy summer schedules, the City Council has canceled one meeting in July or August, after the beginning of the new fiscal year. Additionally, the last scheduled meeting of the year is close to Christmas, when many people are on vacation and out of town, so this meeting has also traditionally been canceled.
In past years, the City Council has adopted a holiday closure for City Hall during the Christmas/New Year holiday season. The last weeks of December are the slowest time of the year for City Hall. City commission and board meetings, if previously scheduled, are typically cancelled. Generally, there are no pressing City Council matters needing to be addressed at the second meeting in December and the staff is not aware of any public or vendor complaints about previous years’ City Hall closures. The schedule would be posted on the City’s website and signs placed on the City Hall entrance doors.
Analysis/Discussion
The City Council generally meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. Although not required by state open meeting laws, in accordance City Council Rules of Conduct, section I.A.3, “Any meeting of the Council may be canceled in advance by a majority vote of the Council.” 21 of 216
This is intended to provide ample notice for the public when there is a changed or canceled meeting date. For 2025, it is proposed to cancel the regular City Council meetings on July 22 and December 23.
The proposed City Hall holiday closure schedule is similar to previous years and consists of the closure of City Hall starting Monday, December 22, 2025 and reopening on January 5, 2026 for normal City Hall hours (7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday).
The holiday closure would consist of six regular workdays and three paid holidays (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Day). Employees who choose to take this time off during this period would utilize individual accrued vacation or other leave time. The proposed schedule would not affect the Public Works Department, nor would it affect the Police Department. Both departments will remain open, and employees will continue to work regular schedules on those days.
Financial Considerations
If staff take paid leave during the proposed closure, it will result in reductions in accrued compensatory absence liability for City Hall employees.
Environmental Issues
The action of cancelling City Council meeting dates and holiday closure of City Hall does not constitute a project as defined by California Environmental Quality Act. 22 of 216
Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: APPOINTMENT OF PLANNING COMMISSIONERS
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Council ratify, by adoption of a motion, Councilmember Sparks’ and Savage’s nominations to fill the vacant Planning Commission positions.
Background
Qualifications, terms, and appointment process for the City’s Planning Commission (Commission) are set forth in Chapter 2.16 of the City’s Municipal Code. The Commission is comprised of five members, each of which is nominated by one of the five Council members, and ratified by a majority of the Council. Commissioner terms are coincident with, and at the discretion of, the nominating Council member. Section 2.16.050 of the Municipal Code requires all Commissioners to be residents of the City.
Councilmember Savage has elected to re-appoint Planning Commissioner Shelley Berman, initially appointed by former Councilmember Kathleen Rivers.
Councilmember Sparks’ had appointed John Savage to the Planning Commission. When Councilmember Savage was subsequently appointed to the City Council, Councilmember Sparks‘ planning commission appointment became vacant. This vacant position was advertised on the City’s social media & website. Applications were received up to and on the March 13, 2025 deadline.
A total of four applications were received for Planning Commission. The applications are attached for review and indicated in the table below.
Analysis/Discussion
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The current composition of the Commission is as follows:
Commissioner Nominating
Councilmember Current Term Expiration
Kimberlyn Moffet Susan Harvey 2028
Ryan Long Ben Ford 2028
Shelley Berman (Pending Re-Appointment) 2026
Ed Gilardi Sylvia Lemus 2026
The applicants for Planning Commission are as follows:
Nominees: Responsible Councilmember:
Mike Steckler Laura Sparks
Eric Gage
Sarah Sparks
Laurie-Ann Barbour
Councilmember Savage has re-nominated Shelley Berman to continue her term.
Councilmember Sparks has nominated Sarah Sparks (no relation) to fill the vacant position.
Financial Considerations
The Community Development Department, as staff to the Planning Commission, supports the needs of the Planning Commission through the Department’s operating budget.
Environmental Issues
The action of appointing a Planning Commissioner is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because they are not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378. 24 of 216
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: Cotati City Council
Subject: ANNUAL POLICE CHIEF REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Chris Simmons, Chief of Police
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council receive and discuss the annual police chief report for the calendar year 2024.
Background
In 2021, the Chief of Police presented the first annual report to the City Council and the community, which covered activities and statistics from the previous calendar year (2020). Since then, there have been a total of four annual reports presented (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). These reports are posted publicly on the City of Cotati website for ease in accessibility so that the community may better understand the undertakings the police department is involved in and the ways in which we continue to make our city safe.
This current presentation marks the fifth annual report and is presented for the 2024 calendar year. As with the previous reports, the 2024 annual report is a tool for open discussions and will be posted on the website for greater accessibility and transparency.
On February 27, 2025, the Community Police Advisory Committee had their inaugural meeting and received a presentation from the Chief of Police.
Analysis/Discussion
In 2024, the Cotati Police Department continued to address various challenges associated with staffing and operations. Chief Parish retired in December of 2023, with Chief Simmons taking over in February 2024. Though some officer vacancies were filled toward the end of 2023, there was attrition in late 2023/early 2024 that continued to maintain vacancies at the officer level. 37 of 216
Chief Simmons hired two officers in 2024, one of which is still in the field training program and is scheduled to permanently fill an operational vacancy in the Spring (2025). The Department continues to actively recruit to fill dispatch and police officer vacancies to reach full staffing. We currently have officer and dispatch candidates in the background process.
The annual report consists of numerous data elements related to police and South County SAFE (Specialized Assistance For Everyone) calls for service, arrests, NIBRS (National Incident Based Reporting System) crime statistics, traffic citations, citizen complaints, and uses of force.
As was the case the previous year, a large portion of this year’s annual report is dedicated to RIPA (Racial Identity Profiling Act) data and Cotati Police Department’s pledge to ensure equitable service delivery and treatment of our citizens and visitors. RIPA was formed as part of AB953 (Weber, 2016). The RIPA Board is a diverse group of members that represent the public, law enforcement, and educators.
The goal of the RIPA Board is to strengthen law enforcement-community relations in California through collaboration, transparency, and accountability. The California Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Attorney General, has the primary oversight of the RIPA Board.
One of the responsibilities of the RIPA Board has been to develop a “stop data” collection process. On July 1, 2018, the eight largest police agencies in California began collecting stop data and reporting the information to the DOJ.
A “RIPA stop” is defined as any detention or search, with the goal to “collect perceived demographic and other detailed data regarding pedestrian and traffic stops.” The bill requires an agency that employs between one and 334 peace officers to issue its first annual report to DOJ by April 1, 2023. (All police agencies in Sonoma County, including the Cotati Police Department, are in this category).
For transparency, the Cotati Police Department decided to collect RIPA data before the scheduled mandate. Our Police Department is a member of a Public Safety consortium. Members of the consortium include the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, cities of Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Windsor (Sonoma and Windsor contract services with Sheriff’s Department).
Collectively, the consortium agencies started collecting RIPA data using patrol cars mobile computers and smart phones on July 1, 2021. The data is collected by the consortium and transmitted to the DOJ daily for review and quality control. This data set then becomes the single “point of truth” for validated data statewide.
The RIPA Board released its eighth annual report on January 1, 2025. The 2025 report contains an analysis of more than 4.7 million police stops conducted in 2023 under RIPA. The full report is available at https://oag.ca.gov/ab953/board/reports.
Per the Board’s report, the stop data for perceived ethnicity for the state of California in 2023 38 of 216
was similar to that of 2022, and is as follows:
2022 2023
White 32.5% 31.96%
Hispanic/Latine(x) 42.9% 43.07%
Black 12.5% 12.14%
Asian 5.5% 5.72%
Note that Middle Eastern/South Asian (5.03%), Multiracial (1.22%), Pacific Islander (0.57%), Native American (0.28%), and Other (0.53%) categories were also reported.
The stop data for perceived ethnicity for the Cotati Police Department for 2022, 2023, and 2024 was as follows:
2022 2023 2024
White 57% 54% 51.5%
Hispanic/Latine(x) 30% 31% 34.5%
Black 6% 6% 5.9%
Asian 3% 3% 3.5%
Various other RIPA data is available throughout the annual report’s respective slide presentation (attached) and provides information on perceived age, gender, reason for the stop, searches conducted, types of property seized, duration of stops, and results of stops.
Calls for service and officer-initiated activity totaled 12,610 in 2024, representing a comparative increase of 1,393 events to the year prior (2023 totaled 11,217 calls/activities/events). Calls for service were up by 292 and officer-initiated activities were up by 1,101.
This increase can largely be attributed to the department’s commitment to traffic safety and focused vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle safety/enforcement, as outlined in the City of Cotati Strategic Priorities Work Plan 2024-2025. Even more specifically, the department centered its priorities on safety and enforcement related to driving under the influence (DUI); DUI arrests nearly tripled in 2024 to 224 (78 in 2023). As a result, overall reporting, proactivity, arrest statistics, stop data, and associated contacts increased in 2024.
The remainder of the annual report centers on organizational, procedural, and training aspects of the Cotati Police Department, including numerous community outreach efforts that staff were involved in throughout 2024.
Financial Considerations
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As has been the case, especially over the last year, sizable data extraction, analysis, formatting, and ultimate reporting continue to require extensive staff time. The addition of the records analyst position has greatly helped to streamline the process of mining and charting data and information, especially since the RIPA data in particular continues to be challenging to decipher from the raw Department of Justice data. The continuous mining of data and analytics associated with providing enhanced details of such data may have greater financial impacts in the future.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
Attachments:
Cotati Police Department Annual Report 2024
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: MAYORS AND COUNCILMEMBERS COMMITTEE
APPOINTMENTS
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council review letters of interest received and provide the Mayor with Direction for voting at the upcoming Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association Board of Directors meeting.
Background
The City of Cotati is a member of the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association and the Sonoma County City Selection Committee. Each body appoints members to various regional Boards and Commissions. The voting delegates from the City are the Mayor (primary) and Vice Mayor (alternate). If there are no letters of interest, the by-laws of the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association allows for nominations from the floor at the meeting.
Analysis/Discussion
At its April 10, 2025 meeting, the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Council Members’ Association (SCMCA) Board of Directors will make appointments for the following vacated positions:
Measure H Oversight Committee – 2 Seats. 3-year term starting in May. *Note – you must be an independent County resident; active fire chiefs, active fire directors, County employees, or spouses to any such individuals may not serve on the committee. Meeting schedule details are pending.
Letters Received:
Jeff Okrepkie, Santa Rosa
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Evelyn Mitchell, Healdsburg
Sandra Lowe, Sonoma
Neysa Hinton, Sebastopol
Jill McLewis, Sebastopol
North Bay Division LOCC, Executive Board – 2 Seats (to fill expiring terms of Susan Harvey of Cotati and Janice Cader Thompson of Petaluma) 1 primary seat and 1 alternate seat. 2-year term starting in April.
Letters Received:
Susan Harvey, Cotati
Janice Cader Thompson, Petaluma
Stephen Zollman, Sebastopol
Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Citizens Advisory Committee – 2 Seats (to fill expiring terms of John Shribbs of Petaluma and Kevin McDonnell of Petaluma). 2-year term starting in April.
Letters Received:
John Shribbs, Petaluma
Marjorie Morgenstern, Cloverdale
Karen Nau, Petaluma
Financial Considerations
Not applicable.
Environmental Issues
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: UPDATED COTATI CONNECTION AND NEW COMMUNITY
MEMBER GUIDE
Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Damien O’Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended the City Council review and provide feedback on the New Community Member Guide and the revised format of the Cotati Connection Newsletter.
Background
A strategic goal of the City Council is to promote community engagement and awareness and encourage resident participation. Therefore, City staff have continued work on the City Newsletter which is distributed monthly to residents concurrently with the utility billing. These newsletters have been in the same format since creation. This newsletter serves as an update to community members on what new things are happening in the City. Since starting the letter staff have moved to also translating the newsletter to provide the same information in both English and Spanish on every newsletter.
The City Managers Department and Administrative Services Department have been discussing how to update our existing documents as well as provide new residents with key information about the City as part of a ”Welcome” letter. With this the City Managers Office has prepared an updated newsletter better showing the information for the City and more easily updated on the recurring reporting basis. The Administrative Services Department has developed the New Community Members Guide (Welcome Letter) to be distributed to new utility account holders.
Analysis/Discussion
The Cotati Connection is a newsletter that has been provided to citizens for almost 10 years and began to be translated into Spanish in January 2023. This resource has been a tool for residents and business owners to be informed on what is happening in the community, including upcoming 101 of 216
projects and recreational events as well as public meetings. This source of news has continuously ranked the highest as the primary location that people use for information about the City. As such, staff continue to try and put as much information as possible in the newsletter. As this source of news has been provided in the same general format for the last 10 years, staff felt that it was beginning to look outdated and the software to manage the document was not flexible for updates. Staff reviewed other formats of other newsletters and developed a new format which is more easily updated and can provide more information within the available space.
To try and provide more information to our residents, staff have also developed the New Community Members Guide. Within the guide we are providing new residents or business owners key contact information for services around the City, including information on services such as SAFE, animal licensing, contact information for the Cotati departments and other resources in the county, a map of the City with the parks, City Buildings, Evaluation Zones and other resources, a checklist of things to do in your first year, information on recreation services and the historical society, and a general seasonal calendar for year around events and activities within the City. This guidebook is intended to be posted online as a digital resource as well as mailed out to new utility customers. Staff are also intending to have a companion refrigerator magnet that would contain a QR code to the guide, as well as some key numbers for the City.
Financial Considerations
The distribution of the New Community Members Guild is anticipated to cost an annual amount of $2.00 per mailing including printing and postage. There are approximately 380 new utility customers a year, leading to an anticipated annual cost of $760 per year. Refrigerator magnets will add additional cost, but it is expected to be relatively minor. There is additional staff time to produce the mailings which is estimated at 20 minutes per week (52 weeks in the year) or a total of 1,040 minutes or 17.3 hours per year.
For the newsletters, Cotati Connection, the new format should be more easily adapted for information and will not take more funding or staff time to produce.
Environmental Issues
Council action on this item is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not constitute a project as defined by CEQA Guidelines Section 15378. 102 of 216
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Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED To: City Council
Subject: INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED Date: March 25, 2025
Written by: Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Recommendation
Information or written comments pertaining to this meeting, and which was received after the agenda was posted, is attached below.
Pursuant to City Council Policy 2023-01: City Council Rules section IV A., written Communications, interested persons or their authorized representative may address the Council by written communication on any matters concerning the City’s business, or any matters over which the Council has control.
1. To be considered for inclusion in the agenda packet, such written communication shall be delivered to the Deputy City Clerk no later than 11:00 a.m. of the Wednesday the week preceding the regular Council meeting for which such written communication is intended.
2. If received after the above date and time, but no later than noon the day before the meeting, written communications received by the Deputy City Clerk shall be posted on the website by the end of that day and notification provided to the electronic Agenda mailing list by the end of the day. All written communications received by the Deputy City Clerk by 5 pm on the City Council meeting day shall be made available to the City Council and public at the City Council meeting.
City Council Policy 2023-01 is available at the online meeting portal at www.cotaticity.org or by request from the Deputy City Clerk at 707-665-3622 or [email protected]. 109 of 216