Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: NOR CAL OAKS LICENSE AGREEMENT AMENDMENT
Date: January 13, 2026
Written by: Damien O'Bid, City Manager
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the amended license agreement with NorCal Oaks for the use of Putnam and Cator Fields and the related budget amendment.
Background
On May 9, 2023, the City Council approved the original license agreement with Nor Cal Oaks.
Following approval of the license agreement, Nor Cal Oaks invested far in excess of the committed $577,588 during the first two (2) years of the License to improve the fields. These improvements resurrected the fields from essentially unusable to among the best fields in Sonoma County. The License required Nor Cal Oaks to fully maintain the fields, pay all utility costs for the field, and make an annual payment to the City.
The original funders are no longer with the organization, and Nor Cal Oaks no longer has access to the financial reserves it had previously. Therefore, the current representatives approached the City to request a change in terms to preserve the viability of baseball and softball programs for youth in the community at a reasonable cost. In particular, a change to the annual payment and cost of water was requested. Staff were also interested in modifying some terms of the agreement to clarify some terms with the operational experience and to ensure the issue with locked gates would not re-appear.
Analysis/Discussion
The proposed edits are mostly unremarkable changes proposed to clarify roles and responsibilities now that the City has operational experience with the new fields. The same basic arrangement and term remain unchanged; Nor Cal Oaks is responsible for maintaining the fields at a high level in exchange for first right to schedule games or practices. The focus of the discussion with NorCal Oaks was to find an arrangement that kept the youth programming viable and keeps field maintenance with operators that know how to best maintain these specialized facilities at a high level for the community at no cost.
The notable changes include:
• The fields must remain unlocked, except if the fields are too wet from heavy rainfall for play (to avoid damage).
• Sponsor signs must be removed annually after every baseball season and are inward facing only.
• Reducing annual payment requirements.
• The City would assume responsibilities for the cost of water, provided that monthly water use stays within 10% of prior year 3-month averages.
Financial Considerations
The proposed changes will increase the cost to the parks budget in the General Fund. The most significant cost is the water usage to irrigate the turf. The total annual cost of irrigation for the field at Putnam has been approximately $9,500 and $11,5000 at Cator Field. These were previously partially paid by Nor Cal Oaks but would revert to fully funded by the City under this amended license agreement. However, the costs associated with maintaining and repairing the baseball fields would continue to be paid for by Nor Cal Oaks. As such, a budget amendment is being proposed to increase the water costs for general fund parks expenditures in the amount of $5,800 for fiscal year 2025/26 and $14,600 for fiscal year 2025/26.
Environmental Issues
Where it can be determined with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA review.
This general rule can be applied to activities which could be subject to the CEQA process, but which logic dictates should not be subject to CEQA review. Therefore, based on the information provided above, the proposed resolution is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 14.03.021 of the CEQA Guidelines in that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant impact on the environment.