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, February 24, 2026
6:00 PM REGULAR MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER - ROLL CALL
Vice Mayor Harvey called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.
Attendee Name Title Status
Sylvia Lemus Mayor Absent
Susan Harvey Vice Mayor Present
Ben Ford Councilmember Present
John Savage Councilmember Present
Laura Sparks Councilmember Leave of Absence
Staff Present: City Manager Damien O’Bid, Assistant City Attorney Ali Wolf, City Clerk Kevin Patterson, Director of Community Development Noah Housh, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Craig Scott, Police Chief Chris Simmons, Senior Planner JP Harries
2. 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 – FEB 10, 2026 Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
RESULT: Approve [3 TO 0]
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: John Savage, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Lemus, Sparks
3. PRESENTATIONS
A. COTATI HISTORICAL SOCIETY PRESENTATION
Cotati City Council Minutes February 24, 2026
Presentation by John Dell’Osso and Ed Gilardi of the Cotati Historical Society.
Councilmembers comment.
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
George Barich of Cotati
4. AGENDA REVIEW (ACTION)
No changes.
5. 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 2025-03, 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.
Public Comment:
George Barich of Cotati
Michael Ceremello
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
6. CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
7. DIRECTION OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
None.
8. REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
A. CONSIDER SUBMISSION OF A LETTER OF INTEREST TO JOIN THE RENEWAL
ENTERPRISE DISTRICT JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
RESULT: Approve [3 TO 0]
MOVER: John Savage, Councilmember
SECONDER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Lemus, Sparks
B. CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION TO AND Cotati City Council Minutes February 24, 2026
PARTICIPATION IN THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROHOUSING DESIGNATION PROGRAM
Presentation by Senior Planner JP Harries.
Councilmembers comment.
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
RESULT: Adopt [3 TO 0]
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: John Savage, Councilmember
AYES: Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Lemus, Sparks
After the conclusion of this item, Council took a five-minute recess.
C. ANNUAL POLICE CHIEF REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
Presentation by Chief of Police Chris Simmons.
Councilmembers comment, including requesting more years of data on charts in future reports, to better see trends.
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
9. 10.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT & PLEDGE OF ALLIGIANCE
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 millenia. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities but serves as a gesture of respect to the land we are on.
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT & COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS
Report by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers report out on local and regional events and meetings.
11. INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED
12. ADJOURNMENT
Vice Mayor Harvey adjourned the meeting at 8:22pm.
Cotati City Council Minutes February 24, 2026
/s/ Kevin Patterson, City Clerk