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, April 28, 2026
6:00 PM REGULAR MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER - ROLL CALL
Mayor Lemus called the meeting to order at 6:00pm.
Attendee Name Title Status
Sylvia Lemus Mayor Present
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, City Attorney John Bakker, Permit Technician Carla Duncan, Director of Administrative Services Angela Courter, Director of Community Development Noah Housh, Director of Public Works/City Engineer Craig Scott, Police Chief Chris Simmons
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 – APR 14, 2026 RESULT: Approve [4 TO 0]
MOVER: Susan Harvey, Councilmember
SECONDER: John Savage, Councilmember
AYES: Lemus, Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Sparks
3. AGENDA REVIEW (ACTION)
No changes.
4. 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, Cotati City Council Minutes April 28, 2026
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:
Emily Schmidt of Cotati
David Erskine of Cotati
5. CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
A. CONSIDER ACCEPTANCE OF THE SUNFLOWER PARK CONSTRUCTION
IMPROVEMENTS
B. SECOND READING OF FOOD AND MOBILE BUSINESS ORDINANCE C. APPROVAL OF 2026 FARMERS MARKET EVENT IN LA PLAZA PARK D. SECOND READING AND ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE TO REZONING
MULTIPLE PARCELS TO THE TRANSIT ORIENTED COMMUNITIES (TOC) AND
SANTERO WAY (SW) ZONING DISTRICTS AND MAKE ANY FURTHER NEEDED
REVISIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE TOC LAND USE POLICIES
RESULT: Adopt [4 TO 0]
MOVER: Ben Ford, Councilmember
SECONDER: Susan Harvey, Councilmember
AYES: Lemus, Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Sparks
6. DIRECTION OF FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Mayor Lemus requested a future agenda item for a discussion on flight path changes for the Sonoma County Airport.
7. REGULAR AGENDA (ACTION)
A. FISCAL YEAR 2025/26 - THIRD QUARTER - FINANCIAL UPDATE Presentation by Director of Administrative Services Angela Courter.
Councilmembers comment.
No public comment.
B. HIGHWAY 116/WEST COTATI AVENUE INTERSECTION SAFETY
IMPROVEMENT UPDATE
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment.
Cotati City Council Minutes April 28, 2026
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
Neil Hancock of Cotati
Laurie-Ann Barbour of Cotati
Council gave the following feedback to staff:
-Investigate if the splitter island on the west side of Hwy 116 can be widened. -Investigate possibility of adding flashing lights to pedestrian crossings on 116 crossings. -Ensure landscaping does not impact views and safety of pedestrian crossings.
C. ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING DISTRICT (EIFD) FEASIBILITY
STUDY UPDATE
Presentation by City Manager Damien O’Bid.
Councilmembers comment that there doesn’t appear to be a need to do a joint EIFD with Rohnert Park. This would make more sense if it was a joint project in both communities.
No public comment.
D. APPROVAL OF PURCHASE AGREEMENT OF A DIGITAL DISPLAY AND THE
ASSOCIATED INSTALLATION AND SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENTS TO
REPLACE THE MARQUEE MESSAGE BOARD
Presentation by Director of Public Works/City Engineer Craig Scott.
Councilmembers comment.
Public Comment:
Laurie Alderman of Cotati
Laurie-Ann Barbour of Cotati
Council generally supported the usage policies outlined in the staff report, including using minimal color/animations, except in cases of emergencies, and ensuring the text display does not rotate too rapidly, ensuring readability.
RESULT: Adopt [4 TO 0]
MOVER: Susan Harvey, Councilmember
SECONDER: Ben Ford, Mayor
AYES: Lemus, Harvey, Ford, Savage
NAYS: None
ABSENT: Sparks
8. 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 Cotati City Council Minutes April 28, 2026
9. 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.
10. INFORMATION RECEIVED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS POSTED
11. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Lemus adjourned the meeting at 8:16pm.
/s/ Kevin Patterson, City Clerk