12/17/2024 City Council Minutes Page 1 of 6
MINUTES OF THE DAVIS CITY COUNCIL
Meeting of December 17, 2024
The City Council of the City of Davis met in regular meeting session beginning at 6:33 p.m. in the Community Chambers, 23 Russell Boulevard, Davis, California. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Josh Chapman.
Roll Call: Councilmembers Present: Will Arnold (outgoing council), Linda Deos (newly elected council), Donna Neville, Gloria Partida ,
Bapu Vaitla, Josh Chapman
Councilmembers Absent: None
Other Officers Present: City Manager Mike Webb , City Attorney Inder Khalsa, City Clerk Zoe Mirabile
Approval of
Agenda
W. Arnold moved, seconded by G. Partida, to approve the agenda.
Motion passed unanimously.
Declaring the
Results of the
November 5,
2024 General
Municipal
Election
City Council
Reorganiza-
tion: Swear-
ing in of
Elected
Councilmem-
bers
City Clerk Zoe Mirabile : State law requires City Council to d eclare the results of the November 5, 2024 General Municipal Election for the elec- tion of three city councilmembers in Districts 2, 3 and 5 and Measure Q Essential Services Tax.
W. Arnold moved, seconded by D. Neville, to approve Resolution No. 24- 163 - Declaring the Results and Such Other Matters as Provided by Law of the General Municipal Election Held on November 5, 2024.
Motion passed unanimously.
City Council Reorganization: Swearing in of Elected Councilmembers a. Linda Deos for District 2, sworn in by
b. Donna Neville for District 3, sworn in by
c. Josh Chapman for District 5, sworn in by
Public comments:
• Will Arnold: Congratulations to newly elected councilmembers. • Sheila Allen, Yolo County Supervisor: Thank councilmembers for stepping up to serve the community and councilmember Arnold for his years of service.
City Council recessed at 6:48 p.m. and reconvened at 6:57 p.m.
Ceremonial
Presentation
Proclamation Honoring California Senator Bill Dodd for his Service to the Davis Community, presented by J. Chapman.
12/17/2024 City Council Minutes Page 2 of 6
City Manager
Announce-
ments
M. Webb: December 16, 17 and 18—Davis Firefighters and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting neighborhoods in Davis. December 24, 25, and 31 and January 1—city offices closed for holidays. City Hall will be closed from December 24 through January 1.
City Council
Announce-
ments and Li-
aison Reports
None
Public Com-
ments
• Elaine Roberts -Musser: Consent calendar item Design of H Street Storm Drain Pump Station Replacement —Utilities Commission con- tributed advice on the project. Oppose recent changes to the com- mission structure.
• Ellen Kalorik, Martha Teeter, and Barbara Clutter, Interfaith Housing Justice Davis: Contribute d $2,886 to the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) from housing forum last May. HTF is vital to achieving Council goal of shoring up the housing continuum. Since the tax measure passed, City Council should allocate $1 million annually to the HTF. • Heather Caswell, speaking on behalf of several downtown busi- nesses: Council should fund a new full-time police officer position to support downtown business and a program through the Police De- partment to help businesses cope with crime.
• Connor Gorman: Homelessness response—need to provide support for people experiencing homelessness as well as people at risk of homelessness.
• Alan Hirsch: Consent calendar item Tree Permit and Appeal Board Ordinance—oppose.
Consent Cal-
endar
Transactions and Use Tax Increase Follow-Up
1. Approve Resolution No. 24-164 - Authorizing the City Manager to Ex- ecute Agreements with the California Department of Tax and Fee Ad- ministration (CDTFA) for Implementation of a Local Transactions and Use Tax;
2. Approve Resolution No. 24 -165 - Authorizing the Examination of Sales or Transactions and Use Tax records;
3. Approve Resolution No. 24-166 - Authorizing the City Manager to Ex- ecute Amendment #2 to the Agreement with Hinderliter, De Llamas & Associates to Include Audit Services for the Newly Approved Trans- actions and Use Tax (“Measure Q”).
Playfields Batting Cages Analysis
Authorize staff to pursue a comprehensive study of utilization of, and de- velopment of alternative options , for the Playfields batting cage facility, to include a robust community and stakeholder engagement effort and a financial feasibility analysis
12/17/2024 City Council Minutes Page 3 of 6
Task Order for the Design o f the H Street Storm Drain Pump Station (SDS#3) Replacement Project, CIP No. ET0022
Approve Resolution No. 24-167 - Authorizing The City Manager to (1) Execute Task Order No. 42 with West Yost for the H Street Storm Drain Pump Station (SDS No. 3) Replaceme nt Project, CIP No. ET0022, (2) Execute Amendment No. 3 to the Current On -Call Professional Engi- neering Services Agreement with West Yost Associates, and (3) Com- plete a Budget Revision
Commission Project Review for Village Farms Davis and Shriners Pro- jects
Approve the list of additional commissions that will be tasked to review and comment on the Village Farms Davis and Shriners projects
Second Reading: Ordinance Amending Chapter 37 of the Davis Munici- pal Code Relating to Tree Planting, Preservation and Protection to Re- vise Administrative Processes and Establish a Tree Permit Appeal Board, and Finding this Ordinance Exempt From Environmental Review Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(B)(3)
Adopt Ordinance No. 2671 (Introduced 12/3/24)
Commission Minutes:
1. Climate and Environmental Justice Commission Meeting of July 22, 2024
2. Human Relations Commission Meeting October 24, 2024
3. Open Space and Habitat Commission Meeting of November 4, 2024
4. Transportation Commission Meetings of September 9, and October 14, 2024
Informational
D. Neville moved, seconded by G. Partida, to approve the consent cal- endar. Motion passed unanimously.
Initial Budget
Priorities for
FY26 and
FY27
Assistant City Manager Kelly Stachowicz and Finance Director Elena Adair: Overview of deferral and cuts in previous budget years and un- funded needs including general fund reserve, personnel costs including employee contracts and health and retiree medical costs, increased in- surance payments, pavement manage ment, miscellaneous capital im- provement projects, fleet replacement and enterprise resource planning, general plan update, C limate Action and Adaptation Plan implementa- tion/GHG reduction, homeless services, affordable housing, facility cap- ital maintenance and replacement, urban forestry, and park equipment.
Request Council feedback regarding key budget priorities for the upcom- ing two-year budget cycle (FY 2026 and 2027), particularly for the Gen- eral Fund.
12/17/2024 City Council Minutes Page 4 of 6
Public comments:
• Ellen Kalorik: Should allocate $1 million annually to Housing Trust Fund.
• Martha Teeter: Community prioritizes homeless services and afford- able housing. Need more personnel to case manage homeless ser- vices. Support Downtown Streets Team program. Need more afford- able housing.
• Patrick: Support full time police officer downtown. Need to prioritize existing unfunded liabilitie s and equity issues —greenbelts in South Davis are not as large or extensive or as well maintained as in other parts of Davis.
• Alan Miller: Oppose new taxes. Need to fund basic services. • Georgina Valencia: Should create and fund a down payment assis- tance program.
• Ron Glick: Should prioritize fixing streets. Oppose funding new fire station downtown, should retrofit existing building.
• Brett Lee: On behalf of Downtown Business Association, request res- toration of downtown based police bike officer. As individual, request Council fund operation of Respite Center on weekends.
• Elaine Roberts-Musser: Fiscal Commission should weigh in on city’s budget from the beginning and should review a long term forecast that includes new revenues and fully funding infrastructure. Should not fund new social services and housing programs until existing pro- grams are funded.
• Connor Gorman: Should restore general fund reserve and fund pave- ment needs. Build more affordable housing. Strengthen rental re- sources program. Need multiple staff members serving renters.
City Council recessed at 8:06 p.m. and reconvened at 8:14 p.m.
Councilmembers provided individual feedback, including:
D. Neville:
• General Fund restoration—support restoration as quickly as possible • OPEB—contribute 50% or up to 100% . OPEB & pension liability — update informational document from a few years ago regarding City’s commitment to fiscal responsibility. Add more information and focus more on liability.
• General Plan Update—seek grants
• Support Pavement Management and Police Department Bike Officer Downtown
• Community interest in more information about how we are managing our money. Produce document that gives people an understanding of how much we were able to spend and on what.
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G. Partida:
• General Fund restoration in 3 years
• OPEB—more than pay go, but be conservative. 50%-75%
• Support Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) update , Urban For- estry, Fleet replacement , Facility capital maintenance and replace- ment, Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP), Affordable Housing • Focus on not deferring maintenance
• Homelessness and General Plan update are equal priority • Need more communication around budget decisions, transparency.
B. Vaitla:
• Restore $1.5 million to pavement that was deferred for FY25. Would like to see scenarios linked to CPI.
• Priorities ranked:
1. General Fund to 15%, 3 years max $2.25 m/year
2. $2 million/yr to Housing Trust Fund—use for affordable hous- ing/homelessness/Downtown Streets Team
3. $1 million/yr Climate Fund-use for parks
4. ERP
5. Restoring CIPs that were deferred/defunded
6. OPEB plan 50-75-100 by FY28
7. Pavement management
• Council Subcommittee work —strategic planning around Council goals, how much revenue from Measure Q, how to allocate revenue given Council goals; establish targets.
• Prioritize communication to public regarding how funds are spent.
Consider special commission meetings to educate.
L. Deos:
• Need to be fiscally responsible.
• Restore General Fund reserve ASAP, 1-2 years.
• Prioritize OPEB, YCPARMIA (risk management/insurance) , Urban forestry, Finish CIP projects in progress, ERP, CAAP.
• Interest in learning more about Climate Fund and HTF to fund pro- grams
• Communicate how funds are spent—tell story, see visuals and how improved.
J. Chapman:
• General Fund reserve restoration, 2-3 years
• OPEB 50-75-100
• Support pavement management, General Plan update, and transpar- ency to community.
• Understand community interest in roads and housing . Need to hear from departments about unmet needs
12/17/2024 City Council Minutes Page 6 of 6
• Finish miscellaneous CIPs in progress. Pursue any other funding op- portunities to complete projects.
• Request more information on fleet replacement. Can some vehicle replacement be deferred if not able to transition to electric? • Would like to u nderstand how flexible HTF and Climate Fund would be. What is the cost for CAAP implementation?
• Homeless services—Council Subcommittee working on Respite Cen- ter, sanctioned camping, and community navigators.
• Support transparency efforts. Consider special commission meetings or 1 meeting in each council district. Benicia Cares project as exam- ple—get into the community.
B. Vaitla moved, seconded by D. Neville, to a ppoint G. Partida and L.
Deos to a Pavement Management Subcommittee to work with staff to refine the City’s pavement management funding strategy. Motion passed unanimously.
B. Vaitla moved, seconded by D. Neville, to appoint B. Vaitla and D. Ne- ville to a Council Subcommittee to work on budget ; strategic planning and budget priorities, Council Goals, and available revenues . Subcom- mittee will also work with staff on guiding policies for Housing Trust Fund and Climate Fund. Motion passed unanimously.
M. Webb clarification: Staff return with range of options on General Fund restoration.
AB 1234 Re-
porting
None
Long Range
Calendar
M. Webb: Next regular meeting January 7.
Public comments:
• Alan Hirsch: Oppose appointing the same councilmember to the Pavement Subcommittee that served on previous subcommittee and did not accomplish task.
• Alan Miller: Tambourine band
L. Deos: Does city have a Facilities Assessment?
M. Webb: Independent review of city facilities was conducted approxi- mately 2017 (Kitchell report). Work underway to update costs, determine what facilities need new assessment s. Parks and Community Services Department is conducting a needs assessment for parks.
Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 9:37 p.m.
Zoe Mirabile
City Clerk