**CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE www.etnaca.com**
MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE ETNA CITY COUNCIL
Monday June 27, 2022
Members of the Etna City Council met on this 27
th day of June, via TELECONFERENCE and
IN PERSON. Mayor Cliff Munson called the meeting to order and led in the Salute to the Flag of the United States of America.
Roll Call
Councilmembers Brandon Fawaz, Mayor Cliff Munson, Charnna Gilmore were present.
Councilmember Mitch Trost was absent.
Oral Comments from the Public on Non-Agenda Item
None.
Consent Calendar
• Minutes April 25, 2022, with corrections
• Minutes May 3, 2022
• Minutes May 23, 2022
Councilmember Gilmore moved to approve the Minutes, Fawaz seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Fawaz, Gilmore, Munson
• Financial Transactions April & May 2022
Tabled until the next meeting due to financial uncertainty. • Resolution 2022-015 Accepting 22/23 SB1 Funding
Councilmember Fawaz moved to approve Resolution 2022-015. Mayor Munson read the title of the Resolution, Gilmore seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
Council/Department Reports:
City Manager Adam Cox reported that he has been reviewing financials and is working toward getting more solid numbers for 2022/2023. Cox appreciated the opportunity to help the city.
Police Chief Josh Short provided a written report in the packet and gave a brief verbal report. Councilmember Fawaz asked for an update on the Fort Jones Police Contract. Chief Short said that they have met, and Adam Cox stated that he is expecting to hear back from them shortly. Chief Short also reported that his department has been making some progress with code enforcement issues on Highland Street.
Public Works Director Dan Burbank provided a written report in the council packet. **CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE www.etnaca.com** Fire Chief Alan Kramer reported that there have been a few small fires and it is apparent that the winds in the afternoons have been substantial. Chief Kramer explained the Zone Haven system that the County has been working on to use for evacuation notifications. He is going to work on getting a map to have displayed at City Hall. Chief Kramer also encouraged anyone who is not signed up for Code Red to do so. The County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance banning fireworks. All the engines have been pump-tested and he has been working on getting everything ready for fire season. The 50/50 Grant has been submitted and he expects to hear early August whether the city will be awarded the grant. Councilmember Fawaz asked the status of the engine that was out of service. Chief Kramer explained that it is operable but needs work, the water tender has had some issues with the transmission, and it is being worked on. Mayor Munson asked about a fire suppression project taking place in our area. Chief Kramer explained that CalFire has been working on fuel break projects and extending the depths of a fire safe zone or reduced hazard zone.
Ambulance Director Teri Arrwood reported that Brooklyn will be staying on as a full time EMT but will be working reduced hours. There are several people working through the EMT class which will help the department tremendously. There are currently five paramedics that are volunteers. GEMT (Ground Emergency Medical Transportation) and Frontier Reimbursements are working to reimburse from Medicaid and Medicare and the department will be able to apply for reimbursed funds that were billed for and not paid. Medicare reimburses the lowest. Arrwood has been going through the process of having the ambulance facility certified to use for trainings.
City Clerk Kris Hargrove reported that she has been working on getting the numbers together for the budget. Pam Stock has been assisting with reconciling the numbers and will help with closing the year end out.
Mayor Cliff Munson has only been mayor for a short period of time and had nothing to report.
Councilmember Gilmore reported that she and the CDBG Committee recently met, and they are working on a portfolio. Gilmore also reported that the city received a parks and rec grant to purchase a new pool cover and a solar structure to help with heating, water loss, and electricity costs and the pool cover should be here very soon. Through the CDBG program money received is considered program income and the city currently has $107,000 that needs to be identified for a project before June 30th and Gilmore asked for an extension on that. The applications for the program are extensive and there have been some community outreach meetings to help with identifying a project. There are a few ideas and one of them is to use it to resurface the pool which is very much needed. The museum is also in much need of some repairs and electrical upgrades.
Councilmember Fawaz reported that he met with Dan Burbank. The pool has been very busy.
BUDGET ITEMS:
**CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE www.etnaca.com** • Discuss/Approve 22/23 Budget
City Manager Adam Cox requested the Council to adopt the same spending levels as a temporary measure so the city can resume satisfying its financial obligations. Cox hopes to have more accurate financial numbers for the August meeting. Gilmore requested that this be looked at monthly. Gilmore moved to approve a 30-day spending plan to allow for normal city business, no capital expenditures or additional payroll, Fawaz seconded that the motion passed.
Ayes: Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
CURRENT BUSINESS:
Discuss/Approve Open Council Seat. Mayor Munson explained that there are two interested community members that are willing to fill the seat until the term expires (November 2022.) Lori Fleck and Dennis Melum addressed the Council and audience. Gilmore thanked them for their interest. After discussion the Council expressed that they are leaning towards appointing Lori Fleck because of her financial background and experience. Gilmore moved to approve appointing Lori Fleck, Fawaz seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
Discuss/Approve Commercial Drive Addresses. City Planner Richard Tinsman provided a written staff memo to the City Council. Following the approval of the Mountain Village Park (MVP) use permit application for construction of an office building MVP has requested an address be assigned to the property so they can begin the building permit process.
After review, it was determined that addresses along Commercial Street are inconsistent with addressees elsewhere in the city. To address this, a change of address for a single property owner is needed. However, the affected property owner does not want their address changed because it would negatively impact their organization in many ways. Councilmember Fawaz moved to approve leaving the address unchanged and direct staff to assign addresses accordingly, Fleck seconded. Further discussion. The motion passed unanimously.
Ayes: Fleck, Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
Discuss/Approve Emergency Water Well. Andy Brown addressed the Council explaining that he owns a large acre property with multiple zonings in city limits and he would like to have a well for domestic use. Brown is proposing that he would allow a municipal easement for city use of the well and partnering with the city. Gilmore commented that it is good for the city to have options. Fleck asked when the point is for the use of the well since Brown is already connected to city water. There is a concern that this will set a precedent for others to have wells instead of using city water. No action taken.
Discuss/Approve Sleeper Protocol for the Ambulance. Ambulance Director Teri Arrwood requested approval for a new protocol that will allow ambulance employees to use the living quarters when responding to calls or attending trainings. This protocol will protect the city from people taking advantage of the facilities as well. Arrwood would like something in writing that can be implemented in their Operations Manual and Team Member Manual. The Council reviewed the protocol and recommended it be reviewed by the city attorney and add a signature **CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE www.etnaca.com** line for the ambulance commissioner. Fleck moved to approve accepting the first sleeper agreement with the added signature line and legal counsel review, Gilmore seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Fleck, Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
Discuss/Approve Water Modernization Grant Project Manager. Councilmember Gilmore recommended the development of a contract for a project manager for this grant. There is money in the grant that would allow for this hire. There is a qualified candidate that is interested in being the project manager for this grant. The finalization for this project is August 2025. Councilmember Fleck moved to approve the agreement for professional services pending concurrence with legal counsel, Fawaz seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Fleck, Gilmore, Fawaz, Munson
Discuss/Approve CDBG Program Income Letter. Councilmember Gilmore explained that the city needs to send a letter to CDBG describing the project ideas for the use of the $107,000.
Discuss/Approve Etna Clean-up Funds Request. Councilmember Gilmore is requesting to increase the budget for the Etna Clean-up Days by $1,000. Audience member Ron Koenig commented that the reason it is so busy is because it is an event that gets taken advantage of by residents that live outside of city limits and Etna pays for it. Councilmember Fleck recommended showing a city water bill to prove residency. Fleck moved to approve increasing the budget for the Etna Cleanup Days by $1,000, Munson seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Fleck, Fawaz, Munson
Abstain: Gilmore
Discuss/Approve Outdoor Watering. Councilmember Gilmore informed the Council and audience that we are in a curtailment, and she has observed a lot of outdoor watering.
Gilmore would like the community in city limits to do their part. The schools have been using a lot of water as well. Gilmore would like the Council to consider raising rates and she is concerned that the city could receive a fine from the State Water Board if we are not following the curtailment. Currently watering is only allowed for health and safety needs. Munson asked how the city’s water situation is. Gilmore said that we are in a better position than we were last year, but we are still under curtailment from the State Water Board. No action taken.
Discuss/Approve Hiring Policy. Clerk Hargrove created a hiring policy for Council review and adoption. Adam Cox would like more time to review it. Council tabled this item to the next agenda.
Discuss/Approve Strike Team Contract & MOU Updates. This item has already been approved but language was requested to be added. Clerk Hargrove presented the updated version to Council. Ambulance Director Arrwood asked about being dispatched as a single resource and including that language in the contract. Cox will look at creating a separate contract/MOU for single resource assignments. Chief Kramer explained the intention of this policy was to cover all activities in outside areas, strike team terminology is not accurate. Mayor Munson moved to approve renaming this contract agreement to “Employee Contract Agreement” **CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE www.etnaca.com** for outside assignments. Clerk Hargrove will note the changes and send them to Adam Cox.
Council approved the contract and MOU unanimously.
Discuss/Approve Initial Jurisdiction Compliance Report. Mayor Munson explained that this was approved to have the County handle our CalRecycle. No action taken.
CORRESPONDENCE:
CITY COUNCIL STATEMENTS AND REQUESTS:
CLOSED SESSION: Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957 • Discuss/Approve Ambulance Hire – City Council unanimously voted to approve the new ambulance hire.
• Discuss/Approve CDBG Loan Item – City Council gave direction, and no reportable action was taken.
• Discuss/Approve Ambulance Personnel Change– City Council gave direction, and no reportable action was taken.
• Public Employee Evaluation – City Manager– City Council gave direction, and no reportable action was taken.
• Public Employee Evaluation – City Clerk– City Council gave direction, and no reportable action was taken.
Adjournment
There being no further business Mayor Tarne ended the closed session and adjourned the meeting at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jenny Bennett
Asst. City Clerk