1 MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE ETNA CITY COUNCIL
Monday February 23, 2026
Members of the Etna City Council met on the 23
rd day of February in person and
TELECONFERENCE (Zoom). Mayor Cliff Munson called the meeting to order and led in the salute to the flag of the United States of America.
1. Call to Order:
a. Roll Call
Council Members Brandon Fawaz, Jason Deppen, Mayor Cliff Munson, Matt Eastlick, and John Stacher were present.
2. Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items:
Community member Shannon Martin, resident of 206 Main Street, commented about information that was shared during the previous meeting that was not factual regarding her rooster. S. Martin also shared concerns with proposing to change the city’s ordinances to allow for citations to be issued.
Community member Jay Martin, resident of 206 Main Street stated that Police Chief Josh Short at the January 26th meeting made false statements about his family and commented about his response to a request for records.
An audience member thanked the city for restoring the Christmas tree and also displaying flags during patriotic occasions.
3. Consent Calendar:
a. Minutes of the Regular Meeting January 26, 2026
b. Invoice Approvals
Councilmember Deppen made a motion to approve. Councilmember Stacher seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Stacher, Eastlick, Munson, Deppen
Abstain: Fawaz
4. Current Business:
a. Presentation: Collier Rest Stop Visitor Center
Rennie Cleland Board President of the Collier Interpretive Information Center shared a power point presentation to the Council and audience. Cleland gave a brief background about the site. Cleland thanked the Council for the opportunity to present.
b. Discuss Creating a City Planning & Building Inspection Department 2 Mayor Munson gave a background on this item. Community member Andy Brown encouraged the City Council to create a city building department to expedite the permitting process. More discussion regarding plan checking and code compliance.
Councilmember Deppen suggested having an exploratory committee. City Attorney Andrew Jared provided input regarding new state law and issuance of building permits and hiring private building inspectors. More discussion. An exploratory volunteer committee will be formed to do further research. c. Discuss/Approve Etna Cleanup Days Event and Costs to be Shared Between the City of Etna ($2,500), Etna Lions, and Scott Valley Disposal Councilmember Deppen made a motion to approve. Councilmember Eastlick seconded, and the motion passed.
Ayes: Stacher, Eastlick, Munson, Deppen, Fawaz
d. Discuss/Approve Upcoming Pool Season and Issues for Opening The City Council tabled this item to the next regular meeting March 23, 2026. e. Discuss/Approve Noon Whistle Repairs
Mayor Munson explained that this item has been brought up in the past. The Council directed staff to research the costs of repairing the whistle and present the analysis at the next meeting.
f. Discuss/Approve 2025-2026 City of Etna Salary Schedule and Adopt Recruiting Sign-on Bonuses
City Attorney Andrew Jared explained that he has not reviewed or been involved with this item and recommended this go to a special meeting. More discussion.
Councilmember Fawaz suggested that continued discussion regarding this topic take place in closed session.
g. Discuss/Review SB 998 Policy (Water Shutoff Protection Act) A list of past due water bill account information was provided to Mayor Munson for the meeting, and the Council discussed the city’s water shutoff policy. Mayor Munson pointed out several accounts that were in the thousand-dollar range. Public Works Director Dan Burbank shared input regarding SB 998 and explained that the city is required to offer past due accounts an alternative payment plan. City Attorney Andrew Jared interjected and recommended that he and staff work together on this topic.
5. Department Reports:
Police Chief Josh Short provided a written report in the Council’s packet.
Fire Chief Jake Deegan provided a written report in the Council’s packet.
Public Works Director Dan Burbank had nothing to report.
Ambulance Director Teresa Arrwood provided a written report in the Council’s packet. 3 City Clerk Pamela Eastlick reported that Charlie (city auditor) hired a pre-auditor, and he has been working on completing the 2021/2022 audit.
6. City Council Statements and Requests:
None.
7. Closed Session:
a. Public Employment (Pursuant to Government Code §54957)
1. Fire Department – Volunteer (1)
City Council unanimously approved the firefighter volunteer. b. Conference with Labor Negotiations (Pursuant to Government Code §54957.6)
1. City Negotiator: Josh Short, Chief of Police
Employee Organization: Police Officers Association
City Council unanimously approved a $15,000 sign on bonuses for lateral police officers, and a $5,000 sign on bonus for police academy graduates.
City Council tabled negotiations for a special meeting on February 26th. c. Pending Litigation – Conference with Legal Counsel (Pursuant to Government Code §54956.9)
1. Name of Case: Virdell v. City of Etna (25CV13558)
City Council gave staff direction.
8. Adjournment:
There being no further business, Mayor Cliff Munson adjourned the meeting at 8:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jenny Bennett
Asst. City Clerk