FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
1 AGENDA ITEM #7
MEETING DATE September 6, 2023
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Christine Foster, Deputy Town Clerk
SUBJECT Receive report on Councilmembers’ assignments, committees, and activities in August.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive Councilmember activities report.
DISCUSSION
Every month, each Councilmember provides a list of the meetings they attended in the preceding month on behalf of the Town, for inclusion in this report. Under the agenda section entitled “Council Reports and Comments” Councilmembers may choose to highlight one of those meetings.
Mayor Cutrano
Not received in time for publication.
Vice Mayor Coler
1. Attended Special Town Council meeting (August 7).
2. Met with Town Manager on Town matters (8/8 w/Mayor; 8/14 w/Mayor; 8/15-Agenda setting mtg with Mayor; 8/22; 9/5- Agenda setting for October Council mtg with Mayor).
3. Attended Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (Marin LAFCO) meeting (Aug 10) – The Commission approved: LAFCO Updated Fee Schedule; Executive Officer Employment Agreement for 3- year period. The Commission elected a new Chair Barbara Coler and Vice Chair Dennis Rodoni.
Discussion of start time (changed to 6:30 PM) & change to Hybrid meetings (rather than all in-person meetings). Subsequent meeting – as Chair, met with Executive Officer Fried re: upcoming meetings and workshop (Aug 21).
4. Attended Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) Board meeting (Aug 17) – The Board approved:
Election of Board President Julie McMillan & VP Rachel Kertz; Mill Valley to retain voting share at this time even though they have now consolidated fire with Southern Marin Fire (the Board agreed that a subcommittee would be formed over the next year to work on JPA amendments inc. voting share w/consolidations and other matters); issuance of an RFQ for Vegetation Mgt. Services so MWPA can enter into Master Services Agreement(s) and issue Task Orders for CORE work (save resources for member agencies; EO evaluation & compensation – 2.5% merit + 3.5% COLA; 3.5% COLA for staff. Some updates: Chipper Day pickups started mid-May, so far 2,039 pickups w/ 6,347 cubic yards; Home Hardening and Veg Mgt Grant programs has $800K total available – 84 applications processed so far, great increase from last year; new FireWise liaison is John Poulson working for FireSafe Marin.
5. Attended MCE Clean Energy Board meeting (Aug 17) - The Board approved: pause in the Deep Green pilot for default signups for new communities (due to unanticipated high costs of renewable energy and CAISO’s curtailments of primarily wind & solar – TB revisited in 2024 as short term energy market if 2 stabilizes) and also staff exploration of a new GHG free service offering) – customers can still opt up to Deep Green; Amendments to Operating Rules/Regs (note: Marin County, Tiburon & Fairfax were the original signatories in Dec 2008, w/in 180 days Belvedere, Mill Valley, San Rafael, Sausalito & San Anselmo signed on); Awarding the Climate Leadership Award to Assemblymember Damon Connolly; Reso accepting a DOE Renewable Energy Efficiency $500K earmark to MCE (MCE providing $500K match); deferring $15M to the Operating Reserve Fund. CEO report highlights: CPUC awarded MCE $158M for its Energy Efficiency programs for 2024-2031; Board Retreat is Sept 29 in San Rafael with tour of Solar One in Richmond after.
6. Attended FireSafe Marin Wildfire Watch Zoom (Aug 21) – Tragedy in Maui and Lessons for Marin.
7. Attended Housing Subcommittee meetings with Mayor, Staff and Dyett & Bhatia (Aug 24 & Aug 30) – discussed HCD’s comments on Fairfax Housing Element & next steps for HE.
8. Met with Commission on Aging Fairfax Rep Amelie (Aug 24) – Discuss Age Friendly Scorecard and older adult related issues.
9. Attended Town Council Closed Session meeting (Aug 29).
10. Marin County Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee () –Meeting was not held in August. MCCMC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE SCOPE OF ADVOCACY: Fiscal Protection: protect city revenues from state Local Control: support legislation that enhances local control of resources to provide services while supporting regional co-operation. Oppose unfunded mandates and preemption of local authority and control of land use Transportation Investment: promote stable transportation finance structure for state and local government. Multimodal, enhancing livable communities Housing/Land use:
protect local government land use authority. Oppose punitive housing legislation, and legislation that restricts or reduces local discretion on land use decisions. Other legislation can be recommended to MCCMC at a regular meeting.
11. Fairfax Age Friendly meeting () – Meeting was not held in August.
Councilmember Ackerman
8/2 Town Council regular meeting
8/7 Town Council brief special meeting
8/9 Marin/Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District board meeting 8/15 Fairfax Climate Action Committee regular meeting
8/16 Staff meeting regarding approach to Microgrid design 8/16 BAFTA affordable housing workshop, focusing on bond and other financing mechanisms. 8/21 Tragedy in Maui - a Warning for Marin
8/24 Pavilion resilience hub project meeting with staff 8/29 Town Council closed session
Meetings as needed with Town Staff and with residents
Councilmember Blash
Formal (meetings representing the town of Fairfax)
August 2 — Fairfax Town Council Meeting
August 7 — Fairfax Town Council Special Meeting
August 29 — Fairfax Town Council Special Meeting in Closed Session September 6 — Fairfax Town Council Meeting
3 Informal Community Events (Informational re: engaging with the community) Note: I report these meetings out of courtesy to community members including fellow Council members.
There is no requirement that I report meetings for which I do not officially represent the Town of Fairfax.
Various — Met informally with different community members on five separate occasions re: rent stabilization and just cause, housing and homelessness, and land use.
Met intermittently with Town Manager and Town Attorney.
August 16 — Attended a webinar: “Investing in the Future of Bay Area Housing” presented by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA). The workshop covered a proposed regional housing bond measure for affordable housing that would appear on the November 2024 ballot. The measure is intended to create funding for building and preserving affordable housing. All housing created with these funds would be put towards deed-restricted affordable housing (in other words, housing that must legally meet affordability requirements for 55 years.)
August 27 — Attended EV and E-bike Show sponsored by Ride and Drive Clean. Ride and Drive Clean is a collaboration of nonprofit organizations, agencies, cities, schools, and businesses with a goal of greatly reducing carbon emissions by advancing the adoption of electric vehicles.
Councilmember Hellman
8/6 Manor Hill Firewise committee mtg - planning annual event. 8/7 Fairfax Town Council special meeting
8/10 SURJ Marin Anti-Racist VOTE workshop for electeds
8/16: MTC’s Investing in the Future of Bay Area Housing (Workshop Presentation) re BAHFA bond. 8/29 Fairfax Town Council closed meeting
8/30 RVSD board meeting
9/4 North Bay Labor Council Breakfast and Program
*Several ongoing discussions with community, staff, executive officer, interim chief and board members related to pending action on RVFD reserves (revenue generated by CalFire) opportunity to use toward station upgrades and/or staffing engines to meet standards.