FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
1 AGENDA ITEM #8
MEETING DATE April 3, 2024
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Christine Foster, Deputy Town Clerk
SUBJECT Receive report on Councilmembers’ assignments, committees, and activities in March.
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 Coler
March 5, 12, 25 – met with Town Manager on Council matters.
March 9 – Wall Property Fundraiser held at the Women’s Club - primary speaker was Wendy Dreskin, naturalist who has identified many of the species at the property and taught St. Rita’s classes there and more.
March 13 – Wall Property meeting with MOST reps. FOSC rep and the property owner. Other speakers were Councilmember Cutrano, Bill Long of MOST and Christine Kelly of FOSC. Susan Pascal Beran Chair of FOSC led the evening, about 50 people attended.
March 13 – Ross Valley Fire Board meeting – attended as the alternate Board member as Fairfax reps could not attend due to other conflicts. Chief Mahoney stated that March 23rd there will be a Countywide Alert test at 10am (this is the 1st countywide test).
March 14 – Marin Wildfire Prevention (MWPA) Ad Hoc Committee meeting on JPA Agreement amendments. When completed with the Ad Hoc, the agreement will be brought to the Marin Managers and then the Operations Committee. Then, ~June/July, the agreement will be presented to the full Board for review/approval when completed. The JPA amendment will be brought to Member jurisdictions subsequently for approval~ December 2024 or January 2025.
Mar 16 – Attended Wall Property fundraiser hosted by several Town businesses.
Mar 19 – Agenda setting mtg - for April 3rd Council meeting with Vice Mayor Blash and Town staff.
March 19 – Wall Property meeting with MOST representatives, TM Abrams, PW Director Umbertis and Councilmember Cutrano to discuss due diligence matters.
March 21– Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) – The Board adopted a Resolution increasing the MWPA tax levy by 2.4% for the 2024-2025 tax year, as permitted by Measure C. The Board approved:
the 7th amendment to the professional services agreement with Charlotte Jourdain for consulting services (not to exceed $100K) – she works on strategic goals, develops grants and more; the proposed legal services agreement with Remy Moose Manley, LLP (“RMM” – annual not to exceed $100k) for continued environmental compliance legal work; and a modification to “Environmental Compliance for Core Projects” for a FY2023-24 Work Plan Item for a San Rafael CORE project. The Workplan update included info on two field trips held by MWPA: the 2nd annual Field Skills Refresher course for Member Agency staff on February 22 - topics included rare plants, invasive plants and Early Detection and Rapid Response protocols, nesting birds, environmental regulations around riparian protections, and erosion 2 and slope stability; the ESP Partnership, San Rafael Fire, Ross Valley Fire, and the Town of San Anselmo hosted a public field trip to view the initial treatment area within the San Rafael – San Anselmo Fuel Reduction Zone Project on February 13. Approximately 50-60 people attended -more info and updated FAQS are https://www.marinwildfire.org/project/the-san-rafaelsan-anselmo-fuel-reduction-zoneproject-san-rafael-zone-cost-share. Fire Safe Marin and MWPA will hold Ember Stomp 2024 on Saturday, September 7 from 11-5 – SAVE THE DATE! Staff presented how Willow Labs is doing wildfire risk modeling – their work is progressing towards the development of a data-driven wildfire risk assessment framework, enabling member agencies to prioritize the most impactful risk reduction efforts, across the conceptual division of built environment (Defensible Space/Home Hardening) vs. open space (vegetation management and splats), and over time. In FY 2024-25, Willow Labs will include Fire Pathways Modeling and Strategically Placed Local Area Treatments (SPLATS) in its risk assessments. Staff provided summary of a white paper prepared by MWPA staff as well as current and future related resources on Shaded Fuel Breaks.
March 21 – MCE Clean Energy – The Board approved: the Proposed Fiscal Year 2024/25 budget. Staff presented a discussion of proposed transfers to a new reserve account for potential acquisition of power supply facilities and a MCE building (rather than renting) – Coler and others on the Board asked for evaluation of using excess reserves to lower MCE rates again (to be an even greater delta less than PGE), for creation of committee(s) to further evaluate the potential acquisitions (community members who attended also asked for a more inclusive, longer term evaluation of such acquisitions).
March 22 – Fairfax Age Friendly meeting – Discussion of April 13 Senior Fair at the Library, some Age Friendly reps will table there. Next meeting is May 17.
March 25 – Marin County Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee meeting –Kyra Ross our lobbyist reported that the three leaders (Senate, Assembly & the Governor) are seeking early action to cut $17-18B from the budget deficit (LAO states there is a $73B deficit which is much larger than the Governor’s estimate of $38B). The Legislature is in recess until early April, over 2,100 bills have been introduced this session. The Committee voted to send a support letter on: AB 1778 (Connolly) – for Marin only, no one under 16 can ride a Class 2 e-bike and those 16 and over must wear a helmet of Class 2 e-bikes (locals have to adopt resolutions). Oppose letters will be sent on: AB 3005 (Wallis) – suspends the Motor Vehicle Fuel tax adjustments; SB 937 (Weiner) – defers collection of development fees until a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Several bills will continue to be watched or action may be taken on positions at the April meeting. 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.
March 25 – Fairfax Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting - with Mayor, Town Manager, Deputy Town Clerk and reps from the Chamber - Reps attending were Minna Kim, Breanna Gubbins and Stacy Messerschmidt.
March 27 – Land Use Element update discussion (which is required to complement the Housing Element) with Town staff, Councilmember Cutrano and Housing Element Consultants.
March 27 – Wall Property meeting with Supervisor Katie Rice, Marin County Open Space/Parks staff, TM Abrams, MOST representatives and Councilmember Cutrano.
March 27 – Ross Valley School District Board meeting – RE: Fairfax-San Anselmo Children's Center acquisition by Seiderman Legacy Children’s Fund nonprofit from RVSD for lease-back to the FSACC discussed by the Board Trustees.
March 27 – MCCMC monthly meeting by Zoom – did not attend due to conflict with RVSD mtg.
March 28– Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) Board meeting – mtg held after report submitted.
March 29 – Town Council Retreat.
3 Vice Mayor Blash
03/05 – Met with Town Manager Abrams, general questions 03/05 – Resident meeting: Met with a resident to discuss concerns over civil meetings and the adverse impact that disruptive meetings have on democratic participation and engagement. 03/06 – Regular and Special Town Council Meetings. Main topics: potential survey on the feasibility of a ballot measure, Update on General Plan and Housing Element, Mid-Year Budget Review, GHG Emissions Presentation.
03/07 – Ross Valley Paramedic Authority Board meeting. The Board is dealing with two important issues:
1) whether to enter into an extended lease with the Town of Ross as they move to create a multi-milliondollar new town government campus, which would house a new, state-of-the-art paramedic station, and 2) the ramifications to Ross Valley paramedic service if the City of Larkspur decides to exit the JPA. The Board voted to approve general counsel for the organization, and two consultant groups with different types of expertise to conduct a study of a) deployment patterns, including different scenarios based on changing demographics and possible changes to the composition of the JPA, and b) a review of legal issues including the parameters of the JPA agreement.
03/09– Town Event: Attended Wall Property Open Space informational event and fundraiser for property the town is considering acquiring
03/10– Homeless Subcommittee: Met with Councilmember Cutrano re: homeless subcommittee. 03/13– Resident meeting: Met with WMLL volunteer about encampment concerns 03/14– Survey Subcommittee: met with subcommittee, Town Manager, F3 research Group, and Wing See Fox about a planned survey of constituent priorities including a possible road bond measure. 03/14– MCCMC Homeless Subcommittee. The committee discussed further the feasibility of a countywide shallow rent subsidy program. 03/16– Attended Marin Center for Independent Living Caregiver Open House. Marin CIL is a community-based non-profit organization that provides services and advocacy for seniors and people with disabilities. In November of 2022, the Marin County Board of Supervisors authorized an increase in the living wage in Marin from $16.80 to $18.00, which had a great impact on In-Home Supportive Services workers in the County. Marin still pays less for these workers than many Bay Area counties. This event was intended to highlight the value of caregivers in Marin County and how their dedication and skill has made a difference in the lives of our community's disabled persons and older adults in need of homecare.
03/19– Agenda Setting Meeting. Met with the Mayor, Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Town Clerk to work on upcoming agendas.
03/19– Met with Town Manager Abrams, general questions. 03/20– Survey Subcommittee: met with subcommittee, Town Manager, F3 research Group, and Wing See Fox about a planned survey of constituent priorities including a possible road bond measure. 03/29—Town Council Retreat
Councilmember Ackerman
3/4 Met with Augie at Fairfax Lumber regarding the fence construction 3/6 Regular Town Council Meeting
3/8 Met with Loren Umbertis (Public Works Director), John Sarter (dcbel) and Pieter Collenbrander (microgrid consultant) regarding the Pavilion
3/19 Regular meeting of Fairfax Climate Action Committee (as Council Liaison) 3/29 Town Council Retreat - special meeting to consider goals for the next fiscal year Meetings with Town Manager and other staff and citizens as needed. 4 Councilmember Hellman
3/6 Fairfax Special town council meeting
3/7 Marin Democrats Mardi Gras event with speakers Congressman Huffman and Assemblyman Connelly.
3/11 Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) cohort for elected leaders 3/14 Kickoff meeting with staff and FM3 research firm re community survey development measuring interest for a Bond measure to fund pavement improvements. 3/18 Yellow school bus JEPA meeting – closed and open meetings. Closed session no findings. Discussed proposed route changes and pass pricing for next school year. Multiple discussion with concerned parents/residents about service quality of Bauer’s Transportation leading into this meeting.
3/18 RVFD follow up discussion from board meeting with town manager, board chair and Dave Donery. 3/20 Meeting with FM3 research firm, Vice Mayor Blash and Town Manager on community survey development measuring interest for a Bond measure to fund pavement improvements. 3/27 RVSD special board of trustees meeting – action item to approve Deer Park property sale to nonprofit Seiderman Legacy Children’s Fund.
3/29 Fairfax council retreat
Councilmember Cutrano
March
Not received in time for publication.
February
2/7/24—Regular February Meeting of the Fairfax Town Council. Find the agenda packet here. 2/8/24—Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) Homelessness Committee meeting with guest speakers Luke Barnesmoore from Home Match and Meredith Parnell from Saint Vincent dePaul Society.
2/9/24— Town of Fairfax & County of Marin Bolinas Road Rehabilitation Monthly Check-in Meeting. 2/12/24—Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Admin, Projects, and Planning Executive Committee Meeting. Find the agenda packet here.
2/13/24—Meeting with Vice Mayor Blash and Urban Vision Alliance (UVA) regarding regional homelessness strategies and their proposed MOU with the County of Marin to support the County and incorporated cities and towns to develop countywide strategy to address homelessness. 2/13/24—Meeting with representatives of the California Biodiversity Work Group regarding their event “California Communities in Nature,” and an invitation to speak about how elected officials achieve biodiversity outcomes at the local level.
2/13/24—Meeting with Councilmember Hellman, Town Manager Abrams, Town Attorney Coleson regarding the bhyv contract for proposal regarding implementation of the tenant protection ordinances. 2/13/24—Community Emergency Preparedness Committee meeting. Find the agenda packet here. At present, this committee is in a fact-finding phase. We plan to invite various speakers involved in emergency management services from around the County of Marin to discuss and better understand covered of emergency preparedness, emergency response, and emergency recover affecting the Town of Fairfax and the greater Ross Valley. I’m working to schedule a speaker from the Marin Emergency Radio Authority for our upcoming meeting.
2/14/23—North Coast workshop on the State of California Sea Level Rise Guidance Meeting hosted by The California Ocean Protection Council and California Ocean Science Trust. 2/14/24—Meeting with Vice Mayor Blash and representatives of West Marin Little League regarding prior and current engagement with unhoused Fairfax residents. 2/14/24—Ross Valley Fire Department Board of Directors meeting. Find the agenda packet here. 5 2/20/24—Meeting with Councilmember Hellman, Town Maanager Abrams, Planning Director Beiswenger, and Lucie Hollingsworth and Laura McMahon from Legal Aid of Marin to provide status update on staff development and evaluation of various implementation strategies. 2/20/24—Meeting with Vice Mayor Blash, Town Attorney Coleson, Town Manager Abrams, Police Chief Tabaranza, and Gary Naja-Riese, the Director of Homeslessness and Whole Person Care at Marin County Health and Human Services, to discuss West Marin Little League history and concerns regarding unhoused Fairfax residents and evaluation of various strategies to address concerns in collaboration with the County of Marin.
2/21/24—Fairfax-Bolinas Road Field Trip with Congressman Jared Huffman; Rep. Huffman’s District Director, Jenny Callaway; District 2 Supervisor Katie Rice; Rosemarie Gaglione, Marin County Public Works Director; Christopher Blunk, Marin County Assistant Director of Public Works; Rachel Calvert, Marin County Senior Civil Engineer, Public Works; Chris Martinelli, Deputy Chief, Marin County Fire Department; Steven Torrence, Director of Emergency; Ben Horenstein, General Manager of Marin Water; Alex Anaya, Director of Engineering Services at Marin Water; Fairfax Town Manager Abrams; Fairfax Director of Public Works Loren Umbertis
2/22/24—Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Regular Board Meeting. Find the agenda packet here. Find the agenda supplement here.
2/26/24—Meeting with Vice Mayor Blash regarding homelessness issues in Fairfax and follow up on meetings with Town Staff, the police department, and Marin County Health and Human Services. Further discussion regarding presentation from Urban Vision Alliance. 2/27/24—Homeless encampment/Contratti field site visit with Vice Mayor Blash 2/27/24—Webinar on Ownership and Management of Small Multifamily Rental Properties hosted by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. This webinar discussed the challenges facing the landlords and tenants of small multifamily rental properties as well as strategies to preserve the affordability, habitability, and financial viability of these rental properties. Read the full paper “Ownership and Management of Small Multifamily Rental Properties” here. 2/27/24—Meeting with Town Manager Abrams to review Fairfax-Bolinas Road RAISE grant; discussion of strategy for rehabilitation Sir Francis Drake Blvd; update on voter survey/polling regarding bond measure for road repairs; various strategies to address West Marin Little League concerns about unhoused Fairfax residents; discussed development of Fairfax Creek way signage in partnership with an environmental nonprofit or another government agency as well as grants for Fairfax Creek/Peri Park restoration work; Town staffing processes underway to backfill the Assistant to the Town Manager position, hire a Housing Specialist to support implementation of the Housing Element, and updates on the new Planning Department undergraduate intern.
2/27/24—Participate in the a public meeting on the Federal Review of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Role in the Bay Area hosted by The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Every four years, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) must certify that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) serving a transportation management area (TMA)
2/27/24—Meeting with residents on Berry Trail regarding various issues impacting the right-of-way including proper notice and necessary remediation of forthcoming utility improvements planned by PG&E; recent right of way improvements paid for by residents of Berry Trail and the necessity of the Town’s contribution to said improvements due to the fact that the Town is a property owner on Berry Trail; longstanding questions whether Berry Trail is a public or private right-of-way and the analysis of various historic documents to settle this question for residents and the Town. 2/27/24—Regular Fairfax Open Space Committee meeting. Find the agenda here. 2/28/24—Marin Emergency Radio Authority Regular January Governing Board meeting. Find the agenda packet here.
2/28/24— Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (MCCMC) General Meeting. Find the agenda packet here.
2/29/24—Special Meeting of the Fairfax Town Council. Find the agenda packet here. 6 3/1/24—Meeting with Tarrell Kullway and Warren Wells of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) regarding strategies to improve collection of data pertaining to bicycle, e-bike, and pedestrian travel in Fairfax, the Ross Valley, and the County of Marin.
HIGHLIGHTS
Marin Emergency Radio Authority (MERA)
As reported in the Marin Independent Journal on March 1st, the Marin Emergency Radio Authority’s upgrade from our first-generation system to our “NextGen” system is nearing completion. The $74 million upgrade for Marin County’s emergency radio system is on track to finish construction this month and to begin operating by October. You can read the IJ story here.
As a refresher, twenty-five law enforcement, fire and public works agencies across the county communicate to dispatch centers using the MERA system; however, the first-gen system designed in 1998 has reached the end of its life, requiring equipment that is no longer made. MERA staff continue to rely on spare parts from other outdated systems around the country to ensure that the first-gen system can successful maintain the more than 2.3 million calls annually made over the system.
Fortunately, we are nearing completion! Below you will find the project chart from when I joined MERA in March of 2021. Alongside that chart is the project update from our most recent Governing Board meeting. (Green is good.)
Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM)
The Town of Fairfax’s partnership with the County of Marin to rehabilitate Fairfax-Bolinas Road is proceeding. And I wanted to share some exciting updates below:
• Earlier this year, Supervisor Mary Sackett, as a member of the Marin County Board of Supervisor’s Legislative Subcommittee, visited Washington D.C. with Talia Smith, Principal Administrative Analyst in the County Executive's Office, to advocate for several projects in Marin. They met with Congressman Huffman, Senator Butler and Senator Padilla’s staff, and the Department of Transportation to discuss the rehabilitation of the Fairfax-Bolinas Road. (They also lobbied for federal support for the Fairfax San Anselmo Children’s Center.) • On Wednesday, February 21st, Town Manager Abrams, Public Works Director Umbertis and I joined Congressman Jared Huffman, Supervisor Katie Rice, County staff, Marin water staff, and representatives from Marin Office of Emergency Services and Marin County Fire for a tour of Fairfax-Bolinas Road and a discuss of the vital role this roadway plays for regional water supply, wildland fire access, emergency evacuation, and recreation. (See the full list of attendees in my chronological report above.)
7 • Our tour of Fairfax-Bolinas Road was the front-page story (see below) for the Marin Independent Journal on Thursday, February 22nd. You can read the IJ story here. Congressman Huffman also tweeted his support for the project and his commitment to help us get federal funding (see below) • On Wednesday February 28th, the County of Marin, in partnership with The Town of Fairfax, officially submitted our 36-page grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for their Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.