FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
1 AGENDA ITEM #8.b.
MEETING DATE July 16, 2025
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Christine Foster, Deputy Town Clerk
SUBJECT Receive report on Councilmembers’ assignments, committees, and activities in June 2025.
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 Blash
06/03: Met with Town Manager
06/04: Regular Town Council Meeting. Interviews for the Climate Action Committee, interviews for Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Public Review of FY 2025-25 Operating and Capital Improvement Budgets. Raised UUT to 5%. Transferred contract of various Bridge projects to new engineering firm.
06/05: Ross Valley Paramedic Authority Meeting. Adopted FY 25-26 budget and authorized transfer of undesignated funds. Adopted fund balances. Adopted ambulance service fees (update), etc. Special Closed session on Ross ambulance station lease. Nothing to report out. 06/10: Met with Town Manager.
06/11: Meet the Mayor/Manager event. A total of seven people, including the mayor and town manager, met with residents to discuss various town issues of concern. 06/17: Met with Town Manager.
06/24: Met with Town Manager.
06/25: MCCMC Meeting. Presentation on Placemaking Rene Bihan, SWA Group. Update on the e-bike ordinance by Talia Smith, Director of Legislative & Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of the County Executive. Business: Approval of the 2025-2026 Meeting Schedule and List of Host Cities; Notice of Vacant Elected Official Primary and Alternate Seats on Marin Climate Action, etc. Consideration Appointment of Executive Committee: MCCMC President and Vice President for 2025-26 Term.
Stephanie Hellman elected as President, Gabe Paulsen of Larkspur as Vice President. 06/26: Transportation Authority of Marin Board Meeting. Adopted Proposed TAM FY2025-26 Annual Budget; allocated FY2025-26 Measure AA to Marin Transit; allocated FY2025-26 Measure B Vehicle Registration Fee Funds to Marin Transit; accepted the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning for Marin County’s Transportation System Study; Marin County School Access Safety Action Plan Contract Award.
Met with Town Manager Abrams on May 6, 20 and 27 for general questions about Town business and agenda setting.
Vice Mayor Hellman
June 2: Weekly update with town manager
June 4: Fairfax Town Council Meeting
2 June 7-8: Fairfax Festival Parade and music
June 9: Weekly update with town manager
June 10: RVFD Station 21 renovation project team meeting June 11: RVFD Board meeting
June 20: ABAG General Assembly meeting in SF
June 25: Monthly MCCMC meeting hosted by County at Civic Center Councilmember Coler
1. June 3, 10, 17, 24 – Met with Town Manager on various Council matters.
2. June 2 – MCE Clean Energy Executive Committee meeting – No meeting held in June.
3. June 4 – Town Council meeting.
4. June 7 & 8 – Fairfax Festival and parade.
5. June 11– Ross Valley Fire Board meeting – The Board: adopted the FY 25/26 Budget, the total GF Operating Budget is $15,443, 332 (Fairfax’s share is $3,554,197 w/ an increase of $243,775) – In July after labor negotiations are complete, staff will bring revisions to the budget; designated to MERA:
Chief Mahoney with Battalion Chief Jake Peterson as the alternate. Public hearings were held on:
Compliance with AB 2561 re: vacancies; appointing the Vice President from Ross - Julie McMillan; Updating the Conflict-of-Interest Code. The Board had a closed session on labor negotiations.
Sidewalk CPR (free) will be held August 16, 10-2pm – locations to be announced.
6. June 12 - Marin Local Agency Commission (LAFCo) meeting – The Commission: approved the annexation of a property in San Rafael into the SR Sanitation District (to move it off septic); held a hearing on AB 2561 (there are no vacancies); adopted the FY 25/26 Budget (~$710,000); elected the Chair Coler and Vice Chair Rodoni for FY 25/26; and approved the 2nd Amendment to the EO Employment Agreement.
7. June 19 – MCE Clean Energy Board meeting – No meeting held in June.
8. June 23 – Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee – The Committee approved the following position letters on bills: SB 445 (Weiner) – send Oppose letter if author inserts “shot clocks” back in for locals, bill primarily deals with “sustainable transportation projects” as defined; SB 79 (Weiner) – Oppose, overrides local control on projects near transit; AB 306 (Rivas, Schultz) – Oppose, moratorium on building codes for 6 years until 2031. Other updates: Senator Monique Limon will become the Senate Pro Tem in the late fall- now the legislature will have 2 Central Valley leaders (Rivas in Assembly). Budget negotiations will continue until June 27, then Budget Bill Jr. and trailer bills (usually 30-50). Cap & Trade reauthorization underway, Governor wants straight reauthorization – Legislative leaders want to review/revise. 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.
Coler requested and was approved to follow all wildfire bills as they fit within land use/housing and local control.
9. June 25 – Attended Badge Pinning Ceremony at Ross Valley Fire Department HQ (Station 19) for 11 in the Fire Department.
3 10. June 25 – Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) monthly meeting – the County of Marin hosted the meeting: presentation on placemaking – a practice of creating vibrant public spaces that foster community connection, identity, and a sense of belonging. And an update on the E-Bike ordinance was provided.
11. June 26 – Marin Wildfire (MWPA) Board meeting (date moved due to Juneteenth holiday) – The Board approved: the Executive Officer entering into an agreement with Xylo Risk, Inc. for the modeling of urban conflagration in ten (10) pilot communities in Marin, fully funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Marin Community Foundation. Urban conflagration is the consequence of a wildfire reaching communities and spreading from structure to structure. The January 2025 Los Angeles fires are the latest examples of these devastating events; acknowledged Environmental Compliance and Project Approval for Core Proposals “Novato Evacuation Route Expansion Project” and “Muir Woods Park Evacuation Route and Defensible Space Project;” agreement with Sonoma Technology for Marin County’s 2026 Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP, it will be a “living document” so it can updated as new info is available) – completion TB May 2026; authorized 2 task orders for veg mgt for the Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break (total $950K); Strategic Measures for Goal 2: Detection, Alerts and Evacuation ( 2a. % of acres visible from two locations (using viewshed from current network of mountaintop cameras); 2b. # of locations registered for Alert Marin; 2c. % of fire resilient road miles when evacuating by car; 2d. Locations & capacity of temporary fire / emergency refuge areas); accepting a $728,000 MCF grant supporting the establishment of a “Zone Zero in a Box” program & authorized EO to recruit for two-year fixed-term positions: Senior Wildfire Mitigation Specialist & Grants Specialist; accepting a MCF grant for $88,000 for one year Urban Conflagration work. Info highlights: The Chipper Program is in its third of six rounds of chipping - the week of June 23 is week 12 of the season. The program has currently completed 1,938 successful pickups and removed 7,701 cubic yards of vegetation from residential properties.
12. June 26 – Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) Board meeting – mtg canceled as ED speaking at a conference in New York.
13. June 27 – Fairfax Age Friendly group – mtg postponed until July.
Councilmember Egger
Frank Egger attended the Fairfax Open Space Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 27th. The FOSC discussed having the signs for the 3 open space properties installed as soon as we are able. FOSC President Susan Pascal Beran will coordinate with Town Manager Abrams and a rep from Public works as to locations before dedications take place.
Frank Egger had checked with a Redwood slab supplier in Guerneville but the price was $1,000 for a 2&1/2 X 10 foot slab and he is checking to find a less expansive Redwood slab for signs.
The FOSC is pursuing a process to engage folks in Town during the Festival, Re: naming rights for the Wall property or even multiple sections of the 100 acre parcel with commemorative names.
Wed night, Frank Egger attended the May meeting of the Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers, it was Zoom only. Senator Mike McGuire mad a presentation of various issues impacting Sacramento. Tiburon Mayor Holli Their, Novato Councilmember Pat Ecklund and Tiburon Councilmember Alice Fredericks made presentations as representatives of MCCMC on SF Bay, Golden Gate Transit and housing issues.
4 The timing of Frank committees is off so his reports are not very timely. 6/04/25, attended the Fairfax Town Council meeting that included a discussion of the 2025-2026 Proposed Budget.
6/07/25, Drove in the Fairfax Festival Parade, attended the Fairfax Festival. 6/08/25, Attended the Fairfax Festival.
6/17/25, Attended the Fairfax Climate Action Committee meeting. 6/24/25, Attended the Fairfax Open Space Committee meeting. Issues discussed: Placement of Fairfax Open Space signs, naming of portions of the Wall property/obtaining Redwood slabs for new/additional signage. Impact of night bike riding in the Elliott Nature Preserve on the Federally listed Northern Spotted Owl. The Owls hatch & fledge between April and June. The question is, should night bicycle riding in the Elliott Nature Preserve be prohibited?
6/25/25, Attended the June Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers meeting at the Marin County Civic Center.
6/26/25, Attended the Fairfax Planning Commission meeting. 6/29/25, Attended the Fairfax Open Space ad hoc committee meeting at the Fairfax Library, discussed the Wall property & the impact of goats on flora species of concern & potential hillside erosion if all vegetation is stripped bare.
July, 2025:
7/4/25, Drove in the Larkspur-Corte Madera 4th of July Parade. 7/6/25, Drove in the Penngrove 4th of July weekend Parade.
Councilmember Ghiringhelli
Not received in time for publication.