FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
STAFF REPORT
1 AGENDA ITEM #4.b
MEETING DATE January 12, 2025
PREPARED FOR Mayor and Town Council
PREPARED BY Christine Foster, Deputy Town Clerk
SUBJECT Receive report on Councilmembers’ assignments, committees, and activities in December 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 Hellman
December 1: Weekly meeting with Town Manager
December 2: Meeting with Mayor Mill Valley on miscellaneous topic including MCCMC, Placement pilot.
December 3: Regular Fairfax town council meeting
December 5: Staff celebration for John Tierney’s retirement at FFX Women’s club December 6: Fairfax Open Space hosted short documentary double feature: The Path of the Puma -36 and Tailless presented by Resource Renewal Institute.
December 9: Weekly meeting with Town Manager
December 9: Agenda setting planning meeting with town manager, city attorney, deputy clerk and vice mayor.
December 11: Coffee with community member to discuss bridge building how to proceed with healing the town.
December 13: Fairfax Winter Fair, volunteered at wine booth.
December 14: Attended and enjoyed Fairfax Crafts Fair
December 18: Attended 5th Annual Fairfax Hanukkah Festival December 22: Special Fairfax town council in closed session - legal counsel briefing on several (9) existing litigations and one anticipated litigation.
Vice Mayor Egger
Report of Frank Egger on December meetings other than Town Council meetings:
The Ross Valley Flood Control District #9 did not hold a December meeting. The next meeting is Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 6:30 PM, 3501 Civic Center Drive, Room 143D The Fairfax Open Space Committee met on December 2nd, 2025 and made a number of recommendations as to naming various portions of the Wall property and trails on it. A number of donations and grants were received to purchase the Wall property and the intent is to recognize those contributions like the County of Marin, California Coastal Conservancy, Ted Bright and Diane posthumously, the Wall family and Jessica Green, plus, recognize MOST who coordinated the fundraising.
2 The Agenda Committee of the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, Town Manager, Deputy Town Clerk and Town Attorney (by Zoom) met at Town Hall in December to formulate the January agenda. There will be a recommendation to form an AD HOC Committee of the Mayor & Vice Mayor to meet with the Open Space Committee to discuss the various namings.
Councilmember Coler
1 – MCE Clean Energy Executive Committee meeting – Ex. Com. approved: amendment to agreement with Strategic Energy Innovations for ~$537K (allows SEI to continue the CPUC funded Energy Efficiency program – MCE’s Green Workforce Pathways -GWP - which provides training for energy industry contractors for job seekers, to date has helped ~300 job seekers); the Schedules A5 and A6 for the Master Services Agreement for Assoc. for Energy Affordability (AEA, A5 - they help implement the GWP by providing training support on many topics for job seekers; A6 – the manage the Multifamily Energy Savings Program, A6 will allow expansion to more multifamily properties and tenants– both schedules are fully funded by the CPUC – total ~$1M, with the exception that $35K is funded by MCE). Ex Com selected 4 nominees to receive the 2025 Charles McGlashen award. Ex Com discussed a draft scope of the new standing Finance Committee – staff is to review other CCAs for those with Financial Committees to determine their scope and the Ex Com discussion results - will bring aa draft to Ex Com in January to finalize a draft scope and then bring to the full Board in January.
2. Dec 2, 9 – Met with Town Manager on various Council matters.
3. Dec 2 – Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM) – Retreat planning subcommittee meeting.
4. Dec 3 – Town Council mtg.
5. Dec 4– Marin Wildfire (MWPA) Executive Committee meeting & premeeting for Ex Com Dec 3 – both meetings canceled in Dec.
6. Dec 6 – CMCM Board all day retreat - Future directions, succession planning, key goals and objectives.
The last retreat was done in 2018. Sue Buske, who helped found CMCM and is an expert on PEG centers and telecom facilitated.
7. Dec 10 – Countywide Priority Setting Committee (aka CDBG, HUD funded) – planning upcoming schedule of applications and next steps for two-year grant recommendations. Given the federal government fiscal situation, level of funding is uncertain. Public services projects will be automatically renewed, the Notice of Funding Availability will be issued January 19 – Feb 19 for housing and capital projects to apply – this is for the entire county. At this time staff is estimating possibly $1.5M for all funds for all of Marin County (last year the federal funding was less than it had been and was late being sent – we won’t know the amount likely until after the end of January and possibly later). Given the current Federal Administration statements, it is possible a significant cut in funding could occur. PSC plan is to meet in May to recommend allocations.
8. Ross Valley Fire Board meeting – no meeting held in Dec.
9. Dec 11 – Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) meeting – The Commission:
reviewed/discussed a draft Marin County Fire study of all fire agencies; approved a 2-year contract with MacLeod and Watts for GASB 75 reports; and appointed voting delegates to the Special CaLAFCO February membership meeting (EO with alternate Deputy EO).
10. Dec 13 – Fairfax Chamber of Commerce Winter Market. 3 11. Dec 14 – Fairfax Craft Faire.
12. Dec 18 – Marin Wildfire (MWPA) Board meeting (and Board premeeting Dec 17 with staff and MWPA Pres, as Coler is Vice Pres) – The Board: appointed Bruce Bartel of Novato to the Community Oversight Committee; approved a lease expansion to include another office at the Los Gamos MWPA offices; approved Task Orders (and amendments) for San Rafael, Greater Novato Shaded Fuel Break Project, & San Rafael-San Anselmo Fuel Reduction Zone Project; received MWPA workplans update and Fire Safe Marin annual report and several monthly reports; received the SB 165 Local Agency Special Tax and Bond Accountability Act report (required by law).
13. Dec 18 – Fairfax Hanukah Menorah Lighting – Rabbi Berkowitz of West Marin presided, this was the 5th annual. Outgoing Mayor Blash lit the 1st candle.
14. MCE Clean Energy Board meeting – no meeting held in Dec, next meeting is Jan 15, 2026.
15. Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) monthly meeting – no mtg in Dec.
16. Marin County Council of Mayors & Councilmembers (MCCMC) Legislative Committee –no meeting in Dec, legislature is on recess. 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.
17. Age Friendly Fairfax – no meeting in Dec.
Councilmember Blash
* Council members meet individually with the Town Manager to discuss questions and updates. If a council member is not meeting with the Town Manager, that is by choice. 12/02: Met with the staff of the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and discussed Redwood Bike Share, AI signalization, countywide bike counter program, Bolinas Road repair collaboration with the County
12/02: Met with Town Manager. *
12/03: Town Council Meeting: Presentation honoring outgoing mayor, certification of election results, council re-organization (Stephanie Hellman Mayor, Frank Egger Vice Mayor), updated ADU ordinance, approved amendment to fire station remodel agreement, authorized purchase of UTV for the police department.
12/04: Ross Valley Paramedic Authority (RVPA) Meeting. Authorized a lease agreement for a custombuilt ambulance building in Ross. This agreement has taken 14 months to craft. The Town of Ross is (probably) doing away with its aging fire station as part of a re-build of its civic campus. It will, however, retain the ambulance station.
12/05: Retirement Party: Attended retirement party for Public Works employee John Tierney. 12/08: Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) Board Meeting. 4 • The Board approved the programming of approximately $1.16 million in Cycle 5 Local Partnership Program (LPP) Formula funds to the Marin-Sonoma Narrows (MSN) B8 Project and committed to program Cycle 6 LPP Formula funds to Corte Madera for the Tamalpais Drive Overcrossing Project.
• The Board Authorized a contract with lowercaseproductions for website update and related services.
• The Board discussed Measure AA expenditure plan draft amendments. In Measure AA, a policy was included for TAM to review the Expenditure Plan every six years to ensure that it responds to a rapidly evolving transportation landscape, incorporates innovations, and reflects current priorities. Proposed changes include reallocating some funding from Local Interchanges program to allow for an increase for the Crossing Guard program and reallocating some funds from the Local Transportation Infrastructure program into the new Reimagined Roadways program. This new program is intended to advance multi-jurisdiction, multi-agency, and multimodal project development. There is some concern about how this might impact smaller jurisdictions raised by Tiburon Council Member Alice Fredericks. This will come back to the Board at a later date.
12/09: Met with Town Manager. *
12/09: Fairfax Chamber of Commerce Holiday Party. Attended annual holiday party for the Chamber at Public House.
12/10: Economic Vitality: Met with local expert on economic vitality and small business 12/12: Commuter Transit: Met with Golden Gate Transit representative to better understand commuter transit options for Fairfax residents.
12/12: TAM Holiday Luncheon. Attended annual holiday luncheon for Transportation Authority of Marin Board, staff, consultants, Community Oversight Committee, Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and others.
12/13: Winter Market. Tabled for the Town’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee survey. 12/14: Fairfax Craft Faire: Tabled for the Town’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee survey. 12/18: Annual Homeless Memorial: The Street Chaplaincy of San Rafael holds this annual gathering to honor the lives we've lost due to homelessness.
12/18: Hannukah Celebration: As outgoing mayor, I lit the shamash for the Menorah for Fairfax’s annual Hannukah celebration.
12/22: Met with Town Manager. * Various questions about open space, accessibility issues, etc. 12/22: Closed Session. Various items.
Councilmember Ghiringhelli
Not received in time for publication.