GRASS VALLEY
Special City Council Meeting
Tuesday, October 03, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Sierra College Multipurpose Room|250 Sierra College Dr, Bldg N12, Grass Valley, California Telephone: (530) 274-4310 – Fax: (530) 274-4399
E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: www.cityofgrassvalley.com
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
Meeting called to order at 6:03PM.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Pledge of allegiance led by Mayor Arbuckle.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT
Councilmember Bob Branstrom
Councilmember Haven Caravelli
Councilmember Tom Ivy
Vice Mayor Hilary Hodge
Mayor Jan Arbuckle
AGENDA APPROVAL
Motion made to approve the agenda as submitted by Councilmember Ivy, Seconded by Councilmember Branstrom.
Voting Yea: Councilmember Branstrom, Councilmember Caravelli, Councilmember Ivy, Vice Mayor Hodge, Mayor Arbuckle.
PUBLIC HEARING
1. Public meeting to continue the discussion of Fire Resiliency and Vegetation Management and an acceptable level of risk relating to wildfires and extreme weather conditions.
Fire Chief, Mark Buttron, Battalion Chief, Chris Armstrong, and City Manager, Tim Kiser, gave presentation.
Public Comment: See attachment.
ADJOURN
Meeting adjourned at 8:00PM.
__________________________ ___________________________
Jan Arbuckle, Mayor Taylor Day, City Clerk
Adopted on: ____________________
Item # 3.
October 3, 2023, Special City Council Meeting Public Comment Notes 22 attendees
Lisa Swarthout-asked about the difference in #s between incidents and fire calls for service. Asked about how Covid impacted the number of calls for service and suggested looking at 6- month trends.
Buckley- asked why this isn’t being proposed as a county tax as proposed it only benefits. Asked why the City did not support Measure V.
Virginia- asked about how the City could assist in grants for the public, specifically fire-wise communities.
Robin Galvin-Davies- asked how the community would know the money is being spent on what was promised.
Pam Young- loved the idea of more vegetation management, zone zero, and wants more community education about how the City’s code compliance process is complaint driven. Martin Wood- ISO rating, wanted numbers on fire budgets for the last 10 and 5 years. Tom Last- requested answers in writing to NCCA’s questions and asked if turf was safe during fires.
Asked how many firefighters are staffed and how many live outside of Nevada County. Matthew Coulter-asked about coordinated green waste pickups, park clean ups, house on Clark St
Asked if this measure would have an oversight committee and how many years the sunset clause would be for.
Item # 3.
Item # 3.
1 Miranda Bacon
From: WIRELESS CALLER <+
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2023 1:05 PM
To: Public Comments
Subject: Voice Mail (2 minutes and 48 seconds)
Attachments: audio.mp3
Yes, I just read your article today in the paper about your upcoming election you're hoping to do in March for a general tax of half cent. I don't understand why you don't realize why it failed the last time. It failed because it was a general instead of a special tax that couldn't be used for anything else. And you're going to spend $100,000 to do it again. You need to upgrade that to a special tax that can't be used for anything but its purpose. My name is Camille Muir. My phone number is . Thank you.
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Item # 3.
1 Miranda Bacon
From: Georges Pelpel >
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2023 4:03 PM
To: Public Comments
Subject: Fire Protection
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Hi Bob,
Thanks for being involved in the City of Grass Valley issues. Any measure to protect the area in the event of a fire is welcomed and, obviously, an urgency in the current climate evoluƟon.
We live just outside the city limit and belong to the Slate Creek/Deer Creek Firewise community. The community was actually iniƟated from one of our development resident. Our development, Foxwood Estate, has invested a lot of efforts and money in the last 4 years to miƟgate fire risks.
Most local residents are interested and willing to work on their own properƟes but a limited few are totally deŌ about the need to do so and have cut all communicaƟon with their local Firewise. I understand that the current County law protects them from being sued for endangering their neighbors properƟes as anyone suing a property owner not properly maintaining his/her land must agree to cover 50% of the cost involved in cleaning the unkept area.
In addiƟon to being a safety concern, it is also a huge financial one as the cost of insuring our properƟes become exorbitant. We won’t be able to see insurance cost be lowered if any of us doesn’t get acƟve in fuel reducƟon management. The strength of our community is only as strong as our weakest link.
As such it seems a priority for the City to act at the County level to amend any law protecƟng land owners not willing to maintain their properƟes and endangering their neighbors’.
Georges Pelpel
Item # 3.
Item # 3.
1 Miranda Bacon
From: WIRELESS CALLER <
Sent: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 2:43 PM
To: Public Comments
Subject: Voice Mail (1 minute and 7 seconds)
Attachments: audio.mp3
Hi, my name is Danny Silberstein. 10505 Bragg Ave. Grass Valley. I forgot what else you wanted. Something else? I don't know my age. Anyway, my comment for tonight's meeting, town hall meeting at Sierra College is could you please explain why access to the Grass Valley Fire Marshall or whatever he is called is so difficult and actually, in my efforts, impossible. Yeah, and people at the front desk have me fill out forms and no response, go down to the fire chiefs office. It's a locked door. And it just seems very ironic that when you say you're interested in helping us do fire preparation, we don't actually have access to anybody who can answer our questions or help us with our problems.
OK. Thank you very much. Bye.
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Item # 3.
1 Miranda Bacon
From: Norma Solarz
Sent: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Public Comments
Subject: YES on the fire tax
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My husband and I live in Grass Valley and want you to know we are in FAVOR of a city wide tax to support firefighƟng and fire prevenƟon in our city.
We cannot aƩend a public meeƟng but want our YES on the FIRE TAX recorded.
Thank you,
Norma Solarz
Steve McClary
800 Freeman Lane #301
Grass Valley 95949
Item # 3.