GRASS VALLEY
City Council Regular Meeting, Capital Improvements Authority and Redevelopment "Successor Agency"
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Council Chambers, Grass Valley City Hall | 125 East Main Street, 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 6:00 pm
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Hodge led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
PRESENT
Councilmember Jan Arbuckle
Councilmember Joe Bonomolo
Councilmember Tom Ivy
Vice Mayor Haven Caravelli
Mayor Hilary Hodge
AGENDA APPROVAL -
Motion made to approve agenda as submitted by Councilmember Arbuckle, Seconded by Vice Mayor Caravelli.
Voting Yea: Councilmember Arbuckle, Councilmember Bonomolo, Councilmember Ivy, Vice Mayor Caravelli, Mayor Hodge
REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
No closed-door meeting.
INTRODUCTIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
1. Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation
2. Proclamation for Rotary of Grass Valley 100th Anniversary
3. Annual presentation from the Grass Valley Downtown Association.
PUBLIC COMMENT –
In-person Public comment: Speakers 1 through 5 (Noted change speaker # 3 did not speak).
Virtual Public Comment attached.
CONSENT ITEMS -
Item # 3.
City of Grass Valley, CA MINUTES March 25, 2025
Public Comment: Bob Branstrom
Virtual Public Comment attached.
Motion made to approve the consent by Councilmember Arbuckle, Seconded by Vice Mayor Caravelli.
Voting Yea: Councilmember Arbuckle, Councilmember Bonomolo, Councilmember Ivy, Vice Mayor Caravelli, Mayor Hodge
4. Approval of the Regular Meeting Minutes of March 11, 2025.
Recommendation: Council approve minutes as submitted.
5. Emergency Cleaning of WWTP Anaerobic Digester at a Total Cost of $448,400 CEQA: Exempt – Existing Facilities
Recommendation: Council to authorize the Utilities Director to approve the emergency cleaning of the WWTP anaerobic digester from Bristola, in accordance with Section 3.08.150 of the Grass Valley Municipal Code.
6. Resolutions opposing local forest health, wildfire mitigation, social, and economic impacts that will result from federal funding cuts
CEQA: Not a project
Recommendation: That the Council 1) adopt resolution 2025-06 opposing the local impacts to forest health and wildfire mitigation that will result from federal funding and staffing cuts to our public lands; 2) adopt resolution 2025-05 opposing the local economic impacts that will result from federal funding cuts; and 3) Provide direction to staff to draft a cover letter, to be approved by the Mayor and Vice Mayor, expressing the City’s opposition to federal staffing and funding cuts.
ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR FOR DISCUSSION OR SEPARATE ACTION AND /
OR ANY ADDED AGENDA ITEMS
REORGANIZATION RELATED ITEMS
PUBLIC HEARING
ADMINISTRATIVE
7. Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Mid-Year Budget Review
CEQA: Not a project
Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council approve the Mid-Year Budget Review and the proposed revisions through a motion.
Jennifer Styczynski, Deputy Finance Director, gave the presentation to the council.
Break taken at 7:23 pm. Meeting called back to order at 7:30 pm Public comment: Bob Branstrom, Rob Katizine,
Council discussed reserves, capital projects, possible tariffs, non-fungible funds, Subcommittee of Vice Mayor Caravelli and Mayor Hodge as a budget committee.
Motion made that the City Council approve the Mid-Year Budget Review and the proposed revisions by Councilmember Arbuckle, Seconded by Vice Mayor Caravelli.
Item # 3.
City of Grass Valley, CA MINUTES March 25, 2025
Voting Yea: Councilmember Arbuckle, Councilmember Bonomolo, Councilmember Ivy, Vice Mayor Caravelli, Mayor Hodge
8. Parking Assessment Presentation
CEQA: Not a project
Recommendation: That (1) Council hear the presentation from staff and Dixon Resources Unlimited regarding their operational needs assessment; and (2) provide direction on next steps.
Haven Caravelli recues herself due to owning a business within the zone and Tom Ivy recues himself due to owning property within the 500 radius of the parking zone.
Break taken at 7:49 pm. Meeting called back to order at 8:00 pm.
Alex Gammelgard, Police Chief, gave an introduction to the item, and Julie Dixon from Dixon Resources Unlimited gave a presentation to the Council.
Council discussed employee parking and residential overnight parking.
Public Comment: Bob Branstrom, Robin Galvin-Davis, Rob Katizine, Pam, Annamarie Trigger, Jedidiah Watson, Michelle Oakland,
Virtual public comments are attached.
The council directed staff to return with a draft of a Residential Parking policy and information on parking enforcement.
9. Code of Conduct Update
CEQA: Not a project
Recommendation: That Council review and adopt the attached revised Code of Conduct.
Tim Kiser, City Manager, gave a presentation to the Council.
Motion made to review and adopt the attached revised Code of Conduct, with one change to remove "The Union" and replace with local media by Councilmember Arbuckle, Seconded by Vice Mayor Caravelli.
Voting Yea: Councilmember Arbuckle, Councilmember Bonomolo, Councilmember Ivy, Vice Mayor Caravelli, Mayor Hodge
BRIEF REPORTS BY COUNCIL MEMBERS
Vice Mayor Caravelli attended the Cultural Forwards Cities Meeting, and will not be at the April 8th meeting. Councilmember Ivy attended the Nevada County Transit Commission and Transportation Commission meetings and the Pioneer Community Energy meeting.
Councilmember Bonomolo attended the Solid Waste Commission meeting and met with the GVDA and Grass Valley Chamber. Councilmember Arbuckle spent the week in DC and had a meeting at the White House with the intergovernmental affairs director, met with Congressman Kiley, attended the Nevada County Law Enforcement Meeting, attended the Elected and Appointed Women's Tea at the County, the Power of the Purse, Sierra Harvest Soup Night, and Classical music put on with Music in the Mountains. Vice Mayor Hodge attended the GVDA Board Meeting, Cultural District Interview, Arts & Cultural District Meuse Magazine is released, the women's Day Reception was exceptional, and Wednesday with the Mayor will be on the 26th from 9 am to 11 am.
Item # 3.
City of Grass Valley, CA MINUTES March 25, 2025
CONTINUATION OF PUBLIC COMMENT
ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned at 9:49 pm.
____________________________ ________________________________ Hilary Hodge, Mayor Taylor Whittingslow, City Clerk
Adopted on:_________
Item # 3.
3lzslZsCITY OF GRASS VALLEY CITY COUNCIL MEETING
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT SIGN IN SHEET
WELCOME to the City of Grass Vattey City Council meeting! Pubtic Comments provide an opportunity for the public to address the City Counciton any subject which is not on the agenda but in the jurisdiction of the councit. lf you wish to speak, ptease indicate in the appropriate box when you sign in and take the number corresponding to your name. Each individual can have up to 3 minutes of pubtic comment. At the beginning of the meeting, there wi[[ be an allotted 30 minutes of generat pubtic comments and the remainder of comments wil[ be heard at the end of the agenda.
Speakers witt be catled in order of the numbers given.
When you are recognized by the mayor:
1. Ptease stand before the podium and give your name and address. (optionat)
2. Please limit your comments to three minutes per speaker.
3. lf previous speakers have made the same point, you may simpty indicate your support or disagreement, unless you have new information.
Thank you for your participation.
#'s Print Name
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Address
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Item # 3.
1 Taylor Whittingslow
From: SHIRI LOVE - Voicemail box 8880 <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 4:40 PM
To: Public Comments
Subject: Voicemail from on Mar 25 2025 4:35 PM
Attachments: 1742945709-00001554.mp3
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You received a new voicemail message
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New voicemail message
Time: Tuesday, March 25 2025 4:35 PM
From:
Duration: 3 minutes 58 seconds
Voicemail box: 8880
Transcript:
When they say Palestinian territory, they mean the entire of Israel. Zionists are anyone who is pro-Israel and love Israel, but also mean 9 million Israelis. So when they say, I'm not anti-Semitic, I'm just anti-Zionist, no. Because radical Islam use deceiving words that often Westerners do not understand, the complete nuances and significances and what the enemy of Israel is actually meaning and intending.
And groups like Nevada City for Palestine and Nevada County Peace and Justice stand behind those type of wordings and parroting it in our city councils. They belittle Middle Eastern voices like myself who were born and raised in the conflict because Their media told them to not listen to the Zionists. They ignite and perpetuate hatred, systematically normalizing the humanization of Israelis and Jewish Americans locally. In their crowd, there are many bullies whom for a year and a half now cry to our city council about humanity and how the war between Israel and Hamas is somehow a local issue, convince us that they are on the good side of history, while bullying us, Jewish Middle Eastern locals, in the backstage of their propaganda proPage 12 Item # 3.