MINUTES
Special City Council Meeting
City of Hemet
City Council Chamber
Thursday, December 7, 2023
SPECIAL MEETING — 3: 30 P. M.
1. CALL TO ORDER
TheCityCouncilof theCityof Hemetmetthisdatein a SpecialCityCouncilMeetingat 3:30 p.m. intheCityCouncilChamber, 450E. LathamAvenue, Hemet, CaliforniawithMayorMales presiding.
2. ROLL CALL
City Clerk Maier provided the Roll Call as follows:
Present: Council Member Kendrick
Council Member Krupa
Council Member Peterson
Mayor Pro Tem Lilienthal
Mayor Males
Absent:
Staff Present: City Manager Prestwich
City Attorney Graham
City Clerk Maier
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Pledge of Allegiance was led my Council Member Peterson.
4. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD - RULES OF DECORUM, RESOLUTION NO. 4545 Mayor Males asked for Public Comments and the following individuals spoke: Stacie Olsen, Dale Dieleman, Dave Prietto, Richard Broos, and Lori Van Arsdale.
5. DISCUSSION ITEMS
5. A DiscussionandPossibleActiononResolutionsoftheCityCounciloftheCityof Hemet, California, Calling for a Special Municipal Election on March 5, 2024 and Ordering the Submissionto the Qualified Electorsof the City at a Special Municipal Election to be Held on March 5, 2024, the Question of Whether to Make the Office of Mayor an Elected Position
CityAttorneyGrahamprovideda presentationtotheCityCouncilon5.A and5.13concurrently.
5. B Discussionand PossibleActionto Adopt Resolutionsof the City Councilof the City of Hemet, California, Calling a Special Municipal Election on March 5, 2024 and Orderingthe Submissionto the QualifiedElectorsof the City at a Special Municipal Election to be Held on March 5, 2024, the Question of Whether to Make the Office of Treasurer an Appointed Position
CityAttorneyGrahamprovideda presentationtotheCityCouncilon5.A and5.13concurrently.
MayorMalesexpressedconcernson the limitationof the CityTreasurer's positionwith regards to potentiallackoftransparencyofanappointedpositioninsteadofbeingelectedbythecertified votersoftheCityof Hemet. Healsostatedthata changeintheMayorpositioncouldeventually result in a change to the City's Municipal Code.
CouncilMemberKrupainquiredregardingwhatthechangetothe CityTreasureror Mayoralseat will do in terms of responsibilities and duties.
CouncilMemberKendrickstatedthatthe changesto the CityTreasureandMayorarequestions that will be posed to the certified voters of the City of Hemet. Council Member Peterson also statedthat citizenscould have a greater understandingof the electedofficials in the City of Hemetif the Mayorwas an electedpositionratherthanappointedbythe CityCouncil.
Mayor Males expressed concern with the estimated $ 300, 000 quoted price from the Registrar of Voter's Office for Riverside County to run the Special Election for the proposed ballot measures.
Council MemberKrupa stated the City should improveon communityengagementwhen it comes to information about elected officials rather than initiating a Special Election.
CouncilMemberPetersonexpressedconcernaboutcontinuityin projectsand operationswith the changing of Mayors every year, addressing the need of the Mayoral seat to be elected rather than appointed.
CouncilMemberKrupaandMayorMalesaddressedCouncilMemberPeterson's concernsby stating that the City Council could just re -appoint the same Mayor each year.
MayorProTemLilienthalrecommendeda methodof communitymeetingsandforumsto gather more information on the topic, using the findings to resolve whether voter's want this change.
City Council Meeting
December 7, 2023
Council Member Krupa expressed concern with the sense of urgency for the changes to the governingbody of the City of Hemet. She expressedthat such a changeshouldbe reviewed and brought before the certified voters in a public meeting for discussion rather than a Special Election or changed by the City Council.
CityAttorneyGrahamaddressedconcernsof the CityCouncilwithregardsto whatramifications would occur as a resultof changingthe Mayorto an electedposition. If approved, the ballot measures proposed for the March election would have no major change until the November election. CityAttorneyGrahamstatedthatoneofthe districtsduringthe November2024election would be eliminated as a result of an at -large Mayoral seat.
Mayor Pro Tem Lilienthal addressed the need to have community meetings and forums to further discuss the ballot measures. He stated there are both benefits and drawbacks to the change of the Mayoral seat and City Treasurer but that these issues should be addressed during a public meetingwith communitydiscussion. MayorProTemLilienthalfurtherpushedthe needfor more communityengagementand transparencywhen it comes to making major changes to the governing body.
MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM LILIENTHAL, SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER KRUPA, CARRIED 3- 2 ( COUNCIL MEMBER PETERSON AND COUNCIL MEMBER KENDRICK VOTING NO), to table items 5. A and 5. 13for further discussion.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Therebeingnofurtherbusiness, MayorMalesadjournedthe meetingat 4:17 p.m.
APPROVAL: ATTEST:
Mayor Males John P. Maier, MMC
City Clerk
City Council Meeting
December 7, 2023