CITY OF
CITY OF JACKSON
City Council Meeting Minutes
BACKSON November 27, 2023
ALIFORNIA
Mayor and Council Members John Georgette, City Clerk
Steve McLean, Mayor
Chad Simmons, Vice Mayor Staff Members:
Max Godde, Council Member Josh Nelson, City Attorney (attending remotely) Chris Mynderup, Interim City Manager/Police Chief
ABSENT: Bree Wilder, Public Works Superintendent
Connie Gonsalves, Council Member Dale Fishback, Interim Fire Chief Bob Stimpson, Council Member Carleen Kirkpatrick, Deputy City Clerk Mayor McLean called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG.
Mayor McLean led the Pledge of Allegiance.
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA.
Motion to approve the City Council Agenda dated November 27, 2023 as presented. Moved by Councilmember Godde, seconded by Vice Mayor Simmons, and carried by a 3 to 0 vote:
AYES: McLean, Simmons, Godde,
NOES: None
ABSENT: Gonsalves, Stimpson
ABSTAIN: None
2. PUBLIC MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA.
Discussion items only, no action will be taken. Any person may address the Council at this time on any subject within the jurisdiction of the City Council. Please note - there is a three (3) minute limit.
Dave McDaniels (Property Owner- 21 French Bar Rd.) - Expressed concerns regarding the bridge work on French Bar Road. Two years ago, property owners on the North side of the bridge were advised by the previous City Manager and City Attorney that if sidewalks were installed along the roadway, property owners adjacent to the sidewalk would be responsible first and City second for the maintenance and upkeep, to which his private insurance agent disagreed. Property owners petitioned against the sidewalk at the time as a result. He advised last week a 4ft. wide valley drain was poured in the same location that did not extend all the way up the street and is taller than the driveways. Engineer Matt Ospital advised it was due to the petition for no sidewalk. He expressed concern for how the water will get from the driveways to the drain. His second issue concerns their basement drain that is gravity fed out to the curb and whether or not it will drain with the changes to French Bar Rd. He expressed thanks to PW Supt. Wilder for coming out today to find a drainage solution between the property owners, engineers, developers, contractor, and the City. Vice Mayor Simmons inquired on the elevation change November 27, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes
from the basement to the new curb and McDaniels advised they need to reshoot it. Simmons offered to assist. McDaniels hopes the solution they came up with works out or fears it will be disastrous. PW Supt. Wilder advised he spoke with Matt Ospital today and they plan to put the drain elevation back to what is was prior to the construction and make sure they have grade flow from that location downward.
He is confident it will work as designed but they will monitor and fix it with Weber Ghio and the contractor down the line, if needed.
Michael Ramaley (Property Owner - 2 vacant parcels on Kilham Ct.) - Expressed continued dissatisfaction with the outcome of the weed abatement cost reports and may seek legal counsel.
3. CONSENT CALENDAR.
Items listed on the consent calendar are considered routine and may be enacted by one motion. Any item may be removed for discussion at the request of a Council Member.
Approval of the November 13, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes. b. Approval of Expenditure Report in the amount of $347,230.57.
Acknowledgement and possible approval of Regularly Scheduled City Council Meeting Dates for 2024.
d. Resolution No. 2023-40 obligation of the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Fund.
Motion to approve the Consent Calendar dated November 27, 2023 as presented. Moved by Vice Mayor Simmons, seconded by Councilmember Godde, and carried by a 3 to 0 vote:
AYES: McLean, Simmons, Godde
NOES: None
ABSENT: Gonsalves, Stimpson
ABSTAIN: None
4. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS.
This section is to provide staff an opportunity to present oral status reports on issues. No legal action is expected to be taken by the Council.
Public Works Superintendent, Bree Wilder - Prior to Christmas Delights, vendor Mr. Clean Binz came out to pressure wash the Main Street sidewalks and public restrooms on a trial basis. His staff advised the restrooms were really clean and sterile. Whether or not they will contract with Mr. Clean Binz or how often his services will be utilized is to be determined. Creek clean up went well near Court Street at the end of Placer Drive and Hwy 49/South Ave. French Bar Bridge is coming along well with minor issues being worked out with Engineer Ospital for drainage. They hope to be paving by Friday.
Interim Fire Chief, Dale Fishback - Engineer Digirolomo is back on light duty for next 50 days or so doing hydrant inspections and multifamily dwelling inspections. An offer letter should go out to their final contestant for the open firefighter position. Carleen has assisted with composing and scheduling a panel of six individuals to assist with fire chief interviews on December 6*, including Captain Greathouse and himself. Council is welcome to assist, if interested.
November 27, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes
Interim City Manager/Police Chief, Chris Mynderup - PD participated in Christmas Delights with no issues to report, all went well.
City Attorney. Josh Nelson - No report.
5. COUNCIL REPORTS.
This section is to provide Council members an opportunity to present reports on their activities and to request item be placed on future agendas.
Councilmember Gonsalves - Absent.
Councilmember Godde - Went to Christmas Delights with his wife on Saturday and would have liked to see more lights on businesses that happened to be closed. Good crowd.
Councilmember Stimpson - Absent.
Vice Mayor Simmons - Attended Christmas Delights with family and was a little disappointed with how dark it was across from Luka's. Horse rides were popular with a good turnout. Not as well attended as in years' past. He is attending an Ag Advisory meeting at the high school tomorrow night.
Mayor McLean - He attended the following events: 12/15 - Ribbon cutting at Staples; 12/16 - Victory Village, check presentation through Top Cop; 12/21 - Amador County Board of Supervisors Meeting regarding Animal Control costs' Plymouth attended to speak about exorbitant contract costs, similar to those received by Jackson. Christmas Delights was great. Boilerworks' coffee shop has relocated from the Hein & Co. building to the South end of Main Street next to the National and he was able to obtain information for Dave Horner from City Hall for County Health in order to be up and running for Christmas Delights.
6. DISCUSSION CALENDAR.
For the record: Action minutes provide the necessary documentation of City Council actions and audio recordings are retained for those desiring more detail on particular agenda item discussions. These audio recordings provide an accurate and comprehensive backup of City Council deliberations and citizen discussion.
a. Discussion regarding request for streetlights on French Bar Road at the new bridge.
Dr. Ron Ask (Jackson Dental) - Expressed safety concerns for his staff walking to the parking area on his two parcels on French Bar Road near his dental office and requested two streetlights be installed on existing poles. He has plans to develop the parcels he owns along this road in the next 10-15 years to be beautiful as he has done with the Jackson Dental building. He read letters from his staff members regarding their safety concerns traversing to where they park their cars on Ron Ask's lot on French Bar Rd. Mayor McLean expressed his empathy for the situation. Vice Mayor Simmons advised the poles Mr. Ask refers to do not belong to the City of Jackson, they are PG&E poles. Councilmember Godde asked PW Supt. Wilder the process to request street light installation November 27, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes
on PG&E poles and Wilder advised it will take time for engineering plans through PG&E. Interim City Manager Mynderup advised that our engineering firm Weber Ghio has advised that PG&E will not provide an official estimate for future streetlights on French Bar unless the City files an application for permit (estimated cost $3k), and it will be approximately $20-30k to install two lights on those poles along with $1200 for engineering costs. Mynderup advised Dr. Ask to have his staff call PD when the incidents occur as current stats show only one call was received in 2021, 2 calls in 2022, and no calls in 2023. He advised it is hard to validate what is happening when PD is not being called. He advised his door is open for Dr. Ask to come by anytime and he can provide the call history and how often his officers do security checks on his business, as it is all documented. PD will respond to calls for service to keep his staff safe if they call. Dr. Ask advised he will provide the letters from staff to Chief Mynderup and Mayor McLean advised those letters would be good to include with the application to PG&E.
Dave McDaniels - Expressed concerns for City funding of new lights on French Bar for Dr. Ask's employees as the expense is high, his property is commercial, and the City has ordinances covering requirements for parking lots, pavement, striping, and lighting if he is to install a parking lot. He believes it is Dr. Ask's responsibility to supply lighting and safety for his employees in his commercial parking lot rather than the residents of the City.
Dr. Ron Ask - Inquired about City policies for putting up streetlights and asked the City to review it in light of his request. The lights he is requesting are along the path to his lot where the employees walk to and not on his property. Mayor McLean directed city staff to look into the policies and public v. private property. PW Supt. Wilder advised the poles belong to PG&E, regardless of where they are located (public v. private).
b. Discussion and possible reduction of contract lease amount with chosen bidder for the Oro de Amador Cattle Pasture.
Interim City Manager Mynderup advised bidder B (Gilbert Gianandrea, Jr.) was awarded the contract at the council meeting on November 13th for $8513/year with the understanding of the requirement to cut a firebreak costing approximately $5k/year. One other bid was received for $2250/year. At Council discretion, a lower lease amount can be considered and offered so long as it does not fall below the low bidder amount. The previous lease agreement for the property was $6247.50/year with no firebreak requirement.
Mayor McLean opened the item for council discussion.
Debby Collins expressed concern for lowering the bid without allowing the other bidder to rebid on the property. Vice Mayor Simmons stated the bidder knew the parameters and there is no need to adjust. Councilmember Godde advised he has not seen a bid be lowered in his time with the City.
Mayor McLean asked for public comments.
Dave McDaniels advised the bid should not be lowered if the bidder overbid. The bidder has to opportunity to deny the award if they believe it is too high once awarded. Vice Mayor Simmons advised Mr. Gianandrea did not request this lower amount. Council agreed to stay with the original bid. No vote is needed, per City Attorney Nelson.
November 27, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes
c. Discussion regarding city employee salaries and conducting a salary study.
Interim City Manager Mynderup advised it is unclear when or if the City has ever conducted a salary study to evaluate and determine competitive employee wages. While the city manages to maintain favorable health benefit packages, employee wages have remained fairly low in comparison to other local agencies. In recent years, the city has been experiencing a high turnover rate for city staff, which is costly and detrimental to the smooth operation of vital city operations. The average cost to recruit, hire and train new employees can cost anywhere from $26k for administrative and accounting positions to over $48k for police officer positions. Securing and retaining qualified new talent continues to be a challenge due to the city's lower salary rates and skilled employees leave for better advancement opportunities with other agencies. Also, the new state laws have recently increased the minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour, which is higher than the current hourly pay rates for some of our skilled city positions (i.e., current starting pay rate in the City of Jackson for a maintenance worker I is $16.25/hour and accounting services to is $17.29/ hour). A salary study would help the City of Jackson determine more competitive and reasonable pay rates for city employees in comparison to equivalent positions with other local agencies. Competitive pay rates and benefits packages positively contribute to building an experienced and stable team of loyal city staff who are capable of providing a better quality of life for themselves and their families. Staff retention also leads to increased institutional knowledge, experience and competence, and an overall more effective and productive team. It is recommended that City Council approve posting an RFP to seek a consulting agency to conduct the full salary study for the City of Jackson. Once the study is complete, this item will be returned to City Council to discuss the results and any suggested salary Mayor McLean opened the item for council discussion. Mayor McLean inquired about the cost and Mynderup advised it would be approximately $20k.
Mayor McLean asked for public comments.
Jim Laughton stated the collective bargaining representatives for City employees keep a good tab on what salaries are in different counties and the City could probably call SEIU to save the City some money. PW Supt. Wilder advised this was brought up by SEIU 4-5 years ago and never got addressed when it should have then. Wilder advised he has been battling minimum wage and inconsistent pay scales for some time. Mayor McLean stated the City benefit package is good compared to a lot of places paying the same amount. Vice Mayor Simmons and Councilmember Godde suggested paying out employees in lieu of benefits if they desire.
Interim City Manager Mynderup provided examples that a Maintenance Worker I pay range in Jackson is $16.25 to $20/hour while in Sutter Creek the same position starts at $20/hour, topping out at $24/hour. Vice Mayor Simmons inquired about the benefits packages and Mynderup advised they are fairly comparable.
Finance Manager Dalacie Blankenship advised the City has talked to SEIU before about doing a salary study and they advised it is the City's responsibility and will not help. She advised an opt out option for employee benefits is already available for employees that do not need health insurance or take a lower option, with contributions to the 457 plans. The City benefit package is very good but other agencies are offering pretty comparable plans. The only thing that we offer that I have not November 27, 2023 City Council Meeting Minutes
heard anybody else offer is the medical deductible reimbursement, where an employee can be reimbursed up to $300 of their $500 medical deductible if met. Councilmember Godde inquired into the 457 match and she advised the match is up to $150. A lot of other companies/City's offer this match.
Mayor requests a motion.
Motion to approve posting an RFP for Consultants to complete a Citywide Compensation Study for the City of Jackson on November 27, 2023 as presented. Moved by Vice Mayor Simmons, seconded by Councilmember Godde, and carried by a 3 to 0 vote:
AYES: McLean, Simmons, Godde
NOES: None
ABSENT: Gonsalves, Stimpson
ABSTAIN: None
7. REGULAR MEETING ADJOURNMENT.
Mayor McLean adjourned the meeting at 7:15 p.m.
8. CLOSED SESSION.
• PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Title: City Manager
9. CLOSED SESSION ADJOURNMENT.
Mayor McLean adjourned the meeting at 8 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on December 11, 2023.
ATTEST:
1/12/24
Date Approved