1 CITY OF MILL VALLEY
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
ACTION MINUTES
THE REDWOODS, AUDITORIUM
40 CAMINO ALTO, MILL VALLEY
July 15, 2024
5:30 P.M.
Mayor Urban Carmel – Present
Vice Mayor Stephen Burke – Present
Councilmember Max Perrey – Present
Councilmember Caroline Joachim – Present
Councilmember Jim Wickham – Present
City Staff Present: City Manager Cusimano; City Attorney Khalsa; Police Chief Navarro; Lieutenant McCracken; Administrative Services Deputy Director Walsh; Community Engagement Liaison Terrell; DEI Liaison Tammy Hernden; Management Analyst Dubin; Recreation Supervisor Given; Management Analyst III Politzer; and City Clerk De Ferrari.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Carmel called the meeting to order at 5:30 P.M.
ACTION OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
None.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA ORDER
Agenda_240715
It was MOVED by Vice Mayor Burke and SECONDED by Councilmember Joachim to approve the agenda order. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
Mayor Carmel, City Councilmembers, City Staff, and Redwood residents sang “the Hammer Song.”
PRESENTATIONS
1. Presentation of Age and Disability Friendly Initiatives for the City of Mill Valley by Kristi Denton Cohen.
Item 1_No Written Material_240715
2 Councilmember Joachim introduced Kristi Denton Cohen, Chair of the Mill Valley Commission on Aging and said they are running with the torch on the Age and Disability Friendly Initiatives that were started in Mill Valley in 2017.
Kristi Denton Cohen provided a presentation on steps needed to make Mill Valley age and disability friendly. She spoke of Live Well Mill Valley, the volunteer advisory group to the program, and recognized volunteers by name. She noted that the Commission on Aging had updated their efforts and recommended a plan to the City Council.
Kristi Denton Cohen answered Redwoods residents’ and Councilmembers’ questions.
2. Presentation of Home Match/ Shallow Rent Subsidy by Charlie Wilmot and Luke Barnesmoore.
Item 2_No Written Material_240715
Vice Mayor Burke introduced Luke Barnesmoore of Front Porch’s Home Match program, and Charlie Wilmot of the Community Housing Foundation of Mill Valley.
Luke Barnesmoore gave an overview of Front Porch’s Home Match program.
Charlie Wilmot spoke regarding the Workforce Subsidy Program.
Charlie Wilmot and Luke Barnesmoore answered Redwoods residents’ questions.
Mayor Carmel thanked Mr. Barnesmoore and Mr. Wilmot for their work in the community.
3. Presentation of PRIDE Mill Valley Event and Steering Committee Recognition.
Item 3_No Written Material_240715
4. Juneteenth Freedom Festival Event Recap Presentation and Steering Committee Recognition.
Item 4_No Written Material_240715
Mayor Carmel stated that Item 3, PRIDE, and Item 4, Juneteenth would be combined.
David Dubin, Management Analyst for City of Mill Valley Arts & Recreation Department; Molly Given, Community Services Supervisor, City of Mill Valley Arts & Recreation Department; and Tammy Hernden, Management Analyst for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion gave a recap of the PRIDE Mill Valley event that took place in June, and recognized their steering committee’s efforts in making the event happen.
Molly Given gave a recap of the Juneteenth Freedom Festival event and recognized their steering committee’s efforts in organizing the event.
Mayor Carmel thanked Mr. Dubin, Ms. Given, and Ms. Hernden for their presentations. 3 CONSENT CALENDAR
Mayor Carmel asked if any Councilmember or member of the public wished to pull an item from the Consent Calendar. There were no requests.
It was MOVED by Councilmember Wickham and SECONDED by Vice Mayor Burke to adopt the Consent Calendar, Item #5. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
5. Consideration of the April 1, 2024, and June 17, 2024, Regular City Council Meeting Action Minutes.
Recommended Action: Approve the Action Minutes.
Item 5_Approval of Action Minutes_240715
PUBLIC OPEN TIME
Mayor Carmel opened Public Open Time.
Speakers: Sandra Massen, Evan Cross, Dan Levinson, Diana.
Communications (via eComment): None.
Mayor Carmel closing Public Open Time.
COUNCIL/STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COUNCIL LIAISON REPORTS Councilmember Wickham announced that he had become a grandfather for the sixth time to a baby girl.
Councilmember Joachim said the Legislative Committee would be on summer recess until August 5th, and reviewed the draft legislation ongoing at the state level. Two general obligation bonds, education and climate will be on the November ballot, plus four other propositions.
Legislation is focused on housing and Housing Element ADUs; public safety with retail theft and environmental safety; the RHNA process; and making wildfire hazard zones easier to develop.
The Homelessness Subcommittee met recently. The recent Supreme Court decision in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment, and the ruling commented that local elected officials and not judges should decide how to handle homelessness, which was welcome news. Councilmember Joachim outlined the challenges for California with respect to jurisdictions implementing rules and regulations, and said a full report of the point-in-time count regarding homelessness and unhoused individuals in the county will be released at the end of the month. The Aging Friendly Initiative has put together an advisory group and seeks to expand the group with stakeholder community members. Councilmember Joachim announced an All Star game at Boyle Park recently, and a number of Mill Valley’s All Star teams won their district.
Councilmember Perrey shared that MCE Clean Energy, the publicly owned utility of which Mill Valley is a member, is providing a $20/month reduction for members of PG&E’s CARE 4 program; there is also a $25/month discount for eligible small businesses. The City has applied for a state grant through SB 1 to study how to address sea level rise and study the area from the community center down to Tam Valley. He added that he recently met with Josh Fryday, Chief Service Officer for the State of California who provided information regarding how cities can get involved in the Climate Action Corps program. He announced he and Councilmember Joachim have taken on the issue of E-bike safety and are engaging Mill Valley’s schools in this issue. They will write a letter to be included in students’ back-to-school packets to share info regarding which E-bikes are legal and illegal. They also met last week and with Leslie Harlander, Tamalpais Union High School District Board Member; Sharon Nakatani, President of Mill Valley School Board and Liaison to the City Council; and Safe Route to School, and invited them to discuss how everyone can support each other.
Mayor Carmel said the Traffic and Mobility Advisory Committee (TMAC) would hold its second meeting on Wednesday where he would pass along Councilmember Perrey’s initiative.
He said the nine counties of the Bay Area have created a housing authority that will but a $20 billion initiative on the November 2024 ballot, and he has been selected to represent Marin County small cities on the County steering committee that will direct how those funds would be deployed. Mayor Carmel noted he also serves on the Transportation Authority Board and they are working on a countywide transportation plan and trying to develop a vision for mobility in Marin County for the next 25 years. On August 6th Mill Valley will do National Night Out, the annual celebration of the police force and safety and community preparedness. Mayor Carmel will throw out the first pitch at the San Rafael Pacifics game on Thursday. He congratulated the winners of the 2024 Milley Awards: Desiree Goyette, Ed Bogas, Larry Jordan, Jackie La Lanne, Vicki Larson, Paola Gianturco, and Michael Vogel. The Milley Awards celebrate people in the creative arts in Mill Valley and will host an awards ceremony on October 27th at the community center.
CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
City Manager Cusimano gave a report/update on the following topics:
• Mill Valley Police Captain Lindsay Haynes has graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy’s ten-week leadership program.
• Mill Valley Police Sergeant Michael Puccetti was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for his efforts in DUI prevention and impaired driving enforcement. Sergeant Puccetti was the only sergeant recognized in the nine Bay Area counties for this award.
• The City will look for opportunities over the next five years to develop adaptation projects to combat the king tides and sea level rise that affect Mill Valley. The City has submitted for a grant for $1 million with $200,000 in additional funding that will be supported by Flood Zone Three in the City. City Manager Cusimano thanked community member Juliet Hart who did this pro bono, as well as the many individuals, lawmakers, and agencies that sent letters of support. The City will find out if received the grant in the next month.
• Flood Zone Three is a tax of Mill Valley, the County jurisdiction, and Marin City. Mill Valley has secured $3 million in Flood Zone Three funding to do the Sycamore Pump Station rehabilitation project; check the flap gates and valves throughout the drainage 5 systems; develop a drainage database to plan out drainage projects over the next 20 years; the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio drainage improvements; and a study on the effectiveness and improvements of the drainage channels. • Councilmember Joachim and Vice Mayor Burke are working on the Council’s rules and procedures, but an issue that keeps coming up is the Cal Cities requests for letters of support or opposition should come through the Mayor to the Council to have a discussion, and he recommended they discuss a procedure to streamline that process.
NEW BUSINESS
6. Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Execute The City of Mill Valley’s Response to the 2023-2024 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Report Entitled “Cyber Preparedness: Are We There Yet?”.
Recommended Action: Adopt the Resolution.
Item 6_Cybersecurity Grand Jury Report_240715
Administrative Services Deputy Director Linn Walsh gave a presentation on cyber security for Mill Valley and the Marin County Grand Jury’s 2024 report, a follow-up to its 2020 audit of the City’s cyber security, with recommendations and findings. The City Council is requested to respond through adopting a resolution stating whether the City agrees with the findings or not.
Deputy Director Walsh gave an overview of the City’s efforts over the past four years with its cyber security and IT infrastructure upgrade.
Councilmembers and the public asked questions of Deputy Director Walsh.
It was MOVED by Vice Mayor Burke and SECONDED by Councilmember Perrey to adopt the Resolution. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
7. Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Execute The City of Mill Valley’s Response to the 2024 Marin County Civil Grand Jury Report Entitled “With Power Comes Responsibility – Youths Under Age 16 Operating Class 2 E-Bikes: A Safety Risk”.
Recommended Action: Adopt the Resolution.
Item 7_EBikes Grand Jury Report_240715
Police Chief Navarro gave a presentation on Class 2 E-bikes and stated he has submitted the City’s draft response to the Marin County Grand Jury. He also outlined Mill Valley’s efforts toward E-bike safety, such as funding to help the Marin County Bicycle Coalition conduct mandatory safety courses for E-bike riders who have received a police citation, partnering with Mill Valley’s schools to register E-bikes and eliminate illegal E-bikes.
Councilmembers asked questions of Police Chief Navarro and staff.
Mayor Carmel opened public comment.
Speakers: Unidentified person.
6 Mayor Carmel closed public comment.
Mayor Carmel’s recommendations regarding the City’s response to the grand jury:
Findings: F1, F3, F4, F5, F6 are things the Council agrees with. F2 needs more data.
Recommendations: R1 (b) and (c) are not objectionable and the Council should agree on them. R2, R3, and R4 are all good and are things the City should strive for. R1 needs more data.
Vice Mayor Burke agreed with Mayor Carmel’s assessment of the findings, but said the language stating, “Recommendation R1 will not be implemented, because it is not warranted” is a little too sharp, and because the consensus of the Council’s conversation is that it is warranted under the right circumstances. With respect to R4, he believed it is within the Council’s purview to recommend that supervisors should plan the funds and he recommended language being included to state such.
Councilmember Perrey agreed with his fellow commissioners’ comments and said work with the School District is imperative for success, and anything put in a cover letter should not be defensive, so pointing out the good things they are doing while saying they are just beginning the process and are open to changes is the right tone to strike. He supported AB 1778 and believed it would be passed and signed next month.
Councilmember Joachim agreed with the findings and how that is worded. She liked the way Recommendation 4 is worded, because it has the word “should.” She said if AB 1778 passes, then she would want them to quickly move on it and do something similar.
It was MOVED by Vice Mayor Burke and SECONDED by Councilmember Joachim to adopt the Resolution with the proviso that Mayor Carmel and Vice Mayor Burke would work with staff to finalize the response. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
PUBLIC HEARING
8. Introduction and First Reading of an Ordinance Renewing Ordinance No. 13-44, Chapter
8.80 of the Mill Valley Municipal Code Regarding Establishment of a Military Equipment Use Policy for the Mill Valley Police Department.
Recommended Action: Introduce the Ordinance and waive first reading.
Item 8_Military Equipment Use Policy for MVPD_240715
Lieutenant Shaun McCracken of the Mill Valley Police Department presented the Annual Military Equipment Use Report and requested renewal of Ordinance No. 13-44, Chapter 8.80 of the Mill Valley Municipal Code Regarding Establishment of a Military Equipment Use Policy for the Mill Valley Police Department.
Mayor Carmel opened public comment.
Speakers: Unidentified person.
7 Mayor Carmel closed public comment.
Councilmembers asked questions of staff.
It was MOVED by Vice Mayor Burke and SECONDED by Councilmember Wickham to introduce the Ordinance and waive First Reading. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
9. Consideration of a Resolution Levying an Annual Sewer Service Charge for Fiscal Year 2024/25 Pursuant to Chapter 17.04 of the Mill Valley Municipal Code and Ordering the Annual Sewer Service Charge to be Collected on the County of Marin Tax Roll.
Recommended Action: Adopt Resolution.
Item 9_Levy of Annual Sewer Service Charges for Fiscal Year 2024-25_240715 Mayor Carmel provided a brief recap of the item.
Mayor Carmel opened public comment. Seeing no one who wished to speak, Mayor Carmel closed public comment.
It was MOVED by Councilmember Perrey and SECONDED by Vice Mayor Burke to adopt the Resolution. The Motion was carried unanimously by a 5-0 vote.
COUNCIL REQUESTS AND IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
None.
ADJOURNMENT – The Council ADJOURNED at 8:48 p.m. to the next Regular City Council meeting will be held on Monday, August 5, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Mill Valley City Council Chambers.
___________________________
Urban Carmel, Mayor
ATTEST:
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Risa De Ferrari, City Clerk