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CITY OF MONTAGUE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 3, 2024
6:30 P.M.
Council Chambers, 230 S. 13th Street, Montague, CA 96064 PARTICIPATION: Participants can attend in person, online, and/or by telephone, as follows:
• In-person at: Montague City Council Chambers, 230 S. 13th St. • Online via WebEx at:
• Meeting number (access code): 2630 874 0065
• Telephone at:,1-650-479-3208 When prompted, enter Meeting ID: 26308740065 Passcode: *89335983 AGENDA PACKET: Copies of all staff reports and documents subject to disclosure that relate to any item of business referred to on the agenda are available for public inspection 72 hours before each regularly scheduled meeting at the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, located at 230 S. 13th Street, Montague, California, during normal business hours. Any writing that is subject to disclosure that relates to an agenda item for open session distributed less than 72 hours prior to the meeting will be available for public inspection at the City Clerk’s office during normal business hours. Materials distributed to a majority of councilmembers less than 72 hours before a meeting will be available for public inspection on the City’s website at www.cityofmontagueca.com.
SPEAKERS: Speakers, please stand at the podium and speak loudly so the entire room can hear you. The chairman will recognize you and ask that you state your name and mailing address so that the City Staff can follow up on any issues requiring City action, or provide you with information, if appropriate.
Please silence your cell phones. Thank you!
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA:
I. CALL TO ORDER: @ 6:30 PM
II. ROLL CALL: Murakami, Dooley, Jackson, Vela, and Dooley III. PLEDGE OF ALLIGIANCE:
IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS: “This time is set aside for the public to address the City Council on matters listed on the Consent Agenda as well as other items not included on the Regular Agenda within the authority of the City Council. If your comments concern an item noted under New Business or Old Business on the Regular Agenda, please address the City Council when that item is open for public comment.” (The Brown Act requires the public be given the opportunity to address the City Council before action is taken. If there is a Consent Agenda, there is no other opportunity for public comment on items on the Consent Agenda.) The City Council has the right to reasonably limit the duration of each speaker to three minutes. Speakers may not cede their time. The City Council may ask questions but may take no action during the Public Comments portion of the meeting, except to direct staff to prepare a report, or to place an item on a future agenda. Michael Crow provides a document for council that lists the Fire Association Bylaw section 2.12.030 and a portion of Government Code 54957.
Crow says that the close session section of this agenda is not valid due to the government code section and the bylaws that were provided.
V. AGENDA APPROVAL: Mayor Murakami would like to move New Business Item 3 to after Old Business because it pertains to the item in Old Business. Also, would like to move Closed Session to after Council and Staff Reports
VI. CONSENT CALENDAR: Discussion/possible action - All matters listed under the consent calendar are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion unless any member of the Council wishes to remove an item for discussion. The City Clerk recommends approval of the following consent calendar items:
https://cityofmontague-454.my.webex.com/meet/clerk
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1. Approval of City Council Meeting minutes for 6/6, 7/8, 8/1, 8/26, and 9/23: Minutes from 7/8, 8/1, and 9/23 are taken from consent calendar to be edited. Motion made by Murakami, seconded by Jackson. All Ayes. Minutes from 6/6 and 8/26 are approved. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Dooley. All Ayes.
VII. DEPARTMENT REPORTS:
1. Sheriff’s update for September 2024: Yates reporting. Report included.
2. City Engineer’s update for September 2024: No report.
3. Planning Commission’s update for September 2024: No report.
4. Housing Rehabilitation update from Great Northern Services: Brandy and Alysia reporting. 135 surveys have been completed but more are required. This survey is for grants for the City based off of citizens’ income. The survey is to prove that 51% of citizens within city limits are low to moderate income.
VIII. NEW BUSINESS:
1. Consideration of approval of the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Program Guidelines for Community Development Block Grant: The guidelines were very outdated so Mayor Pro Tem Vela, City Administrator Dunn, and Clerk Monday went through and updated the guidelines to be used for all future CDBG grants.
Approved. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Dooley. All Ayes.
2. Consideration of approval the Siskiyou Transportation Agency Joint Powers Agreement: Michelle Cummins presenting. 4 cities have already signed the JPA. She says that it is an option for the City to take their percentage of the money and do our own transportation for our citizens but it costs way more that is what is given by the county so the City would have to provide the rest. Attorney Jared has looked over this JPA and has recommended to approve it. Approved. Motion made by Jackson, seconded by Dooley. All Ayes.
IX. OLD BUSINESS:
1. Consideration of approval for Event Coordinator and Social Media Coordinator job description: Mayor Murakami talked with our attorney and he says that we need to change the payment of the employee to something that is not stipend. The stipend was just a place holder until the council decided what the would like to do. Pro-Tem Vela states that in the job descriptions it says that we cannot post on out websites anything about any event that is happening except the ones that are put on by the City. Vela thinks we should support anyone who is putting on event in our City. They are bringing people to out City and we work side by side with our citizens. Attorney Jared says there is a plagiarism concern if we are taking other flyers and posting them. So the City can post about any event, just have to make their own verbiage. Approved agenda with change so we can post about other events with our own verbiage and brought back next month with the changes made by the adhoc (Murakami and Dooley) about the stipend. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Jackson. All Ayes.
2. Consideration of approval for City of Montague Animal Control and Code Enforcement and Montague California City Hall Facebook pages: Josh Johnson, CEO/ACO can post to the Animal Control Facebook page and Clerk Monday and Parks and Rec Commissioner can post to the Parks and Rec page. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Jackson. All Ayes.
X. COUNCIL AND STAFF REPORTS for September 2024
1. Fire Department: Assistant Fire Chief Murakami reporting. No report.
2. Public Works/City Administrator: Administrator Dunn on vacation, Clerk Monday reporting. Report included.
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3. Animal Control/ Code Enforcement: Johnson reporting. Report included.
4. City Clerk: Clerk Monday reporting. Report included.
5. Treasurer: Davies reporting. One time to come sign checks. Was in a conference otherwise. No report.
6. Library: Interim Manager Clark. Having a quilt drawing in City Clerk Office. Looking for volunteers.
Councilmember Jackson asks if we could get with the schools to have the kids come a visit. Going to be in the Christmas Bazaar this year. $1 a bag for books.
7. Commissioner/ Council Statements and Requests: Members of the council may now make brief announcements, reports, or request staff to report to the council on any matter at a subsequent meeting.
Pro Tem Vela says thank you to everyone who attended that pool dinner. Had a great turn out. Thank you to Public Works for setting up and tearing down the chairs and tables. Thanks Jaz, Jessie, and Mindy for the putting everything together to make this event happen. They did a fantastic job. Thank you to Habitat of Humanity volunteers for helping with the food. Michael Crow and Matt Libby and his family helped with bread and handing out to-go meals so thank you to them. Thank you the 4H for serving and Jefferson State Stampede for doing the bar. We raised $4,713. A special thank you to Sherry and Don Humphries and Ann and Dave Herfindahl for the generous donation of $4,500 to make our goal of $9,000 for our pool. The city is putting up a new website but we have been having issues. It should be up within the next 30 days. Received a report from Right Click Technologies that state that our computers are outdated and need to be replaced in the next year. Pro Tem Vela requests that the report and the budget gets added to the next agenda so it can be calculated for and changed. Approved. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Jackson. All Ayes. The auditor has brought back our amended budget with the changes that were requested by the council. Pro Tem Vela asks for the amended budget to be on next months agenda for review and approval. Approved. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Dooley. All Ayes. Pro Tem Vela would also like to have an agenda item that is open for the public to state their concerns that does not have to do with personnel or with anything under investigation.
Discussion of fire department issues as an agenda item in open session. Also, a close session item regarding fire depart personnel. Approved. Motion made by Vela, seconded by Jackson. Dooley, Jackson, and Vela Ayes. Mayor Murakami says Nae. Motion passes.
Councilmember Jackson met with the Colliers Rest Area board and received beautiful artwork that was suppose to be put up at the rest area but due to the water being contaminated for the dams being taken out the rest area is now closed indefinitely.
XI. CLOSED SESSION: @ 8:46 PM
1. (Gov. Code 54957(b)(1) (EMPLOYMENT, EVALUATION) Montague Fire Association Treasurer:
@ 9:00 PM Public read out Motion by Dooley, seconded but Jackson to put RJ Wilson on administrative leave from his role as the association treasure and to give the president direction to freeze all business accounts associated with the association.
Mayor Murakami opens public comment to the closed session item. Michael Crow presents. Saying the council may not take this action because the treasurer was not given punitive notice of the action taken against him. Russel (RJ) Wilson presents. Stating he is not the treasurer of the association and has not been for 6 months. During elections the assistant fire chief and council was present when the new treasurer was chosen.
Mayor Murakami asks if Russel is still the signer on the account. He is the signer but is not the treasurer. The association was in the process of teaching the new treasurer their duties when this came about so they had not switched signers. Wilson states that the President should know who the treasure is from his own association.
Pro Tem Vela asks if council has approved this list? Wilson answers yes. Pro Tem Vela says the council 340291.1
should go back and look at the minutes to find out who the new treasurer is. Wilson states he will take a step back as the signer of the account but the other signers should do the same. Mayor Murakami states he was given direction to freeze the funds so all signers would not have access. Jake Deegan asks if Jasen Vela was put on administrative leave and now RJ Wilson has, why hasn’t the third signer been put on administrative leave? Mayor Murakami says no one will have access. Mike Crow asks how could that account be closed without all three signers? Mayor Murakami says the City has the authority to make that call. Jake Deegan comes back to ask after the account is frozen is the President going on administrative leave as well? Mayor Murakami says without an account it is pretty much the equivalent of being on administrative leave. Teresa Newton says she was the fire commissioner for 8 years while she was on council and the Fire Association money has never been accounted for by the City. The City does not have control of the association money. It is completely separate from the Fire Dept. and General Fund money. The money that is in the association account if from donations and the Montague Fire Association Dinner. These are fund for the volunteers to use however they would like. If the council has the authority to freeze the account then it should be a line item on the budget and there is not a single one for the association.
XII. ADJOURN: @ 9:11 PM
Motion made Vela, seconded by Jackson. All Ayes.