AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7c
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7d
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7f
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7g, 7h, 7i, 9a, 9b
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7h
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
2 Sincerely,
Betty Winholtz
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 7i
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 8a
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 8b
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
2 occurred 5+ years; it took 2 years before these natives were seen again in this protected area.
On page 250, below the Table OS-1 in Plan Morro Bay is this asterisk:
* The City remains committed to improving and enhancing open space in the City How is it not common sense that natives are not decimated in full bloom in a designated Natural Area by City employees or under City direction? What are the consequences for violating the General Plan? What instruction/record/consequence will be put in place so this does not happen again? It is unnerving for residents, as demonstrated on the Nextdoor thread, to be confronted by an unnecessary shocking and destructive event. Fire prevention is not an excuse:
green plants [are] less of a danger than dry ones. Weed abatement inspection is not until June 15.
I look forward to a response.
Sincerely,
Betty Winholtz
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 9a
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
2 city. PC has reviewed the lamp design. Community Development will work with PGE to ensure illumination standards are met. More information will be in the CM updates.
4. I oppose "Replacing police department radio system." This is a 5-year project costing approximately $1.5 million dollars. Like #3 and #1 above if this is not mandatory, which it is not, now is not the time to borrow money putting the city into an additional debt situation. With city revenues leveling off and the greater economy uncertain, now is the time to be fiscal conservative. What is their life span? I oppose encrypting. Phones can be used instead for personal data. State mandates encrypting. In addition to the mandate, I came to realize that our current communication system poses life safety concerns to officers because we have areas that the current system do not cover. This proposed upgrade would take care of the mandate and solve critical deficiencies of safety communication infrastructure. Staff could propose to use fund balance to pay for the entire project in one year. However, we decided to spread the cost over 5 years to allow additional opportunities to refine the scope and cost, as well as seeking grants. With the uncertainty in tariff, the sooner we can budget for it, the more money we can save.
5. I oppose "Initiate 5-year project to replace water meters." How many have already been replaced over the last 5 years? Will they be smart meters? Why not continue to replace on an as-needed basis? Same reasoning as above. Replacing water meters is necessary to improve efficiency, including features like remote meter reading and data collection for reporting and billing. This is conveyed in the budget request here:
Capital Request | FY2026 Revised Proposed I add that today’s highly technical society requires system update often. Eventually the old meters would not be supported by new systems. The new meters also offer features alerting customers when the water flows for a long period of time. Testers have provided positive feedback. Same with the policy radios, with the tariff uncertainty, the sooner we can budget to replace them, the more money we can save.
6. Should these 2 items be listed under Harbor? "Develop repair plan for North T-Pier • Replace upper section of boat launch ramp." They are capital improvement projects and we have been working on both.
7. Should the IPR be listed under Public Works?
8. Should this be under Harbor or Community Development: "Evaluate, recommend, implement pilot parking program aligned with community needs and expectations"? this is under PD’s department goals have been working on this. as you pointed out, it requires all departments’ input. So we take a team approach and Police chief agreed to lead that effort.
9. "Continue replacement of walkways where uplifting from trees has occurred"? The City of SLO fixes sidewalks and leaves the tree. The approach in this request is to remove the trees. Is the city amenable to the SLO method? How much money is for replanting? I don’t have the specific dollar amount for tree planting. We can get figures if necessary. I can attest to our approach and process regarding tree work on sidewalks or anywhere on city ROW, we avoid nesting seasons, we obtain arborist 3 assessments, we use the least intrusive method as much as possible. We often are able to trim tree roots and ground down the uplifted sidewalks without removing a tree.
These are comments with regard to the proposed budget:
1. "The City must continually seek additional revenue generation to keep pace with community expectations for a full-service City and to address robust City Council goals." Is it inappropriate to consider cutting costs, not necessarily programs for efficiency. City council can also reevaluate "robust goals."
2. Rethink reaching for 50% in General Fund reserves. Let it fall to the 33% required by ordinance.
3. Why are Services doubling under Information Technology? There use to be one IT person; why does the city need 2?
4. In the aftermath of the WRF, this budget addresses the IPR and the decommissioning of the old wastewater treatment plant. At what point will the city address the replanting of trees along the bike path? What is the projected total for decommissioning? Thank you for alerting me of the trees along the bike path. While replanting trees is important and staff will get to it, possibly through collaboration with Morro Bay in Bloom, the priority will remain decommission and IPR as they are essential services with immediate impact on water, sewer and public health.
5. Is the Park Fee Fund the grant for new play equipment? If not, where is that money and the status of that project? in case you are referring to the park-in-lieu fee, it is a development impact fee for new parks or open space needs.
6. Spending $175,000 on vehicles? Measure Q is not to spend money on vehicles. Measure Q transfer this money to the vehicle fund for a PD patrol vehicle and replacement of a dump truck. This was presented to CFAC and Council workshop.
7. Why does the Harbor enterprise fund pay more than Water and Sewer in Cost Allocation Plan (CAP)? The cost allocation plan is established by a thorough study to ensure cost are allocated equitably across enterprise funds and the general fund. We are updating the CPA soon and figures can change.
8. Why is the Harbor Operating Fund revenue 1/2 of 2024? The revenue you see in fy 2024 reflects actual, which include onetime revenues such as grants, interfund transfers, or property disposal proceeds. We don’t budget for revenues unless they are committed. Therefore there is a difference between fy 2024 actual, fy 2025 budget and 2026 budget figures.
9. How is it that the storm drain maintenance, replacement, and assessment projects are listed as a "Parks and Creeks" request when it is about Main Street flooding?
10. Thank you for continuing to pave our streets.
4 11. Under Public Works, where was the Bike Path fund spent?
12. Debt Service in Public Works went from $15,000 in 2024 to $3.4 million this year and projected $1.5 million this coming year? Please explain. We can not verify this info.
13. The Utilities Division has 17 full-time people. The WRF said that staff would be reduced. Please explain why there are more instead of less employees.
14. I appreciate that staff is looking at alternatives to the "Nutmeg Tank and related Pressure Zone Improvements." To build a 1mg tank is immensely too large.
15. I would like the city council to discuss having the TOT and/or sales taxes from Embarcadero businesses stay in the Harbor Enterprise Fund. How much is the annual TOT? How much are annual the taxes? Finance did some research on embarcadero TOT a few months ago. In FY 23-24, the last full research year, Embarcadero properties generated $546,031 representing 12.4% of the total TOT. Sales tax info by Geographic area is confidential at this time. The total sales revenue city wide is approximately $7.1 million.
16. I would like the city council to discuss returning from Public Works to Recreation and Parks more city parks responsibilities. Park maintenance and facilities maintenance is a blip in the Public Works Department when you consider all the responsibilities there.
Returning responsibility to Rec/Park, who books city facilities, facilitates smooth coordination for those renting and enjoying city places.
Since the budget is being considered 4 weeks late, and if all questions are not satisfactorily discussed and resolved, I hope the city council exercises its right to continue this item to get the best budget. with all due respect, the budget is on schedule. Please see this budget info Budget Process | FY2026 Revised Proposed Per the schedule, the draft budget was made available to the public per schedule on midMay. CFAC discussed it on May 20, then City Council workshop was on May 28. City Council did not provide significant changes to the draft budget at the workshop. Delaying the budget adoption would hinder day to day business, such as year-end closure and setting up for the new year. Additionally, it would require meet & confers with labor unions should personnel related decisions be delayed. Complex organization issues require policy decisions that develop over discussions across multiple fiscal years. Budget adoption is a business action, and not the time to resolve complex organization issues. Respectfully, I do not recommend the city council delay adoption of the budget.
Sincerely,
Betty Winholtz
AGENDA CORRESPONDENCE
RECEIVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
PUBLIC REVIEW PRIOR TO THE
MEETING
AGENDA NO: 9b
MEETING DATE: June 24, 2025
2 Morro Bay is a gem on the Central Coast, and with thoughtful planning and enforcement, expanding the STR program will only benefit our community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kristine Wyatt
Homeowner in Morro Bay, CA