PIEDMONT CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting Minutes for Monday, January 9, 2023
A Special Session of the Piedmont City Council was held January 9, 2023, in the City Hall Council Chambers at 120 Vista Avenue. In accordance with Government Code Section 54957(b), the agenda for this meeting was posted for public inspection on January 6, 2023.
CALL TO ORDER Mayor Cavenaugh called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Jennifer Cavenaugh, Vice Mayor Betsy Smegal Andersen, Councilmembers Jennifer Long, Conna McCarthy, and Tom Ramsey Staff: City Attorney Michelle Kenyon, and Assistant City Administrator / City Clerk John Tulloch
SPECIAL MEETING The Council considered the following items of business:
Closed Session The Council announced that it would adjourn to a closed session to discuss Public Employee Appointment for the position of City Administrator pursuant to Government Code Sec. 54957 (b)(1).
There was no Public Testimony on this matter.
The Council adjourned to Closed Session at 8:03 a.m.
The Council returned to open session at 4:09 p.m. and announced no reportable action from the Closed Session.
Proclamation of Local
Emergency
Fire Chief Dave Brannigan announced that the City Administrator, in her role as Director of Emergency Services, had proclaimed a local emergency on January 4, 2023, in relation to the winter storms that have been affecting the City since on or about December 30, 2022. He noted that the city’s response to the storms has exceeded its response capability and that a Proclamation of Local Emergency is a tool that the City can use to gain additional resources as well as reimbursement for costs incurred in response to the emergency. Under state law, the City Council is required to ratify the proclamation.
Chief Brannigan reported on the damage that had occurred in the City, the likelihood of continued storms, and the City’s response thus far, and the city’s capacity for future response should the need arise.
There was no Public Testimony on this matter.
Resolution No. 01-2023
WHEREAS, Government Code section 8630 and Chapter 5 et seq. of the Piedmont City Code empower the Director of Emergency Services to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when the City Council is not in session, subject to confirmation by the City Council at the earliest possible time; and
WHEREAS, the City Administrator is the Director of Emergency Services of the City of Piedmont; and
City Council Minutes
January 9, 2022
2 WHEREAS, the National Weather Service along with the State of California have indicated that the storms that that began impacting the City of Piedmont on or about December 30, 2022 are catastrophic in nature, and pose an extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the City of Piedmont; and WHEREAS, the storms that that began impacting the City of Piedmont on or about December 30, 2022 are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of Piedmont; and
WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of California proclaimed a State of Emergency in response to these winter storms on January 4, 2023; and WHEREAS, in order to ensure the availability of mutual aid and an effective response to potential injuries or property damage resulting from the winter storms that began impacting the City of Piedmont on or about December 30, 2022, it is necessary to proclaim a local emergency; and WHEREAS, in response to these developments, the City Administrator in her capacity as the City’s Director of Emergency Services has proclaimed the existence of a local emergency; and
WHEREAS, as contemplated in the Emergency Service Act contained in Government Code Section 8550 et seq., including Section 8558(c), a local emergency exists because of the existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the City of Piedmont caused by the aforesaid conditions which are likely beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of the City and require the combined forces of other political subdivisions to combat, and the declaration of a local emergency shall enable the City of Piedmont and other local government entities to adequately plan, prepare and secure resources to be able to effectively respond to the impact of the winter storms which began impacting the City of Piedmont on or about December 30, 2022; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Piedmont does hereby resolve, declare, determine, and order as follows:
1. The proclamation of existence of a local emergency, as issued by the City Administrator in her capacity as the Director of Emergency Services, attached hereto as “Attachment A” is hereby ratified and approved by the City Council; and
2. In accordance with Government Code section 8360, this local emergency shall be deemed to continue to exist until its termination is proclaimed by the City Council of the City of Piedmont, and it shall be terminated at the earliest possible date that conditions warrant. The Council shall review this emergency at least once every sixty days.
Moved by Andersen, Seconded by McCarthy
Ayes: Andersen, Cavenaugh, Long, McCarthy, Ramsey
Noes: None
Absent: None
(0440)
ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Cavenaugh adjourned the meeting at 4:16 p.m.