PIEDMONT CITY COUNCIL
Regular Meeting Minutes for Monday, July 20, 2026
A Regular Session of the Piedmont City Council was held on Monday, July 20, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chambers at 120 Vista Avenue. In accordance with Government Code Section 54954.2, the agenda for this meeting was posted for public inspection on July 16, 2026.
CALL TO ORDER Mayor Smegal Andersen called the Regular Session meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and noted no reportable action from the Closed Session held at 3:30 p.m. on the same day.
ROLL CALL Present: Mayor Betsy Smegal Andersen, Vice Mayor Conna McCarthy, Councilmember Jennifer Long, Councilmember Lorrel Plimier, and Councilmember Tom Ramsey
Staff: City Administrator Rosanna Bayon Moore, Interim City Attorney Denise Bazzano, Police Chief Frederick Shavies, Interim Public Works Director Rich Cunningham, Interim Planning and Building Director Jeff Bond, Finance Director Kiran Bawa, Recreation Director Chelle Putzer, and City Clerk Anna Brown PUBLIC FORUM There was no Public Comment received.
PRESENTATION
Recognizing Former
City Clerk Susan Ann
Swift
Mayor Andersen issued a proclamation honoring former City Clerk Susan Ann Swift, who passed away in May of 2026. The proclamation was given to her daughter, Susie Swift.
Former City Clerk John Tulloch and Vice Mayor McCarthy also expressed their appreciation for Ms. Swift.
CONSENT CALENDAR The following items were considered under one vote by the Council:
Approval of Minutes Approval of the Minutes for the City Council meetings of June 15, 2026, and July 6, 2026.
Acceptance of
Improvements of a
Project
Acceptance of Improvements for the Grand Avenue Paving and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project.
There was no Public Comment received.
Resolution No. 55a-2026
RESOLVED that the City Council adopts Consent Calendar Items 1 and 2 as submitted.
Moved by McCarthy, Seconded by Long
Ayes: Andersen, McCarthy, Long, Plimier, and Ramsey
Noes: None
City Council Minutes
July 20, 2026
2 REGULAR AGENDA The Council considered the following items of regular business:
Consideration of
Actions Related to
the Appointment of
Piedmont Planning
& Building Director
Leslie Mendez,
AICP
Second Reading and
Consideration of
Adoption of
Ordinance 792 N.S.,
Retitling and
Amending Chapter
20, Article IV of the
Piedmont City Code
to Provide for an
Increase of the Real
Property
Conveyance Tax
(“Transfer Tax”) to
$17.50 per $1,000 of
Sales Price (1.75%)
City Administrator Bayon Moore presented the Planning & Building Director’s role and responsibilities. She summarized Leslie Mendez’s background and experience. A video message from Ms. Mendez was shown.
There was no Public Comment received.
Resolution No. 56a-2026
RESOLVED that the City Council appoints Leslie Mendez as Piedmont Planning & Building Director.
Moved by McCarthy, Seconded by Long
Ayes: Andersen, McCarthy, Long, Plimier, and Ramsey
Noes: None
City Administrator Bayon Moore presented the ordinance to the Council, noting a number of date changes. She noted that, since the July 7, 2026 City Council meeting, city staff revisited the criteria established by the Alameda County Civil Grand Jurors' Association, performed a cross-check against those criteria with transparency in mind, and drafted changes to the language.
Mayor Andersen emphasized that, if the new transfer tax rate is implemented, it would still be equal to or lower than that of neighboring cities for the average home price. Finance Director Bawa confirmed this information and noted that the median home price in Piedmont is currently $2.8 million.
City Administrator Bayon Moore noted that, if passed by the voters, the transfer tax increase would allow the City to address deferred maintenance, strengthen the general fund, and perform more small-scale capital improvement projects than currently possible. The transfer tax is a one-time fee that is typically split between the buyer and seller of a home. The Ordinance requires adoption by four-fifths of the City Council, followed by a simple majority of voters. It would then become effective on July 1, 2027.
There was no Public Comment received.
Resolution No. 57-2026
RESOLVED that the City Council adopts Ordinance 792 N.S., Retitling and Amending Chapter 20, Article IV of the Piedmont City Code to Provide for an Increase of the Real Property Conveyance Tax (“Transfer Tax”) to $17.50 per $1,000 of Sales Price (1.75%), on the second reading.
Moved by McCarthy, Seconded by Plimier
Ayes: Andersen, McCarthy, Long, Plimier, and Ramsey
Noes: None
Consideration of a
Resolution Related
to the Placement of
a Measure on the
November 3, 2026,
General Municipal
Election Ballot
City Administrator Bayon Moore noted that City staff had revised the draft ballot language for Ordinance 792 N.S. Councilmember Plimier suggested changes related to grammar and punctuation, which she also submitted in writing to the City Administrator.
The Council discussed issues related to the five signatories for the ballot measure and whether councilmembers should file written arguments collectively or individually. It was noted that there is insufficient time to submit an argument on City Council Minutes
July 20, 2026
3 behalf of the full Council. It was suggested that the Council follow the process it has followed in previous years.
There was no Public Comment received.
Resolution No. 58-2026
RESOLVED that the City Council approves the ballot language for Ordinance 792 N.S., as amended, and authorizes the City Administrator to verify the word count and make edits as necessary.
Moved by Plimier, Seconded by McCarthy
Ayes: Andersen, McCarthy, Long, Plimier, and Ramsey
Noes: None
Receipt of the 2025
Annual Progress
Report to the
California
Department of
Housing and
Community
Development
Regarding the
Implementation of
the 6th Cycle (2023-
2031) Housing
Element
Interim Planning & Building Director Bond presented the Housing Element annual progress report, comprising information on the Housing Element background, housing programs progress, and housing unit production.
To determine affordability, staff consulted a memorandum from the Association of Bay Area Governments regarding accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and adjusted the criteria for local conditions.
Regarding the significant decrease in planning and building permits in 2024 and 2025 compared to previous years, Planning & Building Director Bond noted several potential external influences, such as mortgage rates, construction costs, and demographic evolution. Residents of Piedmont have expressed appreciation for the streamlined process for obtaining permits. While Piedmont has experienced a decrease in construction of multifamily units, construction of ADUs has increased compared to neighboring communities. Piedmont has not yet achieved its target of 20 ADUs per year; however, the California Department of Housing and Community Development is expected to focus its enforcement efforts on other cities that have fallen further behind.
There was no Public Comment received.
Resolution No. 59-2026
RESOLVED that the City Council receives and accepts the 2025 annual progress report to the California Department of Housing and Community Development regarding the implementation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element.
Moved by Ramsey, Seconded by Plimier
Ayes: Andersen, McCarthy, Long, Plimier, and Ramsey
Noes: None
REPORTS AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilmember Long noted the Public Safety Committee meeting scheduled for July 23, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The City’s first Food Truck Friday on July 17, 2026, was well attended, and three more dates were added:
August 14, September 18, and October 9, 2026. The fall activity guide will be posted on July 24, 2026.
Mayor Andersen reported that National Night Out was scheduled for August 4, 2026, in Piedmont Park. The City Council will not meet on August 3, 2026, and will resume its regular schedule on August 17, 2026.
City Clerk Brown noted that the nomination period for City Council and the school board would close on August 7, 2026. Interested parties should contact the City Council Minutes
July 20, 2026
4 City Clerk’s office to obtain paperwork.
Before school starts on August 10, 2026, City staff in collaboration with the public works and police departments, will convey information via City channels regarding Civic Center parking changes, and Bonita Avenue between Vista and Oakland Avenes, which was recently changed to one-way. The City will also coordinate with the school district to disseminate this information. There is a significant number of physical signage indicating the changes.
ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Smegal Andersen closed the meeting at 7:07 p.m.