Ripon City Council
Special Meeting Minutes
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026
SPECIAL MEETING
2:00 PM
The Special Meeting was called to order by Mayor Gary Barton at 2:00 PM.
ROLL CALL:
Attendee Name Title Status Arrived
Gary Barton Mayor Present
Dean Uecker Vice Mayor Present
Michael Restuccia Council Member Present
Leo Zuber Council Member Present
Daniel de Graaf Council Member Present
OTHERS PRESENT:
City Administrator Kevin Werner, City Attorney Tom Terpstra Jr., City Clerk Lisa Roos, Deputy City Clerk Jane Kilgore, Associate Civil Engineer Spencer Schroen, Lieutenant Jared Heuvel, Administrative Supervisor Christina Caro, Information Systems Technician Elizabeth Farnam, Information Systems Technician Trevor Quevedo.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION:
No one from the public wished to speak at this time.
1. CLOSED SESSION
The closed session meeting was called to order at 2:00 PM.
PUBLIC DISCUSSION ON CLOSED SESSION MATTERS: No one from the public wished to speak at this time.
ROLL CALL: Council Members Daniel de Graaf, Leo Zuber, Michael Restuccia, Vice Mayor Dean Uecker, Mayor Gary Barton.
OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Kevin Werner, City Attorney Tom Terpstra Jr., City Clerk Lisa Roos, Associate Civil Engineer Spencer Schroen.
IN THE MATTER OF:
1. Conference with Legal Counsel—Anticipated Litigation: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (d) of Government Code Section 54956.9 – 1 case.
Return to open session.
City Council Page 2 August 19, 2026
City Attorney Terpstra said Council met in closed session and no reportable action was taken.
2. TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
A. ASPEN SURVEY COMPANY, INC.
General Land Surveying Services
Progress Payment – Invoice #26-020-1
Progress Payment – Invoice #25-041-1
$805.00
$2,063.75
TOTAL $2,868.75
Approve the invoices for Aspen
Survey Company, Inc.
City Administrator Werner explained that one invoice was for Aspen Survey’s research of the public right-of-way at the intersection of Jack Tone Road and West Main Street.
He said staff is exploring relocating the traffic signal further from the corner after it has been struck several times, and additional right-of-way was identified that could accommodate the relocation.
Werner said the second invoice, totaling $2,063.75, was related to work on a parcel map needed to bring PG&E gas service to the CNG station on Doak Boulevard.
Motion to approve the invoices for Aspen Survey Company, Inc.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Michael Restuccia, Council Member
SECONDER: Daniel de Graaf, Council Member
AYES: Barton, Uecker, Restuccia, Zuber, de Graaf
B. COMMUNITY CENTER PARKING LOT EXPANSION
Dirt Dynasty, Inc Award the contract for the Community
Center Parking Lot Expansion Project to
Dirt Dynasty, Inc in the amount of
$2,586,477; authorize the Mayor to
execute the construction contract and
related documents on behalf of the City;
and authorize the transfer of $400,000
from the General Department Capital Fund
to the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund to
provide sufficient funding for the project,
including the recommended 10 percent
construction contingency (funding source:
Parks & Recreation Capital Fund).
City Council Page 3 August 19, 2026
Associate Civil Engineer Schroen explained that the Community Center parking lot expansion project was previously bid in July, but the single bid received was significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate and was rejected by the City Council. He said staff revised the bidding strategy and divided the project into a base bid and an alternate. He said the base bid includes relocation of Baseball Field No. 2, reconstruction of the existing western parking lot with concrete pavers, and baseball field improvements and the alternate includes reconstruction of the southern parking lot. Schroen said bids were submitted and evaluated through a blind process, allowing staff to determine the lowest overall bid and project scope without knowing which contractor submitted each bid.
Schroen reported that the City received 10 bids on August 11. He said the lowest base bid was $2,037,435, while the lowest base bid including the alternate was $2,586,477. After considering the available funding and benefits of completing the full project, staff determined that the base bid plus alternate provided the best overall option. Schroen said the apparent low bidder was identified as Dirt Dynasty. He noted that awarding the complete project under one contract would provide lower overall costs, a more consistent final product, and less disruption to the community.
Schroen said staff recommends awarding the base bid plus alternate to Dirt Dynasty for $2,586,477. He said the Parks and Recreation Capital Fund has approximately $2,480,973 available. He said with a 10% construction contingency, the total project budget would be approximately $2,845,124, resulting in a shortfall of approximately $356,000. Schroen said staff recommends transferring $400,000 from the General Department Capital Fund to fully fund the project.
Council Member de Graaf asked for more information regarding the project schedule, Schroen stated that staff hoped to complete the contract documents within the next week or two and issue the notice to proceed immediately thereafter.
Council Member Zuber discussed the project scope and clarified that the alternate bid includes reconstruction of the southern parking lot behind the Community Center, which would connect with the western parking lot improvements. Schroen confirmed.
Council Member Restuccia requested that staff provide a map showing the proposed parking lots and baseball field configuration. Schroen said he would provide the map. de Graaf expressed support for moving the project forward and enthusiasm about seeing the long-awaited improvements completed.
City Council Page 4 August 19, 2026
Motion to award the contract for the Community Center Parking Lot Expansion Project to Dirt Dynasty, Inc in the amount of $2,586,477; authorize the Mayor to execute the construction contract and related documents on behalf of the City; and authorize the transfer of $400,000 from the General Department Capital Fund to the Parks & Recreation Capital Fund to provide sufficient funding for the project, including the recommended 10 percent construction contingency.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Daniel de Graaf, Council Member
SECONDER: Michael Restuccia, Council Member
AYES: Barton, Uecker, Restuccia, Zuber, de Graaf
C. SERVICE AGREEMENT
CDW Government, LLC Approve and authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement, once approved by the City
Attorney, with CDW Government, LLC
for a Microsoft 365 subscription (User
Profile/Identity/ Email System), for 110
City and Police Department user licenses
in the annual not to exceed amount of
$39,385.65 and approve and authorize Ric
Small with Waypoint Network Solutions
to perform email data migration services in
the not to exceed amount of $20,000
(funding source: General Fund).
Administrative Supervisor Caro said staff is seeking approval and authorization for the Mayor to sign an agreement, once approved by the City Attorney, with CDW Government for a Microsoft 365 subscription and to authorize Waypoint Network Solutions to complete the data migration from the City’s existing email platform.
Council Member de Graaf asked about the security and compliance levels associated with Microsoft 365. Information Systems Technician Farnam explained that different license levels would be assigned based on employee needs. Police Department staff would receive G5 licenses to meet the highest compliance requirements, including FBI compliance requirements, while other City staff would receive G3 licenses. She said additional service accounts would be used for general login purposes.
Council Member Restuccia asked whether the migration would change the City’s email system to Microsoft Outlook. Farnam explained that the City already uses Outlook but currently operates on a legacy platform. The Microsoft 365 migration would move the City to a more modern platform that is already being used by other cities throughout the county. Restuccia noted that the change would provide greater consistency with other organizations.
Farnam also explained that, as part of the migration, the City will change its email domain from cityofripon.org to cityofripon.gov. She noted that the State has mandated City Council Page 5 August 19, 2026
that all city agencies transition to a .gov or .us email address by January 1, 2029. Farnam confirmed that the paperwork to secure the new domain has already been completed.
Motion to approve and authorize the Mayor to sign an agreement, once approved by the City Attorney, with CDW Government, LLC for a Microsoft 365 subscription (User Profile/Identity/ Email System), for 110 City and Police Department user licenses in the annual not to exceed amount of $39,385.65 and approve and authorize Ric Small with Waypoint Network Solutions to perform email data migration services in the not to exceed amount of $20,000.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Leo Zuber, Council Member
SECONDER: Daniel de Graaf, Council Member
AYES: Barton, Uecker, Restuccia, Zuber, de Graaf
D. RESOLUTION NO. 26-31
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RIPON
AMENDING THE CITY OF RIPON
EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PLAN
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026 - 27 FOR
CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
AND NON-REPRESENTED POLICE
DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES
This resolution authorizes the Ripon Police
Department to amend the City of Ripon
Employee Compensation Plan for fiscal
years 2026–27 for certain administrative
staff and non-represented police
department employees by adding four (4)
part time Dispatcher positions to the 2026-
27 budget at a salary level of 206.5 to
alleviate workforce burnout caused by
mandatory overtime and to ensure service
continuity.
Lieutenant Heuvel said staff is seeking approval to add four part-time dispatch positions to help reduce mandated overtime and employee burnout. He said the dispatch center currently has 13 dispatchers and one supervisor and is down three positions, with another resignation expected next month. Although the City is actively recruiting, the hiring and background process can take approximately two months, followed by six months of training for new dispatchers. Heuvel explained that the proposed part-time positions would allow the City to hire POST-certified dispatchers who could fill vacancies more quickly, with a preference for former employees or experienced dispatchers already familiar with the City’s RMS and CAD systems.
City Administrator Werner noted that the positions would provide a short-term solution to the current staffing shortage while also potentially creating a long-term pipeline for future full-time dispatch positions. He explained that, similar to the City’s approach in Public Works, part-time employees could gain experience and training and then be considered for full-time vacancies as they become available.
Council Member de Graaf expressed support for the proposal, noting that the ability to bring back former employees who are already trained and familiar with the dispatch system would provide an immediate benefit. He also noted that the proposal could help reduce overtime City Council Page 6 August 19, 2026
and employee burnout and thanked staff for developing the plan. Council Member Restuccia agreed, saying that people only want so much overtime and this will help prevent burnout.
Vice Mayor Uecker asked whether former dispatch employees would be willing to return to the City in the proposed part-time positions and why they would want to come back if they had left. Heuvel explained that some had started families and found the demands of working full-time dispatch, particularly being away from young children, difficult to balance with family responsibilities. He noted that these employees enjoyed the work and were reluctant to leave but still need flexible employment, making the proposed part-time positions a good fit.
He reported receiving positive feedback from former employees who are interested in returning.
Mayor Barton asked whether the invoices to Escalon and Lathrop reflect the overtime costs being incurred. Werner confirmed that the agreements were established based on a specified amount of overtime.
Motion to adopt Resolution 26-31 authorizing the Ripon Police Department to amend the City of Ripon Employee Compensation Plan for fiscal years 2026–27 for certain administrative staff and non-represented police department employees by adding four (4) part-time Dispatcher positions to the 2026-27 budget at a salary level of 206.5 to alleviate workforce burnout caused by mandatory overtime and to ensure service continuity.
RESULT: ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Daniel de Graaf, Council Member
SECONDER: Michael Restuccia, Council Member
AYES: Barton, Uecker, Restuccia, Zuber, de Graaf
3. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:34 PM. (Signed) Gary Barton
Mayor
ATTEST:
(Signed) Lisa Roos
City Clerk