1 San Anselmo Approved Council Minutes
Regular Meeting
Town Council Chambers and via Zoom
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Interviews for the General Plan Advisory Committee- High School Student Representative and Racial Equity Committee- 6:00 p.m.
The Council interviewed Isabel Little, June Greeley, Nico Less, Regina Deangelis, and Cassandra “Rene” Lopez
Call to Order: Optional Pledge of Allegiance- 7:00 PM
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Tarrell Kullaway (Mayor)
Steve Burdo (Vice Mayor)
Eileen Burke
Yoav Schlesinger
Chantel Walker
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Dave Donery, Town Manager
Megan Acevedo, Town Attorney
Serge Avila, Town Clerk
Heidi Scoble, Community Development Director
Sean Condry, Public Works Director
Linda Kenton, Town Librarian
Open Time for Public Expression
Ms. Sue Saunders thanked staff and the Town Council for making San Anselmo a leader in the climate crisis.
Ms. Peggy Alamonto was concerned about what was going on at 60 Greenfield Avenue. The building remains vacant.
Ms. Flora Meyer stated the friendly vibe and historic character of San Anselmo has been compromised by the recent paid parking system.
Mr. Benedetto Chico, speaking on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, stated neither the Chamber nor the majority of merchants were in favor of or asked for the new paid parking system. The system is complicated and not working.
Ms. Karen Mendelow, member of the Climate Action Committee, thanked the Library and the Public Works Department for supporting the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Project.
Ms. Mary Edwards stated she met an elderly woman who was very upset about getting a parking ticket. She is against the new parking system.
Ms. Lori Burlinger, business owner, stated she was opposed to the paid parking system. It should be repealed.
Ms. Belinda McGuire, merchant, was opposed to the paid parking system and stated empty 2 parking spaces equals empty stores.
Ms. Sara Robinson offered several recommendations if the parking system remains in place in terms of accessibility.
Mr. Jeff Kroot agreed with the comments made about the new parking system. It is not working and is hurting the businesses.
Ms. Doss stated she has a salon on San Anselmo Avenue and the new parking system is inconvenient for her clients. The times should be adjusted- two hours is not enough.
Ms. Linda Gridley stated San Anselmo is a charming Town and the new signs do not fit in- they are too industrial.
Mr. Pat Townsley, merchant, stated his business has been negatively impacted by the new parking system. The Town is losing Sales Tax Revenue.
Mr. Frank Gomez agreed that the paid parking system has negatively impacted the businesses.
Ms. Tanya Rodriguez stated the new paid parking system is degrading the charm of the Town.
Mr. Ben Lucassi stated he was neutral on the parking system but was concerned about the impact to the businesses.
Ms. Lori Sperling, business owner, stated the meters are a deterrent to parking.
Victor stated the Town does not need meters it needs enforcement.
Ms. Cary Mangely, merchant, stated the two-hour time limit is crazy.
Ms. Carlina Borg, merchant, was opposed to the new parking system.
Mayor Kullaway stated the Council will be discussing and taking action on the parking issue at the September 23rd meeting. The Economic Development Committee will be discussing this issue at its September 9th meeting.
Council requests for future agenda items; Committee liaison reports; questions and comments to staff; miscellaneous items
Councilmember Burdo reported he attended the Ross Valley Fire Board meeting; the Countywide Evacuation Drill is scheduled for September 6th; the Sidewalk CPR Demo was held on Saturday at Station 21; he attended the Central Marin Police Authority meeting; asked staff about the status of his January request regarding the timing of the Flood Horn.
Councilmember Burke reported she went to the PDD Hazard Awareness Warning Center (HAWK) in San Ramon; attended the Second Annual Baldy Dash and came in 90th out of 170! Councilmember Walker reported on information from Cal Cities; toured Station 20; the Best of Marin included San Anselmo businesses.
Councilmember Schlesinger reported on the recent Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (MWPA) Board meeting; encouraged everyone to attend Ember Stomp; today is International Dog Day.
Mayor Kullaway announced the event at Stafford Lake honoring the sacred Tule reeds will be 3 held on September 14th.
Librarian Kenton invited everyone to the first San Anselmo Repair Fair in the Council Chambers on Saturday, September 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. She talked about the Halloween Costume Swap.
Public Works Director Condry stated staff will be making a presentation to the Council regarding on-going projects including the Robson Harrington paint job and the use of AI to run the Hub traffic signals.
Special Presentation
There are no Special Presentations.
1. Consent Agenda
1.1 Approved the Draft Minutes of the Regular Town Council Meeting of Tuesday, July 22, 2025 and Approved the Special Meeting Minutes of Wednesday, August 6, 2025
1.2 Received and Filed the Financial Report on Recreation Fund ending July 31, 2025
1.3 Received and Filed Revenue and Expenditure Reports, July 2025
1.4 Received and Filed a Report of Checks Issued for the Month of July 2025
1.5 Approved an Agreement with Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District and Approved for Contribution Toward Fire Station 20 Renovation Project
1.6 Approved Notice of Completion for Robson House Exterior Repairs and Repaint
1.7 Adopted Resolution No. 2025-4595 Approving a Publicly Available Pay Schedule in Accordance with California Public Employees Retirement Systems (CalPERS) Regulations
1.8 Response to Marin County Civil Grand Jury Report: The Worrisome Future of Marin Housing- NIMBY Resistance Takes a Backseat to Economic Reality
1.9 Accepted the Committees’ Decision to Conclude Christiana Conser’s membership on the Open Space Committee
1.10 Received and Filed Tax Equity Rebate Program Overview and 2025 Rebate Summary Councilmember Burdo stated he want to pull item #1.5 for discussion Councilmember Walker referred to item #1.8 and asked staff for an update at a future meeting.
M/s, Burdo/Burke, Motion to approve the Consent Calendar with the removal of item #1.5.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway
1.5 Approved an Agreement with Sleepy Hollow Fire Protection District and Approve for Contribution Toward Fire Station 20 Renovation Project
Councilmembers Burdo, Burke, and Walker thanked everyone involved. 4 M/s, Burdo/Walker, Motion to approve Consent Calendar item #1.5.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway Council Business
2.1 Consider Making Appointments to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, General Plan Advisory Committee, and Racial Equity Committee
Town Clerk Avila presented the staff report. Staff answered questions from the Council regarding the appointment of alternate and non-voting members; Councilmember Walker spoke about the process for keeping candidates who are not selected interested in future vacancies.
Mayor Kullaway opened the meeting to public comments.
Mr. Frank Gomez supported Cassandra Lopez for the Racial Equity Committee position.
Mayor Kullaway closed the meeting to public comments.
M/s, Burke/Walker, Motion to appoint Ken Husband to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway M/s, Walker/Burdo, Motion to appoint Nico Less to the General Plan Advisory Committee as the Youth Commissioner.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway M/s, Walker/Burdo, Motion to re-appoint April Hewes, Navruz Avloni, Tiffany McElroy, and Frank Gomez to the Racial Equity Committee
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway M/s, Burdo/Walker, Motion to appoint Cassandra Lopez to the Racial Equity Committee AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway
2.2 Designate a Voting Delegate and Alternate(s) for the League of California Cities Annual Conference October 8-10, 2025
Town Clerk Avila presented the staff report. There were no questions from the Council.
Mayor Kullaway opened the meeting to public comments.
There were no comments.
Mayor Kullaway closed the meeting to public comments.
M/s, Burke/Walker, Motion to designate Vice Mayor Burdo as the voting delegate and Councilmember Walker as the alternate for the League of California Cities Annual Conference October 8-10, 2025.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway The Council took a brief break at 8:26 PM
The Council reconvene in the Council Chambers at 8:28 PM
2.3 Receive the County Flood Control District update on the San Anselmo Flood Risk 5 Reduction Project
Town Manager Donery and Public Works Director Condry presented the staff report. Chris Blunk Interim Public Works Director, and Judd Goodman, Senior Civil Engineer for the County Flood Control and Water Conservation District gave a PowerPoint presentation that included the following: 1) Building Bridge 2 Removal; 2) Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) Application; 3) Flooding Process; 4) Storm Scenarios; 5) Expected Benefit to Homes and Businesses; 6) Town and Community Comments; 7) Proposed Mitigations; 8) CLOMR Process Evaluation; 9) Two Flooding Sources; 10) Rise in Creek Floodwater if BB2 Removed; 11) Example of Proposed Mitigation-Garage; 12) FEMA Required Letters Sent if Possible Change to Flood Map; 13) What Happens Beyond the Project Study Limits? 14) Conclusions of BB2 Removal; 15) Flood Model Differences; 16) Tree Management Plan; 17) Trees Adjacent to BB2; 18) Project Modifications Proposed to Protect Trees; 19) Tree Monitoring During Construction; 20) Tree Monitoring After Construction; 21) Flood Zone 9: 3 Revenue Sources; 22) Flood Zone 9 Project Funding; 23) Flood Zone 9 Operations & Maintenance Funding; 24) Next Steps; 25) Public Outreach Efforts Under Way; 26) BB2 Removal Project- Challenges. Staff and the consultants answered questions from the Council regarding whether the 1-D or 2-D model was used when talking about the number of structures and properties affected; if flooding is currently touching the 22 of the 38 affected structures and if there are proposed mitigation measures; if the pressure of additional water would impact these structures; if there is an increase in flood water in the 1-D or 2-D model; if the 2-D model used the 4% change of flood event scenario; if they have to use the 1% for FEMA purposes; how the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) applies to the 1-D model that FEMA uses and whether they need to prepare a new EIR; the timeline for the “apples-to-apples” comparison; why a short-turn around was needed for the letter of concurrence; how the district plans to improve its communication to the public; how the owners of the impacted properties were notified and if the district has met with them; if there is an increase in the number of affected properties when using the 2-D model and considering the 100-year flood; if there is a budget for mitigation work for the number of affected parcels shown in the 1-D model; the efficacy of the project using the 2-D model; if there is funding for using eminent domain if a homeowner refused mitigation; if refusal by one affected homeowner could kill the project; if the current Fund Balance was around $12 million; if there is a method for a homeowner to contest a determination regarding mitigations; challenges facing the project not included in tonight’s slide presentation; when the district would return to the Council for feedback; if the district could look at the feasibility of accessing the plaza.
Mayor Kullaway opened the meeting to public comments.
Mr. Jeff Kroot stated three of the four structural reports say the bridge is fine. The fourth report says it is fine but could collapse during a major earthquake. Demolishing the bridge will cause flooding downstream and liability to the Town.
Ms. Benedetto Chico, speaking as a business owner, stated this process has taken a very long time. Residents want this area opened up and used by the public. The county should have answers to resident’s questions.
Mr. Keith March stated he lives downstream on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in the affected area. His home and office would not be affected by a flood but he has an access bridge running over the creek. He is concerned about his safety. The Winship Bridge needs to be fixed before BB2 is removed.
Mr. Pat Townsley, owner of Creekside Pizza, wanted the fence removed. He understood that the Winship Bridge was the first project that needed to go and that there would be upstream mitigation. They need to look at the bigger picture and the other bridges that make up the flood system.
6 Ms. Jennifer Motta, 82 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, stated her home will be impacted by the rise in the base flood elevation. This project will harm her property and many others.
Mr. Philip Chidos stated he owns two commercial properties in the flood zone. There are County resources that are unaccounted for with no real return on investment (ROI).
Ms. Rosanne dalBello stated her arborist report does not agree with the one submitted by the County with respect to the Tree Management Plan. She discussed some of the discrepancies between the Tree Management Plan and the engineering drawings.
Mr. Ford Greene stated at a Flood Zone 9 meeting in 2022 it was estimated that the mitigations costs would be between $3 million and $11 million. It is now $400,000. It would hurt the property owners to try to make the project viable by reducing the cost of mitigation.
Ms. Paula Spencer, a business owner, asked the Council to deny the County permit for the demolition of BB2.
Ms. Ann Politzer stated tonight’s CLOMR presentation has changed from the one she heard at the Ross Town Council meeting. The asserted benefits are restricted to the 10-year flood and represent a 14% reduction in damages and losses. This is a lousy return on a $58 million investment.
Mayor Kullaway closed the meeting to public comments.
Councilmember Burdo thanked everyone for his or her testimony. He heard some new information tonight. He looks forward to seeing the “apples to apples” comparisons using the models.
Councilmember Burke stated tonight’s presentation raises more questions than it answered.
She is concerned about how receptive homeowners will be to the mitigation offers. This is the key to the project. She would like to see the 2-D model run for the 100-year flood and the fence removed as soon as possible.
Councilmember Walker stated the consultants talked about changes and that would be useful to see in the future.
Councilmember Schlesinger discussed the “different tools for different rules” approach. This approach is misleading because a model is not only a tool but also defines what we see. He would like to see the “apples to apples” comparison as soon as possible.
Mayor Kullaway was concerned about the legal liability for San Anselmo. There are a lot of good things and concerning things about the project.
M/s, Burke/Walker, Motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:38 p.m.
AYES: Burdo, Burke, Schlesinger, Walker, Mayor Kullaway Respectfully submitted,
Toni DeFrancis,
Recording Secretary