Minutes
Santee City Council
Council Chamber - Building 2
10601 Magnolia Avenue
Santee, California
May 14, 2025
This Regular Meeting of the Santee City Council was called to order by Mayor John W.
Minto at 6:30 p.m.
Dustin Trotter.
Officers present: City Attorney Shawn Hagerty and City Clerk James Jeffries INVOCATION was given by Rev. Travis Ferguson, Christ Lutheran Church & School.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Mayor Minto.
ADJOURNMENT IN MEMORY: Mike Clark
Mayor Minto presented the Adjournment in Memory certificate to Jan Clark and spoke about Mike's impact on Santee.
PROCLAMATION: National Small Business Week
Vice Mayor McNelis presented the Proclamation to James Sly, CEO of the East County Economic Development Council.
PROCLAMATION: Public Works Week
Councilmember Hall presented the Proclamation to City of Santee Public Works staff:
Eric King, Parks and Landscape Supervisor, Sam Rensberry, Public Services Manager, Heather Heckman, Senior Management Analyst, and Trey Robak, Office Assistant.
RECOGNITION: Sheriff Lieutenant Joseph Jarjura
Mayor Minto and Aldo Hernandez, Sheriff Captain, presented the Certificate to Lieutenant Jarjura for his outstanding job done while serving the City.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
(1) Approval of Reading by Title Only and Waiver of Reading in Full of Ordinances and Resolutions on the Agenda. (City Clerk - Jeffries) Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2025 Page 2 of 6 (2) Approval of Meeting Minutes of the Santee City Council for the Special Meetings of April 18, 2025, and April 20, 2025, and Regular Meeting of April 23, 2025. (City Clerk - Jeffries)
(3) Approval of Payment of Demands as Presented. (Finance - Jennings) (4) Adoption of Resolutions Approving the Engineer's Report and Declaring the City Council's Intention to Levy Assessments and Setting a Public Hearing for the FY 2025-26 Santee Landscape Maintenance District Annual Levy of Assessments. (Finance - Jennings) (Reso 050-2025 and 051-2025)
(5) Adoption of Resolutions Approving the Engineer's Report and Declaring the City Council's Intention to Levy Assessments and Setting a Public Hearing for the FY 2025-26 Town Center Landscape Maintenance District Annual Levy of Assessments. (Finance - Jennings) (Reso 052-2025 and 053-2025)
(6) Item Pulled for Discussion.
(7) Adoption of a Resolution Declaring the City Council's Intention to Levy, as a Successor Agency to County Services Area (CSA) 69, a Special Tax within the Santee-Lakeside Emergency Medical Services Authority Boundary for FY 2025-2026 and Setting a Public Hearing. (Finance - Jennings) (Reso 056-2025)
(8) Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) for the Preparation of the Pavement Condition Report 2026 and Finding this Action is Not a Project Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060 and 15378. (Engineering - Schmitz) (Reso 057-2025) (9) Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing Appropriation and Expenditure of FY 2024 State Homeland Security Grant Funds in Accordance with all Program Requirements and Approve Purchase of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) and SCBA Accessories. (Fire - Wallace) (Reso 058-2025)
(10) Adoption of a Resolution Approving the Fifth Amendment to the Agreement with Paradigm Mechanical Corp. for HVAC Maintenance and Repairs. (Community Services - Chavez) (Reso 059-2025)
(11) Item Pulled for Discussion.
Action: Vice Mayor McNelis moved approval of the Consent Calendar and Agenda as Amended.
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2025 Page 3 of 6 Councilmember Hall seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
Items removed from the Consent Calendar:
(6) Adoption of Resolutions Approving the Engineer's Report and Declaring the City Council's Intention to Levy Assessments and Setting a Public Hearing for the FY 2025-26 Santee Roadway Lighting District Annual Levy of Assessments. (Finance - Jennings) (Reso 054-2025 and 055-2025) Public Speaker:
• Carl Costantino
Heather Jennings, Finance Director, Carl Schmitz, Engineering Director, and Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney, addressed questions from the speaker.
Action: Vice Mayor McNelis moved approval of staff recommendation.
Councilmember Hall seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
(11) Report Regarding the Decision by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department to Record Footage from Cameras at City Intersections. (Sheriff - Hernandez)
Public Speaker:
• Carl Costantino
Mayor Minto and Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney, addressed questions from the speaker.
Action: Vice Mayor McNelis moved approval of staff recommendation.
Councilmember Koval seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS (15 minutes):
(A) Gary Blume, Total Altruism Project, shared the progress of the Total Altruism Project at Big Rock Park.
(B) Carl Costantino inquired about the upcoming Palisade project.
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2025 Page 4 of 6 PUBLIC HEARING:
(12) Public Hearing and Resolution Adopting General Plan Amendment (GPA2019-4) to Update the Safety Element of the Santee General Plan and Negative Declaration (AEIS2019-8) Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (Planning and Building - Sawa) (Reso 060-2025) The Public Hearing was opened at 7:04 p.m. Christina Rios, Senior Planner, Sydnie Margallo, Harris & Associates, and Darin Neufeld, Harris & Associates, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions with the assistance of Sandi Sawa, Planning and Building Director.
Action: Vice Mayor McNelis moved approval of staff recommendation.
Councilmember Hall seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
The Public Hearing was closed at 7:24 p.m.
(13) Public Hearing for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP-2024-0001) to Construct an 87,090 Square-Foot Self-Storage Building Located at 10835 Woodside Avenue in the General Commercial (GC) Zone and Finding the Project Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15332 (Applicant: Extra Space Storage). (Planning and Building - Sawa) (Reso 061-2025) The Public Hearing was opened at 7:24 p.m. Councilmember Hall recused himself due to conflict of interest and left the dais at 7:24 p.m. Christina Rios, Senior Planner, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions with the assistance of Carl Schmitz, Engineering Director, Sandi Sawa, Planning and Building Director and Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney.
Public Speaker:
• Robin Harrison, Riderwood Terrace Condominiums
• Sam Cohen
• Ken Toomer
• Jaume Toomer, Riderwood Terrace
• Marlene Curtin, Riderwood Terrace Community
• Will Nava
• Eric Farwell, Riderwood Terrace HOA
• Kyle Johnson, Ware Malcomb
• David Mann, Ware Malcomb Architects
• Clint Kleppe, Extra Space Storage
• Brooke Miller, Extra Space Storage
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2025 Page 5 of 6 Action: Councilmember Koval moved to approve the project with modified conditions related to window retrofit for neighboring properties, lighting changes on the access road, as needed tree removal and specified hours of operation.
Vice Mayor McNelis seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmember Koval: Aye. Ayes: 3. Noes: 0.
Recused: Councilmember Hall. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
The Public Hearing was closed at 8:37 p.m. Councilmember Hall rejoined the meeting at 8:37 p.m.
(14) Public Hearing on the Adoption of the Resolution Amending the TransNet Local Street Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2026 Through 2030 to Align the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan (RTIP) with the Proposed Capital Improvement Program Budget and Finding the Action is Not a Project Subject to the California Environmental Quality Act. (Engineering - Schmitz) (Reso 062-2025)
The Public Hearing was opened at 8:37 p.m. Brittany Gores, Senior Management Analyst, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions.
Action: Councilmember Hall moved approval of staff recommendation.
Councilmember Koval seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
The Public Hearing was closed at 8:40 p.m.
NEW BUSINESS:
(15) Resolution Awarding the Construction Contract to Eagle Paving LLC for he Citywide Slurry Seal and Roadway Maintenance Program 2025 (ClI 025-02) Project and Determining the Project is Categorically Exemp from Environmental Review Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per State CEQA Guidelines Section 15301(c). (Engineering - Schmitz) (Reso 063-2025)
Carl Schmitz, Engineering Director, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions with the assistance of Steve Miller, Principal Civil Engineer.
Action: Councilmember Koval moved approval of staff recommendation.
Vice Mayor McNelis seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; and Koval: Aye; Ayes: 4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2025 Page 6 of 6 (16) An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2.40 of the Santee Municipal Code Pertaining to Contribution Limits. (City Clerk - Jeffries) James Jeffries, City Clerk, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions with the assistance of Shawn Hagerty, City Attorney.
Action: Vice Mayor McNelis moved approval of staff recommendation.
Councilmember Koval seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor McNelis: Aye; and Councilmembers Hall: Aye; Koval: Aye; Ayes:
4. Noes: 0. Absent: Councilmember Trotter.
NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT: (Continued)
None.
CITY COUNCIL REPORTS:
Councilmember Koval inquired about the progress of the development projects on Marrokal Lane.
Mayor Minto spoke about attending the SANDAG retreat and attending a League of California Cities meeting in Sacramento.
CITY MANAGER REPORTS:
None.
CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS:
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m. in the memory of Mike Clark.
Date Approved: June 25, 2025
James Jeffries, City Clerk