Minutes
Santee City Council
Council Chamber - Building 2
10601 Magnolia Avenue
Santee, California
April 8, 2026
This Regular Meeting of the Santee City Council was called to order by Mayor John W.
Minto at 6:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL: Present: Mayor John W. Minto, Vice Mayor Ronn Hall, and Councilmembers Laura Koval, Rob McNelis, and Dustin Trotter Officers present: City Manager Wendy Kaserman, City Attorney Shawn Hagerty, and City Clerk James Jeffries
INVOCATION was given by Eric King, Lakeside Christian Church.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE was led by Steve Miller, Principal Civil Engineer CONSENT CALENDAR:
Note for the record: Written correspondence received for Item 2, Item 5, and Non-Agenda Public Comment was distributed to the City Council and posted online for public viewing prior to the meeting.
(1) Approval of Reading by Title Only and Waiver of Reading in Full of Ordinances and Resolutions on the Agenda. (City Clerk - Jeffries) Approval of Meeting Minutes of the Santee City Council for the Regular Meeting of March 25, 2026. (City Clerk - Jeffries)
(3) Approval of Payment of Demands as Presented. (Finance - Jennings) (4) Adoption of a Resolution Awarding the On-Call Professional Service Agreement to Barnett Quality Control Services Inc. dba Nova Services, Inc. for As Needed On-Call Special Inspection, and Geotechnical Services and Authorize the Director of Engineering to Award Task Orders. (Engineering - Schmitz) (Reso 029-2026)
Action: Councilmember McNelis moved approval of the Consent Calendar.
Councilmember Trotter seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor Hall: Aye; and Councilmembers Koval: Aye; McNelis: Aye; and Trotter: Aye. Ayes: 5. Noes: 0.
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of April 8, 2026 NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT (15 minutes):
(A) Carl Costantino spoke about renovations and graffiti issues at Shadow Hill Park. (B) Brenda Hammond spoke about epileptic seizures and people experiencing mental illnesses.
PUBLIC HEARING:
(5) Public Hearing for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP-2025-0004) for a Drive- Through Quick-Service Restaurant on a 2.02-Acre Lot at 9207 Mission Gorge Road (APN 383-124-52-00) in the General Commercial (GC) Zone, and Finding the Project Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (Applicant:
Lawrence Rafou, Primo Developers LLC). (Planning and Building - Sawa) (Reso 030-2026)
The Public Hearing was opened at 6:43 p.m. Tyler Vorasane, Assistant Planner, provided a PowerPoint presentation and responded to Council questions with the assistance of Lawrence Rafou, Primo Developers; Carl Schmitz, Engineering Director; Sandi Sawa, Planning and Building Director; and Harley Wallace, Fire Chief.
Public Speakers:
• Carl Costantino
• Renee Woodward
• Gary Strawn
Action: Councilmember Koval moved approval of staff recommendation with an additional condition related to traffic queuing as presented by staff.
Trotter: Aye. Ayes: 5. Noes: 0.
The Public Hearing was closed at 7:35 p.m.
(6) Public Hearing to Adopt the Resolution Approving the Program Year 2026 Annual Action Plan and Authorizing the City Manager to Submit the Grant Application for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Finding the Action is Not a Project Subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). (Planning and Building - Sawa (Reso 031-2026)
The Public Hearing was opened at 7:35 p.m.
Action: Councilmember Trotter moved approval of staff recommendation.
Santee City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of April 8, 2026 Councilmember McNelis seconded the motion, which carried by the following vote: Mayor Minto: Aye; Vice Mayor Hall: Aye; and Councilmembers Koval: Aye; McNelis: Aye; and Trotter: Aye. Ayes: 5. Noes: 0.
The Public Hearing was closed at 7:36 p.m.
NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENT (Continued):
None.
CITY COUNCIL REPORTS:
Councilmember Koval reported on the decommissioning event of the Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility which she attended with Mayor Minto and Vice Mayor Hall; she also shared information about Applied Artificial Intelligence workshops offered through a partnership between the East County Chamber of Commerce and Grossmont College; and she recognized Devon Julian, owner of Village Pet and Feed for being selected as the 2026 Small Business Person of the Year for the State of California by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Mayor Minto spoke about the 69-year-old Ray Stoyer Water Recycling Facility and on the history and growth of the City of Santee.
CITY MANAGER REPORTS:
At the request of the City Manager, Harley Wallace, Fire Chief, provided a PowerPoint presentation and reported on the Town Center Incident, riverbed fire, which occurred on March 29, 2026.
Wendy Kaserman, City Manager, shared that staff would be returning at a future meeting with an update on defensible space and the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant; she also provided updates on upcoming activities and events and introduced Santee Sammy, the City of Santee's mascot in celebration of America's 250th anniversary.
CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS:
None.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
Date Approved: April 22, 2026