City Council
Mayor Patrick Slayter
Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton
Una Glass
Sarah Glade Gurney
Diana Rich
City Manager/Attorney
Larry McLaughlin
[email protected]
Assistant City Manager/Attorney/City Clerk, MMC
Mary Gourley
[email protected]
CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
MINUTES FOR Meeting of October 4, 2022
As Approved by the City Council at their regular meeting of October 18, 2022 The City Council Regular meeting was held via teleconference pursuant to AB 361. Pursuant to AB 361 (2021), Teleconference Restrictions of the Brown Act Have Been Suspended, as Well as the Requirement to Provide a Physical Location for Members of the Public to Participate in the Meeting. The City of Sebastopol City Council meeting will not be physically open to the public and all City Councilmembers will be teleconferencing into the meeting via Zoom.
COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING:
• This meeting is being conducted utilizing virtual settings for teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with State of California Executive Orders regarding the COVID 19 pandemic and AB 361. • Live stream and zoom are being utilized for this meeting. • Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting by use of Zoom and Live Stream as noted on the City’s website and as noted on the agenda.
• Members of the public wishing to speak to the City Council may do so during public comment or may comment on agenda items during the discussion of each item and must be logged into Zoom. Live Stream is a viewing only format. • Anyone using abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, or harassing language, personal attacks of any kind or offensive terms that target specific individuals or groups will be muted, will be asked to adhere to protocols and /or will be removed from the meeting.
Reminder please leave your microphones on mute until called upon and if you would like to provide your name during public comment you are welcome to do that but do not have to.
Please note that minutes are not meant to be verbatim minutes and are meant to be the City’s record of Actions Taken (Approved Motion of Agenda Item(s)).
6:00 pm Convene City Council Regular Meeting (ZOOM VIRTUAL FORMAT) CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Slayter called the Regular meeting to order at 6:02 pm.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Mayor Patrick Slayter – By video teleconference Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton – By video teleconference
Councilmember Una Glass – By video teleconference
Councilmember Diana Gardner Rich – By video teleconference Councilmember Sarah Gurney – By video teleconference
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager/Attorney/City Attorney Larry McLaughlin Assistant City Manager/Attorney/City Clerk Mary Gourley City Engineer Mario Landeros
Interim Police Chief Ron Nelson
Planning Director Kari Svanstrom
SALUTE TO THE FLAG: Mayor Slayter led the Salute to the Flag.
COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING:
• This meeting is being conducted utilizing virtual settings for teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with State of California Executive Orders regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and AB 361. • Live stream and zoom is being utilized for this meeting. • Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting by use of Zoom as noted on the City’s website and as noted on the agenda.
• Members of the public wishing to speak to the City Council may do so during public comment or may comment on agenda items during the discussion of each item and must be logged into Zoom. Live Stream is a viewing only format.
• Anyone using abusive, vulgar, offensive, threatening, or harassing language, personal attacks of any kind or offensive terms that target specific individuals or groups will be muted and removed from the meeting.
PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS:
The following were presented:
• Proclamation – Fire Prevention Week – October 9-15, 2022 • Proclamation - October 16-22, 2022 as “Freedom from Workplace Bullies Week” • Proclamation - October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Speakers are allowed to speak for a maximum of three minutes so that all speakers have an opportunity to address the City Council.
Power point or visual presentations for public comment shall not be permitted unless approved by the Agenda Review Committee two weeks prior to the requested meeting date.
Speakers may not "yield" a portion of their allotted time to others.
The Mayor has the authority to limit or extend the time allowed for speakers dependent on the number of speakers in attendance.
The Mayor can poll the members of the public for an indication of the number of people wishing to speak, then call on individuals to speak.
It is the goal of the Council to conclude the public comments portion of the agenda within 20 minutes. If the public comment period exceeds twenty minutes, the presiding officer, typically the Mayor, reserves the right to reduce the time per speaker or carry over public comments to after all business items are completed.
The City Clerk will monitor the time for public comments and inform the speakers when the time limitation has been reached.
The Mayor could survey the members of the public, as appropriate, to move agenda items up or back to address the members of the public items of concern.
Public participation is encouraged on all public agenda items.
Council and staff will treat participants and each other with courtesy. Derogatory or sarcastic comments are inappropriate.
The public will likewise be encouraged by the Mayor to maintain meeting decorum.
In Council meetings when citizens are agitated, the Mayor may call a short recess to calm the situation.
If a member of the public is unable to attend the Council meeting, written communications may be sent to the City Clerk by e-mail or by regular mail.
Communications received after distribution of the agenda packet will be made available to the Council at/or as soon after the meeting.
Royelyn Wooten commented how long does Sebastopol have before public works begins installing the smart water meters?
Joan Churchill commented as follows:
• I just want to introduce myself. I am Joan Churchill and I am the new executive director at the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, and we are just thrilled of the support of the City of Sebastopol and we are so thrilled that COVID is on the other side and we are welcoming back so many of our members. • I think about 80% of our members have come back at least once. • Our cafe is open, open to the public Monday through Fridays 11:00 until 1:00 and we are serving delicious launch.
• It is $10 for members and $12 for non-members so I want to just welcome everybody and you can always contact me if you have any questions about any of the services we provide.
Erica commented as follows:
• We would like to understand what the process is for changing the ordinance of the parking code. • I live on Flynn Street, which borders the skate park, and we are having a major issue over there with homeless people living outside of my house for going on four weeks right now and there is also some major parking issues when there are events at the Barlow and skaters using the park where people who live on the street can't even find parking and we don't really understand what the process is of how to try to get a lot changed or to get limited time parking on our street. • We would like to see two or three hour parking on our street and no overnight parking except for residents.
Niki Hoffman commented as follows:
• I am Nikki Hoffman and I am the new secretary of our little league board so I will be trying to attend these meetings to represent the youth and see the community and be more involved. • Nice to meet all of you.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• All of my brilliant colleagues have been out protesting the signs downtown in the City, protesting that insane rollout of the water meters and smart meters
• PG&E just comes in like a bunch of in the middle of the night with no warning or notice. • My apartment complex installed largely the wireless electric meters but now also the gas meters. • I have meters that measure a high cancer-causing signals frequently, the microwaves and it is horribly high here.
• We already have a lot of cancer patients and I don't know if you know it but there is the other apartment complex organized with signs out there. It is not going to fly. • This is going to reverse and in an answer to Royelyne's question, I'm in communication with Dante Del Prete and he thinks October is going to be the waterless wire wireless water meters but it is not going to happen
• I hope you people come to your senses and reverse your policies here on these wireless water meters because the public is not going to stand for that.
• I told Erik, the new Assistant Public Works Superintendent that there are three ways that I know those things can be caused to fail.
Mayor Slayter responded to public comment: A couple of questions came up during public comment and the first one was simply, when are the water meters going to be installed.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• Right this minute, the only new water meters that are installed are the handful of water meters that were installed quite some time ago has test cases, just a small handful. • My understanding is the earliest time at which any further water meters would be installed would be not sooner than January.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Thank you for that information and then there was a question about parking down near Laguna Park. • It was a question about parking ordinance and how to change it, or I suppose, by extension, how about some enforcement.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• Generally speaking, to change a City ordinance, you would request that the City Council take up the matter to consider doing an amendment to the ordinance. • It was always expected that the parking ordinance would be returned to the City Council at some point in time for tuning up or fine tuning parts of the parking ordinance that may have been problematic as well as there is that process in place to even change the times that are applicable in various locations in the City.
• I don't, off of the top of my head, know exactly which times are presently in place at the location the speaker specified.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I think this is a neighborhood that we have over the years had different residence come to the Council. • It is not frequent, but it does happen with some regularity just due to the proximity to downtown and the Barlow.
Chief Nelson commented as follows:
• I will take a look at it and I'm not familiar with the specifics in regard to the time limits and the specifics to the parking ordinance as it applies on Flynn Street
• I will also address concerns in regard to some possible unhoused concerns you may be violating the parking status.
• I will have a look at it tomorrow.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I would recommend that anyone on Flynn Street or anywhere in the City, if you have concerns about parking enforcement or any kind of law enforcement please do not hesitate to call the Sebastopol Horizon Shine and you can call the business line and it gets answer just as fast as the emergency line, and they will take your information and look into whatever issues you might having. • I would recommend that happen, and the Horizon Shine, as everybody knows, is about a 20 or 30 second walk away from this location, so proximity will not be an issue for the Horizon Shine to look into it.
STATEMENTS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Conflicts of interest may arise in situations where a public official deliberating towards a decision, has an actual or potential financial interest in the matter before the Council. In accordance with state law, an actual conflict of interest is one that would be to the private financial benefit of a public official, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A potential conflict of interest is one that could be to the private financial benefit of a Councilmember, a relative or a business with which the Councilmember is associated. A Councilmember must publicly announce potential and actual conflicts of interest, and, in the case of actual conflict of interest, must refrain from participating in debate on the issue or from voting on the issue and must remove themselves from the dais.
There were no statements of conflicts of interest stated at this meeting.
CONSENT CALENDAR: The consent agenda consists of items that are routine in nature and do not require additional discussion by the City Council or have been reviewed by the City Council previously. These items may be approved by one motion without discussion unless a member of the City Council requests that the item be taken off the consent calendar.
The Mayor will read the consent calendar items; ask if a Councilmember wishes to remove one or more items from the consent calendar; and then open public comment to the members of the public in attendance. At this time, a member of the public may speak for up to three minutes on the entire consent calendar and request at that time that an agenda item or items be removed for discussion.
If an item or items are removed from the consent calendar, the item shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tern.
Councilmembers may comment on Consent Calendar items or ask for minor clarifications without the need for pulling the item for separate consideration. Items requiring deliberation should be pulled for separate consideration and shall be placed at the end of the regular agenda items unless otherwise determined by the Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem.
Mayor Slayter read the consent calendar.
Mayor Slayter asked if any Councilmember wanted to remove a consent calendar item. There were no requests.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comment on the consent calendar.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• It seems like you know me being all reclusive and isolated because of my sense of being fried it seems like I am sort of more in touch with some of the people than the City Council • One of them is the Fire Department
• There there is a youngster here who informs me that the cost of the consultant study for the fire department was paid $40,000 and an out of towner
• They will not be coming back with their recommendations or something until the end of the year, but in the meantime, this is just nuts.
• You know we've got so much expertise in this town on so many different issues I don't know why the City Council continues to pay exorbitant prices for out-of-towners when all you've got to do is just ask like in this case, some of the volunteers.
• I know the consultant was down there talking but anyway, we need to seek our own solutions • We would save a lot of money and just common sense in doing that • I hope and I think we will continue to have an independent fire department because I think that is what the public will is, and also amongst the wonderful volunteer firefighters, too. • It's just terrible what you did and I would like to have you resign.
Mayor Slayter called for a motion.
MOTION:
Councilmember Gurney moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve Consent Calendar Item(s) Number(s) 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
1. Approval of Extension of Ad Hoc Committee – Ad Hoc Committee – Fire Department Funding & Staffing Committee from Current Ending Date of September 30, 2022 to Extended Date of December 31, 2022 (Ad Hoc Committee)
City Council Action: Approved Extension of Ad Hoc Committee – Ad Hoc Committee – Fire Department Funding & Staffing Committee from Current Ending Date of September 30, 2022 to Extended Date of December 31, 2022 Minute Order Number: 2022-273
2. Approval and Receipt of Upcoming Vacancy(ies)on the Design Review Board (Responsible Department:
Planning/City Administration)
Term Ending Dates: December 31, 2022
a. Ted Luthin Category B
b. Marshall Balfe Category D
c. Cary Bush Category A
City Council Action: Received Upcoming Vacancy(ies)on the Design Review Board Minute Order Number: 2022-274
3. Approval and Receipt of Upcoming Vacancy(ies)on the Planning Commission (Responsible Department:
Planning/City Administration)
Term Ending Dates: December 31, 2022
a. Kathy Oetinger
City Council Action: Received Upcoming Vacancy(ies)on the Planning Commission Minute Order Number: 2022-275
4. Approval and Receipt of Upcoming Vacancy(ies) on the Climate Action Committee (Responsible Department: Planning/City Administration)
Term Ending Dates: December 31, 2022
a. Josho Somine (Ecological background)
b. Woody Hastings (Climate Action or other climate group) c. Alex Goodman (Climate Action or other climate group) d. Gerry Glaser (Climate/sustainability background)
e. Vacant Youth Position (1 of 2 youth positions)
City Council Action: Received Upcoming Vacancy(ies) on the Climate Action Committee Minute Order Number: 2022-276
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/PRESENTATIONS: (Please Note: Although informational/presentations items are routinely informational in nature, some informational items may contain request for actions such as support, direction to staff, follow up, or receipt of item based on the presentation/information provided.)
5. Informational Update - Climate Action Committee (Requestor: Climate Action Committee/Responsible Department: Planning)
Planning Director Svanstrom presented the agenda item recommending the City Council receive the report.
Kenna Lee provided a presentation to the City Council.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• Thanks for that presentation. Super busy.
• I'm sorry I missed the compost thing but at the very beginning, you showed what looked like a brochure. • I guess it was a little unclear. Is that still in development or is that actually something that is out in the world and published?
Kenna Lee commented as follows:
• That is the Sebastopol climate action plan that you adopted on July 19th, I think. • It is available on the Sebastopol City Website on the climate action committee page. • You can download a PDF of the climate action plan.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• Suggested printing some versions for the old-school people. • I know we're trying to save paper but I just wondered if we could have some printed for handouts
City staff commented we are so zero waste and we haven't done printing but we will get some into the libraries.
Mayor Slayter commented perhaps a printed copy and see if the Senior Center would want it's in their lobby for someone to pick it up and leafed through.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• I don't know where to begin with that whole premise of a lot of the stuff is wrong • Climate action it's just another thing that we've been lied to and misled about. • What we need to do is do some research.
• Plenty of it around and just look at books that of been written by Dr. Marvin Herndon, who talks about climate manipulation, weather manipulation
• A massive amount of information out there.
• Electricity again is just not as clean as you would think because you've got the byproduct, for one thing and the magnetic fields that are bioactive and what they do is they produce they promote cellular growth so we've got this growing cancer right here.
• We've got a higher than average cancer right here in Sonoma County and specific kinds of cancer, too • All this wireless radiation is contributing to it and flat out causing it. • We need to start looking at the health consequences and the costs, which are huge, of exposure to all of this.
• There is another building biology right here in town. • I know a person who has a wonderful house inspired from an electromagnetic point of view and they twisted the wires in the wall.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Just want to applaud the Canada and all the work by the climate action committee that goes into the presentation that she provided us today.
• Engaging, funny, and accurate.
• Thank you, Kenna.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I just wanted to follow on to what Councilmember Rich just said, which is great work, Climate Action Committee.
• We are really blessed that we have this great committee doing all this wonderful work, and I am looking forward to the implementation of this framework in conjunction with our General Plan in the future, so we can be climate leaders.
• I am just seeing our Director of Planning, who has been working with this committee and I have to thank her for all the work she has put into this committee, as well.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• As the City’s representative on the Board of Directors of Sonoma Clean Power, it is very gratifying for me to see that staff has been so busy over the very short life span of that agency in relative terms. • They have been so busy building the agency and getting on firm financial footing and now, that is done.
• The foundation is set and the ability for that staff and leadership of that agency to do this kind of outreach with other local government agencies
• It is not a dilution of information or effort.
• It is really significant growth, so I have communicated with a couple of folks from the energy group and it's just wonderful to see.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I'm offering my support to your suggestion.
• I think we have worked really hard and we now have this opportunity in front of us for all these agencies in all these groups to start collaborating and our climate action people have just been doing that now. • We have had Phoebe connecting us to the RCPA and you are going to connect us and there will be more work.
• It's going to be a remarkable future I think we are going into right now. • Thank you to our climate action people.
City Council Action: None required. Received the report.
Reference Order Number: 2022-277
PUBLIC HEARING(s): NONE
REGULAR CALENDAR AGENDA ITEMS (DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION):
6. Receipt and Discussion of:
a. Informational Presentation: SAVS Quarterly Report to the City Council on RV Pilot Program (SAVS:
Adrienne Lauby)
Adrienne Lauby and Cynthia Poten provided informational comments to the City Council.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I have one question I would like to ask, really to give you the opportunity to talk about this. • First, let me say I really appreciate your candor and this authenticity of all these answers. • It seems very honest to me and it is helpful to know what is really going on. • From a Council perspective, we receive e-mails on complaints about shoplifting, people camping in the CERES garden, people filling up the walkway towards Norlee Street at the north end of Mary's Pizza, and all those problems come in a package and they seem to be attributed to you. • I don't believe that is the case but I want to ask you and give you the chance to answer those concerns here.
SAVS commented as follows:
• Yes, any time that someone, a business person or a neighbor contact us, we go and find out who is there. • Often, the businesses have pictures and there is nothing in my report that any of our people have been any of these problem people or are refugee people, I would say. • I don't know. Sometimes maybe folks think that if they come closer to our village, they will be the next person to get in. I have heard that said. It is not true, but maybe that is part of it. • I think just generally, the City has cleared out the Laguna, so a lot of people that used to camp down there without anyone noticing are now in more noticeable places, but I will just say again if you're having trouble, even if it is not someone who lives in the village, we often do go out to talk to people and ask
them to move on, not to be near us, and you know, not to bother people, not to make messes, not to do the things that make life for the rest of Sebastopol difficult. • We also talked to the residents because some people come to visit the residents who are somewhere in Sebastopol, homeless, and we explained to them one, that we cannot accommodate them, all of them, and also that the village is there to help the portion that is destitute and have applied and then been accepted, and that at the moment, there are no other resources in Sebastopol that they can go through us.
• We are not the channel, and I think the residents get it, and I do think they communicate and on occasion, residents have gone to speak to people in the parking lot and say hey, don't endanger what we have here.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments.
Danielle Danforth commented as follows:
• I would just like to say, Adrienne, I feel your pain. • I do services myself and it is always interesting how somebody will come over to the shelter to yell about somebody who is sleeping in their business entryway at night, but it is not the people in the shelter. • They are sleeping in the shelter, so you know, it is kind of like almost an easy mark. • We had a fire in the middle of the night and the fire department came over to the shelter. No.
Everybody is here. How do you know? I'm sitting right here the door and nobody can come back in unless I open the door, so it is always that first place to go. • So now you're this sitting place where somebody can go, not getting it that it is not the people that are in the shelter that it are the problem.
• You have people who want to be in the shelter.
• Those are the ones sleeping in your doorway at night so I just want to say I really feel you and more power to you, and keep plowing the field.
Barbara commented as follows:
• I just have to say that I have and very grateful to be a SAVS volunteer since the village came into being, watching what has happened has been wonderful and a challenge. • Watching people volunteer and bring themselves to the village to serve the community there in different ways from food service to mentoring.
• The mentoring includes taking people at the coffee were out for a meal or out for a walk. Various ways people have found to mentor.
• West County has been really a wonderful help to the people in the village with the health services and mental health services.
• We started a women's group in April and some of the women have really benefited from participating there.
• One of the things I've recently done is connect with the State of California Department of Rehab services. • They have wonderful counselors there who can help process people through the application process, providing money for transportation and clothing, to be integrated back into the workforce, and then after the DOR, there are employment agencies who can provide what they call employment specialist and job coaches so that people are supported all the way through the job re-entry cycle. • We are continuing looking for programs such as NA and AA. These organizations are really overwhelmed these days.
• It is hard to find people to come and provide meetings because of the overwhelming homeless population that are still on the street.
Dennis commented as follows:
• My query is there a routine conversation happening between SAVS and the Horizon Shine? • Do you have a contact there that you talk to on a regular basis? • I think that communication is vital to make this program successful and if the Horizon Shine is not aware of what is going on until something breaks, I think that is not efficient. • Do you have that in place now?
Arthur commented as follows:
• I will probably be speaking at some of the other issues as we go through the evening but I wanted to first appreciate Adrienne’s candor and openness not to sugarcoat the difficulties that they have had up there and the fact that they have acted to take care of things. • The SAVS people are probably about as well, progressive and compassionate and some might even say leading heart as you are likely to find.
• Nevertheless, when there were problems, they acted proactively, even to the extent of getting a restraining order and having a person removed from the village. • In some written public comments, people have asked what does that person go? • Is he back out on the street?
• Very likely that person was on the street in the first place because SAVS only took in people who were already in Sebastopol.
• The fact that a person may be on the street without mental health services, drug services is not the fault of SAVS.
• It really speaks to why we need the resolutions that will be on the agenda later in the meeting, to get services for those people.
• In fact, there are people camping out along normally. • That is not the fault of slaves.
• Those are people who are not saves residents.
• That really reflects the unmet need that is not being provided by higher levels of government, not the City of Sebastopol.
• I'm going to put the onus on the county in the state, and it reflects again the unmet need. • What the resolutions think to do is send a message about that unmet need and ask those other entities to do something about it.
Vanessa commented as follows:
• I just wanted to unpack the village process a bit and how it relates to the overflow issue before I get into a couple of my questions.
• I actually think my questions apply to other agenda items that late last year, there was an official count of vehicles and RV campers to upward of 35 in the current site for the RV village was an approved able to accommodate 18 of those 35 that were in need and then soon thereafter there was a parking ordinance that went into effect that prohibited any long-term parking of such vehicles within the City limits. • So, the parking ordinance does not apply to most of the areas that are closely surrounding the RV village because the villages on the border of the county line.
• The parking ordinance also does not apply to the look's shopping center, which is located almost directly across the street from the village so to me it is just logic and math reasoning to understand why the neighborhood has experienced such great overflow issues of RVs. • Some weeks are quite mellow and others feel really intense with public urination, inebriation, trash dumping, so much so that the owners of the redwood shopping center had to hire their own security to
keep issues at a So-Fi to even care like how do these overflow vehicle dwellers affect us in my personal answer is that we have started to experience trespassing and residential theft. • All these cases get reported to the county, not the City because again, the village site is on the county borderline so that comment is just a follow- up on why is there an overflow issue and I think by unpacking it it's kind of obvious as to why, but I do have some questions related to the extension of the site, which I'm assuming comes later.
• Is that correct?
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• First of all I would like to recognize this is Sebastopol, a generous town and Cynthia kind of embodies. • She is an artist and a writer. She is brilliant and hugely generous too and it is my pleasure to know her and good to hear from you, too, Adrienne.
• Anyway, I live three properties from the RV village and so I found it very interesting to watch it evolve and also all the theft and stuff that was going on earlier across the street at Lucky's and then whole shopping centers there, massive shoplifting and theft, people just walking in, filling their cart and walking out. • In fact, the carts themselves are now chained up at night because there are a whole bunch of them missing but anyway, it's gotten better. Lucky's has gotten better, calmer and stuff like that. • For me personally, I've met several of the people there at the RV village and also people are attracted to this area, so they have added a new thing of interest to me. • One of them is an artist and a writer and he is a poet and he does some pretty good stuff and by the way, I think he would be willing to sell his stuff because I think that is what he wants to do, is to write and make art.
• The other thing I would like to say is the reason why a lot of the people that are attracted to Sebastopol is that they recognize the humane quality of our Horizon Shine. It's a big difference between the Sheriff's department
• They are much better than others and I always hope the City Council will recognize the big mistake they did and vilifying and demonizing
Suzanne commented as follows:
• I know most many of you know me. I am a frequent volunteer. I am an RN and help the shelter people. • I know many of the people on more straight area and when we opened Horizon Shine. • I'm involved in a number of things, as are the other volunteers, including help with the outreach clinic. • The main thing that I want to speak to today is our residents. • One of our residents, Jennifer, who is on this call, she helped others send e-mails to the City Council about things that they really have come to appreciate about Horizon Shine. • I want to be sure that she is recognized, and I can see she is on this call, and also, I wanted to answer Dennis 's question.
• Yes, we do have communication. Every third Wednesday we have meetings with people in including current Interim Chief Nelson.
• It is a meeting of many different aspects of people who volunteer for or work for the City. • I just want to say thank you to Adrienne for mentoring me from the very beginning so that I would know what wraparound services are, and thank you to many others Doug commented as follows:
• I appreciate your giving me a chance to speak and I will apologize in advance if this information is elsewhere in the agenda, but other than anecdotes, and general reporting, what evidence do you have to support the effectiveness of the solution, specifically, what has been the occupancy level each month?
• What are the average number of days people have stayed? How many stay more than 90 days or 45 days or 30 days? How many only stay one day?
• How many, if my understanding is that this was to be a transition for people, how many have actually moved into a stable environment, and how many have failed and reverted back to life as an unhoused outside of the situation?
• Likewise, not about crime on the site, but how has crime in the area changed Year-over-Year? • How have calls to the Horizon Shine in the area, the volume changed Year-over-Year, not just within the City limits, but all three sides of it are bordering the county, so what is the volume of complaints Yearover-Year and how many people have you reject did the nine months and what percentage is that? • I just would like some data.
Mayor Slayter responded to public comments as follows:
• There were a number of questions that were raised by member of the public, so I will work through them and direct as appropriate.
• A question about SAVS and the Sebastopol Horizon Shine and communication.
Chief Nelson commented as follows:
• As was alluded to, we do meet regularly every third Wednesday. These are very transparent meetings. • I feel that the Horizon Shine has a great working relationship with the staff of SAVS, Adrienne, Barbara and Suzanne as well as Mr. George.
• We have some very candid conversations, and as was presented during the summary by SAVS staff, it is not sugarcoated from either side, but we have a collaborative process which allows us to work through these problems and try to come to some mutually beneficial solution so I feel these meetings were productive and the communication lines were open and it is not limited to just the times during these meetings.
• I know they have some contact information and they can arise at any time.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Data driven question
• It was that there were 35 resident plus or minus on Morris Street and I think the question was how many residents are staying at the village?
SAVS commented as follows:
• When we got there to more strictly move 25 people off. • 18 spots, some of them with roommates or couples.
• I believe there were about three vehicles that we were not able to help at the time.
Mayor Slayter commented I will turn to our City Attorney for this one, a question about the location of the village in relation to the City limit line and law enforcement questions about jurisdiction.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• I believe on the north end of highway 116, the City limit line is approximately the area of the bike trail, in other words, the other end of O'Reilly's campus.
• I believe and I am probably going to have to ask Chief Nelson to confirm behind the RV village, that portion is in the county, but I may be wrong on that regard.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Question about parking regulations, the City of Sebastopol is able to legislate within our own boundaries. • We are not able to legislate beyond our boundaries, so parking regulations on county land follows county ordinances.
• Series of questions about some data and I'm not sure that all of these are at your fingertips, but I will run through them, Adrienne, and you can answer as briefly or voluminously as you see fit, understanding that the question was really about data and I think these specific points probably point to a broader question of efficacy of the village.
• What has been your occupancy over the open.
SAVS commented as follows:
• We have basically been full since we started.
• We had two people who moved out to a better situation and we have had one person as I just reported that we asked to leave.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• That leads to the next question, how many have been there more than 30 days, more than 45 days, more than 90 days and those are arbitrary numbers.
• The question is asking how have you seen living in the village? SAVS commented basically, everyone has been there nine months, which is the time we have been there.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• You just answer the question about how many have transitioned to other housing and you said two. • How many applications have been rejected over the course of time, not assuming an open space, not due to simply being full.
SAVS commented as follows:
• We have not rejected any one.
• We do have a waiting list that is probably five or six people long and I can give you a little more around this.
• The West County Community Health Center (should be West County Community Services WCCS) employees Jennifer Lake as an outreach worker, which as you all know is related to work that you have done, and so she works with us and she is pretty familiar with almost all the homeless people in Sebastopol that are not in the village, so she helps us with our waiting list. • If we have spaces, it will be people who come from Sebastopol that have those spaces and we just don't have a lot of turnover.
• Hopefully in the coming months that will change.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• A couple of questions for Chief Nelson about the volume of complaints, general levels of crime. • I'm not quite sure how we can parse that out as far as City or county, but I think you get the general direction that the question was asked.
Chief Nelson commented as follows:
• I have not looked at a statistical comparison over a one, two or three year period to make a determination whether the calls for services have actually increased. • I don't have a statistician or a data analysis person, so it is rather labor-intensive to do that.
• It would not surprise me if we have seen somewhat of an increase in calls related to petty type crimes and nuisance crimes, but I think the difficulty is that it is oversimplifying it to simply say that because the SAVS site is there it is attracting people who are engaging in these types of activities. • I'm confident in saying that I don't believe the residence of the SAVS community are the ones who are contributing to any uptick.
• The unhoused are opportunistic and I think if we could take a minute to put ourselves in their shoes, we would be the same way. They are looking for a place to land. They are looking for a place to sleep. • They have limited means, which unfortunately leads some to engage in crimes like petty theft. • To add to it a bit of a perfect storm with our unfortunate economic situation in the past 18 months of the pandemic hitting and businesses being affected and you have seen that impact the Lucky shopping center with closed businesses were once there was a lot of traffic, a lot of people frequenting outside and we have had businesses close, so that provides them an opportunity, particularly at night time to find a place to land, so I don't think it is as simple as attributing it to SAVS. • It's a difficult correlation and the reality is the unhoused is a problem in all our communities. • Not just in Sonoma County but in the state of California and we're seeing it nationally, as well. • The simple solution seems to be to try to squeeze the balloon as they say. • Squeeze one end and you push them out somewhere else and so when municipalities like Santa Rosa do sweep so they're looking for someplace to land and as I said they are opportunistic, so some of them drift into Sebastopol and that may have some negative impact, but it would be difficult to correlate it and say it is attributable to the SAVS sites.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Thank you, Adrienne, for that presentation and others who contributed to the discussion, including members of the public.
• I just wanted to mention that in terms of serving the unhoused here in town during the move in period during the RV village on before and after, it is important to recognize that we have the advantage of Jennifer lake, who is an employee of West County Community Services, who is paid for by the City of Sebastopol, and who serves the unhoused in Sebastopol and I know from conversations with her and I'm sure, Adrienne and Suzanne will confirm this, that she was actively engaged with those people who were in town at that time when the RV village was occupied, and she facilitated a number of arrangements for them and found locations for them and serve their needs and continues to do that to the present. • That is the first piece. The second piece of information that I would like to share here is that we do have a point in time count, so that the person who is talking about data, to that person, the county does a point in time count and just completed the point in time count for 2022, and I will share some numbers with you.
• The point in time count showed in 2020, there were 129 unhoused counted in the City limits and this year there were 78. No one wants any unhoused, but if you want data, there is a piece of information. When I inquired into the details of how that worked down, the 78, because that was a surprisingly large number to me, the 78 consisted of 38 who are sheltered.
• Those would be individuals currently residing at Elderberry Commons and in another transitional housing location for veterans called Robinson House. So that is 38. • They are in fact under a roof one way or another and also within that group is 78, are those who were counted as being present at Horizon Shine on the day that the count was done. • Now, this is trends as we would hear from Daniel Danforth from West County Community Services and from Adrienne and others.
• It is just a moment in time when the count is done. Nonetheless, on that day, when that count happened at Horizon Shine, not everyone was there. There were 12 of the residence at that time. • What that leaves, and I think it is important for all of us to recognize from a big picture perspective is at least 28 people.
• As Ron Nelson pointed out, homelessness is not something we are going to eliminate within our City limits. We can't eliminate it. We wish we could.
• It can't happen but we are working on it and as a small town of 7500 people, I want to remind everyone as they listen to Adrienne's presentation that other comments from the public and from Ron Nelson, that as a community, we now have 28 people who were counted on that day who are sleeping rough or sleeping in the car as it might, and that did also include community churches safe overnight parking. • So, just as a reference point, and I agree with Ron Nelson's observation that we just can't get rid of it. • We have to continue to address it so thank you, Adrienne, for addressing it in West County Community Services and all those trying to deal with this issue.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I wanted to follow on Councilmember Rich's comments and thank Adrienne and the volunteers and the folks at SAVS for what they are doing.
• Also, to thank Danielle and the folks at Elderberry Commons. • We have a patchwork, and that is not a negative word, but we have a group of varying services to address housing and homeless crisis in our town and these are very effective programs. • I think the former member of the public who is asking about how many people had come and how many people had gone was actually not quite understanding the intent of some of these programs. • The intent was not for people to come and go. The intent was to create a stable space for people, so that they can have the time to really get their feedback on the ground and you don't do that in a month or 90 days. It takes a while to stabilize.
• I was very gratified to hear about the Horizon Shine villager who was able to get a job. • I know that all of our three housing solutions to those that are unhoused than that would be Horizon Shine and Elderberry Commons and West County Community Services, all three of those organizations are working hard with countywide services to do job training, job placement, all kinds of support services to get people on their feet and there are people moving us through the system, but it is not a five- minute ink.
• It is not 10 days or 20 days or 90 days. It is a long-term commitment to helping people get on their feet and the other thing is that I am just so grateful for Interim Chief Nelson's comments because our Horizon Shine does work very closely with all three of those entities. • With SAVS, with WCCS and with Elderberry Commons and they have working relationships. • The other thing is we have many members of public repeatedly talk to the City about why don't we have a group style model?
• Why are we not doing CAHOOTS, which is a program that is a mental health service program that works in tandem with Police Services and to some degree or to a large degree, we actually do have that. • We have our outreach worker, Jennifer lake, whose job is to assist all of these varying residences as well as people sleeping in the rough along with sand in collaboration with our police services to find solutions to people that are unhoused and find solutions to them getting their lives back together and getting their feet on the ground.
• So, we are actually having something that is very similar to a CAHOOTs style model for we have an outreach worker working with people who are very unfortunate in our town, and people who are fortunate enough to now have a transition space, which is the SAVS location, the Elderberry Commons location and Park Village.
• Thanks to all of those volunteers in particular who are really amazing folks who are out there volunteering and mentoring and helping people get their lives together.
SAVS commented as follows:
• I just wanted to add we actually have seven people employed at the village at the moment. • Three of them are residents of the village, three of them SAVS employees and four have jobs, so I think that's pretty good.
• That is about a quarter of the people who are living at the village and I think that's a nice metric.
Mayor Slayter thanked SAVS for the presentation.
City Council Action: None Required. Informational only.
Reference Order Number: 2022-278
Mayor Slayter called for a break at 7:48 pm and reconvened the meeting at 8:00 pm. b. Approval of Resolution of Support for St. Vincent de Paul submit an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding (Requestor: Councilmember Rich) Councilmember Rich provided the agenda item recommending the City Council approve the Resolution of Support St. Vincent de Paul submit an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding.
Jack Tibbetts commented as follows:
• St. Vincent de Paul purchase this property two years ago. • We want this property to serve the homeless community. • I think SAVS has done that incredibly well over the past almost year now. • They have another year on their lease that we have with them, consistent with what the City Council previously discussed with the public 10 months ago.
• We are currently in the process of starting the process to do construction and construction, as everyone knows, is a time intensive process that begins with financing and in the case of affordable housing development usually requires multiple layers of financing. • Our first step is to retire a short-term loan we have at 5.5% interest and apply for the county of Sonoma's loan 2.3% interest rate. We are applying for $850,000 to retire our loan and take complete site control.
These loans are terrific.
• They are 30 year terms, interest only with the interest due plus the principal at the end of 30 years and they also apply deed restrictions or something I think the Council will be interested in is with that deed restriction for affordability it goes on deed.
• It guarantees the Council and the public that the covenant will continue to serve for a term of 55 years. • That is how long the covenant lasts. We are applying for that. • This is what we have done in the City of Santa Rosa with another project we've just broke ground on. • We received a grant to renovate the former Gold motel and 250 units of housing which includes an onsite staff manager and nurse and case managers to serve the public directly in- house. • So, what are we intending for Sebastopol?
• Right now it is still very early in the process, but what we are anticipating is 16 to 30 units of low income or extremely low income housing, extremely low income housing you can get a studio for as low as $568 a month if it is deed restricted in the low income category I believe it is about $900 a month.
• You can see how it becomes a real value to people who are living with and lesser means in the community who want to stay in the community.
• As it affects SAVS, we hope to start construction probably in spring of 2024, but that would be the fastest timeline possibly imaginable.
• We still have to pursue, as I said, multiple layers of financing, tax credit financing from the State of California.
• That is a pretty time intensive process, so we are at the very beginning here. • There are no immediate changes on the horizon for anybody and our intent is to completely and totally continue to serve the poor or house list community in the City of Sebastopol.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Requested information from a planning process.
• What would this initial potential action set in motion? Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Affordable housing in the City of Sebastopol in our zones is allowed, so it is a permitted use, somewhere to the discussion we had last year at this time about a homeless shelter being a permitted use in this particular zone, and so that does not mean that we don't have any sort of process for affordable housing developments.
• We would generally want design review, so it's not about the use so much. • It is about what it looks like for our Design Review Board and so, that would be the main thing is that an affordable housing project like this would be permitted and we would just looking at all of the various requirements and factors.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Discussed density of what is permitted.
• It is related obviously this affect Horizon Shine and obviously at the moment, what the RV village is understood to be allowed to do is to be there on that site through the end of this year, as a permitted use, as a shelter, homeless shelter, but that any further use of this property for Horizon Shine would be subject, as our planning director would confirm, I'm sure, to a process within the planning department that would require approval of its extended use.
• I just want the public to understand that this current use this year is in fact a temporary use, as was communicated to the public in the past and that any future use will be coordinated through the planning department.
• Did I state that accurately?
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Yes.
• There may be some confusion at this meeting because we already sent out mailed notices and newspaper notices that for next Tuesday, the Planning Commission is a hearing for a temporary use permit to extend the request from SAVS that they be able to extend the use for two years, and so we will be hearing that staff report and informational review on the City Website for meetings later this week, but that hearing is next Tuesday.
Councilmember Rich commented I think there has been some confusion about what is on the agenda tonight and I want to clarify for the public and the Council that the only issue is whether this resolution supporting St. Vincent De Paul’s further steps for funding from the county will be approved for the City Council.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• In regards to the property and what would be allowed by right, and this is independent of the resolution, these are all things that would need to be worked out
• I think it is helpful for the residents of the neighborhood and of the City At large to understand what kind of density we're talking of out.
• Should it just be a project that does not request any variance or changes Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• There are two things that depend that would factor into that. • So, 21 normal-sized larger units in the City of Sebastopol, as you saw with Huntley Square. • If you have a unit under a certain size, studio unit they count as .5, and so if these are smaller units, and this is something we will work with as a planning staff directly with St. Vincent De Paul whether they would qualify for that or not, that is also in our base zoning so that would allow up to 41 units. • It sounds like that is far more than what they are anticipating for the site we do also in our code adhere to state density bonus law
• We need to look at all the various factors.
• It would be basically doubling what the base zone of 21 is so 16 units is practical.
Councilmember Glass commented I just want to clarify this is rental housing as opposed to housing for purchase, correct?
Jack Tibbetts commented as follows:
• That is correct
• We have not discussed home ownership opportunities at large and the difficulty with it is, from what I understand, and I am new in the space, is that to do a home ownership type of program we have not been able to -- we discussed it as a board because we prefer that method to help people hold equity in a community and put down stronger roots but there actually are not any financial tools that we are aware of that allow for that.
• That typically requires you to come in and build it and then basically self finance as an entity to the house person on kind of a rent to own basis and we unfortunately don't have the capital to probably spent $21 million on a construction project without financing or limited financing and then turn around and have the owner carried the residence so I think it's safe to say it's probably going to be a rental but if you or any member of the Council helps us find finance the tools to work toward ownership we would be absolutely and sincerely interested in that area
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• That sounds great and I think we actually need low income rental housing, so it seems like something we need.
• Would St. Vincent be managing the property?
Jack Tibbetts commented as follows:
• We would. As we are planning to do at all comments, we will have in-house management at the property and it is also going to depend a lot on our population.
• We have discussed conceptually who we want it to be, or what cohort, but we usually fall back on what is the most need in the community and we look a lot for that census data that Councilmember Rich brought up before.
• What are the people in the most need in the area, so you know, sometimes it is nice to think well, let's do homeless seniors because personally I feel that is very tragic that someone can be 55+ and living on the street.
• Talk about what a vulnerable time and would it be great to do a senior community. • We could do that and we also are aware and be cognizant that the folks that SAVS is serving now don't necessarily meet that criteria entirely and even though we are not legally bound to provide relocation services for people in that community, I think that is probably going to be a goal of our organization, to work with SAVS and figure out for some of these folks who currently live in an RV, are they working towards Brick-and- mortar housing I want to continue to live in RVs and can we help make opportunities available for them so these are just some of the conversations we are having.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• The opportunity for some of the SAVS folks to live in a studio that is probably bigger than their RV and a nice place
• Hopefully there would be vouchers allowed for this property so people who are extremely low income would have vouchers.
• This seems like a great opportunity.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I think Jack covered part of my question, which was the age limit. • If it was somebody that was low income, but if there was a cut off on the lower end because we know also it is really tough to get into the housing market when you are starting as a young person in a job, so we have had discussions about service workers within the City, so I like the idea that you're thinking about possibly considering all ages and just going off income, but with that said, would you be looking at a local preference like a Sebastopol preference for people that might want to qualify and get placed there or rent there?
Jack Tibbetts commented as follows:
• We have not looked at that yet
• The reason being quite frankly, we just have not had the conversation but what I have heard about local preference in the past is that it violates equal housing opportunity laws in the State of California, so you can't actually do local preference when it comes to housing but if you're City attorney knows better and happy to learn from him, but that is my understanding.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I'm just checking with the Planning Director to make sure I understand. • Will you be checking numbers
• Later tonight we have the level of service support and are Planning Director has done a great analysis of for we understand, particularly the income levels, the categories where we do need housing and fall short.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• I will check those numbers.
• I'm going to venture to guess that you are probably like most cities in the state of California for the extremely low income category is a huge need for everybody but I will check those and even though I am talking about what St. Vincent De Paul is thinking, this is a collaborative process. • We need your City to buy into what we are doing and part of that Ryan involves the soliciting your feedback And your opinions, and we massage the financial numbers. • That is really for the affordable housing development is about because at the end of the day there are lots of people who need help.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• For everyone's knowledge, the acronym RHNA that has been brought up is Regional Housing Needs Assessment and those are dwelling numbers that are sent to us by original body that looks at housing, and each community in the region gets assigned these numbers, these target numbers for the amount of housing, and I believe it is four income categories or five • Four or five numbers, and so the City of Sebastopol has, over the past couple of cycles of these housing allocations, we have actually done pretty well.
• Certainly much better than a lot of our regional neighbors and so we actually do work very hard on this, and so the idea that we are able to proactively have potential projects that are discussed, it is sort of gratifying, certainly to know that a lot of people are thinking about it. • That was a much longer description of what RHNA is but I think it gives a little context for people who are not knee-deep or neck-deep into this day-to-day.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I want to get down in the weeds a little more because we always have to talk about this for people that are outside of our City
• I just want to let Jack know this, that we actually did meet our RHNA numbers for the last planning for low and very low and we are actually on track to meet them again so that is kind of a record for the City and County of Sonoma
• We have already exceeded the very low.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments: Resolution of Support for St. Vincent de Paul submit an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding Linda Berg commented as follows:
• I would like to remind you all that we live on a finite planet with finite resources and Sebastopol is no different with finite resources meaning water and their infrastructure the roads and the traffic which is a mess already
• It is my opinion that the City Council has done enough damage to this town already without approving another cancer cluster, which is what it will end up being because the City Council fails to recognize the effects of electromagnetic microwave which it insists on foisting on us in the form of wireless water meters and also allowing PG&E to come in here with more wireless meters which penetrate walls and bodies.
• We have already got enough cancer. We need to stop this runaway growth of building and of cancer and slammed the brakes on this and take another look at it. • We need open spaces we need to breathe because it is my information from some people who have the ability to see into the future, they have detect did another interesting event in the form of an earthquake next year.
• If you can just imagine it will happen. There will be another event that will happen that will require probably am sorry to say evacuation so when you think of the traffic in the water resources and the thing to go along with more population and more drain on our resources and then more exposure to cancercausing electromagnetic fields.
Arthur commented as follows:
• Understanding that this resolution is not about Horizon Shine per se, this resolution would seem to relieve an existing loan burden on St. Vincent de Paul for development of the site that would not be a Horizon Shine RV village.
• Significantly, this resolution is at no cost to the City. It is simply opens the possibility for low income development by St. Vincent's on the site to the extent that it was mentioned by the Planning Director about extended use by SAVS at a meeting next Tuesday, and as this resolution relieves the burden on St.
Vincent, it may facilitate continuing temporary lease on the property it in written public comment there has been discussion about how this was only supposed to be a temporary use, and that is true. • It was intended to be a holding action with about a one year life's and anticipating and hoping that other forces would step forward, basically the county and the state. • That unfortunately has not happened.
• That is not at the fault of Sebastopol or the City Council. • It is an unmet need, hopefully other funding will step forward. • There is a continuing need for unhoused emergency in the City. • Efforts have been made to find other sites.
• That is has not been forthcoming not to the fault of the City or the committee on the unhoused or the Council, specific overtures have been made to the board of supervisors asking that unused county land, perhaps the unused portions of the county fairgrounds be used for housing. • None of that is been forthcoming so given that I would say there's a consideration and a need here for continued use of that site by SAVS for extended use as may be permitted.
Meg commented as follows:
• Just two questions. I will admit I am just kind of lost right now. • Are we talking about or is St. Vincent talking about a proposal to turn the current homeless shelter site into affordable rental units? That is a question there. • The second piece is simply when I hear about affordable housing, I'm thinking of hammers, two by fours, , construction, which is a very interesting idea if that is what is being discussed. • I might be completely off here, but I would just like to learn at some point, is that what is being discussed?
• Is turning this into an actual solid affordable housing that will last three decades or whatever? Mayor Slayter responded to public comment as follows:
• We are neck-deep in it so we all understand what this is. • As far as the Council goes, 2hat we have in front of us, this particular item is a request from the ownership of the property currently, St. Vincent De Paul. • They hold a loan on the property, and that loan, it's at a relatively high interest rate to carry the property to own the property.
• It's a loan on the property costing the more money than it should. Or could. • So what this item that we have is a letter of support, a resolution of support for them to go to the county government, the community development commission which is the regional, the county body that is able
to hold money and disperse it for these type of efforts, and they are willing to take on a loan, paying off the first loan and then granting St. Vincent De Paul a much more favorable loan rate. • So it's at a lower interest rate and then they are able to own the property at a lower rate, or lower cost because the interest rate is lower.
• All we are doing this evening, potentially, is saying that the City of Sebastopol City Council is in agreement with St. Vincent De Paul going to the commission in the county to ask them to loan them money. • So that's all we are talking about on this item.
• The ideas that have been discussed down the road in future years about what it could be, and that would very much be built housing. Foundations and stud walls and real roofs and front doors. Places for people to live and cook and sleep and enjoy life. In a built house or apartment. • So that is I think everybody's goal, that I'm hearing. I'm on board with that. • I think that's a great idea and I would also say that I would very much like things to be high-quality, wellbuilt houses that last 400 years, instead of 20 or 30.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I just wanted to make a few comments regarding some things that were said by members of the public regarding the burden on our infrastructure and we are going to be hearing from the level of service report
• I wanted to say that this Council has been very concerned with not overtaxing our water capacity and that's why we get an annual report to take a look at what our water and sewer capacity is. • It also is why we pass the urban growth boundary to circumscribe our town so that we have a limited amount of growth, rather than sprawling.
• But there is a balance between how much we are putting inside that boundary and how much water and sewer we have accessible.
• I'm sure that what we are going to hear from our Planning Director is that we have not anywhere close exceeded our water and sewer capacity at this time.
• So we are paying attention to that.
• The idea was to focus our development inside so that there would be open space outside our UGB and that's been our policy.
• I think what we are seeing here is that we support the concept of this project and we support St. Vincent De Paul pursuing appropriate funding of this project to make it viable. • So I would feel like it's more appropriate for us to do a letter of support, not for their application because we haven't actually read their application.
• What we are supporting as they are applying for funding and prescribing exactly how they are going to get that funding or what specific pot of money they are getting it from. • I don't think we have to do it. I think it's up to the county to figure out exactly what part of money they're going to give to St. Vincent to make this project happen. • What we want to say to the county is yes, this is the kind of project we are looking for and, yes, this really fits in with our general plan and our City's future plan is on as we get through the normal process that we would go through for this project.
• So I'm just sending this in terms of what the resolution actually says. • We are not supporting the actual application. We are supporting their pursuit of this project. • So in terms of legalese, I would feel a bit better if the resolution actually said we are in support. • Because of it turned out, what if the CDC comes along and says the funding for that just didn't quite work out, but we have another pot of money here that we could use for it. • Then we don't have to go back to the drawing board.
• What we are saying is we support St. Vincent on this project and we are supporting their pursuit of funding.
• I would just advocate for tweaking the resolution slightly to make it a little more broad Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I was going to offer a motion to adopt the resolution as written, and I'm looking at it. • It says it be resolved that the City of Sebastopol supports St. Vincent De Paul application to the community developer development commission for funding. • Is just a letter in support of an application that they are going to submit for funding which seems to be very general.
• I would move that and if it's seconded and we have some specific modification that Councilmember Glass wants to suggest, I would consider amending that motion.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• The paragraph that talks about the bridge funding and then getting a loan rate of 2.3% with the changes between now and when that happens, I think we don't even need that part. That particular paragraph in here.
• I guess the word application is a lowercase application so that could be general. • But it would be more like we are supporting the project and the pursuit of funding for it from the county of Sonoma. It's just a minor detail.
• Just again for clarification there is no project application. • We don't know what exactly this housing is going to look like. The application is just for funding. • We don't have a copy of the application that they are applying for. We are not approving their application form.
• We are approving their pursuit of findings for this project which we are recommending for this project. • Just a minor wordsmith issue.
Mr. Tibbetts commented as follows:
• I think it is important to state in the resolution that you are supporting the application that's going forward.
• I won't get into specifics of the uppercase or lowercase A. • But I think with this is a similar to when me apply for financing from a nonprofit bank or something where they want to see a board resolution.
• We are supporting that this is moving forward and I think the CDC is looking for two signals from the Sebastopol City Council.
• One is that we are aware of this project. The Council is aware of it and we are supportive of it based on the information provided and information that we provided to you. • The staff report was copy and pasted from the application to the CDC, stating 16 to 30 units. • So I think that is reasonable for you to expect that that is what the ultimate project will be. So that's one thing.
• But I appreciate your comment, Councilmember Glass, where we can get approved or denied and it would be nice to have a letter of support for future funding opportunities as well because if we are denied, we will continue to pursue the funding.
• Quite frankly, pursue the promises we made to all of you when we endeavor down this path a little under a year ago.
• I guess if the objective is to say generally this is to support the project, I would request that there for the a mention of the application so we don't get it sent back from the CDC on a caveat.
• But also if it so pleases the Council all the same, we send an additional letter of support that says we submit a letter of support for this project to meet the needs of our lower income community in Sebastopol.
• Something like that. That we can put in an exhibit inside the application.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• We have a motion out there and we can seconded once we wordsmith what we need to do here. • I want to make some basic comments.
• One is that I just don't know who wouldn't be supportive, frankly, of lower income housing in our community.
• I remember when I ran for office for the first time six years ago, it's a question that every person running for office has asked.
• How do you feel about affordable housing and supporting your low income housing? • I remember saying that's who I'm really interested in, all ages, that we want our kids to be able to get a start in this community and usually people start renting. • We want to keep our seniors here, and it's just for me, it's a no-brainer. I just want to say that. • I know that sometimes this SAVS project has been welcomed by some and also welcomed by others. • But to actually put in permanent housing and build that property out which has been just an eyesore for years and years and years I think is what I think what I had in mind when I first heard that St. Vincent De Paul was buying the property.
• We all know that Burbank housing had a ridiculously long wait list for seniors to be placed in affordable housing right here in our community.
• I'm sure we are all clapping to move this forward.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• I had a suggestion, wording change for the Council to consider here. • Any final statement, I'm looking at the draft resolution. The now therefore paragraph says, be resolved that the City of Sebastopol does hereby support St. Vincent De Paul’s application to the Sonoma County for funding.
• Could we add, and would it address the needs, meaning in the interest of the City Council, to add after that, to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for funding, and is further support St.
Vincent De Paul, any substitute or additional funding that St. Vincent De Paul might pursue for the purposes described above. Or something like that.
• Is that important? To me, I'm ready to just approve it as written, but I just wanted to put it out there.
Mr. Tibbetts commented as follows:
• It certainly doesn't hurt, Mayor.
• I think it does help us because if we get denied for the CDBG home funds from the county, we will be back applying for additional funding from the county, also from the state, and I think it might save you some time for me having to come back with a separate application request in the future.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• It says basically what Councilmember Rich is suggesting is, we support what is written here, the application to the CDC.
• We add, as well as St. Vincent De Paul’s application for other funding that we don't even know what that is right now.
• Other sources of funding. Further support any alternative or supplemental funding by St. Vincent De Paul for the purposes described in this resolution.
• I have one very minor final question: Include the actual numbers and the resolution for the loan amount, the term in the unit cost, are those anecdotal?
• What I don't want is for St. Vincent De Paul to be locked into a $950 rent when really it's $957.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• Normally when you do a resolution of this type, you want to be specific as to the type of loan you are trying to receive so that it works where you are extending it. • On the other hand, if you want to broaden this resolution a bit which as I understood the current motion, then that does kind of restricted a little bit.
• Just remember, the whereas clause simply gives the reasoning behind the decision you make. • It's only when you get down to the resolve portion of the resolution that you are actually talking about action.
• I would say that those numbers are not binding to a future Council.
Jack Tibbetts commented as follows:
• I like putting on my former Council hat. I think it's a good thing to have in their for all parties involved because it tells your future Council what kind of terms we came to you with initially. • Saying this is what we plan to do. This is what we hope to do. I'm not opposed to that. • But I want to let the record show in terms of the rent amount, as Larry pointed out, they are in the whereas, and I agree that that's not binding.
• But the rent amount is not actually set by us. They are set by HUD. • So they come in and do a regional assessment and every few years, the increase them. • So even though the amount is such today, in two years, it's liable to change. • With the fact that it's in the whereas I think is a good context and doesn't tie anybody's hands, but it tells you in two years, this is the goal and this was our goal two years ago. • So we are happy to go with that.
MOTION:
Councilmember Gurney moved and Councilmember Rich seconded the motion to approve Resolution of Support St. Vincent de Paul submit an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding as amended:
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does hereby support St. Vincent de Paul’s application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding and BE IT FUTHERT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does further support any alternative or supplemental funding sought by SVDP for purposes described in this resolution.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved Resolution of Support St. Vincent de Paul submit an application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding as amended:
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does hereby support St. Vincent de Paul’s application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding and BE IT FUTHERT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol does further support any alternative or supplemental funding sought by SVDP for purposes described in this resolution.
Minute Order Number: 2022-279
Resolution Number: 6478-2022
c. Approval of Resolution of Support for West County Community Services’ (WCCS) application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding (Requestor: Planning Director)
Planning Director Svanstrom provided the agenda item recommending the City Council approve the Resolution of Support for West County Community Services’ (WCCS) application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding.
WCCS commented as follows:
• First of all, I like to really think everybody for the conversation that has preceded the segment because you have already explained and hashed out a lot of it wish to make this go a lot easier. • As you know, about 5 1/2 years ago, we entered into a relationship with the City and we have been managing the village.
• Part of the reason that we got involved in that is that there were eight vacant spaces at the time, not to mention the apartments that need to be rehabbed and stuff like that. • The idea of course, we acquired trailers and started housing homeless people that were residing in Sebastopol.
• We knew it going in that these RVs are not meant to be lived in 24-7 and 365. They got a couple of weekends a year.
• So it's been interesting, not surprising, but interesting now, 5 1/2 years out, we can see how long the trailers really last. What the cost to fix things.
• We have this really good body of information for maintaining those trailers. • Then looking into the progression of the tiny homes in that time, and the increase in the trailer costs, we have gotten some used ones and two years ago, they were $35,000. Now they are $40,000, not delivered.
• Even though this money that we are looking at applying for doesn't benefit the City directly, but actually it does. Because only get a cost analysis on what those trailers cost to buy, to maintain on an annual basis. • Then looking at their life span it ends up being four or five years. • We get a cost analysis based on tiny homes which are built structurally more like homes. • They have the regular water heaters and the special water heaters. They have refrigerators. • You don't have to have a special RV guy who comes out to charge you $100 an hour. • You can get a regular contractor in there that can do these things. • I think they are going to be more cost efficient with utilities because these people are homeless, low income people.
• The longevity will be much more than five years and then run at $60,000. Not much more than a trailer at this point.
• So I think there's going to be a lot of advantages, comfort level, the whole works, for the people we serve in these units.
• But with that that translates into because of our relationship, we are managing it for the City. • Our contract takes into consideration what it costs to operate the program and the entire property. • So if we can lower costs in this area, have longer lives for these units, it's going to translate obviously into us having to spend less money in that area and that money can be used in other areas. • As you know, over the years, we can contract as we increase our income from the property, based on the fact that we filled vacant units and have more people in there. • Some of the older spaces that were under rent control have turned over. • So as our budget shifts, it does actually affect the property itself. • So on so many levels, if we can make the money work for these tiny homes and moving forward into Looking, if we get two now, and it works out nice, we can get six more there instead of the trailers. • So you could almost look like a pilot for putting these two in there and seeing how it goes. • But all the performance on the tiny homes, just way out to be so much better than the trailers. • A bridge, granted, but if we could just make this next step actually over the course of the 20 years, it will actually be cheaper than replacing trailers, this is a no-brainer.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• Thank you for your presentation, I'm honored to be here this evening with you. • Mayor Slayter and I were on the Council team that actually purchased this property if you go but that far back.
• Vice Mayor Hinton and I were on the first team that you are taking over the management of the park and it's wonderful to be here today with a solid suggestion about tiny homes and I'm just wondering, for you as you look at the resolution, do we have a problem with our wording about the funding in the therefore paragraph that you would like to be written more broadly? • Because it refers specifically to your application to the Sonoma County Commission for funding in the question then again is, do you want us to broaden that and cover or other sources of funding and other applications?
WCCS commented as follows:
• This resolution is specifically for this funding stream, we have actually done other applications as you know for trailers and whatnot since we own the trailers, we haven't had to have a resolution for other purchases.
• I don't think there's a problem with it being very specific because that's what we are looking at but I would just say that because as we often do, we are putting a square peg in a round hole. • The application as it sits today which is their normal template doesn't really fit well with tiny homes because they tend to look at acquisition as being say, a forbidden complex so they are talking about market rent value and resale value and all this other stuff which doesn't really fit the tiny home parameter so I'm already in conversation with the CDC to see how like in some sections are required but they don't make sense to a tiny home so how do you answer something that is required if it doesn't make sense?
• So they are trying to figure out how to make this work, so whether it ends up being at this midyear or soon after, but just looking at right now, just messing around and making them change things again, but they are used to it from me, so I think it's fine saying what it says and being direct because that is the source we are going for.
• This particular fund is asking for that supportive resolution so I think it's fine to name it because it is for them.
• I do believe this is probably also the way it's written would also work for what comes up in January.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I guess maybe this is a question for staff, I seem to recall and I could be totally wrong that, do we allow tiny homes?
• Through out the City for anyone?
• I seem to recall something about this.
Director Svanstrom commented as follows:
• Yes. I actually had to ask our building inspector.
• The current California building code is not allowing tiny homes, under the new California building code, they do.
• It would require any tiny home if someone wanted to use it to have a permanent foundation so this sort of two sides of it.
• One is the site, we do require it to have a permanent foundation. • The mobile home park qualifies for that as they have the utility pipe and everything. • If someone wanted to do this at their home for a junior accessory dwelling or something, our answer was no because the building code did not allow it.
• That has now changed at the state level which we adopt so we can now allow it on another private property however we would still require that it have a foundation and all the utilities, sewer, electrical, and water.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• The model code is the international building code, the one that runs over, it's actually I think multi galactic.
• Then the California version of it, so that's the code that is the 2018 international building code, the California version of that with all the special provisions in the state of California is 2019 and you generally code cycles are 3 to 4 years so there is a new code that is coming that the international code has already published, that's how we know what is in it, so the California code starts January 1 of 2023. • So it's literally just over the horizon.
WCCS commented as follows:
• Staff brought up an interesting point that we have the tie-downs and one of the things that started before this where we change, Tim really push this envelope is how to get it okayed and use section 8 vouchers and trailers that are not on permanent foundations and we had quite the conversation with Martha Cheevers who is a great partner in this and HUD actually does allow it under certain circumstances
• Each district draws their own plan of operations so generally speaking a lot of them just say trailers are not allowed unless they are on the foundation and as we know, Park Villages is on a flood zone and we can have a permanent foundation and they have to be able to roll out if there's a flood or fire • In pushing that envelope it was found that you need to be able to have it tied down, 300 pounds • Working with Martha and the City of Sebastopol and your engineering department, we did get those put in and we didn't do it for tiny homes, we did it for trailers because the county was actually set aside eight vouchers for us to use in the eight original empty spaces that are part of our program which again will make the rent viable and would make it more affordable.
• When we have tenants move in that they have $100 a month so 30 percent of their income is $30, they will pay $30 but now that voucher will pay the rest of fair market value so that's what we were looking at in the trailers and then this opportunity came back and we were like we have to keep them on wheels because we have to be able to take them out, but we already had all the stuff in for doing the tie-down and making it legal under HUD for this mobile type unit to be a legal housing dwelling with a section 8 voucher.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I actually just started talking about it, that terrible F word, the flood word. • So just checking in, how this is going to accommodate the flood situation, how these tiny homes will work with the flood situation.
WCCS commented as follows:
• It's the same thing as the trailer. These tie-downs or these anchors that went into the ground three feet or what not and then they have from that to the unit on all four points, you have a tether of one sort or another.
• HUD really worries about the wind even though that's not our issue, but when the flood or fire comes they are quick release and you can pull them up like a trailer so it's the same thing. • A trailer is hooked up to gas you have to unhook it, but those are all really quick and you can tell them out like a trailer.
• We are good to go.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I'm just remembering all those things got moved in the last flood • It made everything work and I'm glad to hear this is going to keep working the same way.
WCCS commented as follows:
• To continue to transition Park Village to this is a very unique model, a mobile home park where they are actually mobile for emergency reasons, and that has actually been working so well that we want to continue with that to see how they can bring that.
• I like what we did as a team, because what we did was push the county on their service plan for the HUD section 8 vouchers and it will benefit us but it benefits everybody in our county. • How wonderful is that to be able to push that envelope? • The voucher thing is a game changer. We've got the same thing for the apartments.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments.
Linda Berg commented as follows:
• I find all of that so interesting. I've never heard of this or imagined it, anything like that. • I have a question, so everything is good to go when the next flood comes, because looking at things the way they are around the rest of the country and so on, it seems like it's going to happen, but anyway, are these on wheels now and are the tires all kept in good condition and ready to go at a moments notice? • How high are these off of the ground?
• I thought I would throw in another alternative, and that is the container, shipping containers which one of my neighbors just happens to have like three of them and he's living in one of them and it's very interesting.
• It comes trick dealt with the window and a door and air conditioner and lights.
• So anyway, that's another possibility.
• Also I wanted to mention, what is the status of compost toilets these days? • So, I'm assuming that your tiny homes have conventional toilets and sewage like that pit • So if anybody wanted to elaborate on the scenario of like a flood and how, there's another thing, where they going to go?
• We don't have any open spaces and you people are building a building as quickly as you can. • Where these tiny homes going to go?
Arthur George commented as follows:
• West County Community Services, a quick comment in support, my statement is in support of West County Community Services for their creative use of space and economics at Park Village, we've heard tonight and many other times about the great work that Jennifer Lake has done from West County Community Services
• With the clearance of Morris Street, Jennifer relocated what I understand, more than 100 people off of Morris Street, in some cases into Park Village, in other cases into relatives homes, into actual apartments, sometimes couch surfing but in any case off the street so that has been a very valuable service that has been undertaken pursuant to the City contract.
• That's money well spent.
• Councilmember Gurney membered mentioned that she was among the early stages of this and she and Mayor Slayter are shortly to leave their terms, may I suggest this is part of their like positive legacy that they have spent in their time of service on the Council, thank you.
Mayor Slayter responded to public comments as follows:
• A couple questions raised by members of the public and it is I believe largely surrounding mobility of the units and the great benefit that we have, if there can be a benefit with floods, is that we get long- range predictions, we know when the floods are coming.
• Houses that are mobile are able to be prepared, it's not like a flash flood situation, there are hours and hours and hours of time that are available to be able to mobilize these mobile houses.
WCCS commented as follows:
• Usually they have engaged at the shelter, emergency shelter for that and they have a lot of room in their parking lots for their vehicles.
• We are not talking about dozens and dozens of vehicles, they can be largely accommodated in parking lots, does she
• We actually have an MOU with the church for parking on higher ground.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Then a question about the plumbing, they do have conventional plumbing tied into the public wastewater and water supply as well as dry utilities, so they are conventional in the plumbing form. • Thank you, Mr. George, for your kind comments about Park Village. • What we have before us is largely similar to what we had in the previous item which is simply a resolution of support for West County Community Services to make an application to the CDC for funding, for improvement of housing stock in our community, I don't know why anybody would not want that.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
There was no further discussion.
MOTION:
Mayor Slayter moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve the Resolution of Support for West County Community Services’ (WCCS) application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved the Resolution of Support for West County Community Services’ (WCCS) application to the Sonoma County Community Development Commission for Funding.
Minute Order Number: 2022-280
Resolution Number: 6479-2022
d. Receipt and Discussion of Final Report out and Recommended Actions from the Former Ad Hoc Committee for the Unhoused. This report was originally scheduled for June 2022 Council Meeting (prior to the disbandment of the Ad Hoc Committee). (Responsible: Former Ad Hoc Committee/City Administration)
Councilmember Rich provided the agenda item recommending the City Council:
1. That the City Council identify a staff lead to oversee issues related to the unhoused, and to interface with service providers, the City Council, and others as needed. Specifically, that the City Council direct the Planning Director or her appointee to act in this capacity.
2. That the City Council appoint a Council Liaison to Service Providers for the Unhoused (including but not limited to SAVS/Horizon Shine, WCCS, CDC/Elderberry Commons), and that the Liaison be directed to report back to the City Council quarterly, and to work with the staff lead (if appointed) to place action items on the Council agenda as needed or create a Council Ad Hoc Committee meeting, it would be recommended that the City Council approve a committee at this meeting and appoint Councilmembers to the Committee and provide direction for duties of such a committee.
3. That the City Council not create a new Ad Hoc RV Village Property Search Committee.
4. That the City Council commit to a continuation of support for Horizon Shine.
Councilmember Glass commented I'm continuing to work with the director of the CDC who also is actually the staff director for the CoC who agreed to work with the CoC staff and with our supervisor's office to ensure that we are in the pipeline to find funding, to keep funding the services and the facilities that we need to address these issues in our town.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• I would echo the commitment is committed to making sure the individuals who are currently at Horizon Shine are supported and have some future security and stability. • We have committed to continue to try to assist them in that effort and to pursue funding and alternative locations and I think we've heard tonight from Saint Vincent De Paul that they, too, feel an obligation to support that population, so I think we have a plan here and the combined collaborative effort is hopefully going to bring to fruition some resolution for the people who are currently on the property.
• I would add that I am happy to act as the liaison if in fact the City Council is open to appointing me, but I would be happy to step aside for others if they were interested.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• Remaining issues for the City Council to address as far as what you just spoke of as continuing work suggestions or things that fit this item.
• Item number one, identification of a staff lead to oversee issues related to the unhoused and to interface with service providers, the City Council and others as needed • Item number one, staff lead to oversee issues and to interface with providers as needed, I'm curious if you can summarize what issues there are, and what staff position or department that we have currently existing in the City, what issues and what department?
• We don't have social services in our City so we are sort of patch working it with planning and law enforcement is largely the two departments, so I'm curious if you have discussed this with the leadership of each of those departments and which you might feel as a former member of the ad hoc, either one of you, would be the appropriate department.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• The issues that might come up as we look into the future don't seem to require an ad hoc committee from our perspective.
• A lot has been addressed, but we can for see issues coming up, for instance, related to the RV village, there could be questions that arise regarding activities at the RV village, regarding funding that has already been raised, regarding permitting and West County Community Services, there might be issues related to Jennifer Lake and her outreach work, her activities. • We do have unhoused in the community and we expect there will be issues that will be dealt with the City Council and dealt with by a City Councilmember, there will be a need for a staff member to be involved. • When I spoke with our City administration, the department that seemed to fall into the appropriate category was the planning director, but honestly I think we look to our City staff to the extent that there might be a need to inquire further.
• We have our City Manager and Assistant City Manager and the Planning Director, so that is my thinking, Mayor, but we do have staff here so we probably need to refer the question to them.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I want to clarify with the ad hoc members on item number two. • It seems like there are two choices that the Council appoint a Council liaison to the service providers or create a Council ad hoc committee but I don't think you mean to create a continuing committee, I'm a little confused by the wording in this but I think what you are really looking for is a staff lead and a Council liaison.
• In items one and two.
Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• Thank you for the question, in fact, number two should read, appoint a Council liaison to service providers and the liaison be directed to report back to the City Council quarterly and to work with the staff lead if appointed to place action items on the Council agenda as needed. • It should end right there.
• I would suggest what should've happened here, is that that, number two, should end with the phrase, items on the Council agenda as needed period, and the remainder of the wording that goes for more, needs to be deleted, that's what we are recommended.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I just wanted to add on to the notion of what seems like the proper department for being the liaison to our providers, To me it seems as though most of our providers, for example, WCCS, they are not going to be looking at permits or grant applications at about.
• So most cities call their department lead, which is say Planning Department, but most cities have a community development and planning department and that's kind of how I see the interface.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented as follows:
• This evening would be useful, in the sense that it grant authority from the City Council to a specific staff member to interface with people when they wonder who she is speaking on. • The City Council directed that she would be the one to interface with service providers, et cetera. • I am questioning this process a little bit, but I can see where that would be useful to designate authority, so to speak.
Mayor Slayter questioned if it would be the Planning Director.
City Manager/Attorney McLaughlin commented I have for several reasons, one because they have the staff at this point in time to carry out the responsibilities.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• I may have missed something. Did we end the ad hoc committee that has been in place, and that's why this is in front of us?
• It seems like it was going along just fine before. Maybe we should just go back. We will deal with questions as they arrive.
• We reinstate the ad hoc committee, who are most familiar, until such a time that we don't have one of the Councilmembers present anymore.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments.
Zack commented as follows:
• Last year, the ad hoc committee for the unhoused within two months, the committee had presented two locations, the first of which was a legally viable area. • The second, it was legally questionable and passed without so much as a planning meeting. • The site at 845 Gravenstein Highway also received major area pushback, not to mention ongoing complaints from neighbors.
• The only consolation offered by Council at the time was that this would be a one-year program. • In case anyone here has had amnesia, here are a few of the statements, in your own words. • We wanted to make sure that everyone understands this was a temporary one year to use. • Mayor Glass, some people may want to live in these permanently, but this is not a permanent solution. • This is not that perspective site. We will immediately be looking for a new permanent site in the county. • It feels really hard, but it's a one-year project.
• As we manage the increase in trash and petty crime issues in the surrounding areas, there is at least the hope that Councils promise to the game plan will be followed through on and on the site will be presented.
• Tonight, my questions are, how could the ad hoc committee on unhoused be dissolving without any possible alternatives put into place?
• Why has the committee found two sites in two months next year, but won't take the time with the committee to find a better site following through on plans from last year? Arthur commented as follows:
• I am responding to previous commenter.
• The ad hoc committee did engage in a search for other sites. They haven't found sites. It is not their fault.
• There is a shortage of available property that would fit the purpose here. • Even the property that was purchased and chosen was affected to lawsuits. • The fact that the search has been unsuccessful, doesn't mean that it was without effort. • There were no sites available. They make space available. • I personally communicated with the supervisor about tiny homes, and the response has not come back, but efforts have been made.
• Kate Haug submitted written comments talking about the lack of mental health and their addiction services. Expressing concern about the millions that have been spent to buy small hotels, small numbers of people, hundreds of people on service.
• All of those exist. None of it is the fault of the City Council. • This report and I think the work of the ad hoc Council really points to the response from higher-level support.
• Hopefully this will establish a record and other efforts will be made.
Suzanne commented as follows:
• I'm sure everyone is remembering continuum of care, and advising the board of supervisors. • That's a really good role to have as far as getting things done. For funding, for help, or assistance, or something from the county.
• Then in combination with Diana Rich, I think that's an excellent combination. • Una Glass effective December 2022 didn't choose to remain as a City Councilmember. • But I think they are extremely interrelated and important. • She spends time with continuum of care, I just wish to thank all of these individuals for what they are all doing.
Adrienne commented as follows:
• I just wanted to offer a think you in appreciation as we did at the town hall for the ad hoc committee, and Diana Rich and Una Glass were there every step of the way, and the City staff. • The support that we have from City Council to the ad hoc into the staff has been critical, really important. • Just want to take a minute and say thank you.
Vanessa commented as follows:
• If there is not going to be an alternative site effort happening, and it's looking like we are at another two years before you break ground on affordable housing, which I very much and in favor of I feel it would be much better for the community.
• I just ask that there's more of an acknowledgment and an effort to help with the situation regarding the problem.
• The point that I was trying to make before was not at all to suggest that the residence of RV village are part of the cases that we are having.
• It's a direct correlation to people who are not there and don't have space in the village that we are experiencing these issues with.
• That was my whole point and just making the point of the village being closely located to the county line and the county ordinance that does not allow for the RV dwellers to be within the City limits. • The request would be that if the site is going to be there permanently, at least for another few years, if I could just be somewhat of a more active energy of what we could do with the overflow. • Because when we call, you say sorry, it's out of the jurisdiction, where there's no response. • That's just we as neighbors are dealing with either intentional or unintentional consequences of what is happening in the last 10 month.
Danielle commented as follows:
• I listen to these conversations, and the people who are affected these programs and their experience in the moment, indirect to what is in front of them.
• I get that. I'm also a resident. They often forget the bigger picture. • I, for instance, have been involved with conversations with the City on multiple sites and for different reasons.
• Well, there's contamination, or there was lean taxes on properties. • They don't always know about all these conversations, with the assumption that they happened. • I really want to bring that point to City Council.
• It's another drop in the bucket, but what we've done is we've put two new pads in specifically for people living in their RVs. We've actually put them in Park Village directly into those two places. Persons were housed into housing and moved two more on.
• Off of the street right into Park Village. Over at Horizon Shine, it's still a part of the committee. • People looking like, where can we put this here? What are the parameters in that part of it? • These conversations are still happening all the time, and I just want to acknowledge the City Council for that.
• I feel for people that don't necessarily get to see that, that that is going on.
Linda commented as follows:
• I'd like to think Zach for refreshing our memory.
• That's how we are dealing with this water issue.
• But anyway, I just wanted to put out my information that the residence have been given section 8 vouchers, housing vouchers for conventional housing.
• I'm sure somebody could do something down there. They don't want to live in conventional housing. • The biggest point that I'd like to make, there's been a lot of medical issues and health issues. • I talked to at least three people who have gotten Lyme disease there, and it's a huge issue for the county. • The park system doesn't want to know about it, vector control doesn't want to deal about it. • How many cases of West Nile do you think we have in the county compared to the thousands of cases of Lyme disease
• Another thing about the health issues, and heading up all this other wireless stuff, both the gas and electric and then the water meter.
• The guy who lived at the red mobile in front of Burger King, he died of cancer.
Mayor Slayter responded to public comment as follows:
• Question about looking for a permanent site, and how can the ad hoc dissolved without locating a permanent site, and following right behind that, the location was located in two months. • It's two months a reasonable period of time to find a permanent site? Councilmember Rich commented as follows:
• I personally put in hours and hours and hours looking for sites within the City of Sebastopol and sharing information about the viable site with Adrienne.
• So in the short term, in terms of our efforts, we have exhausted our efforts at identifying inventory within the City of Sebastopol.
• There are a number properties that Councilmember Glass and I are still keeping track of. • She and I have committed to continuing to work on assisting site in finding a future location for the RV village referenced.
• I'm confident that with her connections at the continuum of care, and with why continued movement to continuing to facilitate any effort, any representative on the City Council, I am confident that we will do most of this that is possibly, humanly available to find a location for these individuals who are residing at the RV village.
• It's not a matter of, it's two months enough time. There are limited properties in Sebastopol that could be used for this purpose, and we know which properties those are. We are tracking them. We will continue to track them. It's a matter of available inventory. • In addition, we have efforts to identify properties outside the City of Sebastopol, that might be appropriate locations.
• Those decisions are, unfortunately, as Vanessa has pointed out, the county is out of our control. We do not control that property.
• But we do have the ability to negotiate, and through Una Glass, identify ways to leverage funding and other resources on our behalf.
• So it's not a matter of time, Mayor Slayter. It's a matter of committing to getting this done. • The ad hoc committee is supposed to be temporary.
• We have done the tasks that we were assigned to do by the City Council, but we are going to continue on behalf of the unhoused and on behalf of the community.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• The Planning Director would be a good combination to determine keeping an eye on the situation. • The Planning Director regularly monitors the kind of grant opportunities that are out there. • She understands what kind of funding is out there. Our City staff can draft these kind of things. • I really appreciated the comments about how, sometimes if you are in the public, it may look like nothing is going on when in fact we are doing a whole bunch of things. • Part of that is networking between all of our providers, our planning department, our networking, we are networking with the supervisor
• That's how we can keep working on but most of all, I think our provider is really, really dedicated to finding the next step in those properties.
• I don't recall that I ever said this is going to be more than one year. I always planned on it being around two. I thought one year was a very short timeframe to try • I always thought that this was going to go over a couple of fiscal years, and that you always knew that Saint Vincent De Paul always wanted to move into an affordable housing site, and Councilmember Rich and I always knew it was a finite chance.
• The important thing to do from this site to the next site, and so far we haven't identified a site.
• However, I am very motivated, we will continue to look for a location for the residents of the village as this turns into a permanent affordable housing apartment complex. • So I don't feel like that is at all a problem.
• What is a problem is finding a permanent place.
• We are constantly looking for opportunity to create opportunities for people that are unhoused.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• The first thing I want to do is ask a question.
• Do we get to have Councilmember Glass continue on the CoC as a private citizen? • Is that good for our future, if she's interested? I don't know if you have to be an elected.
Councilmember Rich s commented yes, you can continue question marks be back my understanding is it does not have to be an elected position.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• That's very reassuring at this point in time.
• I'm good with the recommendations that are in the report in item number one. • Our Planning Director will be the staff lead on this. • Councilmember Rich has offered to continue being the liaison. • I think bridging to a new Council, it would take a brand-new majority. • That Council can determine how it sees this issue, these complicated issues, if it wants a standing committee, because these issues, if there an ad hoc committee, what the goals are going to be. • So I think our report on this item has very strong and reasonable recommendations on it. • I would be ready to move those.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I wanted to respond to a couple of other questions.
• First, in terms of community engagement and continuing to monitor the situation throughout town, but is specifically in her Horizon Shine.
• The community advisory committee is getting ready to gear up again. • We've heard them say that they've had some staffing challenges, but Cynthia has committed to setting up meetings for the community advisory committee, and I believe that Vanessa is part of that process, or part of that group. So that should help.
• I would commit to continuing to being aware of what's going on there and working in order to facilitate the relationship and continue their good works in terms of reaching out to community members to address issues. I've already seen this happening, to be perfectly honest. • That's one piece of information in terms of this being a temporary arrangement. • I hope that the public will note that the action taken by this City Council in supporting the resolution, and the yearly messages are a long-term goal of an affordable housing complex. • This takes care of that issue.
• There's clearly an attempt for this to be temporary. That term is defined and will actually be up to the planning commission, and that's my additional piece of information. • The expectation of this for a year, that was the expectation of the planning department and the homeless shelter, and are planning commission is now addressing the issue of extending that use beyond that initial year.
• I'm very much in support of that, and I think the comments from City Council have indicated that in general, we would be.
• But that is in the purview of the Planning Commission. • And so, I think in terms of the section 8 question, I don't believe that the RV village dwellers get section 8 vouchers, but that's a question that we could ask Adrienne, if you'd like to get that question answered.
SAVS commented as follows:
• It's a firm no.
• We have no section 8 vouchers out there.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I'm hoping I answered some questions, and I wanted to make Zach and Vanessa and Arthur and Suzanne and all the others who contributed to the conversation. • Councilmember Gurney identify two of the items that have been requested an appointment of a staff leave, the appointment of a Council liaison.
• I wanted to make sure we are also aware of the third item which be supported, it is a commitment to the continuation of support for her Horizon Shine, for whatever period it continues to be in existence. • I can understand the request from Councilmember Rich to strike the final part of that paragraph about continuing ad hoc, into some sort of a committee. I understand the reasoning behind that. • What concerns me about the terminology and the position of liaison is that this Council and other Councils, I don't believe there is any kind of a guiding policy on being a liaison. • Generally our liaison have been more community organization • Liaison to Sebastopol World Friends; Senior Center; Community Center • It's still a liaison, and I understand where you're coming from, but we don't have any guidance to help a Councilmember who is stepping in to this kind of elevated liaison. • I'm not saying that I'm not in favor of doing this, and then quickly backfilling with a policy that kind of explains what that needs to be.
• That also is set with the understanding that each one of these delegation liaison positions will be unique and have its own set of circumstances.
• So my position on this is that I'm comfortable with this recommendation with that caveat that I think that there needs to be some backfilling, just so that everybody is perfectly clear on what the position is. • I mean, that's best for everyone, if everyone understands what the idea is. • The ad hoc had two Councilmembers being involved.
• Honestly, to me, it's a really great way to do it, because it goes into a discussion between two people so it's not a myopic view of an issue.
• So that's my thought on the Councilmember liaison versus ad hoc. I'm comfortable with the recommendation as well.
• I would also, maybe suggest that the Council's direction is to the City Manager to appoint a staff member • I would say that, I'm sure the City Manager has heard the Council loud and clear and we've taken his valuable input.
• But I would suggest that a motion might include language that we are directing the City Manager to take appropriate steps to do this work.
• That would be my only suggestion. I think it still gets the job done, but we hire the City Manager, and the City Manager appoints staff
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I have heard your comments and I've often thought of raising that issue to the Council, but we have very different ways of being liaisons.
• In the top priority, given the workload of the last two years. That's something the future Council is going to inherit.
• To define that a little more specifically, which would be helpful to any future liaison. • What I would like to do, then, is with the recommendations of the staff report, changing item number 1 two direct our City Manager to identify as staff leave, as the Mayor just stated. • Item number two, to delete the words after, as needed, and then that's the last 2.5 lines. • Those are my two amendments to the recommendation.
• Colleagues, I hope that was clear. I accept Councilmember Rich's volunteer. Volunteering to be are liaison.
• I add that my motion
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I was just going to make a comment that the difference about this particular liaison relationship is that many of these providers are also our vendors, and so that's what makes it a bit of a different relationship. • However, I think that our person that was talking about being a liaison, navigating that, and perhaps at some point, she might want to bring something forward to the Council about her recommendation, and the definition of that kind of liaison relationship.
MOTION:
Councilmember Gurney moved and Councilmember Glass seconded the motion to approve:
1. That the City Council identify a staff lead to oversee issues related to the unhoused, and to interface with service providers, the City Council, and others as needed. Specifically, that the City Manager identify the staff lead
2. That the City Council appoint a Council Liaison (Councilmember Rich) to Service Providers for the Unhoused (including but not limited to SAVS/Horizon Shine, WCCS, CDC/Elderberry Commons), and that the Liaison be directed to report back to the City Council quarterly, and to work with the staff lead (if appointed) to place action items on the Council agenda as needed or create a Council Ad Hoc Committee meeting, it would be recommended that the City Council approve a committee at this meeting and appoint Councilmembers to the Committee and provide direction for duties of such a committee.
3. That the City Council not create a new Ad Hoc RV Village Property Search Committee.
4. That the City Council commit to a continuation of support for Horizon Shine.
That City Councilmember Rich is the appointed liaison.
Mayor Slayter called for a roll call vote. City staff conducted a roll call vote.
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
City Council Action: Approved approve:
1. That the City Council identify a staff lead to oversee issues related to the unhoused, and to interface with service providers, the City Council, and others as needed. Specifically, that the City Manager identify the staff lead
2. That the City Council appoint a Council Liaison (Councilmember Rich) to Service Providers for the Unhoused (including but not limited to SAVS/Horizon Shine, WCCS, CDC/Elderberry Commons), and that the
Liaison be directed to report back to the City Council quarterly, and to work with the staff lead (if appointed) to place action items on the Council agenda as needed or create a Council Ad Hoc Committee meeting, it would be recommended that the City Council approve a committee at this meeting and appoint Councilmembers to the Committee and provide direction for duties of such a committee.
3. That the City Council not create a new Ad Hoc RV Village Property Search Committee.
4. That the City Council commit to a continuation of support for Horizon Shine.
That City Councilmember Rich is the appointed liaison.
Minute Order Number: 2022-281
7. Receipt of Annual Level of Service Report (Responsible Department: Planning) Associate Planner Jay and Planning Director Svanstrom presented the agenda item recommending the City Council receive the report.
Mayor Slayter asked for questions.
Councilmember Glass commented I wondered if we know the per capita water consumption, what that looks like in Sebastopol versus elsewhere in the state.
Superintendent Del Prete commented as follows:
• I don't have that on hand.
• I could do some research, but will honestly have to get back to the Council on that.
Councilmember Glass commented as follows:
• I think it's an important piece of information for us to understand, because this is a frustration for us in the past.
• We had a 25% reduction, hours per capita use is already way below. • And so, you know, we need to give ourselves a pat on the back for what our residents are doing already, and you know, I think it would be a really good piece of information to include.
Superintendent Del Prete commented as follows:
• That actually is something that we discussed today.
• You know, the 25% reduction goal might be difficult because our first citizens are already so responsible throughout conservation.
• And you know, we have the base rent program possibly sending out reminders of the resource of water, and I would be cautious with its use.
• They are already doing such a great job. There's not that much left. • I do know some cities have had installation of turf, and they banned mega pools.
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I just wanted to mention something on the water conservation front. • We've got 45 single-family homes, and multifamily units, and a commercial family project already done. • They've engaged 19 of them.
• So that's pretty close to half, and there's a complicated situation there, because the homeowners association is a water customer.
• So you got to pay individual units.
• But they've got pretty significant participation there, as well as in rialto. • Without getting into the specifics, they have a lot of pictures in their bathrooms. • By Councilmember Glass said, we have quite a consciousness about saving water, and I think we have always had difficulty, you know, our numbers are low, and then they go lower. • Maybe things will get better if we keep working on it.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• I was thrilled to see this
• The status report of the solar installations on page 41 and 42, and I'm curious -- there were some repairs, I believe, that were noted, or suggested repairs of some equipment that is probably at this point age out. • Am I reading this correctly?
• This is a pretty dense chart.
Superintendent Del Prete commented as follows:
• Everything is working correctly, so none of the numbers are down. • I do want to remind Council that we did replace two solar arrays under warranty a few years ago, so those are completely new systems
• The Fire house wasn’t under warranty, but it's a new one. • We are moving down in the direction of solar, which is going to be another benefit for the future. • August is usually our month, so washing panels will increase in production. • We do have some parts of the system that are reaching their useful life that we will probably see some items in next year's fiscal budget just to replace some of those.
Mayor Slayter commented as follows:
• What he isn't noting, is he has the power to do some lease programs and some larger ones that some City sites. In the near future.
• That would certainly add to the overall communities total production. • I may or may not have known something about that.
• I generally don't like ringing those forward until closer to the finish line. • Just calling attention to what is really a fairly astounding and staggering number when you consider the reduction.
• An average of almost $11,000 per month saved in electricity costs. • The aggressive solar installations that Councils prior to this one -- prior to many Councils, we were way out in front of the City.
• So, you know, it's nice to see this.
• It's nice to see this working, because these are savings that the rest of us don't realize.
Vice Mayor Hinton commented as follows:
• It looks like the index is a necessarily matching up to the report. • When I look at fire department, it says page seven.
• I just wanted to kind of pointed out that this doesn't appear to totally match up.
Staff stated they will check on that.
Mayor Slayter opened for public comments: Level of Service Report.
Linda commented as follows:
• I am of course delighted to hear that the wireless water meter will not be installed before January 10th. • Can they elaborate on how that plays out?
Mayor Slayter responded to public comment: It's not necessarily part of the level of service for words, but there was a question about the meter deployment
Superintendent Del Prete commented as follows:
• There is a supply-chain issue with some of the meter parts. • We still have several of the very old local style water meter from the neighborhoods, and the project is not replacing the boxes.
• So they are not readily available.
• There is a supply-chain issue with the style of meter. • So that is what continues to push the project back, because we don't want to go to the neighborhoods twice.
• We want to start the project and finish one area.
City Council Discussion and/or Deliberations:
Councilmember Gurney commented as follows:
• I just wanted to get back I think it was staff who mentioned the RCPA on the greenhouse gas emission reduction.
• I can't remember if I asked you to forward that to the Council as well as the CAC people, but the figures very City by City, but when you put them all together as a region, you are able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23% over a measured period of time when the goal was 25. 23% when you are looking for
25. I think that's really significant.
• In the kind of information I think, too, will be helpful if there was a way to sort of lump that climate action information into that level of service report so we have that lens somehow reflected in the summary documents, kind of a performance data.
• I'm really impressed by the levels of improvement, and then we do have these vulnerable areas where we want to keep working.
• But I think overall, it's really impressive. It's one of those documents that's like a foundational document for every Councilmember to hold and be aware of and read and refer to and see with the department is about. In all the months ahead.
• So I really appreciate everyone pulling that together. It's usually comprehensive. • I want to compliment you on that housing part that I found really, really helpful, too. And John. I will acknowledge you, as well. You had a great leader there you are working for.
City Council Action: None Required. Received the report.
Reference Order Number: 2022-282
8. Consideration of Fossil Fuel Treaty Support (Responsible Department: Planning) City Council Action: None Taken. Item continued.
Minute Order Number: 2022-283
CITY COUNCIL/CITY STAFF REPORTS/COMMUNICATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/FUTURE MEETINGS:
9. City Manager-Attorney/City Clerk Reports: (This will be either verbal or written reports provided at or prior to the meeting):
a. Report out of Conversation with Caltrans Regarding Depot Street (As discussed at Sep 20th 2022 City Council Meeting)
• The report is that our City engineer has made contact with Caltrans and raised the issue of the City potentially acquiring a street segment in front of the ice cream store, and we did speak with somebody in some authority over at Caltrans, and he was receptive.
• We are going to submit a letter of interest.
• It remains to be seen, and we really don't have information now, especially information that is verified as to what restrictions there might be that the City must have to acquire that segment. • And after discussions with the City, there were other issues that were raised when we broached that particular topic.
• So I would call this report this evening preliminary. • It's not a bad news.
• We've opened the discussion, but the parameters are yet to be determined. • And we made application for the agreement as directed by the Council of the Parkwood staff report meeting.
Reference Order Number: No action required. 2022-284
10. City Council Reports/Committee/Sub-Committee Meeting Reports: (Reports by Mayor/City Councilmembers Regarding Various Agency Meetings/Committee Meetings/Sub-Committee Meeting /Conferences Attended and Possible Direction to its Representatives (If Needed) on Pending issues before such Boards)
(This will be either verbal or written reports provided at the meeting)
11. Council Communications Received
12. Future City Meeting Dates/Events (Informational Only): (See City Web Site for Up-to-Date Meeting Dates/Times)
ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Mayor Slayter adjourned the October 4, 2022 City Council Regular Meeting at 10:45 p.m. to the Special City Council Meeting Closed Session Meeting, to be held Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.
October 5, 2022 City Council Special Meeting Closed Session will be adjourned to the Regular City Council Meeting to be held October 18, 2022 at 6:00 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,