CITY OF SEBASTOPOL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM REPORT FOR MEETING OF: August 5, 2025
=========================================================================================== To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Mary Gourley, Interim City Manager
Subject: Authorizing Mario Landeros to Sign Certain Documents as Interim City Engineer =========================================================================================== RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council adopt a Resolution authorizing Mario Landeros to sign certain documents as Interim City Engineer .
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The current City Engineer, Mark Rincon-Ibarra, has notified the City that he will be retiring and his last official day with the City will be August 10, 2025. Public Works will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide city engineering services to the City’s Prequalified List of Consultants (PQL). It is anticipated that a recommendation for award of contract will be presented to City Council for consideration at the September 2 Council meeting.
To avoid delays with approving documents that required City Engineer review and approval, the Interim City Manager intends to assign the role of interim City Engineer to Mario Landeros with GHD Inc. Mario held the Interim City Engineer role when the previous contract City Engineer, retired effective January 1, 2022. Mario continued to hold the role until Mark Rincon-Ibarra joined the City in January 2025. This appointment will ensure the role of City Engineer is filled during the time between the incumbent’s retirement and the award of a contract for a firm to provide city engineering services.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Office of Local Assistance administers state and federal transportation grants and requires City signatures on various forms and documents for the transportation grants that the City has or will receive. Caltrans does not permit documents to be signed consultants unless previously authorized by the City Council in writing.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
The current City Engineer, Mark Rincon-Ibarra, announced his retirement and his last official day with the City will be August 10, 2025. Due to timing and the immediate nature of the need for a replacement City Engineer, staff approached GHD Inc. to provide city engineering services through September 2, 2025. GHD Inc. has been providing on-call engineering support services since January 2021 and city engineering services since 2022. Staff requested GHD Inc. to provide interim city engineering support services through September 2025 until such time staff can release an RFP for city engineering services and bring the recommendation for award of contract to Council at the September 2 meeting. Although the Interim City Manager is responsible for appointing the interim City Engineer, the proposed resolution is necessary for the Interim City Engineer to sign certain Caltrans documents. The Resolution also assigns Matt Wargula, the GHD project manager and licensed Engineer, to sign documents, in Mario’s absence.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
Mario Landeros has performed the role of Interim City Engineer and has the knowledge and relationships with Caltrans that makes him a strong candidate for this role. Since there is not a long ramp-up period for learning the Agenda Item Number 7 Agenda Item Number 7
City Council Meeting Packet for August 2, 2025
City and the requirements of the City Engineer, Mario can assume the role seamlessly. In addition, because of GHD’s long-standing relationship with the City, GHD has agreed to continue to discount Mario’s standard billing rate by nearly 30 percent.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS/PRIORITIES/ AND OR GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
This agenda item represents the City Council goals/priorities as follows:
Goal 4 – High Performance Organization
Achieving staffing/ Program targets that match best standards and efficiency/operational staffing efficiencies/baseline budgets/performance management
This agenda item represents the City Council General Plan Consistency (if applicable):
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact with this approval; Costs for this contract is proposed for $20,000 through September 2, 2025; there are sufficient funds allocated/budgeted in the FY 25 26 Budget for city engineering support services in the Public Works/Engineering operating budget.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
This item has been noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to schedule meeting date. The City has also used social media to promote and advertise the City Council Meeting Agenda Items.
As of the writing of this agenda item report, the City has not received any public comment. However, if staff receives public comment from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this agenda item report, such comments will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting.
RESTATED RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council adopt the Resolution authorizing Mario Landeros to sign certain documents as Interim City Engineer.
CITY COUNCIL OPTION(S):
If the City declines to adopt the proposed resolution, the Interim City Engineer will not be able to sign certain documents, which will cause a delay for projects, including transportation grants. To date, the City has three State transportation grants totaling over $860,000 which will require City Engineer signature of various Caltrans forms.
ATTACHMENTS:
1-Resolution
2-Resolution 6390-2021
APPROVALS:
Department Head Responsible for Agenda Item: Approval Date: 7/28/25 CEQA Determination (Community Development/Planning): Approval Date: 7/14/25 The action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Administrative Services (Financial): Approval Date: N/A Agenda Item Number 7 Agenda Item Number 7
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Costs authorized in City Approved Budget: Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A Account Code: 100-41-07-4210
City Attorney Approval Approval Date: 7/14/25
City Manager Approval: Approval Date: 7/28/25
Agenda Item Number 7 Agenda Item Number 7
City Council Meeting Packet for August 2, 2025
RESOLUTION NO. ____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
AUTHORIZING MARIO LANDEROS TO SIGN FORMS AND DOCUMENTS AS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR SUBMITTAL TO AND
APPROVAL BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OF FORMS AND DOCUMENTS
PERTAINING TO GRANTS
WHEREAS, the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Office of Local Assistance administers state and federal transportation grants and requires City signatures on various forms and documents for the transportation grants that the City has or will receive; and WHEREAS, Caltrans Office of Local Assistance has deemed that consultants are not authorized to sign said forms and documents pertaining to transportation grants without authorization from City Council; and WHEREAS, the current City Engineer, Mark Rincon-Ibarra has announced his retirement effective August 11, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the City Engineer’s duties is to review, approve, and sign engineering documents, plans, right of way certifications, and related forms on behalf of the City, including all forms pertaining to transportation grants that are administered by Caltrans Office of Local Assistance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that effective August 11, 2025:
1. Mario Landeros, GHD consultant and assigned Interim City Engineer for the City of Sebastopol, is authorized to sign engineering documents, plans, right of way certifications, and related forms on behalf of the City, including all forms pertaining to transportation grants administered by Caltrans Office of Local Assistance.
2. Matt Wargula, GHD consultant, is authorized to sign documents described in paragraph 1 above, in Mario Landeros’ absence.
3. This Resolution supersedes all previous Resolutions authorizing certain individuals to sign documents as City Engineer.
The above and foregoing Resolution was duly passed, approved, and adopted at a meeting by the City Council on the 5th day of August 2025.
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I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City of Sebastopol City Council by the following vote:
VOTE:
Ayes:
Noes:
Abstain:
Absent:
APPROVED: _______________________________________
Mayor Stephen Zollman
ATTEST: _______________________________________________________________ Mary Gourley, Interim City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
APPROVED AS TO FORM: __________________________________________________ Alex Mog, City Attorney
Agenda Item Number 7 Agenda Item Number 7
City Council Meeting Packet for August 2, 2025
RESOLUTION NO. 6390-2021
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
AUTHORIZING THE CITY ENGINEER CONSULTANT TO SIGN FORMS AND DOCUMENTS AS MAY BE REQUIRED FOR
SUBMITTAL TO AND APPROVAL BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OF FORMS AND
DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO GRANTS
WHEREAS, the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Office of Local Assistance administers state and federal transportation grants and requires City signatures on various forms and documents for the transportation grants that the City has or will receive; and WHEREAS, Caltrans Office of Local Assistance has deemed that consultants are not authorized to sign said forms and documents pertaining to transportation grants without authorization from City Council; and WHEREAS, effective January 1, 2021, Council approved an agreement with GHD, Consultant, for City Engineering services and appointed Mario Landeros as the City Engineer for the City of Sebastopol to perform and execute the duties of the City Engineer; and
WHEREAS, the City Engineer’s duties is to review, approve, and sign engineering documents, plans, right of way certifications, and related forms on behalf of the City, including all forms pertaining to transportation grants that are administered by Caltrans Office of Local Assistance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that effective January 1, 2022:
1. Mario Landeros, GHD consultant and assigned City Engineer for the City of Sebastopol is authorized to sign, engineering documents, plans, right of way certifications, and related forms on behalf of the City, including all forms pertaining to transportation grants administered by Caltrans Office of Local Assistance.
2. Toni Bertolero, GHD consultant, is authorized as a backup signatory to Mario Landeros, as may be necessary from time to time, when Mr. Landeros is absent.
3. This Resolution supersedes Resolution No. 6360-2021 pertaining to authorizing the prior City Engineer Joe Gaffney to sign certain documents.
PASSED AND ADOPTED, by the CITY COUNCIL of THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL, COUNTY OF SONOMA, of STATE OF CALIFORNIA on this 21st day of December, 2021.
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by City of Sebastopol City Council following a roll call vote:
VOTE:
Ayes: Councilmembers Glass, Gurney, Rich, Vice Mayor Hinton and Mayor Slayter Noes: None
Absent: None
Abstain: None
APPROVED:
Mayor Patrick Slayter
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ATTEST: _______________________________________________________________ Mary Gourley, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
Larry McLaughlin, City Attorney
Agenda Item Number 7
Agenda Item Number 7
City Council Meeting Packet for August 2, 2025