City Council
Mayor Jill McLewis
Vice Mayor Sandra Maurer
Councilmember Phill Carter
Councilmember Neysa Hinton
Councilmember Stephen Zollman
City Manager
Mary Gourley
[email protected]
CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Regular Meeting of Tuesday, October 20, 2026
6:00 pm Start Time
Meeting to be held in Person and Virtual /Remote Participation In Person Location: Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472 NOTICE OF TELECONFERENCE PARTICIPATION:
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 54953(b) Councilmember Hinton will be attending remotely from:
River Street Inn
124 E Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-234-6400
Hotel Conference Room
The public shall be given the opportunity to attend, observe, and provide public comment directly from this teleconference location. In accordance with the Brown Act, the meeting agenda has been physically posted at this location at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled start of the meeting.
City Council is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: City Council Meeting – October 20, 2026
Time: Oct 20, 2026 - 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 871 1723 1344
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Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/event/5424131?fl=so&fe=fs
COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING:
This in person and virtual/remote meeting is compliant with the Governor’s Executive Order allowing for a deviation of teleconference rules required by the Brown Act. Traditional Brown Act and AB 2449 requirements can be utilized for all City Council meetings as long as required notice and posting is conducted per the Brown Act.
Please Note the presiding member of the legislative body conducting a meeting or their designee may remove, or cause the removal of, an individual for disrupting the meeting. “Disrupting” means engaging in behavior during a meeting of a legislative body that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Due to the length of recent City Council Meetings, it is strongly encouraged that written comments be submitted to the City Council by sending them by email to: [email protected] with either General Public Comment Written in the Subject Line or the Specific Agenda Item Number or Title Written in the Subject Line. Emails are distributed to the City Council as well as posted to the City Council meeting as public comment. Public Comment questions may be directed to City staff for a response at a later time.
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
REMOTE PARTICIPATION: Pursuant to California Government Code Section 54953(b) Councilmember Hinton will be attending remotely from:
River Street Inn
124 E Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-234-6400
Hotel Conference Room
The public shall be given the opportunity to attend, observe, and provide public comment directly from this teleconference location. In accordance with the Brown Act, the meeting agenda has been physically posted at this location at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled start of the meeting.
SALUTE TO THE FLAG
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The City of Sebastopol acknowledges that we live and work within the unceded ancestral homelands of the Southern Pomo and the Coast Miwok people. We pay our respect to the past, present, and future generations of these peoples, including the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
REMEMBERING THE HISTORY OF SEBASTOPOL
PROCLAMATIONS/PRESENTATIONS/INTRODUCTIONS: None
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.
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA (FIRST COMMENT PERIOD): Up to Twenty (20) Minute Time Limit (Two Minutes for up to ten speakers). Additional public comment will be held at the end of the discussion and action items for up to an additional twenty (20) minutes. Mayor has discretion to allow for additional time beyond the 20 minutes allocated for public comment dependent upon the subject matter or number of speakers.
Process for calling on Speakers: Mayor or designee shall ask for public comment as follows: Speakers to be called on in an alternate manner (One speaker in person to be called on first; then one speaker remote to be called on second with additional speakers to be called on in the same manner) based upon the time limit.
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 aloud the title of each consent item (either full agenda title or a simplified version of the agenda title), and 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 two (2) minutes on the entire consent calendar and request at that time that an item or items 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. Council Members 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.
1. Approval of City Council Meeting Minutes for Regular Meeting of October 6, 2026 Responsible Department: City Manager/City Clerk
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the minutes is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None
2. Receipt of FY 2026-27 City Council Goals Status Update (as of October 12, 2026) Responsible Department: City Manager/All Departments
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None. There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving this status update.
Budgeted items are funded in the FY 2026-27 Operating and Capital Improvement Program budgets as noted in the matrix.
3. Approval of First Amendment to the Sonoma County Waste Management Authority Joint Powers Agreement for Development of the new Household Hazardous Waste Facility and Amendment to the Central Disposal Site and Former Settlement Agreement. On March 1, 2017, the cities located in Sonoma County and the County of Sonoma entered into an Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency (the “JPA Agreement”). The JPA Agreement governs the operations of the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, also known as Zero Waste Sonoma. The JPA Agreement was unanimously approved by the governing boards of the member agencies, and any amendments to the JPA Agreement must similarly be amended by unanimous approval of the governing boards of the member agencies. Recently, the Agency acquired property located at 5885 Pruitt Avenue in Windsor, and hopes to develop a household hazardous waste collection facility and potentially offices for staff and administrative functions (“HHW Facility”) at that location. The Agency would need to secure financing to develop an HHW Facility, and Agency staff has been evaluating potential financing sources for such a project. As part of this process, Agency staff has requested that the County of Sonoma (the “County”) consider providing the Agency with a line of credit to help fund the cost of development of the HHW Facility. County Public Infrastructure staff has expressed a willingness to discuss this request with the Board of Supervisors, in light of the regional benefits of development of the contemplated HHW Facility in the northern part of the County. While the JPA Agreement does allow generally that the Agency may incur debts, liabilities and obligations (See JPA Agreement, Section 3(b)(vi)), it does not expressly provide that the member agencies may make loans or advances to the Agency, as allowed by Gov’t Code section 6504. This item makes it clear that the Agency is authorized to borrow money from the County for the development of the HHW Facility, and that the County is authorized to make the contemplated loan to the Agency.
Requestor: Leslie Lukacs, Executive Director, Zero Waste Sonoma and Glenn Morelli, Integrated Waste Operations Division Manager, County of Sonoma, Sonoma Public Infrastructure Responsible Department: City Manager/City Attorney
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None. The recommended action does not authorize any City expenditure, loan, debt guarantee, pledge or new City rate, and the City would not be a borrower, lender, guarantor or party to the County–ZWS Credit Agreement. Under the draft Credit Agreement, repayment is solely the obligation of ZWS and is secured by the ZWS Waste Management Agency Fee; any future ZWS fee or budget action related to debt service would be a separate action of the ZWS Board.
4. Approval of Financing Agreement/or Full Purchase of Public Works Vactor Truck Responsible Department: Public Works Director
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: This vehicle was approved in the FY26/27 Operational Budgets for $100,000. The purchase price of the replacement Vactor is $521,786.53. The proposed financing includes a $100,000 down payment and financing of the remaining $421,786.53 over five years at an interest rate of 6.13%. Quarterly payments are approximately $24,646.05, equivalent to annual debt service of approximately $98,584. Total payments over the five-year term would be approximately $592,921, including approximately $71,134 in interest and financing costs.
5. Approval of the Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement of Santa Rosa Plan Groundwater Sustainability Agency.
Responsible Department: Public Works Director
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None. Approval of the proposed amended and restated JPA and Bylaws will have no fiscal impact on the City’s General Fund or Water Enterprise Fund. The proposed amendments address the governance and administration of the SRPGSA and do not authorize any new City expenditure, assessment, or financial commitment.
6. Approval of Task Order with DCCM for Engineering and Design of Eastside Ave and South St pavement reconstruction (CIP #0521-25.05)
Responsible Department: Public Works Director
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: This project is in the approve FY2026-27 Capital Improvement Program. The cost of Task Order 3 will be allocated among the City’s pavement, water, and wastewater capital improvement programs based on the project scope. The roadway improvements will be funded through the FY 2026-27 Citywide Pavement Improvement Program (CIP #0521-25.05), and the water and sewer improvements will be funded through their respective enterprise funds. Approval of the task order will authorize expenditures not to exceed $56,143.
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS/PRESENTATIONS: Informational Items or Presentations are items that are informational only and do not require action by the City Council. Presentations shall be scheduled as necessary for the promotion of an event or service or general information items to the Council and should be limited to ten (10) minutes total in length of item (total length includes questions of Council to presenter and public comment).
PUBLIC HEARING(s):
7. Public hearing for a housing development project at 8100 Valentine Ave. Consideration of an application from Rob Toste on behalf of the Grupe Company, LLC for a Tentative Subdivision Map, Density Bonus, and related entitlements to subdivide a 2.69 acre lot located at 8100 Valentine Avenue into 20 lots, allowing up to 39 total units (20 single family homes and up to 19 detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)). The project requests removal of up to 7 protected native trees, with mitigation per the project Tree Inventory Report. Parking for 83 vehicles is proposed. The applicant has requested waivers and/or concessions under Government Code 65915 to allow greater lot coverage, reduced building setbacks, and greater building heights. The project will also require Tree Removal permits and Design Review approval. The proposed project has been determined to be exempt from further environmental review under Section 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. A copy of the CEQA determination will be included with the staff report.
Responsible Department: Planning
Fiscal Impact: There is no fiscal impact as this project is budgeted through a deposit account.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None. The project includes no fiscal impact to the City as the deposit account for the project has been paid for by the project applicant and City staff hours are billed to that account.
Additionally, the project would provide impact fees, building permit and plan check fees to the City should it move through its entitlements and on to building permit application.
REGULAR CALENDAR AGENDA ITEMS (DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION):
8. Consideration of Cancellation of the November 3, 2026 City Council Meeting Requestor: Councilmember Hinton and Councilmember Carter Responsible Department: City Management
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda report is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: There is no additional fiscal impact associated with canceling the meeting.
Cancellation would save approximately $1,070 in audiovisual and closed-captioning costs. Any additional
savings related to consultant, contract, or staff time would depend on the meeting agenda and cannot be quantified at this time. The minimal staff time required to prepare and post a cancellation notice would be absorbed within existing City Clerk resources.
9. Consideration of the following actions related to Enterprise Funds:
• Consideration of Revised FY 2026-27 Cost Allocation Percentages for Selected Central • Services;
• Utility Counter Customer Service Hours;
• Cost Allocation Plan RFP Timeline; and
• Water Enterprise Fund’s Syserco Loan payments
Requestor: Administrative Services Director/City Manager/City Attorney Responsible Department: Administrative Services Director Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda item is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: The proposed flat-percentage method would reduce the combined amount allocated to Water and Wastewater by $467,779 compared with the amount currently included in the FY 2026-27 adopted budget. The City’s underlying administrative costs would not change; the General Fund would bear the $467,779 difference.
Changing the Utility Counter walk-in hours would not reduce staffing costs. Any minor cost for customer notices or signs would be covered by the existing budget.
10. Consideration of Authorization for approval of City Attorney Hours to Review and Provide information on City Lexipol Policies; CIRA Law Enforcement Trainings; Law Enforcement Practices Regarding Collaboration with ICE; Youth diversion/restorative justice information; and review of recommendations from Gault Center. Item Continued from the October 6, 2026 City Council Meeting.
Requestor: Councilmember Zollman
Responsible Department: City Attorney
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda report is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: City Attorney time estimated at 10 hours
11. Consideration and Approval of Revised FY26/27 CIP Program reallocating water enterprise funds from CIP 0826-26.06 to CIP 0827-26.07
Responsible Department: Public Works
Fiscal Impact: Staff time required to prepare the agenda report is covered within existing budgeted salaries.
Additional Fiscal Impact: None. CIP 0826-26.06 is approved in the FY26/27 CIP Program for $76,690 from the water enterprise fund. The proposed CIP amendment has no net fiscal impact on the Water Capital Fund.
Staff is proposing to reallocate the $76,690 currently budgeted in FY 2026-27 for the Automated Flow Meter at the Corporation Yard Water Tower to the Pleasant Hill Road Water System Connection Loop to initiate design.
The $122,710 already programmed for the Pleasant Hill Loop in FY 2027-28 would remain unchanged and would be used to complete the design and pre-construction activities following the initial design phase. This request is to reallocate the same amount and funding source to CIP 0827-26.07.
ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: Two minutes per speaker for up to twenty (20) minutes total for public comments but can be reduced at Mayor’s discretion depending upon the number of speakers or Mayor has discretion to allow for additional time beyond the 20 minutes allocated for public comment dependent upon the subject matter or number of speakers.
COUNCILMEMBER(S) REQUESTS FOR FUTURE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS CITY COUNCIL/CITY STAFF REPORTS/COMMUNICATIONS/ANNOUNCEMENTS/FUTURE MEETINGS:
12. City Manager and/or City Clerk Reports: (This will be either verbal reports at the meeting, or written reports provided at or prior to the meeting)
a. September Departmental Reports
13. 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 reports at the meeting, or written reports provided at or prior to the meeting)
14. Council Communications Received (Information/Meetings/Correspondence Received from the General Public to Councilmembers)
CLOSED SESSION: NONE
ADJOURNMENT OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING
October 20, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting will be adjourned to the next Regular City Council Meeting of Tuesday, November 3, 2026 at 6:00 pm, Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA.
American Disability Act Accommodations/Accessibility: A request can be made orally or in writing, and submitted to the ADA Coordinator by email: [email protected] or to the City Clerk’s Office so as to avoid delay in reviewing and processing the request. Requests can be made by contacting the ADA Coordinator’s Office at (707) 823-8597, via email at [email protected] or by mailing such a request to the ADA Coordinator’s Office located at 7425 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol, CA. Note that if you contact the ADA Coordinators Office, via mail, you need to make the request early enough that a response can be timely provided.
NOTICE: All Resolutions and Ordinances introduced and/or adopted under this agenda are waived of all reading of entire resolution(s) and ordinance(s). The City of Sebastopol is a general law city formed under the laws of the State of California. With respect to adoption of ordinances and resolutions, the City adheres to the requirements set forth in the Government Code. Unless otherwise required, the full reading of the text of standard ordinances and resolutions is waived.
SB 751 Legislative bodies of local agencies must publicly report: (1) any action taken and (2) the vote or abstention on each action taken by each member present for the action at a meeting.
If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please contact the City at Email: [email protected] or [email protected] or please call: 707-823-1153. The public is advised that pursuant to Government Code section 54957.5 all writings submitted to the City Council are public records and will be made available for review at City Hall during normal business hours. The Sebastopol City Council welcomes you in person or remotely to its meetings that are generally scheduled for the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month. Your interest and participation are encouraged and appreciated.
Government Code Section 54953.
(a) All meetings of the legislative body of a local agency shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the legislative body of a local agency, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (b)
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the legislative body of a local agency may use teleconferencing for the benefit of the public and the legislative body of a local agency in connection with any meeting or proceeding authorized by law. The teleconferenced meeting or proceeding shall comply with all requirements of this chapter and all otherwise applicable provisions of law relating to a specific type of meeting or proceeding. (2) Teleconferencing, as authorized by this section, may be used for all purposes in connection with any meeting within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. All votes taken during a teleconferenced meeting shall be by rollcall.
There are times that the City Council open meetings may not be live streamed due to technical issues; if that is the case, the meeting will be video-taped and uploaded as soon as possible to the City Web Site. In the event of a disruption that prevents the legislative body from broadcasting the meeting to members of the public using the call-in option or internet-based service option, or in the event of a disruption within the local agency’s control that prevents members of the public from offering public comments using the call-in option or internet-based service option, the
legislative body shall take no further action on items appearing on the meeting agenda until public access to the meeting via the call-in option or internet-based service option is restored. Actions taken on agenda items during a disruption that prevents the legislative body from broadcasting the meeting may be challenged pursuant to Section 54960.1.
COUNCIL PROTOCOLS FOR MEETING RESTATED:
This in person and virtual/remote meeting is compliant with the Governor’s Executive Order allowing for a deviation of teleconference rules required by the Brown Act. Traditional Brown Act and AB 2449 requirements can be utilized for all City Council meetings as long as required notice and posting is conducted per the Brown Act.
Please Note the presiding member of the legislative body conducting a meeting or their designee may remove, or cause the removal of, an individual for disrupting the meeting.
Prior to removing an individual, the presiding member or their designee shall warn the individual that their behavior is disrupting the meeting and that their failure to cease their behavior may result in their removal. The presiding member or their designee may then remove the individual if they do not promptly cease their disruptive behavior. This paragraph does not apply to any behavior described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b). (b) As used in this section:
(1) “Disrupting” means engaging in behavior during a meeting of a legislative body that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and includes, but is not limited to, one of the following:
(A) A failure to comply with reasonable and lawful regulations adopted by a legislative body pursuant to Section 54954.3 or any other law.
(B) Engaging in behavior that constitutes use of force or a true threat of force. (2) “True threat of force” means a threat that has sufficient indicia of intent and seriousness, that a reasonable observer would perceive it to be an actual threat to use force by the person making the threat.
How can I provide Public Comment on Zoom?
The Mayor will request public comment during the Public Comment period on the agenda and during each Public Hearing and Regular Calendar Item. Once the Mayor has announced the public comment period, please do one of the following.
USING A COMPUTER OR SMART PHONE:
• Click on the “Raise Hand” feature in the webinar controls. This will notify City staff that you have raised your hand and you would like to speak.
• City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment. • A prompt will appear to confirm you would like to be unmuted. Once you accept the prompt, you will have two minutes to provide public comment.
• Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again.
USING A REGULAR PHONE:
• Dial *9 (star 9), this will notify City staff that you have “raised your hand” for public comment. • City staff will unmute your microphone when it is your turn to provide public comment. *6 (star 6) is used to mute/unmute.
• You will hear “you are unmuted” and then you will have two minutes to provide public comment. • Once your public comment has ended, you will be muted again