REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
OF THE SONOMA CITY COUNCIL
CALIFORNIN City Council Chambers
City Council: 177 First Street West
Patricia Farrar-Rivas, Mayor Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Ron Wellander, Vice Mayor
Sandra Lowe
John Gurney 6:00 PM Regular Meeting
Jack Ding
REGULAR MEETING
CONVENE, CALL TO ORDER, & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Farrar-Rivas called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: Vice Mayor Wellander, Council Member Lowe, Mayor Farrar-Rivas, Council Member Gurney, and Council Member Ding
REPORT ON CLOSED SESSION
There was no Closed Session held.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Motion by Council Member Lowe, seconded by Council Member Ding, to approve the agenda with item 9.2 being pulled from consideration. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
1. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Donna Dambach, Peter Alexander, and Jeff Lensel provided public comments.
2. MEETING DEDICATIONS
Council Member Gurney dedicated the meeting to Robert Kowal.
3. COUNCILMEMBERS' REPORTS AND COMMENTS
Mayor Farrar-Rivas attended a Sonoma Clean Power meeting on June 5, 2025. On June 9, 2025, she attended a Climate Safe Sonoma meeting as well as on June 11, 2025, attended a National Climate Mayors meeting. Mayor Farrar-Rivas, along with Vice Mayor Wellander and Council Member Ding, attended the first Friday show of this year's Transcendence Theater event. On June 17, 2025, she attended a meeting regarding the possible creation of a "Sonoma Shuttle Loop". Lastly, the City hosted a dinner on June 12, 2025, for a Mayors and Councilmembers Association meeting.
Vice Mayor Wellander attended the annual Bear Flag Celebration event on June 14, 2025.
4. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
City Manager Guhin shared the following updates: he reminded everyone about ongoing paving work at West MacArthur and Fifth St West, announced plans for a prescribed burn at Montini Preserve (with more details available on the City's website), and reported that the second phase of tree maintenance will take place around the Plaza next week. Lastly, he noted that City Hall will be closed tomorrow, June 19, 2025, in observance of Juneteenth.
5. CITY ATTORNEY COMMENTS
None.
6. PRESENTATIONS
Item 6.1: Recognition of Sonoma Splash Lifeguards for Their Life-saving Efforts on January 12, 2025
Item 6.2: Proclamation Designating June as Pride Month in the City of Sonoma
7. CONSENT CALENDAR - CITY COUNCIL
Motion by Council Member Gurney, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to approve the Consent Calendar as presented. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Per Government Code Section 54953(c)(3), City Attorney Ruderman reported a summary of recommendations for final action regarding the salary/salary schedules or compensation paid to local agency executives regarding item 7.6.
Item 7.1: Waive further reading and Authorize Introduction and/or Adoption of Ordinances by Title Only. (Standard procedural action - no backup information provided) Regular Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2025
Item 7.2:
Cape ring an 21,25, and a 2, 202
(Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk)
Action: The minutes from the Regular Meetings of April 21, 2025, May 7, 2025, May 21, 2025, June 4, 2025, and the Special Meetings of April 21, 2025, and May 22, 2025, were received.
Item 7.3: Adopt a Resolution Approving the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Road Pavement Preservation and Rehabilitation Projects as the Projects for Fiscal Year 2025-26 Funded by Senate Bill 1: The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 and Authorize the Public Works Department to Submit these Projects to the California Transportation Commission (Ashley Cotter, PW Admin & Project Manager)
Action: Adopted as Resolution 33-2025.
Item 7.4: Adopt a Resolution Approving the Replacement of the Existing City of Sonoma Job Description for "Accounting Technician" with the Proposed Job Description for "Accounting Technician I/II" and add the Job Classification and Salary Range for Accounting Technician Il to the City of Sonoma Salary Schedule effective June 27, 2025 (Jenny Yankovich, Asst to the City Manager)
Action: Adopted as Resolution 34-2025.
Item 7.5: Accept the Expenditure Report for the Month of May 2025 (Prapti Aryal, Finance Director)
Action: The expenditure report was accepted.
Item 7.6: Adopt Resolutions Approving the Tentative Agreement with Sonoma Employees Association (SEIU) 1021 and Compensation Adjustments for the Non-Represented Confidential Personnel and Executive/At-Will, Management and Administrative Personnel for the Period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028 and Implementing the City of Sonoma Salary Schedule for FY 2025/26 (David Guhin, City Manager) Action: Adopted as Resolution 35-2025 and 36-2025.
8. PUBLIC HEARING
None.
9. REGULAR CALENDAR - CITY COUNCIL
Item 9.1: Approval of the FY 2025-26 City of Sonoma Operating and Capital Improvement Budget with the Following:
1. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma and the Successor Agency of the Former Sonoma Community Development Agency Adopting the FY 2025-26 City of Sonoma Operating Budget; and Approving Community Fund Programming
2. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma Adopting the 2025-30 Five- Year Capital Improvement Program; and Authorizing Capital Project Funds Appropriated and Unspent in FY 2024-25 to be Rolled into the FY 2025-26 Budget
3. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma Authorizing the City Manager to Approve the Carryforward Operational Funds for One Time Projects Appropriated and Unspent in FY 2024-25 to be Rolled into the FY 2025-26 Budget
4. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma Authorizing the City Manager to Fund Recreation and Community Service Discretionary Funding Program for the FY 2025-26 Budget
Amend Contracts with Various Vendors
6. A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma Establishing the Appropriations Limit for the FY 2025-26
Action: Adopted as Resolution 37-2025, 38-2025, 39-2025, 40-2025, 41-2025, and 42-2025.
Public Comment: Robert Demler, Madolyn Agrimonti, and Ken Stokes.
Council Member Ding disclosed his involvement with Sonoma Overnight Support, Council Member Gurney disclosed his involvement with Hanna Boys Center, and Mayor Farrar-Rivas disclosed her involvement with Sonoma Ecology Center.
Motion by Council Member Gurney, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to Adopt a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Sonoma and the Successor Agency of the Former Sonoma Community Regular Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2025
Development Agency Adopting the FY 2025-26 City of Sonoma Operating Budget; and Approving Community Fund Programming. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. unanimously by voice vote.
Motion by Council Member Gurney, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Approve the Carryforward Operational Funds for One Time Projects Appropriated and Unspent in FY 2024-25 to be Rolled into the FY 2025-26 Budget. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Motion by Council Member Ding, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Fund Recreation and Community Service Discretionary Funding Program for the FY 2025-26 Budget. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Motion by Council Member Wellander, seconded by Council Member Lowe, to Adopt a Resolution Approving a Budget Amendment for FY 2025-26 to Authorize the Use of General Fund Unreserved Fund Balance to Support One-Time Projects and Authorize the City Manager to Execute or Amend Contracts with Various Vendors. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Council Member Lowe, seconded by Council Member Ding, to Adopt a Resolution Establishing the Appropriations Limit for the FY 2025-26. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
Item 9.2: A Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Execute an Affordable Housing Grant for Burbank Housing and Associated Budget Transfer of $200,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for the Purchase of 18 Units in the City of Sonoma for the Preservation of Existing Affordable Housing (Jennifer Gates, AICP, Community Development Director)
Action: This item was pulled from this agenda and will be brought back at a subsequent meeting.
10. SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT (ONLY REQUIRED IF PUBLIC SPEAKERS REMAIN FROM ITEM 2.0)
11. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Farrar-Rivas adjourned the meeting at 7:23 p.m.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing minutes were duly and regularly received at a regular meeting of the Sonoma City Council on the 6* of August 2025.
Rebekah Barr, MMC, City Clerk
Regular Meeting Minutes, June 18, 2025