05-13-2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRINIDAD CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025 (LIVE/HYBRID)
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Kelly called the live-hybrid meeting to order at 6:00pm. Council members in attendance: Kelly, Tuttle, Varela. Kenny attended via videoconference. Breckenridge was absent. City Staff in attendance: City Manager Joe Tagliaboschi, City Clerk Gabriel Adams, Deputy Clerk Anton Souza, and City Planner Trever Parker. Approximately (4) participants were present by video-conference, and (8) were present live at the beginning of the meeting.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
III. CLOSED SESSION – No closed session scheduled.
IV. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION
V. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion (Tuttle/Varela) to approve the agenda as submitted. Passed 4-0.
VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – 04-08-2025 cc
Motion (Varela/Tuttle) to approve the minutes as submitted. Passed 4-0.
VII. COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Tuttle: HTA exploring micro-transit service between the airport and Trinidad, and unveiling the new hydrogen powered bus. Also requested bus drive slow through Trinidad.
Varela: RREDC, learned about California Fishing Industry, the economy, and how offshore wind projects will affect them.
Kenny: HCAOG, Trinidad’s request for transportation funds (TDA) was approved.
Kelly: Attended RCEA meeting, discussed how to interpret PG&E bills and how much of household income is needed to pay energy costs. Energy assessment tools are available. On April 27, the CERT Team performed a moulage training (makeup included) with over 25 people attending. Thanked CERT organizers Jeff Austin and Larry Goldberg. Met with James Gore, kicking off campaign to replace Mike McGuire. Impressed with him, and appreciated the time he dedicated to visit us.
VIII.STAFF REPORTS – City Manager & Law Enforcement
City Manager Tagliaboschi highlighted accomplishments summarized in the staff report included in the meeting packet.
HCSO Lt. McCall was unable to attend, but the monthly report is included in the meeting packet.
IX. ITEMS FROM THE FLOOR
(Three (3) minute limit per Speaker unless Council approves request for extended time.)
Jeff Bairey – Trinidad
Update on Edwards and Galindo crosswalk signage. I also hear from several sources there are biohazards detected like giardia or e-coli or pathogen on Trinidad State Beach and Mill Creek, where I surf fish and children play? and would like to know more about that. I was on the beach yesterday and watched dogs take dumps on the beach, unleashed. There are no signs on the beach - and there needs to be - on the dune with dog poop bags and collection containers.
City Manager Tagliaboschi explained that coastal pathogens came up during an Animal Advisory discussion topic, and the crosswalk evaluation is underway.
Andrew Davis – Trinidad (zoom)
I hear something has changed on the Animal Advisory Committee – Breckenridge resigned? 4 of 322
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X. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Financial Statements – March 2025
2. Law Enforcement Report – April 2025.
3. Second Reading of Ordinance 2025-01; Designating the Fire Hazard Severity Zone as recommended by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Government Code Section 51178.
4. Resolution 2025-03; Adopting a List of Projects for Fiscal Year 2025/2026 Funded By SB-1, The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
Motion (Kenny/Varela) to approve consent agenda as submitted. Passed 4-0.
XI. DISCUSSION/ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
1. Discussion/Presentation regarding FY2025-2026 Budget Preparation.
City Manager Joe Tagliaboschi explained that on March 11 Staff conducted a mid-year review to review budget assumptions and adjust the budget if needed to capture unforeseen circumstances or needs in the organization.
The second part of the discussion peeled back a layer and focused on the current year priorities, identified achievements, and discussed the overall health of the General Fund and Special Revenue Funds.
The takeaway from the March 11 meeting was positive as forecast revenues were a bit ahead of estimates. The Water Enterprise Fund and recently adopted rates are still in the initial stages of analysis and with recent changes in the CPO and costs associated with that change the trend is cautiously positive.
This meeting will provide detailed information on the General Fund and reserves and how they are assigned, committed, or unrestricted, Special Revenue Funds, and our Water Enterprise Fund.
There will be a discussion of our current proposed staffing plan and the financial statements for FYE June 30, 2024, and through March 30, 2025. The statements were reconciled by Cunningham, Malone and Morton Bookkeeping Service, and our Auditor Brett Jones at JJCPA who conducts Audits for the City.
The Council also agreed on a list of goals and objectives at the January 07, 2025 Council meeting as a roadmap for the future. These items included:
• Invest in maintenance and upkeep of Town Hall, and recreation assets such as trails and parks. • Continue to plan for utility undergrounding.
• Prioritize strategies to stabilize water funds and staff. Including in house T3/CPO. • Prioritize developing a classification and compensation plan, and updating the Employee Policy and Procedure Manual, which aligns staff responsibilities and wages with the needs of the City, encourage retention, and rewards advancement.
Along with maintaining and enhancing the current service levels provided to the city, the current draft of the FY25/26 Budget aims to provide a continued focus on transitional stability for the Water Department. It is important to recognize that while adopting rates and transferring $300,000 from the General Fund to the Water Enterprise Fund was important and needed, it will take time for the fund to recover. While the recent change to a new interim CPO certainly helps better manage costs, staff are still working to have an in-house CPO to perform that work. Along with trained and credential staff that can operate the plant in all conditions, with appropriate backups in case of absences or open positions.
The proposed budget includes an accurate assessment of what is to come this year, projecting conservative spending in a healthy manner. For perspective, it is important to understand that the General Fund Reserve has been building over the last 5-years due to a combination of robust economic activity affecting the 95570 area (through tourism, increasing property values, and a resilient tax base). This past FY24/25 continues with that trend.
Staff feel the proposed budget accurately reflects the desires of the community, based on priorities set by the Council. The draft includes revenue and expenditure budget worksheets for each of the fund categories.
General Fund: Administrative, Public Works, Police, & Fire Restricted Funds: Water & Cemetery
Special Revenues: Gas Tax, Transportation (TDA), & COPS 5 of 322
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Tagliaboschi continued the presentation with slides shared that included the following topics, echoed in the meeting packet, draft proposed budget and summary:
• Budget Unit Structure
• Revenue Sources Overview
• General Fund Revenue Sources & Sales Tax Rate
• General Fund Revenues vs. Expenditures
• General Fund Reserves, Policy, and Total Fund Balance • General Fund Divisions: Admin, Police, Public Works, Fire • 3% CPI increase for Staff
• Staff Organizational Chart – slight reduction in personnel to 8.18 FTE (8 employees) from 9.25FTE in prior year (13 employees).
• Estimated Payroll and Grant Payroll Offset
• Water Operating Fund – may end 2025 with $140,000 thanks to $300k gift from General Fund. • Water Fund Goals and Highlights
• Grants In Progress
• General Fund Goals & Highlights
• Public Works Goals & Highlights – Capital Projects (Town Hall improvements, Tennis Court, Trails, etc.) • Next Steps
Council questions included:
Councilmembers Kelly and Kenny both asked questions to help distinguish between the Assistant City Manager and the Assistance to the City Manager. CM Tagliaboschi noted Grant Coordinator Angela Cather would be a great candidate for that position.
Kelly: Thanked Tagliaboschi for the work done so far, especially handling cost overruns with the Water Plant so quickly.
Kenny: The cart is before the horse if we account for ALMT (trail) grant funding before the Council approves the project. I’ve stated a few times that just because grant funding is available, we have to make sure the project fits our policy goals. I appreciate the presentation. It answered many questions I had after reviewing the line items.
What return rate are we getting on our reserve fund? – Clerk responded, between 4-7% through LAIF, and noted that prior years of underspending and conservative revenue expectations resulted in reserve fund growth. The budget this coming year intends to utilize the reserves to implement projects that were budgeted in prior years.
Public comment included:
Andrew Davis – Trinidad
Regarding compensation study, you might want to factor into the budget cost estimates and or adjustments.
City Manager Tagliaboschi noted that once the study was in hand, it will be brought back to the Council for adoption and adjustments as recommended.
Kelly, Tuttle, Kenny discussed Pacific Coast Security shifts, days of the week, and preferences, with agreement that their service is greatly appreciated.
Motion (Kenny/Kelly) to bring back the proposed budget in June with increased budget for Pacific Coast Security to 24 hours/week. Passed unanimously.
2. Discussion/Decision regarding Distribution of Tourist Occupancy Tax Funds to Community Organizations.
City Manager Tagliaboschi explained that in 2013 the City Council agreed to allocate 10% of the total, annual Tourist Occupancy Tax revenue for community organizations. Each Council serving since then have confirmed their intent to continue this tradition.
The Chamber of Commerce, Museum, Library, and Trinidad Coastal Land Trust agreed among themselves to distribute that amount every year to each organization proportionately. 6 of 322
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The total, unaudited Occupancy Tax revenue collected in FY 2023-2024 is $213,924. The City will be issuing 10% of the total revenue ($21,392) to each organization in the following payments:
30% $6,417.60 Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce
30% $6,417.60 Trinidad Museum
30% $6,417.60 Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
10% $2,139.20 Trinidad Library
Council comments included:
Kenny: Thanked the groups and expressed full support.
Kelly: Consider hearing from the groups to know how and what they’re up to.
Public comment included:
Patti Fleschner – Museum Society
Thanked the Council and offered to provide additional details as needed, but noted how insurance and building improvement costs have increased significantly.
Karen Parker – Trinidad Area Resident
Concerned why the proportion of payments are so low for Library. Patti Fleschner explained how the arrangement was made, funds were raised and reserved, and the contributions made on a regular basis by the City to maintain the facility.
Motion (Varela/Kenny) to confirm budget expense for fiscal year 2024-2025 as proposed. Passed unanimously.
3. Discussion/Decision regarding approval of the Plans and Bid Documents for the Water System Intertie Project.
Grant Coordinator Angela Cather explained that on March 11, 2025, Council approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Trinidad and Westhaven Community Services District regarding the Water System Intertie Project. Since approving the MOU in March 2025, the City’s contracted engineers, GHD, and WCSD’s contracted engineers, PACE, developed a completed set of Plans and Bid Documents for Council’s approval. These documents are now ready for the bidding process.
Council comment included:
Kenny: This is a project that we rely on staff to provide us good information and keep it on track.
There was no public comment.
Motion (Kenny/Tuttle) to approve the Plans and Bid Documents regarding the Water System Intertie Project and direct staff to advertise the project and request formal bids. Passed unanimously.
4. Staff Activity Report – April 2025
City Manager Joe Tagliaboschi summarized the following:
• CSA4 meeting- Staff met with members of Westhaven fire, CalFire, The Rancheria, BOS Members Madrone and Wilson and Board and Lafco staff. The group discussed a study for fire services and agreed that it is a worthwhile endeavor. Specifics of the study were discussed with a plan to solicit the study to a consultant with some quotes for costs. Once those results are analyzed and discussed there could be a request to contribute to help fund the study. • Water update: Eric Sanders invoice for April -$4000.00. Carl Anderson is working to schedule his exam for T3s
• Westhaven Intertie Project: Staff received the long-anticipated Plans, Specifications, Engineering (PSE) and updated Projected Costs to complete from Westhaven Water District. The PSE are scheduled for Council approval and then the project can get out for bidding. The project is expected to start at the end of July and end around the middle of November. • Staff is waiting on contractor response and quotes for the Windows and Rot repair at Town Hall. An additional document is being prepared for the front porch carpet removal and epoxy application. 7 of 322
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FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- Trails meeting May 20.
- Single-use plastic ordinance.
- Budget
ADJOURNMENT: 7:40pm.
Submitted by: Approved by:
_____________________________ _____________________________ Gabriel Adams Cheryl Kelly
Trinidad City Clerk Mayor
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