02-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRINIDAD CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 (LIVE/HYBRID)
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Kelly called the live-hybrid meeting to order at 6:00pm. Council members in attendance: Tuttle, Breckenridge, Kenny, and Waskiewicz. Kelly was absent. City Staff in attendance: City Clerk/Interim City Manager Gabriel Adams, Administrative Assistant Anton Souza. Approximately (4) participants were present by video-conference, and (5) were present live at the beginning of the meeting.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
III. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION
1. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation (Calif. Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(1)) (1 Case: City of Trinidad vs.
Tsurai Ancestral Society, et. al, Humb. Co. Sup. Court Case No. DR180684 IV. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION – No reportable action taken.
V. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion (Breckenridge/Waskiewicz) to approve the agenda as submitted. Passed unanimously.
VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – 01/13/2026 cc
Motion (Kelly/Breckenridge) to approve the minutes as written. Passed 4-0.
VII. COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Tuttle: Attended HTA and discussed microservice bus transit, every 2 hours with dial a ride service for more frequency. Transition will include smaller ADA accessible bus to navigate smaller streets. I refer to it as the Trinidad Trolly.
Waskiewicz: Attended RREDC meeting. Great presentation. Humboldt Bay Harbor and Recreation District presented information on heavy lift terminal logistics. Also discussing fishing industry, and updating their JPA agreement.
Kenny: Attended the January HCAOG meeting, elected new officers. Affirmed that HCAOG will continue to be a managing the Regional Climate Plan, along with RCEA as well.
Breckenridge: Nothing to report.
VIII.PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT – City Manager & Law Enforcement HCSO Lt. McCall was unable to attend, so City Manager Adams summarized the January stats. Adams noted the low call volume, and thanked the City’s public safety team (HCSO and Pacific Coast Security) for proactive service to this community.
IX. ITEMS FROM THE FLOOR.
(Three (3) minute limit per Speaker unless Council approves request for extended time.) Elaine Weinreb – Trinidad Area resident
I spend a lot of time observing traffic at the entrance intersection of town. I would love to see the City put in some speed bumps to help slow traffic down. This seems like a very simple and inexpensive process, possibly saving someone’s life.
Jeff Bairey – Trinidad
I did not attend the January meeting, but I read the minutes which were very detailed and helpful. It looks like you’re losing 70k gallons per hour. The first call was received at 3:00am, and another at 3:30am. Do the operators have a standard operating procedure binder that they can look to and figure out what to do? Because it looks to me that no one turned the valve off and ran the tanks dry. We should have a binder. If we have one why didn’t we turn the valve? I’m not trying to figure out who is at fault, but I don’t want this to be used in favor 02-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2
of getting Mad River water. All systems should have automatic shut off valves. I want to avoid this from happening again. Having no water to fight fire for several days was a serious health risk.
Betsy Musick – Trinidad Bay Eatery owner
Like Jeff Bairey, I have concerns about the water emergency. I believe in full transparency as echoed by the City Manager in his report last month. I’m looking for accountability, transparency, and SOPs so it doesn’t happen again, no matter how well the team did. The city and businesses lost significant business. Ours alone lost over $30k, not including tax dollars uncollected or employee wages. This revenue ripples through the town in various forms. I’m disappointed along with other businesses. We weren’t approached and asked what we’re doing to survive our slowest month of the year. What is the city doing to do better next time. Has the City talked to its insurance company? Request a report on a future agenda on next steps, and where we go from here.
Mayor Pro-Tem Kenny explained that the City is doing the best we can, and will be making improvements that it can to minimize the impact when this occurs again.
Richard Johnson – Trinidad Coastal Land Trust
Thanked the City for continued support of the portion of TOT given to the Land Trust on an annual basis. Also introduced Dave Farrell, the new Trinidad Coastal Land Trust Director. Deep roots in Humboldt, watershed management, and many other environmental science related projects and experience. Farrell thanked the community for its support. Looking forward to collaboration and success.
Jacque Hostler-Carmison – Trinidad Rancheria Executive Director Regarding the harbor, the Rancheria owns and operates the pier. We receive the crab from commercial fisherman and process it for shipping. Through the Seascape, we once sold retail crab and may be discussing again in the near future. Other fisheries will also be considered.
X. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Financial Statements – December 2025
2. Law Enforcement Report – January 2026.
3. Task Order 6 with Pacific Watershed Associates (PWA) to provide continuous Luffenholtz Creek bypass flow measurements, monitoring, and reporting for the 2026 water year.
Motion (Breckenridge/Tuttle) to approve the consent agenda as submitted. Passed 4-0.
Xl. DISCUSSION/ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
1. Conduct the Urban Residential Zone (UR) Short-Term Rental Lottery.
Interim City Manager Adams explained that the Short-Term Rental (STR) license cycle runs on an annual basis, beginning February 01 and ending January 31. A license in the UR Zone became available following the 2025 renewal cycle, which typically are issued by March, but staff restructuring delayed permit issuance until May.
There are currently 28 licenses issued with an overall citywide cap of 32.
The current STR License count is as follows:
UR (17) Ordinance limit (18) *1 available
SR (6) Ordinance limit (7) *1 available
PD/C (5) No limit, but subject to the overall cap of 32.
The citywide cap of 32 was carefully considered when it was codified into the STR ordinance for many reasons, including the city’s financial well-being. The annual 12% Occupancy Tax revenue represents the second most vital revenue stream for the City, second to Sales & Use Tax (first), and Property Tax (third).
Minimum nights annually (60) of taxable rent was also contemplated and codified by the City to discourage licenses from being underutilized. The waitlist and lottery system were established to fairly administer issuance of new licenses in the two zones (UR & SR) with limited inventory applied. 02-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3
The waitlist period closed on May 31 at the conclusion of the 2025 renewal cycle. At that time, the waitlist included the following addresses deemed eligible by staff, following a preliminary review of minimal requirements necessary to submit a complete and successful application within the codified timeline of 90- days following notification of lottery selection:
- 540 Edwards Street
- 730 Edwards Street
- 584 Pacific Street
- 462 View Street
- 783 Underwood Dr.
- 396 Wagner Street.
Other properties on the wait list are determined to have unresolved issues that would prevent them from receiving a permit within the 90-day deadline such as building permit violations, septic system challenges, or conflicts with limitations outlined in the STR ordinance.
SELECTION PROCESS
The City will utilize a rotating cage filled with numbered ping-pong balls corresponding to the addresses identified above. Two numbers will be drawn – a primary and runner-up. The runner-up will be invited to make application if the primary winner is unable to obtain an STR License within 90 days of selection, or unable to meet the applicable location standards, for instance a Planning Commission exception if there is an adjacent property boundary conflict with another STR.
Mayor Pro-Tem Kenny gave the wheel a spin.
The first number selected was #5 = 783 Underwood Drive.
The runner up number was #2 = 730 Edwards Street.
There was no public comment.
Presentation item only. Interim City Manager Adams will notify the two properties selected.
2. Update/Discussion regarding Upcoming City Council Election Year and Key Calendar Dates.
Interim City Manager Adams explained that with the second half of the fiscal year and upcoming general election season ahead, it is helpful to chart a course that keeps City priorities in focus, is adaptive to new challenges that arise, and provide a discussion check-point on the short and long-term missions to achieve City goals.
The first half of January forced the City into an adaptive mode when the Scenic Drive water leak disrupted a pre-established set of goals to kick-off the new year. That emergency, however, gave us a real-time understanding of how vulnerable the City’s aging water system is, and how well a small staff with limited resources worked through the most severe water emergency experienced in over 30 years.
Immediately following the conclusion of the water emergency, the second half of January tested the City’s Tribal partnerships. Following the series of early January extreme weather and tides that impacted the shoreline of Old Home Beach, the City directed its energy to demonstrating its commitment to preserving the history and culture of this area. More headwinds are expected this year that will test these partnerships and stress the City’s time and financial resources.
Sticking to a game plan, being able to adapt when needed, and balancing competing demands for limited resources are all important aspects of a well-structured government. With an election year fast-approaching and outgoing City leaders hoping to see some results of years of work volunteered come to fruition, and the plan forward should help set the rails and us get to June 30 and beyond with a sense of accomplishment we can all be proud of.
Election Schedule & Council Discussion Topics
02-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4
February
• Council meeting on February 10; Closed Session emphasis, Short-Term Rental Lottery and year-ahead preview discussion, Council election year kickoff.
FPPC Form 700: The FPPC has emailed all required filers representing the City (Council, Planning Commission, and select staff) alerting them of the April 01, Conflict of Interest Form 700 annual filing deadline. Staff has migrated all filers to the online portal, and highly encourages everyone to take a moment and renew your annual filing electronically. If you have had no changes to your previous filing schedules, the renewal process could take less than 1-minute once you’ve logged into the system. Please reach out to staff if you have any questions and we’ll walk you through it.
March
• Mid-Year Budget discussion
• Continued discussion from July 08, 2025 regarding alternative drinking water supply, Humboldt Bay Municipal North Mainline project.
April
• Begin Fiscal Year Budget preparation/preliminary FY2027 Budget Kick-off • 2024 Water Rate structure 2-year review/analysis results May
• Resolution deadline calling for General Election Consolidation with the County • Final phase of FY2027 Budget preparation
• STIP, Main Street repave and south sidewalk improvement project.
June
• Adopt FY 2027 Budget
• Prepare/Present/Announce the upcoming election season calendar: (3) 4-Year terms (Kelly, Tuttle, Breckenridge), and (1) 2-year term (Waskiewicz)
July-August
• Council election candidate nomination period.
There were no public comments.
Council thanked Adams for keeping track of all this important business.
Presentation item only. No decision was made.
3. Staff Activity Report – January 2026
Presentation item only. Interim City Manager Adams provided a detailed summary of staff activities in January included in the meeting packet. No decision was made.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- Paint treatment on top edge of Town Hall façade.
- Waskiewicz thanked the public for sharing their comments tonight. Looking at after-action reports for Lahaina and Palasades fires online, and see similarities with Trinidad such as infrastructure failure, fire vulnerability, emergency preparedness, SOP’s that we can explore further as future agenda topics.
ADJOURNMENT: 7:30pm.
Submitted by: Approved by:
_____________________________ _____________________________ Gabriel Adams Bryce Kenny
Trinidad City Clerk Mayor Pro-Tem