03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRINIDAD CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, MARCH 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. City Staff in attendance: City Clerk/Interim City Manager Gabriel Adams, Special Project Manager Angela Cather, Administrative Assistant Anton Souza. Approximately (12) participants were present by video-conference, and (15) 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/Kenny) to approve the agenda as submitted. Passed unanimously.
VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – 02/10/2026 cc
Motion (Kenny/Waskiewicz) to approve the minutes as written. Passed 4-0-1 (Kelly was absent).
VII. COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Tuttle: Nothing to report.
Waskiewicz: Deferred to consent agenda item 3, updating the RREDC JPA.
Kenny: Attended the February HCAOG meeting.
Breckenridge: Nothing to report.
Kelly: Attended LAFCO. Term expires in June.
VIII.PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT – City Manager & Law Enforcement HCSO Lt. McCall was unable to attend, so City Manager Adams summarized the February 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.) Ana Davis – Trinidad resident
Requested the HSIP crosswalk signs to be on a future agenda for removal.
X. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Financial Statements – December 2025
2. Financial Statements – January 2026
3. Law Enforcement Report – February 2026.
4. Resolution 2026-01; Humboldt County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update.
5. Redwood Regional Economic Development Commission JPA Update.
6. SHN On-Call Planning Service Agreement Three Month Contract Extension.
Motion (Kelly/Breckenridge) to approve the consent agenda as submitted. Passed unanimously. 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2
Xl. DISCUSSION/ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
1. Discussion/Decision regarding Resolution 2026-02; Affirming Trinidad’s Commitment to Inclusivity and Support for Due Process in Immigration Enforcement
This item was brought forward by request from Indivisible Trinidad. Interim City Manager Adams read the resolution aloud as requested. Councilmember Breckenridge noted that many of our long-standing assumptions about the moral way to treat others about their entitled humane treatment and due process of law are being tested across the nation. The entire framework of meaning in our communities threatens to disappear. By this proposed resolution, we are affirming values that have been part of Trinidad’s foundation for a long time. If I don’t stand up for the humane and the lawful treatment of everyone, then in a passive way I am responsible for inhumane and unlawful treatment of others myself.
Council comments included:
Kenny: I’m abstaining from voting on this one. I don’t think it’s our role to use our meeting process to criticize, shape, or pushback on federal policy. I’m not a big DEI person. In my lifetime I’ve seen diversity of this country increase tremendously, and it is increasing. You have to let the river flow at its own pace. You can’t push the river. Start finding ways to bring both sides closer together.
Kelly: I helped write the resolution. It reaffirms a core value of local government that everyone in our community should be treated with dignity and respect, and feel comfortable participating in civic life. It also provides a very clear statement for both residents and visitors, at a time where immigration issues are being widely discussed. The resolution doesn’t change the law or City’s authority, it clarifies our values. It simply asks that people are treated appropriately.
Waskiewicz: I agree 100% with everything said, but don’t think it belongs as a resolution of the City Council.
Do we have to restate our beliefs every time a new administration comes into office? Public comment included:
Tina Freeland – Trinidad
My family and neighbors support this resolution as a statement of our commitment to the people in our community. This is a non-partisan political action taken as a statement of allegiance to our Constitution and to democracy. I want all residents and visitors to feel safe. It’s our moral obligation. I have seen bigotry and ugliness through my years living in Southern California. Trinidad is a caring, safe, and humane place to live. I want it to remain that way.
Elaine Weinreb – Trinidad area resident
I agree with Freeland. Symbols are extremely important. It helps to know you’re not alone.
Unknown resident
I was born in Canada, but have lived in Trinidad for 10 years. People go out of their way to be kind to others.
It’s been a source of inspiration for me. We should be looking into being a sanctuary city.
Debbie Rumberger – Trinidad area resident
Submitted comments in writing. I recently relocated to Trinidad and am happy to call it home because the people are kind, inclusive, and welcome here.
John Webb – Trinidad area resident
Encourage Council to adopt the resolution. We have ethnic variety in Trinidad, and a thriving native community.
I don’t want to see ICE here doing what they did in Minnesota.
Ana Davis – Trinidad
I’m a naturalized citizen from Poland, brought here as a child. Things have changed. May people remind us we were not born here. This helps.
Marsha Hughes (online) – Trinidad area resident
I fully support this resolution.
03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3
Jonna Kitchen – Trinidad
I didn’t expect to feel so moved by the comments, but I support this resolution and want to speak out as a Jewish person. Not speaking out would feel remiss. I hope that our sweet town of Trinidad would see more benefit to harm in adopting this resolution.
Betsy Musick – Trinidad Bay Eatery & Gallery owner.
With an LGBTQ staff, it would be appreciated knowing that the City makes this statement.
Council comments included:
Kenny: The list of inclusive characteristics does not include political party affiliation. Are we really thinking about a bigger picture here, or are we aligning ourselves with current political divisions. Is there a presumption that we need to rebut that we’re not inclusive? Have we done something wrong? Breckenridge: If/when I see disrespect in the street, I would weigh in. Leaving anything off the list doesn’t negate the message of inclusivity.
Motion (Breckenridge/Tuttle) to approve Resolution 2026-02. 3-yes, 2-abstain (Kenny, Waskiewicz).
2. Discussion/Decision to Appoint Two Councilmembers to Represent the City in Ad-hoc Government-toGovernment (G2G) Meetings with the Trinidad Rancheria and Yurok Tribe.
Interim City Manager Adams explained that the Council conducted a round of G2G consultations in January 2026 with both the Trinidad Rancheria and Yurok Tribe.
Several ongoing items of mutual interest would benefit from continued G2G consultations. No meetings have yet been scheduled, but preparing in advance with appointed members will make the scheduling process more convenient. Staff requests the Council appoint two (2) members to participate in G2G consultations, with dates and topics yet to be determined.
Upon appointment, Staff will notify both tribal entities that City representatives have been selected and the logistics to settle on consultation dates can begin.
Public comment included:
Jacque Hostler-Carmeson – Trinidad Rancheria Executive Director Request Councilmember Kenny not be appointed for G2G with Rancheria due to prior legal disputes he was involved in against the Rancheria.
Motion (Kelly/Waskiewicz) to appoint the following Councilmembers as follows, passing unanimously:
- G2G with Yurok Tribe: Kenny (primary), Waskiewicz/Tuttle (alternates). - G2G with Rancheria: Kelly (primary), Waskiewicz/Breckenridge (alternates).
3. Update/Discussion regarding January 03, 2026 Scenic Drive Water Leak Post Incident Report.
Interim City Manager Adams explained the emergency that occurred as a result of the January 03, 2026, Scenic Drive water leak has provoked community interest in the City’s water system’s resiliency. The Council was provided a detailed account of the incident on January 13, less than a week after the boil water notice was lifted. That discussion included management, technical, and operational staff to answer questions and help cap and bookmark the incident allowing staff to return to other priority tasks.
The purpose of this update is to acknowledge customer expectations of the City to operate a reliable water system, identify hindsight perspectives learned, and apply knowledge gained to short and long-term strategies to improve operational resiliency.
Adams full report, included in the meeting packet, was organized into several sections:
Accountabilty: Referencing several reasons prompting this follow up report including the public records request submitted by a local freelance reporter conducting her own investigation for the Lost Coast Outpost, a 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4
quote referenced by the County Fifth District Supervisor during a Board of Supervisors meeting referring to the incident as a comedy of errors, comments made by residents and business owners warning not to use the incident as an excuse to consider alternative water sources, and the request by Councilmember Waskiewicz for staff to return to Council with lessons learned.
Initial incident response: Detailing the leak location, pipe material that ruptured, weather conditions during the leak and following the repair, the water plant alarm and SCADA system data, mobilization, and analysis that included the following summary:
• While running numerous scenarios and analysis evaluating the minimum time this incident would have required under optimal circumstances, staff determined that it would have taken at least 3 hours from first alarm notice to sufficiently review the data and gather input needed to determine the gravity of the situation and execute a response plan.
By comparison, it took water department staff just over 4.5 hours from initial response to stabilization, during the overnight hours in extreme weather conditions. Considering the unprecedented set of circumstances surrounding the incident, including the fact that our team of young operators have never experienced a leak of this size and scope, the response was outstanding.
Stabilize and Evaluate: In order to stabilize the system, staff acted quickly to analyze variables and challenges ahead, starting a thorough evaluation to rule out further damages to system components, verifying the water quality remaining in the distribution system, replenishing water storage, and restoring service to all customers affected by the line break. “All-hands” staff and Council participated in the response. The following summary was provided:
• Considering that the City has been working diligently since 2023 to rebuild the entire operation staff from scratch, with three of the four operators have less than 2.5 years of experience in this profession, and three of the four receiving their T2 certifications within the last 18 months, this dedicated team responded fast, professionally, thoughtfully, and in a manner that deserves recognition by the community it serves.
Recover and Report: Adams noted that the boil water notice was lifted after state water regulators required two consecutive, bacteria-free samples in the 72-hour sampling period spanning January 04-07. Water operators maintained 24-hour coverage of the treatment plant from January 03-11 when the conservation alert was lifted.
Several staff meetings were held to evaluate the incident, focus on areas of improvement, and identify possible grant projects that aim to prevent or minimize incidents and recovery time. A full report was presented to the Council on January 13 with all staff present for questioning. • In summary, the water system recovered from a full storage loss in 7.5 days. Although equipment failure added approximately one day to the optimal recovery timeline, the maximum pumping intake and treatment rating for this plant, under a conservation alert in January, with Luffenholtz Creek in a highly turbid condition, would have taken a minimum of six (6) full days to recover from, leaving the water storage in a vulnerable state for at least four (4) days following a full storage system loss.
Furthermore, incident reporting transparency provides leadership the best tools for governing when impacts ripple beyond convenience. The economic impacts of these situations are real, and provide excellent reference for capital improvement prioritization, budgeting, and long-range planning.
Improvements/Enhanced Procedures: Several internal procedure improvements have been initiated following the January 03 event, along with short and long-term equipment improvements identified:
- Operators have updated their procedure requiring the on-call operator to carry an independent water alarm phone.
- Enhanced pre-storm checklists reviewed in preparation incoming weather that has real potential to damage the facility, distribution system, and spike raw water turbidity. - Continued collaboration with the City Engineer and Grant team to consider developing infrastructure improvements that;
o Will help make trucking water to the tanks more efficient. 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5
o Provide power to the tank site to enable remote valve operation. o Reduce treatment complications during periods of extreme turbidity. - Develop procedures with detailed troubleshooting outlines for unprecedented, rapid loss of pressure response protocols.
Conclusions: The unprecedented nature and magnitude of this event was a learning experience for all of us.
There has not been a pipe rupture of this significance in several decades. The City’s water treatment plant was built in 1970, and the distribution system is a mix of pipe ranging from new, to over 70 years old, with segments along Scenic Drive being vulnerable to erosion.
The City lost a T3 Operator in 2021 who was the last in a 40-year institutional wisdom chain, leaving the City with no choice but to hire an outside contractor at the tail end of the Covid pandemic. The City chose to not spare any expense that would compromise public health, and in doing so depleted the reserves in a short period of time.
In 2023 the City began hiring a new bench of water operators in training, led by a homegrown employee Kyle Shipman, to rebound from the dark period and shortage of qualified T3 operators that were skilled enough and willing to handle the demands of the aging Luffenholtz Creek treatment facility. The City began training operators in 2024, and in 2025 three of the four obtained T2 status, with one achieving T3 level certification in February.
In October 2024, following six months of conducting the first water rate study since 2012, the City knowingly implemented a new rate structure that did not achieve the financial goals necessary to meet operating benchmarks, reserve targets, and capital improvement needs, due to strong affordability concerns expressed by customers. The rates were characterized as sufficient to “stop the bleeding”, but would not achieve necessary funding to adequately meet medium and long-range improvement needs.
The City water team is young, engaged, creative, dedicated, and hard-working. They are heroes in the sense that they utilize the resources they are given to do everything in their power to deliver safe, reliable drinking water to every customers tap, 24/7, 365 days a year. The City is invested in their success, and situations like this, although unfortunate, cultivate experienced operators that will be more valuable as a result.
Council questions included:
Breckenridge: Supervisor Madrone was quoted in the Lost Coast Outpost article stating the town should be upset at how the water system has been managed. I thought this was unfair.
Kenny: Would like to know more about improvements that will help trucks fill the tanks with water in an emergency.
Tuttle: We need power to the tank site, and battery service to bridge power outage interruptions. WCSD just got a grant for solar and battery service. Adams noted power to the site was a component of the original tank and pipeline grant project, but the scope had to be reduced due to rising costs and supply chain issues.
Waskiewicz: Thanks for diving into the post fire incident reports and using them as a guide to help our city respond and learn.
Kelly: We need to be constructive about the fact we have an aging water system, we’ve been successful at getting grants for upgrades, but we have serious challenges. I disagree that the system has been mismanaged.
That is not fact based. We have had challenges finding management. Our fiscal responsibility was to handle the recent transition, and we did. I was there first thing in the morning when I learned about the break. Public Works team was working frantically to resolve it. Implementing some procedures to make sure this doesn’t happen again is crucially important. The Council has been discussing whether or not to continue with the feasibility study to connect to Humboldt Bay Municipal, and there are a number of members of the community who do not think we should do that. There’s a desire to make sure that the City is held accountable for how we’re managing water, as opposed to make the case that the infrastructure is aged and outdated and we need to connect to Humboldt Bay. I have no intention to use this situation to argue one way or another, but this is 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 6
what we’re seeing in the news reporting. People should be more considerate of how hard our staff works. We need to revisit our water rates. I’m also concerned about the revenue lost by businesses as well.
Public comment included:
Henry Cox – Trinidad
The water system cannot afford to have 24/7 staff coverage, but there are very simple flow meters that can be installed to monitor leaks and automate parts of the system. Backflow devices would be required if residences and businesses had storage tanks for use in emergency situations. Businesses that experience loss typically insurance for business interruption.
Elaine Weinreb – Trinidad area resident
What is the status of the emergency intertie project? Adams explained that the leak occurred prior to the final construction completion deadline of January 15. In an emergency, WCSD could only provide the City with 20,000 gallons per day. The City received this amount of water in less than 4 hours from the trucking company.
Paula Levine – Trinidad (via video-conference)
Some people do not want Trinidad to connect to Humboldt Bay Municipal. It’s a complicated issue. There are no guarantees with anything in life. Waskiewicz pointed out very important fire resiliency issues. People who live near vacant lots don’t want them developed. The Council has not clarified, in depth, a response for this.
People are also in fear of what the Rancheria plans to build. The Trinidad water system is in need of major improvements.
Andrew Davis – Trinidad
I didn’t see in the report a critique of the communication system and how it can be done better. We are conditioned to look at the website, but we feel it was updated slowly. This highlighted the need to have better ways to reach out to the community. Why are we still talking about the HBMWD feasibility? Didn’t the Council already agree to it? Our infrastructure is aging. If the rates won’t cover aging infrastructure, why aren’t the rates increasing?
Ana Davis – Trinidad
As the Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce President, I too echo the real business loss concerns, and offer support during emergencies to share information. We have Cal Poly as a resource to help plan for resiliency in terms of water, fire, and emergencies. This is the kind of problem solving the university is interested in.
Jonna Kitchen – Trinidad
Resident, owner of Trinidad Retreats. Thanked staff for the detailed report. My house nearly burned to the ground many years ago, but was saved because we had water at the spigot to help put it out. Leaks happen.
Human error was catastrophic. The on-call dilemma was concerning. I applaud the solutions presented, but the transparency was an issue. People could lose their job for things like this. Prevention is huge.
Communication was slow. Is Trinidad too small to exist anymore? As a stakeholder (business owner and homeowner) water reliability is too important to ignore. Good to hear we’re looking into all sustainable options.
Revenue streams are also important. The Rancheria’s accomplishments are phenomenal. There are benefits to change.
Jacque Hostler-Carmeson – Trinidad Rancheria Executive Director The rapid growth of data centers for Ai are drastic drains on California’s water resources. Planting this seed for the next discussion of feasibility.
Betsy Musick – Trinidad Bay Eatery & Gallery Owner
Jonna Kitchen’s comments hit home. Everyone was hit hard by this incident. Everyone knows how disappointed I am, as are you, as you should be, of the lost revenue that happened. We fund you. We fund this city. It’s your job to keep staff accountable. Their response was quick and efficient. We can grow and learn from this experience. These things will happen again. It’s your responsibility to not forget what we already know. This water system needs to become resilient, quickly. We need to start upgrading our system.
New Council needs to understand the history and current situation. We should be paying higher water rates. I didn’t create this problem. I don’t like it. I don’t like the money spent managing this system, but we need to solve the problem. Businesses are suffering because you don’t have anything to give us. We’re not going to 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 7
get anywhere if we push things under the rug. I’ll continue to be here to make sure you don’t, whether you like it or not.
Steve Madrone – Trinidad area resident, 5th District County Supervisor I have a lot to offer. Fiasco was a word used when talking to the community. I did my master’s thesis on Luffenholtz Creek and lived in the headwaters for 40 years. I bill out at $100/hour but offer my expertise for free. I apologize if my comments felt severe. There was recognition that operator communication errors occurred. It doesn’t matter where your water comes from, leaky pipes need to be fixed. I helped start the Watershed Council responsible for helping you get your grants. I also have been an advocate for distributed storage, with everyone having a 5,000-gallon storage tank on their properties with a check-valve. Pipes will break in a big earthquake. A pipeline doesn’t mean you’re ready for a big fire event. There are no more hazard mitigation grants for this community. Arcata fire consumed 9,000 gallons per minute. When the creek is turbid you can’t produce water rapidly. I advise you do the study on upper watershed springs to improve your resiliency. I offer my services for free to secure more money to complete the study. I spoke with your prior T3 operator who said he left because his recommendations were not being received, and he wasn’t being compensated well enough. A second operator advised the City to install new flow sensing valves, but this technology is not in your report.
There were no further comments from the Council.
Presentation item only. No decision was made.
4. Mid-Year Budget Review/Discussion/Update.
Interim City Manager Adams explained that the purpose of this discussion is to provide a mid-year review of the FY2026 Budget approved on June 10, 2025, and to allow for questions or budget adjustments as needed.
Many of the line-item revenues and expenses are shown proportionate to this point in the fiscal year (6 months out of 12 or 50%). However, many revenues or expenses that don’t appear to be reported may only occur at certain times during the year. The statements are very useful but may require additional insight to fully understand. This is your opportunity to ask questions as needed.
Overall, the Council’s efforts in June 2025 to recognize approved budget are mostly following the expected trend with a few exceptions. The good news is the FY2026 revenues budget is as forecasted and will likely remain predictable and on track through the remainder of the year for both the General Funds and Special/Restricted accounts. Of course, there is always the caveat that unforeseen events could change this forecast.
GENERAL FUND: Four primary expense funds (Administration, Police, Fire, and Public Works) are supported by discretionary revenue received through taxes and fees for service.
One hot spot to monitor is the City Attorney and consultant fees (Planning & Engineering) related to the trial litigation, with expenses projected to bloom considerably in advance and during the court hearings. These line items are projected to nearly double from what was originally budgeted, with substantial offsets being carried by management and special projects positions carrying a large portion of the consolidated staffing loads.
WATER FUND: One of the main areas of focus for the FY2026 budget was to provide a continued effort to stabilize the Water Fund. As a reminder, the Water Fund is considered an “enterprise” or “special revenue” fund. This means that it must sustain itself completely through user (customer) rates. The Council, by resolution, made a very rare, one-time $300,000 infusion of general fund revenues to the stabilize the Water Fund in FY2025 after high operating costs depleted the 1.2 million the capital reserve.
Also in FY2025 the Council implemented new water rates beginning October 01, 2024. The rate increased 10% nine months later on July 01, 2025. The rates are scheduled to continue to increase 10% on July 01 for the next three years.
The City has continued its reliance on the contracted T3 Interim Water Plant Operator service, hired on March 19, 2025 to replace Coleman Engineering. Relief will soon come when in-house operator Carl Anderson 03-10-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 8
receives confirmation back from the State Water Board that his certification application has been issued. The City is currently paying interim, contracted CPO Eric Sanders $4,000/month.
An in-depth technical analysis of the water fund is currently underway, so before sharing any thoughts or preliminary conclusions with this report, staff will wait to provide this information when RCAC completes their study.
REVENUES: Sales and Occupancy taxes are reporting slightly below projections. Sales Tax as of January 31: $174,193 (Approved budget of $385,000). Transient Occupancy Tax: $92,613 (Approved budget of $225,000). Property Taxes (first installment) have not been received and recorded to the financial statements yet.
MID-YEAR FY2026 BUDGET AMENDMENTS: The following budget amendments were approved by the Council in FY2025, and FY2026. Budget adjustments will be made and reflected in the quarter ending March 31 statements to aid in final FY2027 budget development; - Town Hall Building Fund 201/78160, $140,000 (Windows, Rot Repair, Painting, etc.) - Fire Fund 401/75300, $20,000 contribution to CSA 4 Fire Planning - Water Fund 601/78190, approximately $40k offset to expenses from Measure Z grant award. - Water Fund 601/75300, approximately $30k over due to bulk water purchase on January 03 leak.
There were no public comments.
Council received the report and continued budget discussions to May.
5. Staff Activity Report – February 2026.
Interim City Manager Adams included the full report in the packet, but highlighted several focus points:
- AT&T/Verizon cell phone connectivity issue has been resolved. - PG&E streetlight issue is being addressed. We are hoping to have all streetlights retrofitted soon. - Measure Z grant application for $17,000 in water system improvements was not successful. - Town Hall sign is currently being painted.
There were no public comment.
Report only. No decision was made.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- CSA 4 North County Fire Planning Update
ADJOURNMENT: 8:45pm.
Submitted by: Approved by:
_____________________________ _____________________________ Gabriel Adams Cheryl Kelly
Trinidad City Clerk Mayor