07-14-2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRINIDAD CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2026 (LIVE/HYBRID)
I. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Kelly called the live-hybrid meeting to order at 6:00pm. Council members in attendance: Kelly, Kenny, Tuttle, Breckenridge, and Waskiewicz. City Staff in attendance: City Clerk/Interim City Manager Gabriel Adams, Special Project Manager Angela Cather, and Administrative Assistant Anton Souza. Approximately (3) 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
2. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation (Calif. Gov. Code Section 54956.9(d)(1)) (1 Case: Yurok Tribe v.
City of Trinidad, et. al, U.S. District Court (Northern Dist.) 1:26-cv-05240)
3. Personnel Exception 54957 - City Manager Performance Evaluation IV. RECONVENE TO OPEN SESSION – No reportable action taken.
V. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Motion (Kenny/Breckenridge) to approve the agenda as submitted. Passed unanimously.
VI. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – 06/09/2026 cc
Motion (Waskiewicz/Tuttle) to approve the minutes as written. Passed 4-0. Kenny abstained due to not having time to review the minutes.
VII. COUNCIL REPORTS/COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Tuttle: Nothing to report.
Kenny: HCAOG discussed LTF/Tranist allocation to each jurisdiction for FY2027.
Kelly: Attended the LAFCO meeting on May 20. Budget discussion, membership selection committee, and my last meeting serving as Trinidad’s representative.
Waskiewicz: Nothing to report.
VIII.PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT – City Manager & Law Enforcement HCSO Lt. Kyle Holt was not able to attend. Interim City Manager Adams summarized stats included in the meeting packet and thanked the public safety team for all their effort keeping the community safe and patrolled.
IX. ITEMS FROM THE FLOOR.
(Three (3) minute limit per Speaker unless Council approves request for extended time.) Rodney Oien – North Coast Childrens Services
6 students have been enrolled in Salmonberry Preschool so far. Targeting 8. Parents grassroot fundraising effort has raised nearly $12,000 as well. We’ll update the Council in September on enrollment and fundraising targets.
Cecelia Linarte – Trinidad Area resident, Salmonberry parent and site representative Read a prepared statement. Summarized Salmonberry Preschool program purpose and importance to the community. $12k has been raised so far to help Salmonberry this year, with a $30k target. Thanked donors and Rodney Oien for support, and encouraged the community to continue investing in this program.
Ashley Mazonti – Trinidad School parent
Noticed a large clearcut east of Trinidad on Green Diamond timber land and believe it is the cause of numerous wildlife encounters and out-of-character behavior in town lately. Expressed concern for how environmental issues will affect school enrollment.
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X. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Financial Statements – May 2026
2. Law Enforcement Report – June 2026.
3. Designation of the City of Trinidad’s Voting Delegate for the General Assembly at the 2026 League of California Cities Annual Conference.
Motion (Breckenridge/Tuttle) to approve the consent agenda as submitted. Passed unanimously.
Xl. DISCUSSION/ACTION AGENDA ITEMS
1. Discussion/Presentation regarding 2024 Water Rate Study & Budget Performance Technical Memorandum Issued by Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC).
Interim City Manager Adams introduced the discussion and RCAC representative Samantha Ryan who conducted the 2024 Rate Analysis and the budget performance technical review dated July 08, 2026, included in the meeting packet.
Ryan explained that RCAC reviewed the City of Trinidad Water Fund’s current financial performance compared with the assumptions developed in the 2024 water rate study. Overall, the Water Fund appears to be in a stronger near-term position than originally projected, primarily due to reduced contract operator costs, supplemented by non-water sales revenue in FYE 2026 and unexpected connection fee revenue projected in FYE 2027. As a result, the General Fund loan assumed in the 2024 rate study is not expected to be necessary to balance the budget during the current planning period, barring an emergency or significant change in operating conditions.
The updated projections indicate that annual revenues are generally sufficient to cover operation and maintenance expenses through FYE 2030. However, the analysis also shows that the Water Fund is not expected to fully fund recommended operating, emergency, and capital reserves under the current rate schedule. While the Water Fund is projected to make a net transfer to reserves of approximately $96,946 from FYE 2025 through FYE 2031, the projected reserve funding shortfall over the same period is approximately $938,580.
Based on these findings, Ryan encouraged the City to continue annual budget monitoring, track reserve balances separately from annual operating performance, and begin planning for an updated water rate study in 2029. The next rate study should establish a new five-year rate schedule for FYE 2030 through FYE 2034 and evaluate whether additional reserve funding should be incorporated while maintaining consideration for customer affordability.
Council comments/questions included:
Kenny: Doesn’t the law state that water systems can only charge for the cost of serving water? Kenny also noted how hookup fees can be substantial in years to come, and the City may end up exploring extending water service if other analysis in progress falls into place. Ryan explained that collecting for reserves is part of the cost of serving water.
Kelly: This is a positive and very informative report, which concludes that the anticipated $300k loan may not be needed. The negative side is there is no reserve funding, and we may be relying on one-time hookup/connection fees to gain revenue.
There were no public comments.
By consensus, the Council accepted the report and thanked RCAC staff for the good work put into the review.
2. Discussion/Presentation regarding FY2025 Audit Report Audit Prepared by JJACPA.
Interim City Manager presented the audit and pointed out several highlights identified on specific pages:
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- How revenue sources have continued to rise above property taxes, and how the independent auditor report acknowledges Trinidad’s reliance on the tourism economy to support itself. - How despite the $300k gift from the general fund to the water fund, the City’s general fund earned enough of a surplus to decrease the year end loss to just over $200k, preserving the reserve balance for additional capital improvements in FY2026.
Council comment/questions included:
Tuttle: Expressed his willingness to support Salmonberry if supplemental funding is needed to keep the program going.
There were no public comments.
By consensus, the Council unanimously accepted the FY2025 Audited Financial Statements.
3. November 2026 City Council Election Calendar Update.
Interim City Manager explained that the candidate nomination period is open and will close on August 07 for any seats with incumbents filing, and August 12 for those without incumbents filing.
There were no Council or public comments.
Information item only.
4. Staff Activity Report – June 2026.
Report only, included in the meeting packet. Interim City Manager highlighted various projects and accomplishments.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
- Honoring Mary Klein and Dorothy Cox for their service to the community pickup up litter. - Salmonberry funding support.
- Leak Detection contract.
- Comparative Analysis/TA application status.
ADJOURNMENT: 8:30pm.
Submitted by: Approved by:
_____________________________ _____________________________ Gabriel Adams Cheryl Kelly
Trinidad City Clerk Mayor