111 E. Commercial Street
Willits, California 95490
Tel | 707.459.4601
Fax | 707.459.1562
www.cityofwillits.org
WILLITS CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 | 6:30 PM | VIA TELECONFERENCE
Due to the provisions of the Governor’s new Executive Orders N-15-21 (Assembly Bill 361) which continues to suspend certain requirements of the Brown Act, and the Order of the Health Officer of the County of Mendocino to impose/recommend measures to promote social distancing to minimize the spread of COVID-19, the City Council will be participating by tele/video conference.
TELECONFERENCING ATTENDANCE INSTRUCTIONS
How to attend this Council meeting remotely – See end of the agenda.
1. OPENING MATTERS
a. Call to Order. | b. Pledge to Flag. | c. Roll Call.
2. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
The City Council welcomes participation in its meetings. Comments shall be limited to three (3) minutes per person so that everyone has an opportunity to address the Council. To expedite matters and avoid repetition, whenever any group of persons wishes to address the Council on the same subject matter, the Mayor may request the group appoints a spokesperson. This item is limited to matters under the jurisdiction of the City Council, which are not on the posted agenda. Public criticism of the City Council, Commission, Boards and Agencies will not be prohibited. The City Council will take no action.
3. PUBLIC MATTERS
a. Update from Mendocino County Third District Supervisor John Haschak. b. Emily Tecchio, Mendocino County Fire Safe Council & Fire Chief Carter, Little Lake Fire District.
Presentation of Measure P, County Essential Services Sales Tax.
4. ENACTMENT OF ORDINANCES
a. None.
5. CONSENT CALENDAR
The City Council considers matters listed under the Consent Calendar as routine. The Council will take action with a single motion and roll call vote. A Councilmember may request the removal of an item(s) from the Consent Calendar for separate discussion and subsequent action.
The following items as presented are before the City Council for approval or denial:
a. City Council Minutes:
i. September 14, 2022.
6. MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORTS
Matters that do not require action by the City Council but are of public interest. a. None.
Willits City Council Agenda – September 28, 2022.
7. COMMISSIONS, AGENCIES AND AUTHORITIES
The Willits City Council meets concurrently as the City of Willits Planning Commission & City of Willits Successor Agency.
8. CITY MANAGER REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
a. Agreement Between the Willits Chamber of Commerce and the City of Willits for the Allocation of Transient Occupancy Tax.
b. Verbal Reports.
9. DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS (ACTION ITEMS)
a. Presentation by Finance Director Regarding Audited Financial Statements for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2020.
Presenting staff member: Manuel Orozco, Finance Director.
10. DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORTS
a. Airport. b. Community Dev. c. Engineering. d. Finance. e. Police Dept. f. Public Works. g. Utilities.
11. CITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS, COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS a. Tobacco Retailers Licensing Ad Hoc Committee
12. GOOD & WELFARE
13. CLOSED SESSION NOTICE
a. None.
14. ADJOURNMENT
Right to Appeal - Persons who are dissatisfied with the decisions of the City Council may have the right to a review of that decision by a court. The City has adopted Section 1094.6 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which generally limits to 90- days, the time within an individual and/or entity may judicially challenge the decisions of the City Boards and Agencies.
I hereby certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that I posted the foregoing Agenda on the bulletin board at the main entrance of the City of Willits City Hall, located at 111 East Commercial Street, Willits, California, not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting set forth on this Agenda.
Dated this 22nd day of September 2022.
Delores Pedersen, City Clerk
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance
If you need assistance to attend or participate in a City Council meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s office at (707) 459-7121 or Fax (707) 459-1562. Notification at least 48-hours prior to the meeting will assist the City Clerk in assuring the implementation of reasonable accommodations to provide accessibility to the meeting. Our meeting room is wheelchair accessible and ADA parking is available.
Additional Meeting Information for Interested Parties
Materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the Willits City Council, Planning Commission, or Community Development Agency after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at City Clerk’s office at 111 E. Commercial Street, Willits, during normal business hours, Monday through Thursday 9 AM to 5:30 PM.
Willits City Council Agenda – September 28, 2022.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING – ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE
To attend the City Council meeting of Wednesday, September 28, 2022, electronically, please do the following:
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Phone:
• Dial in: +1 323-676-6169
• Punch in the following Access Code when prompted: 797 377 686# • Please keep your phone on Mute, unless you are addressing the Council. • When calling in on a landline or cell phone press *6 to mute and unmute your phone.
Public Comments:
• Members of the public wishing to address the City Council, either during public comment or for a specific agenda item, or both, will be limited to three (3) minutes per person at the time the Mayor opens the item for public comments.
Measure P - Sales Tax (County-wide). Measure P, Shall Ordinance No. 4510 be adopted to impose a general tax, an additional transaction (sales) and use tax of one quarter cent (0.25%) within Mendocino County to fund essential services, including fire protection and prevention? Such tax is estimated to raise $4,000,000 annually for ten (10) years, after which it will expire.
Argument in Favor of Measure P
Measure P will help stabilize our fire departments and ramp up fire prevention efforts without raising taxes.
Measure P is Essential Support for our Fire Departments.
Our fire seasons have gotten more intense, and will continue to worsen. Local fire departments on the front line are dedicated professionals—largely volunteers—and on-call 24/7 because they care deeply about their local communities and neighbors.
They need your support now. Fire-related calls to our local departments are rising annually—by 52% over the past 5 years. Simultaneously, the costs of equipment, training, and insurance have skyrocketed (by law, each department must provide workers compensation and liability insurance). Our fire departments desperately need this funding to continue to provide high-quality emergency response within our communities. Measure P funds would help ensure that they and their volunteers have the support they need to continue to serve and protect their communities. 10% of the funding will also strengthen the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC)’s efforts to reduce or prevent wildfire losses.
Measure P Will Not Increase Your Taxes
Measure P will reallocate a 1/4 cent of an existing, sunsetting sales tax to be distributed 90% to our local fire departments and 10% to ramp up fire-prevention services for 10 years. Your current taxes will not increase.
Measure P Funds Will be Spent as Promised
Funding is intended to go directly to local fire departments using a formula that has already been established and agreed upon. There is no ambiguity or discretion. The watchful eyes of our 20 fire chiefs and their district boards will be on it. Since the tax sunsets in 10 years, voters will have the opportunity then to reassess the benefits of this tax allocation.
RESOLUTION NO. 22-159
RESOLUTION OF THE MENDOCINO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STATING INTENT
TO USE NEW SALES TAX REVENUE FOR FIRE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION WHEREAS, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has asked the voters, at the November 2022 election, to approve a sales tax in the amount of one quarter cent (0.25%) for a period of ten (10) years; and
WHEREAS, the proposed sales tax is a general tax, and may legally be used for any valid county purpose and as such it may not be obvious to the public or future boards why the additional revenues are needed or how the Board of Supervisors intends to spend them ; and WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors believes that the voters need this information in order to make a fully informed and responsible decision but wanted to avoid statements in the ordinance that might mislead voters into believing that the funds would be legally restricted; and WHEREAS, over the last several years, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has begun to provide direct financial assistance to local fire protection agencies, which are struggling to keep up with the historic level of wildfires, an erosion of available resources and volunteers, increasing costs of providing emergency medical services, and other challenges; and WHEREAS, these agencies routinely respond to emergencies outside of their borders, and the services provided by these agencies are of critical importance to all residents and visitors of Mendocino County; and
WHEREAS, needs and challenges facing Mendocino County fire protection agencies are expected to increase, but the financial assistance that Mendocino County is capable of providing will not, absent a new revenue stream; and
WHEREAS, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors wishes to create additional revenue sources for these services, and to create political accountability for any future boards that might consider reducing the spending in this area to support other governmental functions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that:
It is the intent of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to use any new revenues from the proposed sales tax to fund fire protection and prevention, with 90% of the new revenue to be spent on direct aid to those agencies providing direct fire protection services and 10% to assist in fire prevention, resiliency and readiness efforts.
The Board intends that the 90% used for direct aid to agencies providing direct fire protection services be allocated in the same manner as the Board has allocated Proposition 172 funds. Specifically, 40% of the 90% (36% of the total new revenue) will be distributed evenly among local agencies, with the remaining 60% (54% of total) allocated based on relative population size of those agencies. The Board intends that the 10% for fire prevention, resiliency and readiness shall be used solely to plan, finance and operate ongoing county-wide programs including but not limited to community chipping service, defensible space assistance and home hardening assistance.
Should the proposed tax be enacted, the Board of Supervisors requests that the independently elected Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax-Collector provide, pursuant to Government Code section 29044, a public report to the Board of Supervisors including the portion of projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal year attributable to the one quarter cent (0.25%) sales tax increase.
Every year after the effective date of this Resolution, the Board intends that all revenues and expenditures will be reviewed by Board of Supervisors and will be available to review by the public through the County's budget document and website.
The foregoing Resolution introduced by Supervisor Mulheren, seconded by Supervisor McGourty, and carried this 12th day of July, 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
Supervisors McGourty, Mulheren, Haschak, Gjerde, and Williams None
ABSENT: None
WHEREUPON, the Chair declared said Resolution adopted a ATTEST:
Deputy
DARCIE ANTLE
Clerk of the Board
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
CHRISTIAN M. CURTIS
County Counsel
~ Vv-,. k
TED WILLIAMS,
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors
I hereby certify that according to the
provisions of Government Code Section
25103, delivery of this document has
been made.
BY: DARCIE ANTLE
Clerk of the Board
Deputy
ver 4 November 2022 Ballot Measure - Proposed Sales Tax - Fire Agency Allocations 6/27/2022 Estimated Total Tax (enter amount) : $ 4,666,667 (based on $7,000,000 projected revenues for 3/8's ȼ tax) Fire Agencies 90% (calculated) : 4,200,000 County Population (2020 Census) : 91,601 MC Fire Safe Council 10% (calculated) : 466,667
Agency Numbers: 22 (includes 2 cities in JPA's)
Total Basic Allocation (enter %) : 1,680,000 40% Total Population Allocation (calculated) : 2,520,000 60% Basic $ per agency (calculated) : 76,364 per capita amount $ (calculated) : 27.51 District/Agency Name JPA Basic JPA's Population (8) % Tot Pop JPA's Population Distrib JPA's total alloc % total 1 76,364 1,447 1.58% 39,811 116,174 2.77%
2 76,364 3,189 3.48% 87,744 164,107 3.91%
3 76,364 3,483 3.80% 95,809 172,172 4.10%
4 76,364 521 0.57% 14,328 90,692 2.16%
5 76,364 2,750 3.00% 75,646 152,010 3.62%
6 76,364 390 0.43% 10,725 87,089 2.07%
7 Fort Bragg City FD 76,364 7,537 8.23% 207,347
8 Fort Bragg Rural FPD 76,364 7,770 8.48% 213,754
9 76,364 1,965 2.14% 54,053 130,417 3.11%
10 76,364 461 0.50% 12,670 89,033 2.12%
11 76,364 9,156 10.00% 251,877 328,241 7.82%
12 76,364 2,574 2.81% 70,813 147,176 3.50%
13 76,364 2,848 3.11% 78,363 154,727 3.68%
14 76,364 131 0.14% 3,604 79,967 1.90%
15 76,364 1,981 2.16% 54,511 130,875 3.12%
16 76,364 1,788 1.95% 49,191 125,555 2.99%
17 76,364 7,107 7.76% 195,507 271,871 6.47%
18 76,364 1,777 1.94% 48,877 125,240 2.98%
19 Ukiah City FD 76,364 16,499 18.01% 453,905
20 Ukiah Valley FPD 76,364 17,743 19.37% 488,110
21 76,364 278 0.30% 7,636 84,000 2.00%
22 76,364 208 0.23% 5,720 82,084 1.95%
Totals: 1,680,000 91,601 100% 54% 2,520,000 4,200,000 100% 2/8's ȼ Fire/EMS County-wide Sales Tax - 90% to Fire Agencies, 10% to MC Fire Safe Council
13.66%
1,094,742 26.07%
Westport VFC
Whale Gulch VFC
Redwood Coast FPD
Redwood Valley-Calpella FD
South Coast FPD
Ukiah Valley Fire
Authority (1) 152,727 37.38% 942,015
Potter Valley CSD
Elk CSD
Fort Bragg
Fire Authority (1) 152,727 421,101
Leggett Valley FPD
Little Lake FPD
Long Valley FPD
Mendocino FPD
Piercy FPD
573,828
Hopland/Sanel Valley FPD
Albion-Little River FPD
Anderson Valley CSD
Brooktrails Township CSD
Comptche CSD
Covelo FPD
16.71%
0 0.175
0.35 0.525
0.7 CURRENT PROPOSED IN 10 YEARS
Mental Health Libraries Sunsets Fire Safety
MENDOCINO COUNTY SALES TAXPROPOSED REALLOCATIONS
by Measure O (Libraries) and Measure P (Fire Safety). Note 3/8-cent of Mental Health portion is sunsetting, as taxpayer-approved infrastructure funds will have been fully collected. 1/2-cent
1/8-cent
1/8-cent 1/8-cent
1/4-cent
1/4-cent
1/4-cent
Sales Tax 1/4-cent
on each
$1 spent:
All totals =
5/8 of 1 cent.
Total County
sales tax is
1.375%; only
the changing
portions are
shown here.
111 E. COMMERCIAL STREET
WILLITS, CALIFORNIA 95490
(707) 459-4601 TEL
(707) 459-1562 FAX
WILLITS CITY COUNCIL
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
Mayor Rodriguez called a regular meeting of the City Council to order at 6:30 p.m., via teleconference/video conference. The meeting was preceded by the pledge to the flag.
Roll Call: Councilmembers Madge Strong, Gerardo Gonzalez, Larry Stranske, and Mayor Saprina Rodriguez were present.
Also present were staff members: Brian Bender City Manager; Jim Lance, City Attorney; Fabian Lizarraga, Police Chief; Dusty Duley, Community Development Director; Manuel Orozco, Finance Director; Taylor Perry, City Planner; and Delores Pedersen City Clerk.
Due to the provisions of the Governor’s new Executive Order N-15-21 (Assembly Bill 361) which continues to suspend certain requirements of the Brown Act, and the Order of the Health Officer of the County of Mendocino to continue to impose/recommend measures to promote social distancing to minimize the spread of COVID19, the City Council will be participating by tele/video conferencing.
2. Public Communications
Durriya Syed, Outreach Analyst for California Department of Insurance gave an update on work that the Department of Insurance has been doing on behalf of the City of Willits Community.
Larry Olsen expressed his gratitude for the Council starting an Ad Hoc Committee regarding the Tobacco Retail Ordinance.
3. Public Matters
None presented.
4. Enactment of Ordinances
None presented.
5. Consent Calendar
The following item(s) are recommended for approval or denial, as follows:
a. City Council Minutes:
i. August 24, 2022
c. Approve Contract with Michael Ceratto’s Cleaning Service and Janitorial Services at City Hall and Public Works/Engineering Department, in an Annual Amount not to Exceed $22320 Per Year, for Fiscal Years 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. d. Approve Contract with David Edgar (Mendocino Janitorial) for Janitorial Services at the Willits Police Department, in an Annual Amount not to Exceed $19, 800 Per year, for Fiscal Years 2022-2023 to 2023-2024.
Public Comment: None presented.
Willits City Council Minutes of September 14, 2022 Page 2 of 5 Moved by Gonzalez/Seconded by Stranske and carried (4/0 - Kanne Absent) to approve Consent Calendar item(s) (a, c & d).
b. Resolution Ratifying and extending for an Additional 30-days, Approval of Continuing Virtual City Council, Commission, and Committee Meetings pursuant to AB 361. After Council and Staff discussion it was decided to go back to in person meetings starting October 12, 2022.
Public Comment: None presented.
Moved by Gonzalez/Seconded by Stranske and carried (4/0 - Kanne Absent) to approve Consent Calendar item(s) (b).
6. Monthly Activity Reports
Matters that do not require action by the City Council but are of public interest. a. Business License Activity for August 2022.
7. Commissions, Agencies and Authorities
None presented.
8. City Manager Reports and Recommendations
a. Discussion and Possible Action to Change 1.0 FTE Office Assistant III to 1.0 FTE Administrative Specialist.
Moved by Gonzalez/Seconded by Rodriguez and carried (4/0 - Kanne Absent) to approve Consent Calendar item(s) (a).
b. Verbal Reports
City Hall Renovations – Contractor will be here next week to finish up the last remaining items and install the security gates for the service counters.
The milled counter tops may be ready for installation by the middle of October. Local contractor Jay Fraser will be doing the wall in the City Clerk office.
Update on Athletic Field Usage – Currently Soccer use is in progress at the fields. The City recognizes that we have limited field space and is looking into a new policy that addresses need and gives us the ability to manage use requests. Hope to have the policy out in October so it may be in place in January 2023.
City Manager Bender reported on the Walker Fire incident at the Water Treatment Plant. Water Department staff under Justin “Rowdy” Vigil and Scott Herman put in long hours and were put in questionable situations during the fire. Not only did they ensure that the Surface Water Facility was protected but staff provided assistance to CalFire and the Little Lake Fire District Personnel, Drew Gillespy was helping and coordinating fire efforts through CalFire and Little Lake Fire District. There were no damages sustained at the Water Treatment Plant. The fire agencies did a great job creating a line of defense around the facility, we recognize that we are going to have to do some tree thinning to enhance the protection of the facility.
Public Comment: None presented.
Willits City Council Minutes of September 14, 2022 Page 3 of 5
9. Department Recommendations (Action Items)
None presented.
10. Department Monthly Reports (ONLY SECOND MEETING OF EACH MONTH) None presented.
11. City Council Announcements, Communications and Reports Councilmember Stranske – Would like a raise for the Council to be put on a future agenda. Mayor Rodriguez asked if he has spoken to City Manager Bender or City Attorney Lance. There are limitations on how much Council can be paid based on the size of the city population.
Councilmember Gonzalez – Attended the Cal Cities League Conference September 7 – 9. We share a lot of the same issues across the state, water is one of the big issues all over.
Attended LAFCO on Monday, there was a joint workshop with the City of Ukiah and the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District. They were in a legal situation similar to us and Brooktrails, they are working together now and moving forward. Ukiah is in the middle of updating their General Plan. A lot of this has to do with them cross pollinating Ukiah Valley with the services they both provide. They are trying to figure out how Ukiah and the Sanitation District moves forward with annexation and realigning services.
Mayor Rodriguez asked if at the next meeting Councilmember Gonzalez could give more of a report on the Hot Topics that were at the Conference. City Manager Bender responded that Housing was a big topic and what the state is going to do with the billiondollar surplus, will this be funneled back to local jurisdictions? This did not seem to attract a lot of interest. They also went over some of the more questionable bills that are on the governor’s desk for review and possible signature. There was a lot of good discussion relating to a meeting that both Councilmember Gonzalez and City Manager Bender attended on Development and Impact Fees, we agreed we need to look at them here on several fronts. City Manager Bender attended a session on mobile vendors and parklets and the importance of codifying them. The overall theme was housing, economic development, good governance. Making sure Councilmembers are informed in relationship to managers, administrators, and key staff. How to get the media involved and how to engage the public. Councilmember Gonzalez added that there were sessions on the Paradise Fire and the Santa Rosa Fire, this was part of the social media topic. They mentioned managing the message of social media so that it is coming from the city and not individual councilmembers because of the laws pertaining to social media. Mayor Rodriguez asked if some of the conversations were the same as what they had talked about when they attended the Mendocino County Housing Summit or was there topics that were missed, and we should think about them.
Councilmember Gonzalez commented that at the state level there is a big issue with EDU’s, while we may welcome them here, in some cities they have issues with infrastructure and planning them. It is not that they are against EDU’s, in some areas it is causing issues because of the state making a broad law and it is coming back to the community they may not be able to support the infrastructure that is causes. The City of Willits may have lots of room on the lots here, but in the metropolitan areas they are built out. They are lamenting that it should not be a cookie cutter sort of thing because it is not.
Councilmember Strong – Had a meeting with the Economic Development Financing Committee (EDFC), continues to have a very good loan portfolio. Continuing to improve loans and receive federal funds available to them for the loans. EDFC needs to coordinate with other Economic Development entities not only within our county but also multi county. Sonoma Mendocino Economic Development (SMED) the WEST Company will be the Mendocino Agency that will interact with SMED. EDFC and WEST Willits City Council Minutes of September 14, 2022 Page 4 of 5 Company are trying to continue to keep lines of communication and collaboration open.
This is good news because we are aware of not duplicating the same tasks and the county gets the most benefit from both agencies. Attending Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (MSWMA) tomorrow. Councilmember Strong is disappointed that there is nothing on paper for tomorrow’s meeting regarding the contracting out some of the basic tasks that MSWMA has done in the past, they are aware that they are not doing the tasks in the remote areas including Willits. The staffing of MSWMA is down to three people. Jim Brown is running for re-election. She is hoping he will continue as chair because his institutional knowledge is extremely important, and he is working with the small staff to keep things going. Jim Brown and Tim Ericson from the City of Ukiah are in the midst of negotiating with C&S for what will be happening with the private contracting out of those services. She wants to emphasize to our Council that an absolute requirement will be that C&S restore all the services out to the remote communities, which includes the coast and north county. We need that as an essential part of what MSWMA is supposed to do. She states that tomorrow’s meeting will probably be just general discussion but is hopeful that the next meeting after that we will have a written contact for how these services are going to be provide. She stated that the one-time contribution that was approved has enabled MSWMA to have all the hazardous waste that was stored at the facility taken to where it could be disposed of properly. The one-time contribution also enabled a reserve which will allow MSWMA to receive grant funding. Jim Robbins is helping MSWMA receive grants for things that have been neglected. MSWMA in the future should be able to be self-financed with grants and tipping fee. This is be looked at in the contract negotiations that is underway right now.
Mayor Rodrigues – Attended the Mendocino Housing Summit with City Manager Bender, Councilmember Gonzalez and several City Staff. She appreciated the effort that went into facilitating the opportunity to really brainstorm on the small and big ways that we can solve the housing issue within Mendocino County and how each city came together to collaborate.
Mayor Rodriguez attended the meeting in Brooktrails, it was an opportunity for people to come and talk about the need for transit in the Brooktrails area. This will be part of a report that will go to Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG).
Mayor Rodriguez attended the 9-11 ceremony; this is always an emotional moment to remember 9-11 and all the lives that were lost and take a moment to honor them.
She spoke with City Manager Bender about the increasing number of homeless that are particularly around the Safeway Shopping Center, back behind where the creeks are is becoming more of a growing problem. She is hearing from more members of the public; she wants them to know we are aware of it and will be talking more about it. City Manager Bender added that County Supervisor Haschak was also in attendance for this discussion where City manager Bender and Mayor Rodrigues conveyed their concerns to him, they asked for County assistance. The county has a thorough viable plan to deal with homelessness, not only throughout the county but here in Willits as well. Mayor Rodriguez asked Supervisor Haschak whether the shelter was open during the summer and if it was closed when would it be reopened for the winter months and what was the attendance in the prior months, where we are capacity. Attempting to get some sense of what resources are available throughout the county and if there has been any changes that could have potentially impacted or will impact our community.
Public Comment: None presented.
No action taken.
Willits City Council Minutes of September 14, 2022 Page 5 of 5
12. Good & Welfare
Councilmember Strong announced that on September 22, 2022, Willits Economic Localization (WELL) is sponsoring an Energy Forum, Saving Money and Saving the Climate.
The ideas are ways that people can stop using fossil fuel and save money. The speakers will be Geof Syphers of Sonoma Clean Power, Keith Rutledge co-founder and Director of Renewable Energy Development Institute (REDI) and John Takas founder of North Bay Solar Electric in Willits. The meeting will be virtual on Zoom. On October 9th WELL, League of Women Voters of Mendocino and the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition are sponsoring an election forum, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Little Lake Grange. There will be spokespeople for Measure O, Measure P and most if not all seven candidates for the Willits School Board.
Mayor Rodriguez will be at the Bucket Challenge at Mendo Mill that is all day Saturday and Sunday, her time slot is 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. If you are looking for some home improvement projects head on over and support High School Boosters.
13. Closed Session Notice
None presented.
14. Adjournment
Mayor Rodriguez declared the meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. _____________________________
SAPRINA RODRIGUEZ, Mayor
City Council for the City of Willits
ATTEST:
__________________________
DELORES PEDERSEN
City Clerk
Item No. 8a
Meeting Date: 09/28/22
AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
From: Brian Bender, City Manager
Agenda Title: AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE WILLITS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CITY OF WILLITS FOR THE ALLOCATION OF TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX.
Type: Presentation Consent Regular Agenda Public Hearing Urgent Time: 30 Minutes Summary of Request: The Willits Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) and the City entered into an agreement on June 22, 2011, defining the allocation of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) the Chamber receives from the City. The said agreement had a term of ten-years and listed the allocation as 11.11-percent to supplement the Chamber’s finances to advertise, market and otherwise making known to the public, the resource of the City for the express purpose of inducing and increasing business, trade and tourism within the City.
The Chamber seeks a new agreement from the City Council to allow them to continue with their efforts. In support of the request, the Chamber provided a September 12th correspondence describing the status of the organization and their intent to keep the provisions of the agreement identical for the next ten-years.
The Chamber’s letter, financial statements for the last two-years, and the expired Agreement accompanies this Agenda Summary for the Council’s review.
[I apologize to the Council as well as the Chamber for my failure to present this item before the expiration of the 2011 Agreement.]
Recommended Action: To approve the Agreement with the following revisions:
1. Reduce the term length to two-years. The term reduction allows the Chamber to proceed with the necessary steps of restructuring their organization with the appointment of an Executive Director and support staff to implement the programming listed in Section #3.
2. Add the following provision into the Agreement: The appropriate designee of the Chamber will hold bimonthly meetings with the City Manager to provide a written summary describing their progress on activities listed in Section #3.
3. Add the following benchmarks to the Agreement to measure the success of the Chamber towards achieving its stated goals at the end of two-years: (1) Increase membership by 10-percent; (2) Develop a reporting system to track promotional and marketing efforts; and (3) A report compiling comments from all members noting what strategy is working and the ones that are not.
Alternative(s): Adopt the Agreement as presented by the Chamber without any revisions. Alternatively, the City Council may deny the request as presented and direct the City Manager to coordinate with the Chamber to compose a revised Agreement for subsequent consideration by the Council.
Fiscal Impact: The FY 2022-23 Budget contains a set aside of $50,000 to satisfy the 11.11-percent requirement of the expired Agreement. For FY 2021-22, the Chamber received $44,142 representing payments processed for the Fourth Quarter of 2021 and the first Quarters of 2022.
Personnel Impact: Minimal. As the greatest time allocation rests with the Finance Director and City Manager to coordinate with the Chamber.
Reviewed by: City Manager City Attorney Assistant City Manager City Clerk Finance Director Human Resources Risk Manager
Council Action: Approved Denied Other: ________________________________________ Records: Agreement Resolution #_________ Ordinance #_________ Other _________
Resolution No. 2022- Page 1 of 1 September 28, 2022
RESOLUTION NO. 2022-
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WILLITS APPROVING AN
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE WILLITS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE CITY OF WILLITS FOR THE ALLOCATION OF TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Willits recognizes the benefit of promoting business, tourism and economic development opportunities for the City of Willits; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Willits acknowledges the Willits Chamber of Commerce has the experience and the capacity to conduct promotional and marketing activities on behalf of the City to publicize events and the distinctiveness of the City to tourism and business interests; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Willits agrees to compensate the Willits Chamber of Commerce 11.11-percent of the Transient Occupancy Tax collected based on the schedule contained in the Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Willits agrees to the modified terms of the Agreement including a length of two-years as discussed at the September 28th Council meeting; and
NOW, THEREFORE, subject to the concurrence of the Willits Chamber of Commerce, the City Council of the City of Willits accepts the attached Agreement between the Willits Chamber of Commerce and the City of Willits for the allocation of Transient Occupancy Tax for two-years with a compensation of 11.11-percent of the collected Transient Occupancy Tax and authorizes the City Manager to sign the agreement.
The above and foregoing Resolution was introduced by Councilmember __________ seconded by Councilmember ____________ and passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Willits, held on the, 28th day of September 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
________________________________
SAPRINA RODRIGUEZ, Mayor
City Council of the City of Willits
ATTEST:
_______________________________
DELORES PEDERSEN
City Clerk
Item No. 9a
Meeting Date: September 28, 2022
AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
From: Manuel J. Orozco, Finance Director
Agenda Title: PRESENTATION BY FINANCE DIRECTOR REGARDING AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2020.
Type: Presentation Consent Regular Agenda Public Hearing Urgent Time: 15 minutes
Summary of Request: The firm of Moss, Levy & Hartzheim LLP, issued an unqualified opinion on the City of Willits Financial Statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.
The report includes the auditors’ opinion letter, the Management discussion and analysis, the Financial Statements, Notes to the Financial Statements, budget to actual comparisons for the General, Sales Tax and Enterprise Funds, and the auditors’ report on internal control. The ending fund balance in the General Fund increased by $338,027 from $2,471,327 to $2,809,354.
The Sales Tax Transportation Improvement Fund ended the year with $2,373,988 in fund balance a decrease of $431,917 due to an increased expense in Capital Outlay. The Sewer Enterprise Net Position decreased slightly by $18,126 while the Net Position in the Water Enterprise increased $380,453 as indicated on Pages 24 and 25 of Financial Statements.
Please read the Management Discussion and Analysis (Pages 3-15) for an overview of the Financial Statements. The Notes to the Financial Statements (Pages 29-56) are an integral part of understanding the statements.
GASB68 requires the unfunded liability for pension accounts be included on Financial Statements.
Recommended Action: Receive and accept the Report.
Alternative(s): None recommended.
Fiscal Impact: Information Purposes only.
Personnel Impact: None.
Reviewed by: City Manager City Attorney Assistant City Manager City Clerk Finance Director Human Resources Risk Manager
Council Action: Approved Denied Other: ________________________________________ Records: Agreement Resolution #_________ Ordinance #_________ Other _________
CITY OF WILLITS
Annual Financial Report
For Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2020
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Ordered Keypads for both walk-in gates.
• Ordered a new riding lawnmower.
• Canceled quarterly tenant meeting due to no attendance. Staff will reschedule meeting. • Installed internet & WIFI.
Project Updates
• Consulted with Mead & Hunt to revise the location of Mike Smith’s hangar, as the previous location was not suitable. Currently waiting the survey data from LACO to allow Mead & Hunt to submit the plans to FAA.
• Continuing to move forward with upgrade to the fuel island. The City has received quotes and are moving forward with ordering parts and confirming a start date with the contractor. • Continuing to negotiate with Mike Smith over the terms and conditions of his ground lease agreement.
• Staff is currently reviewing a quote for fencing on the backside of the last row of hangars. The fencing will help restrict the public from obtaining easy access to the airport and bring us into compliance with CALTRANS Aeronautics.
Staffing Items
• No items to report.
Budget Status
• No items to report.
Focus for Next Month
• Continue with grounds maintenance.
• Finalize ground lease agreement with Mike Smith.
• Submit documents to the FAA for approval on finalizing the location of Smith’s hangar.
Airport Monthly Report
August | 2022
10a
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Issued 27 Building Permits.
• Opened five Code Enforcement cases.
• Closed eleven Code Enforcement cases.
• Ten active Code Enforcement cases.
Project Updates
• City staff has begun the process of completing an update of the General Plan Land Use Element and preparing an application to the Mendocino County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) for an amendment to the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI) and conducting associated environmental analysis for each activity pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A kick-off meeting occurred with City staff, Little Lake Valley Fire Department, and our project consultants. Staff is organizing a tour of the City with our consultants to occur in September, setting up stakeholder meetings and developing a public outreach plan. • Staff obtained an additional $144,000 in grant funds to support the Rail Trail project. Funds will be used to obtain State permits (i.e., CDFW, NCRWCQB) as required to construct the trail. Design phase of the project is scheduled to be completed by May 2023. Staff is working with the project consultants to prepare for the next community meeting. Meeting date is expected to be announced soon.
• The CDBG Business Loan Committee met and recommended approval of three more loans to local businesses. This has been a successful program and staff is exploring additional opportunities to work with our consultants on CDBG funded programs to support local businesses and housing related projects.
• Staff previously announced the launch of the public portal for iWorQ, an online citizen engagement for permitting and code violation reporting. Community members can now submit building permit applications, schedule inspections, check the status of their permit and submit code enforcement requests online. The link to submit an application or code enforcement request is located on the City of Willits Building and Safety and Code Enforcement websites. http://www.cityofwillits.org/141/Building-Safety. Staff is exploring the opportunity to set up a similar feature for planning related permits as well as upgrade the existing portal to allow for online payments as well as other features that will help streamline the permit process.
Community Development
August 2022 | Report
10b
2 Staffing Items
• The Department worked with the Human Resources Director to broaden our recruitment efforts for the vacant Community Development Specialist position. Staff is contacting colleges, nonprofits, other government agencies directly to solicit prospective applicants. Social media, professional list serves, and other avenues are being used to maximize our chances to recruit a talented individual. The Job description can be found on the City website. • Our Office Assistant Amber Ryan has relocated for family related matters. The Department is sad to lose such a valuable team member. Recruitment efforts are underway to find a pleasant, talented, and hardworking Office Assistant III to replace Ms. Ryan.
Budget Status
• No items to report.
Focus for Next Month
• CDBG business assistance loan program:
o Finalize processing of remaining three loan applications. o Help businesses complete paperwork to demonstrate consistency with grant requirement that allow loans to be 100-percent forgiven.
• Urban Forestry Management Plan.
o Prepare information and present final UFMP at the October 14th Council meeting. o Work with stakeholders to plant trees.
• Flood Emergency Response Plan.
o Finalize Plan and schedule for Council meeting.
• Downtown Willits Highway Signage.
o Work with Caltrans to obtain permission to install signage as requested by Council. • General Plan LUE Update and SOI Amendment.
o Facilitate City tour with project team, finalize work schedule, and public outreach plan for.
Schedule stakeholder meetings.
• Update City Zoning Map.
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Closeout for Blosser Lane Rehabilitation Project.
• Project/construction management for the Groundwater Resiliency Improvement Project, Phase I. • Submitted project nomination to the Local Partnership Program for the next Pavement Preservation Project, construction expected in Spring 2023. • Prepared RFP and received proposals for the City Hall Solar Array Project. • Contracting and scheduling for the Community Center Roof Repair Project. • Submitted applications for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Grants. • Groundwater Monitoring Program setup.
• Preparing RFP for annual traffic striping.
• Preparing RFP for Citywide Traffic Study.
• Utilizing the engineering on-call contracts for:
o Wastewater Discharge Permit preparation (EBA).
o Groundwater monitoring data management, analysis, and reporting (EBA). o Construction management services for the Groundwater Resiliency Improvement Project, including inspection and construction staking (LACO).
o Assistance with grant reporting and administration for the Local Partnership Program (LACO).
o Preparation of easements for Railroad Ave. Water Main Relocation (SHN). o Various other task orders issued by Community Development to support work in their department (SHN & EBA).
• Continuing review of Encroachment Permit Applications. Major permits in progress:
o CCC & AT&T work on East Hill Road.
o There are multiple pending Utility Permits throughout the City.
Project Updates
• Blosser Lane Rehabilitation construction is substantially complete. Project closeout is expected to be complete this month.
• The Groundwater Resiliency Improvement Project is underway. Project completion is anticipated by the end of October.
Staffing Items
• No items to report.
Budget Status
Engineering Report
August | 2022
10c
2 • The funds under the Engineering Department’s purview are all under budget currently.
Focus for Next Month
• Construct the Groundwater Resiliency Improvement Project, Phase I. • Preparation of the 2022 Local Partnership Program/Pavement Preservation Project. • LPP project nominations for the next two-years of funding. • Completing the Annual Striping Project.
• Finalizing PG&E upgrades at the Elias Well.
• Encroachment Permit management.
• Groundwater monitoring management.
• Landfill management, winterization of the site.
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Completion of the FY 2019-2020 Audit and Financials.
o Includes the review of Financials and the development of Management Discussion and Analysis and the Notes to the Financials.
• Started the task of Cash Reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2020-21. • Started the task of Long-Term Debt Reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2020-21. • Provided the Compensation Report to the State.
• Provided updates to the Sewer Utility Billing.
• Presented Investment Policy to City Council and purchased three CDs and two Bonds. • Completed SEFA test for Single Audit Eligibility and constructed letter of exemption for Single Audit.
• Fund 690 Liability Reconciliation.
o Began deconstructing the use of Fund 690 to dump expenses in payroll liability fund. • SAM Registration is now complete.
Project Updates
• RFP for Financial Software replacement.
o Responses due by October 29th.
o Received inquiries from three separate software companies. • Payroll conversion from ADP to ACS.
o Migrating staff to ACS.
• Successor Agency for ROPS Prior Period Adjustment.
• Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Audit
• Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Audit
Staffing Items
• We have one position open position for Administrative Specialist. o Currently reviewing applications.
Budget Status
• Quarterly report scheduled for October.
Finance Monthly Report
August | 2022
10d
2 Focus for Next Month
• Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Audit and Fiscal Year 2021-2022 will be done in succession with the Auditors.
o SEFA Testing for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 and Fiscal Year 2021-2022. Expecting the need for a Single Audit for each year.
o Compensated Absences Measurement.
o GASB 68 Reporting.
o Long-Term Debt Schedules for Audit.
o Administrative Cost Allocations.
o Bank Reconciliation.
• SLFRF Reporting for Coronavirus Funding.
• ROPS reporting and possible creation of a ‘Last and Final’ ROPS Report. • Finance Committee.
o Organize the Measure K Committee.
• Quarterly Budget Reports.
Monthly Achievements & Activities
August 2021 August 2022
• Calls for service (CFS) 974 670
• Cases 100 100
• Arrests 58 44
• Citations 87 44
Project Updates
• We will be moving forward with updating our video surveillance equipment for station security and evidence room monitoring.
Staffing Items
• The new Patrol Officer is immersed in the Field Training Program and is ready for Phase 3 of the program. He continues to make positive public contacts. • A new Sergeant has been sworn in this week. Sgt. J. Walstrom has taken his orientation in stride and is actively working patrol as a Field Supervisor.
• We have candidates in backgrounds for Police Officer, Dispatcher and Police Cadet positions.
We are also looking to send an applicant to the Academy in October and another candidate in January. We are still actively recruiting for our CSO position as well.
Budget Status
• No items to report.
Focus for Next Month
• Continue Community Outreach.
• Renewed commitment to school safety and presence.
• Recruitment for SRO and CSO candidates.
Police Department
August 2022 | Report
10e
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Painted red curbs on the northeast side of town, from Commercial St. to the Hwy 20 intersection.
Streets included in this project were E. Valley, E. San Francisco, S. Lenore, Central, Alameda, E.
Oak, Monroe, Creekside, Madden, E. Mendocino, Humboldt, and Pearl. • Re-painted the parking stalls at Recreation Grove Park, along with the gate and bollards. • Repaired water leaks at various locations including Hawthorne Ct. where a valve was replaced, and a new fire hydrant was installed.
Project Updates
• Scheduling stump grinding for Hael Creek Park and Hwy. 20 Park to remove stumps from past removals. Stumps at Recreation Grove have been quoted and will be scheduled soon as well. • Items have been quoted and sourced for park improvements at the sports complex under the identified projects funded by the Prop. 68 Grant. Among these items include shade canopies for the Skate Park and Soccer Field, an additional set of bleachers for the Soccer Field, and agility equipment for the Dog Park.
• The Dog Park Committee has offered to purchase new signs for the Dog Park, ordered replacements.
• Irrigation to the trees on Main St. have been reduced after consulting a landscape contractor from Greenstone Landscaping, who provided a watering schedule and recommendations for care. The trees are showing signs of entering dormancy for the fall, at which time the water will be shut off for the season. The Myrtles and Maples have begun to flower and change colors, adding some variance to the downtown corridor.
• Increased sweeping efforts as leaves and acorns have begun to drop. • Storm drain clearing is underway, preventative maintenance minimized localized flooding during the early season storm that brought over two inches of rain on September 18th. • Repairs to the Merry-Go-Round are nearly complete, the structure was repainted, and the pedestal was upgraded. New bearings are on order, and once in, the structure will be reinstalled at the park.
• Mowing and weed abatement have slowed but are still done weekly on the athletic fields and parks. The fields at the sports complex are seeing heavy use but the crews have worked diligently to keep them green to spite the extended summer heat. • Lighting fixtures were replaced or repaired as necessary at several facilities. • Public Works crews have assisted with preparation and additional support to help facilitate several events in the parks and continue to accommodate and support the Redwood Food Bank monthly donation drive.
Public Works
August 2022 | Report
10f
2 • Ordering several street name and parking control signs for installation over the upcoming months.
Staffing Items
• No items to report.
Budget Status
• No items to report.
Focus for Next Month
• Clearing storm drains to prepare for the rainy season. • Order and install park equipment.
• Replace street signs and continue painting red curb – weather permitting. • Increase street sweeping as volume of debris increases. • Clear trash and debris under City owned bridges from transient activity. • Reduce irrigation and winterize facilities.
• Patch potholes in areas of concern at various locations. • Waterline replacement at Magnolia St.
• Road maintenance and removal of down trees on Water Shed Road to mitigate erosion from the Walker Fire.
1 Monthly Achievements & Activities
• Repaired water service leak on Railroad Avenue.
• Replaced leaking fire hydrant and valve on Hawthorne Court. • Repaired water main leak on Walker Road.
• Water Department operators assisted CalFire near the Surface Water Treatment Plant with access to gates and boat on Morris Reservoir during Walker Fire. • Worked with SCADA programmer on troubleshooting issues at the SWTP while SCADA was down, restoring plant operations and trend data.
• Cleaned 3,000-lineal feet of sewer mainline.
• Completed four Sewer Lateral Inspections for home sales. • Installed generator transfer switches at the Three-MG Tank, pressure reducing vault, and Locust Storage Tank for efficiency during power outages. • Worked with JM Integration to restore flow and level data to the 1.5-MG Clearwell at SWTP. • Replaced level transducer in 1.5-MG Clearwell.
• Filter Inspections completed on all three Trident filters at SWTP. • Transferring water from Centennial to Morris Reservoir for the removal of dam boards on October 1st.
• Worked with Caltrol on effluent filter valves troubleshooting for maximum efficiency. • Multiple power outages required running back-up generators on distribution pump stations and tank level transducers.
• Cleaned all filter feed pump lines and strainers, replaced gaskets on strainer housing. • Replaced potassium permanganate feed lines to raw water line injection point.
Project Updates
• Ongoing: Sewer lateral inspection program.
• Ongoing: Water meter replacement program.
• Ongoing: Grounds maintenance at Water/Wastewater facilities. • Reservoir Capacity: Morris 554-acre feet and Centennial 474-acre feet equates to 77-percent of full capacity (September 19th).
• August 2022 Water Usage: SWTP: 22,944,820 MG. August 2021: 27,667,544 MG.
GWTP: 2,829,000 MG. August 2021: None.
Totals: 25,773,820 MG. August 2021: 27,667,554 MG.
Utilities
August 2022 | Report
10g
2 • Non-Potable Water Usage [Truck Fill Station]: 682,045 K/Gals. August 2021: 3,056,301 MG. • August 2022 Wastewater Treatment Plant Flows: 17,720,381 MG. • City staff inspected and repaired the South Aeration Basin (August 10th). • Operators completed pre-application and notified neighbors to spread and disc biosolids at the WWTP’s sludge field (annually).
• New gate installed at WWTP completed on September 19th. • New anthracite added in all three filters at SWTP completed the week of August 29th. • CalFire to remove fallen trees from Morris Reservoir during the Walker Fire September 19th.
Staffing Items
• No items to report.
Budget Status
• No items to report.
Focus for Next Month
• Repair solids up flow clarifier and get back online at SWTP. • Road grading in the watershed from the old quarry to Centennial Reservoir.