City Council
Evan Hutson, Mayor
Richard Thomas, Vice Mayor
Gary Hansen, Council Member
Lorri Pride, Council Member
Matt Busby, Council Member
City Manager
Marti Brown
City Clerk
Karleen Price
Willows City Council
Regular Meeting
Action Minutes
March 24, 2026
Willows City Hall
6:00 PM
201 North Lassen Street
Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-7041
1. CALL TO ORDER – 6:01 PM
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
3. ROLL CALL
Councilmembers Present: Mayor Hutson, Vice Mayor Thomas, Councilmember Busby, Councilmember Hansen, and Councilmember Pride
Councilmembers Absent: None
4. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA
Item #5a was moved to be heard immediately after Item #6a.
5. CEREMONIAL
a. Proclamation – National Vietnam War Veterans Day – received by Carol Lemenager, VFW Auxiliary Post #1770.
b. Proclamation – National Volunteer Week – received by Harold White, Lions Club President.
6. PRESENTATION
a. PG&E Local Government Forum
Action: Received the presentation from PG&E Local Government Affairs Representative, David Maung.
7. PUBLIC COMMENT & CONSENT CALENDAR FORUM
a. Register Approval
Action: Approved general checking, payroll, and direct deposit check registers. b. Minutes Approval
Action: Approved the minutes of March 5, 2026 Special Townhall Meeting, March 10, 2026 City Council Meeting, and the March 16, 2026 Special City Council Meeting. c. Appointments to Northern California Cities Self Insurance Fund (NCCSIF) Board of Directors
2 Action: Adopted Resolution 11-2026 approving the appointment of the City Manager position to the Northern California Cities Self Insurance Fund (NCCSIF) Board of Directors to represent the City’s insurance interests, and the Finance Director position as the Alternate. d. California Cities Week
Action: Adopted Resolution 12-2026 declaring support for California Cities Week, April 19-25, 2026.
Motion to approve the consent calendar as presented.
Moved/Seconded: Councilmember Hansen/Councilmember Pride Yes: Mayor Hutson, Vice Mayor Thomas, Councilmember Busby, Hansen, and Pride No: None
Absent: None
8. DISCUSSION & ACTION CALENDAR
a. Reject All Bids and Authorize Re-Advertisement of the Sycamore Park Beautification Project Action: Adopted Resolution 13-2026 rejecting all bids associated with the Willows Mobility, Recreation, and Beautification Project, also known as the Sycamore Park Beautification Project, and authorizing the re-bidding the Project.
Moved/Seconded: Councilmember Pride/Councilmember Hansen Yes: Mayor Hutson, Vice Mayor Thomas, Councilmember Busby, Hansen, and Pride No: None
Absent: None
b. Police Chief/Interim Police Chief Recruitment Costs & Process Action: Discussed the associated costs with recruiting and appointing a Police Chief or Interim Police Chief to assist the City of Willows with re-establishing its Police Department (PD), as well as the total costs to start and operate a new PD.
Contact: Marti Brown, City Manager, [email protected] Directed staff to pursue a bond for debt service and support.
9. COMMENTS AND REPORTS
a. Council Correspondence
b. City Council Comments & Reports
Councilmembers reported on various community events and meetings attended. Councilmember Pride provided an update on the Planning Commission vacancy and indicated that a proposed appointment will be brought to the Council for consideration at the next regularly scheduled meeting. Mayor Hutson provided an update on the Caltrans State Route 162 project. c. City Manager’s Report
City Manager Marti Brown reported that she will be on vacation from March 28 through April 18, 2026. During her absence, Fire Chief Monck will serve as Acting City Manager for the first week, 3 and Community Development & Services Director Joe Bettencourt will serve as Acting City Manager for the second and third weeks.
10. CLOSED SESSION – 7:45 PM
a. Public Employee Performance Evaluation (§ 54957)
Title: City Manager
Report Out: No reportable action was taken.
11. ADJOURNMENT – 8:38 PM
______________________________
Karleen Price, City Clerk