Recap of the Nov. 18 Sebastopol City Council meeting
Decision on animal control services delayed and council reviews the ongoing work of creating a Revised Emergency Operations Plan
Last night’s Sebastopol City Council meeting probably wasn’t the shortest on record, but, at just 1.25 hours, it has to be close. There were a couple of reasons for that. There were no public comments for items not on the agenda, and the council unanimously passed the consent calendar, which consisted of 11 items, without pulling any items for further discussion. The regular agenda consisted of only two items: award of a contract for animal services and a review of the progress of the city of Sebastopol’s Revised Emergency Operations Plan.
Mayor Stephen Zollman, Councilmember Neysa Hinton and Councilmember Phill Carter were present in chambers for the Nov. 18 Sebastopol City Council meeting. Vice Mayor Jill McLewis and Councilmember Sandra Maurer attended via Zoom.
The Consent Calendar
The consent calendar consists of items that are routine in nature or don’t require additional discussion, often because they’ve been discussed extensively at a previous council meeting.
The council unanimously approved the following items:
The council introduced an ordinance to adopt the 2025 California Building Code (Title 24), volumes one through twelve. The ordinance repeals existing sections not applicable to the new codes and modifies Chapters 15.04-15.08 of the City of Sebastopol City Municipal Code. The California Building Code is updated on a three-year cycle, and cities that choose to amend it have to adopt the code, revise their own municipal code to match, and explain any local amendments. See a full description of this item in the staff report.
After introducing the item above, the council scheduled a public hearing on its adoption for Dec. 2 city council meeting.
The council amended the composition of the Committee to Build the Commons, removing the Community Foundation, Sebastopol Cultural Community Center and Sebastopol Center for the Arts from the committee per their request.
The council awarded a $1,873,601 construction contract for the Bodega Avenue Bike Lanes and Rehab Phase 2 Project to Team Ghilotti, Inc. This project is largely funded by the Go Sonoma grant fund. The total project cost is $2,445,961. Learn more.
Award of a $243,781 construction contract for the Burbank Farm ADA Restroom and Path Project to Cestarallo Construction LLC. Learn more.
Approval of draft surveillance use policy/ surveillance impact report. A public hearing will be scheduled in January 2026 on this report. Learn more.
Approval of amendment to contract with Lauren Berges for administrative services for the Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Association Meetings. Each participating agency has already been billed for its share of the annual costs, and the annual amount has already been included and approved in the City Council’s budget for fiscal year 2025-26. Learn more.
Caltrans owns the two main thoroughfares in Sebastopol: Highway 116 (Main Street) and Highway 12 (Bodega Ave.) The city is sending a letter to Caltrans requesting the following work: 1) Installation of bicycle detection sensors at several signalized intersections. 2) Adjustments to signal operations and motorist guidance at McKinley Street and Petaluma Avenue. 3) Improved visibility at the SR 12 and Barnes Avenue crossing near Napa Auto Parts. Learn more.
The council approved a resolution establishing utility payment relief for unpaid federal workers during a government shutdown. The financial impact of this is unknown, but according to the staff report, “The program may result in temporary delays in utility cash collection, but balances are anticipated to be recovered through repayment plans.”
The council gave its final approval for the adoption of a Just Cause Eviction and Tenant Relocation ordinance into the municipal code for large affordable-housing complexes.
The council also authorized the mayor to sign a letter to the owner of Woodmark Apartments requesting a delay of evictions, tenant information, and a request for the property owner to file a waiver with the USDA.
Regular Agenda
Council delays award of animal services contract
This year, at the urging of Mayor Zollman, the council ordered the Sebastopol Chief of Police Sean McDonagh to conduct regular unannounced audits of the city’s animal control contractor, North Bay Animal Services (NBAS), which had been criticized in a Grand Jury report.
The city also put out an RFP for animal services. It received two proposals, including a bid from NBAS for $18,900, and one from the Humane Society/Sonoma County Animal Services (HSSC/SCAS) for $68,174. Staff recommended remaining with NBAS.
Several members of the city council, however, were hesitant to do so after reading a long and detailed public comment from local veterinarian Dr. Sarah Reidenbach. (See her full comment at the end of this article). The council engaged in a long back-and-forth about whether to delay its decision and re-issue an RFP with additional questions.
Councilmembers Hinton and Maurer at first pushed back on this—Hinton for procedural reasons and Maurer because she wanted to honor the work and recommendation of the staff. But in the end, the skeptics won the day. The council voted 4 to 1 (Hinton dissenting) to reject both bids and release a second, more thorough RFP. In the meantime, the city will continue its month-to-month contract with NBAS.
Revised Emergency Operations Plan
Sebastopol’s current Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) was adopted in Sept. 2021. Earlier this year, the City Council charged Police Chief McDonagh with reviewing and updating the EOP, with a goal of bringing a finalized version to the council by Nov. 18. That timeline proved overly optimistic, but work on the plan is continuing, with the help of subject matter experts from the Sonoma County Department of Emergency Management.
McDonagh told the council, “In doing the review, we’ve identified, with a lot of help from county subject matter experts, that our plan is far too comprehensive and extensive in terms of overly detailed. They [the County] found the same issue with their own plan, and they’ve revised that accordingly and reduced it down … and their recommendation is that we do the same, while still being able to meet the statutory guidelines.”
In the end, the council voted unanimously to receive the draft updated emergency operations plan and to receive an update on the plan at the December 15 city council meeting.
A veterinarian’s public comment about choosing an animal services provider for the city
To the Honorable Mayor and Members of the Sebastopol City Council,
Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of our City. I recognize how challenging these times are, and I appreciate the Council’s thoughtful stewardship of public resources.
With the significant cost difference between the two bids for animal services, I understand why the lower bid is compelling. At the same time, because animal services directly influence both public safety and community health, I hope the Council will consider feasibility and service capacity in addition to price.
From my perspective as a resident of Sebastopol, and a local veterinarian, the scope outlined in the RFP is appropriate but also substantial: animal control response and presence, sheltering, veterinary care, licensing, community outreach, and emergency and disaster response. While cost savings are always important and attractive, the reality is that even a single vaccine outreach clinic can cost thousands of dollars, and a single severe medical case, like hit-by-car animals that animal control responds to, can easily exceed $10,000. Any provider — Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) or North Bay Animal Services (NBAS) — deserves adequate funding to realistically meet the needs of the City.
Critical details that the Council should consider prior to a contract selection:
Animal Control Vehicles have code requirements, and are required to have heat and A/C. Each bidder’s compliance with animal service vehicle codes must be confirmed before selecting a contract. Inadequate heat or air conditioning in our climate is an animal welfare issue that creates unnecessary suffering, risk, and liability.
The Humane Society and SCAS both have veterinarians on site and on staff. NBAS model for providing veterinary care (on-site or referring to outside hospitals) and associated costs should be explored to make sure necessary veterinary care can be provided within the contract cost.
Animal control officer certification under California ACO training requirements should be confirmed. This training ensures appropriate ACO practices.
Licensing systems should be reviewed thoroughly. Is a licensing system deployed, available online, in person, mail-in, and in the field?
Unincorporated Sebastopol is served by SCAS. Having the City and surrounding rural Sebastopol in two different service models understandably creates confusion for residents about where to get help, get a license, bring a hurt animal, find a lost animal, or report a safety concern. Either adopting the same model or having a thorough communication/education plan for residents will be important to prevent additional frustration.
Traveling to Petaluma to drop injured or stray animals, or reclaim lost animals may create an inequity of service for those with transportation or mobility barriers. A plan for transportation support if NBAS is selected may need to be considered.
My understanding is that NBAS does not cover all the cities stated in the report. My understanding is that their contract with Clearlake was ended, SCAS covers the City of Healdsburg, and Cotati does their own animal services through the Police Dept. The report accuracy should be confirmed.
Response times for emergencies, safety hazards and disasters should be considered. SCAS officers have an existing beat that includes Sebastopol, I am insure about NBAS field proximity.
I believe SCAS has countywide authority over rabies control, quarantines, and disease surveillance. Understanding NBAS role and abilities to implement would be helpful.
SCAS is an established disaster-response authority for Sonoma County, has been appointed incident command for the last several wildfire and flood disasters, and has coordinated with the Humane Society in wildfire and flood events. If NBAS is selected, a disaster coordination plan would be important.
The enforcement history of each agency should be examined. Reviewing whether cases have been submitted to the District Attorney’s office or citations have been processed by the Superior Court points to enforcement or lack thereof. This will help identify the agencies’ abilities and expertise to meet the scope of the RFP.
These points are important to flesh out before a commitment is made, especially in light of recent formal concerns. I sincerely appreciate the hard and meaningful work NBAS, SCAS, and the Humane Society do.
Regardless of whom the City selects, I strongly urge that accountability and service oversight be part of the contract to ensure that expectations are met. Especially in light of the grand jury report, knowingly insufficient services leading to dog bites or disease creates liability for the City. A strong contract protects both the City and the public.
Before awarding the contract based primarily on cost, I respectfully request that the Council:
Interview bidders to understand how each will fulfill the full scope of services. I suggest that the council interview all parties to get a sense of who they are and what else is brought to the table, rather than making a decision based solely on money.
Speak with other cities currently served by each provider to better understand operational outcomes, response times, and community experience.
Include measurable quality-control tracking in the contract to monitor if services are delivered as presented in the proposal.
Include an owner-surrender process in the contract, so residents in crisis (eviction, domestic violence, medical crisis, etc) are not forced to abandon pets unsafely.
Consider additional contract options: There may be a possibility to negotiate with either party to meet both fiscal needs and community needs.
Thank you again for your service to our community. I am grateful for your leadership.
Respectfully,
Dr. Sarah Reidenbach
Sebastopol Resident | Local Veterinarian
Listen to Dr. Reidenbach. It's impossible to imagine that the $19K/annum bid could possibly result in adequate care for animals. Even the higher bid from the Humane Society Sonoma County seems pretty reasonable, considering it includes staff, food, transportation, and medical Sebastopol loves its pets and doesn't want them sold out to the lowball bidder.
Yes to all in Dr. Reidenbach’s professionally informed detailed response. She outlines excellent reasons to not choose the lowest bid simply because it is low. I hope Sebastopol listens.