Sebastopol City Council Recap

Council approves the 2024-25 budget and creates three new ad hoc committees on solid waste, the community center and city council protocols

Mayor Diana Rich, Vice Mayor Stephen Zollman and Councilmember Sandra Maurer were present for the August 6 city council meeting. Councilmembers Jill McLewis and Neysa Hinton were absent.

This short (i.e., three and a half hour) council meeting dealt mostly with bureaucratic issues—the creation of three ad hoc committees and departmental consolidation—but the council did approve the city budget for 2024-25. We also learned that the city had chosen an Oakland-based law firm—Redwood Public Law—to fill the city attorney position. It was also revealed during the city manager’s report that Police Chief Ron Nelson would be retiring in October.

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.)

In addition to approving minutes from previous council meetings, the city council approved the following consent items:

• Approved two cooperative agreements with the Sonoma County Transportation Authority for the Go Sonoma roads grant funding and the Bodega Avenue Bike Lanes Phase 2 project funding;

• Approved a parcel map No. 154 for the lands of Benedetti, 6809 Sebastopol Avenue;

• Approved a resolution accepting waterline easement and authorizing city manager to execute easement deed in connection with Woodmark Apartments;

• Approved the renewal of contracts with Muchmore Than Consulting, Marin IT and Phillips Seabrook Associates;

• Approved of side letters/extension of contracts for Sebastopol Police Officers Association (SPOA) and Service Employees International Unit (SEIU);

• Approved city attorney contract with Redwood Public Law for legal services for the city of Sebastopol.

These items were approved 3 to 2 (McLewis and Hinton absent).

One item on the consent calendar—the approval of the 2024-25 budget—was pulled by Councilmember Maurer for discussion later in the evening.

Regular Agenda

Council creates a new Solid Waste Ad Hoc. The city council approved the creation of a Solid Waste Ad Hoc Committee to evaluate proposals and conduct interviews with applicants for Sebastopol’s solid waste collection contract. Councilmembers Maurer and McLewis were appointed to this ad hoc, which was approved 3 to 2. (Editor’s note: Because McLewis and Hinton were absent, all of the approval votes this evening were 3 to 2—the two being the absent members.)

Council votes to consolidate engineering and public works. This is step one in a broader plan to merge several city departments and city commissions. Last night it was engineering and public works’ turn. Long time Public Works Director Dante del Prete is retiring in December. He will be replaced by a public works director and engineer (a single position)—and engineering and public works will be consolidated. Should the city be unable to find someone with both public works and engineering qualifications, they will hire a public works director and contract out their engineering needs. Approved 3 to 2.

Council chooses delegates for League of California Cities conference. The council chose Vice Mayor Zollman as the voting delegate to the conference and McLewis as the alternate. The city had already budgeted $3,000 to send both members to the conference. Approved 3 to 2.

Council approves budget for 2024-25. The council discussed the budget at length in the last council meeting and thought they’d be ready to approve it on the consent calendar this week. On closer inspection, however, council members noticed that as a part of the budget item, the agenda listed three related resolutions that no one on the council, including the council’s budget committee, had yet seen: an appropriation limit; supplemental law enforcement funds expenditure plan; and an interfund loan from the city to the wastewater district. The council asked for clarification on these items and had a long discussion on the interfund loan.

• The appropriation limit turned out to be a state-mandated number limiting the amount of tax proceeds that can be appropriated. The appropriations limit for a given year is calculated by adjusting the previous year’s limit based on inflation and population growth. Different factors may be used to calculate the adjustment, such as the change in population, the cost of living, or the percentage growth in revenues. Sebastopol’s appropriation limit was more than $20 million, which the town was in no danger of exceeding.

• The supplemental law enforcement funds turned out to be a federal/state passthrough to support law enforcement, worth around $100,000.

• Item #3—the interfund loan from the city’s general fund to the city’s sewer district—turned out to be the most controversial. The proposed loan included interest of 2.99%. Several speakers during public comment on this issue pointed out that while the general fund was loaning money to the sewer fund this year—it had been “misappropriating” more than $700,000 a year from the water and wastewater funds for several years due to an old cost allocation study. Kyle Falbo said they should figure out how much they owe the sewer district and simply give the money back (not loan it). Rob suggested “this wasn’t the fault of rate payers” and said the council shouldn’t charge interest on this money. Mary Cone said “I’ve been paying into water and sewer for 20 years, and I want my money back.” Oliver Dick suggested a class action suit was in order. Councilmember Maurer, who had pulled this item from the consent agenda and Vice Mayor Stephen Zollman both agreed that the city shouldn’t charge any interest on this loan.

With these three issues dealt with, the council approved the 2024-25 budget 3 to 2, with the amendment that the loan to the wastewater fund would carry no interest.

Council creates an ad hoc committee on the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. Vice Mayor Zollman volunteered to be on the ad hoc committee for the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center building assessment. Councilmember McLewis, who is the liaison to the Community Center, was also appointed to this ad hoc. Council approved this 3 to 2.

Council creates a City Council Protocols Ad Hoc. In their final action of the evening, the council voted 3 to 2 to create an ad hoc committee on council protocols, with the goal of creating a handbook for councilmembers. Mayor Rich and Vice Mayor Zollman agreed to be on that committee and to bring back a task list for the committee for council approval at the second meeting in September.

The August 20th city council meeting has been cancelled. The next city council meeting will be September 3 at 6 pm at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris St., Sebastopol.