City Hall, Council Chamber

100 Santa Rosa Avenue

Santa Rosa, CA 95404

City of Santa Rosa

City Council

Regular Meeting Minutes - Draft

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

9:00 AM

1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

Mayor N. Rogers called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.

Council Member Alvarez joined the meeting at 9:55 a.m.

7 -

Present:

Mayor Natalie Rogers, Vice Mayor Dianna MacDonald, Council

Member Eddie Alvarez, Council Member Victoria Fleming, Council

Member Jeff Okrepkie, Council Member Chris Rogers, and Council

Member Mark Stapp

2. STUDY SESSION (CONTINUED FROM THE MAY 9, 2023 REGULAR MEETING)

2.1

REVIEW OF FISCAL YEAR 2023-24 OPERATIONS AND

MAINTENANCE BUDGET AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

BUDGET

In this Study Session, staff will present City Council with an overview of

the funding requests for FY 2023-24, as well as perspectives as to

overall funding considerations. The Study Session is held in advance

of the Budget Hearings in June to provide the opportunity for City

Council to ask questions, provide direction, and gain a full

understanding of the budget and resulting financial implications for the

City ahead of formal budget adoption in June.

Information and department budgets will be presented in the following

order:

Day 1 - May 9, 2023

City-wide overview and General Fund segment

Administrative Departments:

· City Council

· City Manager

· City Attorney

· Communications & Intergovernmental Relations

· Human Resources and Risk

· Finance Department

· Non-Departmental

· Information Technology

· Housing & Community Services

Day 2 - May 10, 2023

· Fire Department

· Police Department

· Planning & Economic Development

· Parks & Recreation

· Transportation & Public Works

· Water Department

· Capital Improvement Project

Veronica Conner, Budget and Financial Analyst Manager, introduced

the budget team and provided an overview of day two of the study

session.

Scott Westrope, Fire Chief, and Sarah Roberts, Administrative

Analyst, presented and answered questions from Council regarding

the Fire Department proposed FY 2023-24 budget.

John Cregan, Chief of Police, and Pam Lorence, Administrative

Service Officer, presented and answer questions from Council

regarding the Police Department proposed budget.

Clare Hartman, Director of Planning and Economic Development,

Kate Goldfine, Administrative Service Officer, and Raissa De La

Rosa, Deputy Director of Economic Development, presented and

answered questions from Council regarding the Planning and

Economic Development proposed budget.

Mayor N. Rogers recessed the meeting at 10:55 a.m. and

reconvened at 11:11 a.m. with all Council Members present.

Jason Nutt, Assistant City Manager, Jen Santos, Deputy Director of

Parks, Jeff Tibbetts, Deputy Director of Recreation, Jason Parrish,

Administrative Service Officer, and Alan Alton, Chief Financial

Officer, presented and answered questions from Council regarding

the Parks and Recreation proposed budget.

Jason Nutt, Assistant City Manager, and Rachel Ede, Deputy

Director of Transit, presented and answered questions of Council

regarding the Transportation and Public Works proposed budget.

Mayor N. Rogers recessed the meeting at 1:20 p.m. and

reconvened at 1:50 p.m. All Council Members were present with the

exception of Council Member Fleming who joined the meeting at

2:01 p.m.

Jennifer Burke, Director of Water, and Nick Harvey, Budget and

Financial Analysis Manager, presented and answered questions

from Council regarding the Water Department proposed budget.

Jason Nutt, Assistant City Manager, presented and answered

questions of Council regarding the Capital Improvement Project

proposed budget.

Veronica Conner, Budget and Financial Analyst Manager, and Alan

Alton, Chief Financial Officer, thanked all departments and

concluded the presentations, and requested any changes to the

proposed budgets from Council.

Maraskeshia Smith, City Manager, and Dominique Blanquie, Interim

Human Resources Director, answered questions from Council

regarding the proposed contract for the labor contract negotiator.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Ken MacNab, KMac Advising, representing property owners in the

2010 area, thanked the Council, City Manager and staff for diligence

in ensuring the responsible and productive expenditure of public

funds and spoke in support of budgeting for resources needed to

carry out the South Santa Rosa Specific Plan.

Chris Guenther, co-leader of Bikeable Santa Rosa, spoke in support

of investment in multimodal transportation, planning and

infrastructure, the need for reductions in motor vehicle trips resulting

in reductions of traffic congestion and emissions, and reminded the

Council that Bikeable Santa Rosa and the City have been working

with City Thread to accelerate investment in the bicycle network.

Bob Gaiser, co-chair of the Southeast Greenway Campaign

Committee, spoke in support of city staff needed for acquisition and

planning of Southeast Greenway and in support of the Parks and

Recreation budget proposal.

Tom Robertson, CEO of SCI Office, LLC, spoke on the need for

safety in downtown Santa Rosa, multiple car break-ins and security

issues in garage three, requesting two new police officers in the

downtown area.

Duane DeWitt, member of the Sonoma County Housing Advocacy

Group, spoke on the budget deficit, past cuts made due to budget

issues, the need for replacement of 30 picnic tables and benches

as discussed at a recent Board of Community Services meeting,

offloading of city properties for revenue, and requesting a time

certain for public speaking.

Joshua Shipper, Generation Housing, spoke on the importance of

building more diverse housing and urged the Council to take action

to reduce costs of building, encouraged Santa Rosa to join

Petaluma in waiving most of the impact fees on affordable housing,

and consider applying the fee structure that has been successfully

used to encourage ADU development to affordable by design

multi-family housing.

Chris Eggers, by speaker card, commented on prioritzing funds for

protected and connected bikeways, noting that paint is not

protection.

Gregory Fearon spoke on ARPA and PGE one-time fund

allocations, suggested a meeting to update the community on the

funds and projects and how they are impacting residents, and

requested all monies be utilized.

Rigel Bowen, a member of the North Bay Organizing Project Police

Accountability Task Force, spoke in opposition to adding money to

the police department budget from the general fund and suggested

the general fund dollars should be used for departments such as

Housing and Community Services, Planning and Economics, Parks

and Recreation and Transportation and Public Works, and

expressed disappointment in the Council for spending more time on

the police budget than housing and in discussing student resource

officers.

Kelsey Vero, a member of the North Bay Organizing Project Police

Accountability Task Force, spoke in opposition to adding money

from the general fund to the police department budget, especially

for the use of school resource officers, and suggested funding to

allow for alternative solutions that are evidence based or based on

restorative justice practices.

Alyn Wolves, member of North Bay Organizing Project Police

Accountability Task Force, spoke in opposition to the request for

additional patrol officers and adding student resource officers in

schools.

Elizabeth Ridlington spoke on bicycle and pedestrian safety, the

Council's prior adopted Vision Zero by 2030, and the goal setting

discussion of ensuring safe routes to schools and cross-walk safety,

and requested funding in the budget to make city streets safer.

Brandon Cho, on behalf of Efren Carrillo, CEO of Gallaher

Community Housing, spoke on affordable housing and suggested

following other jurisdictions in modifying development impact fees

for affordable housing developments.

Shaun Du Fosee spoke in favor of hiring in-house for labor relations

rather than an hiring an outside consultant for labor negotiations, and

in favor of planning and budgeting for the potential need for school

resource officers.

Cadance Hinkle Allinson with the Downtown District thanked city

staff, spoke in support of hiring an assistant city attorney, in support

of the comprehensive economic development plan and in continuing

partnerships that will invest in downtown, and the importance of

increasing services and resources as the population and needs of

the downtown grows, specifically public safety measures and law

enforcement, including possible expansion of the downtown

enforcement team.

Lee with the North Bay Organizing Project Police Accountability

Task Force and Sonoma County Tenants Union spoke in favor of

funding for community programs rather than increased police

funding, requested increased funding for community programs that

help the unhoused community and others that are suffering, and

spoke in opposition to police in schools.

Hugh Futrell of the Downtown Action Organization spoke in support

of additional public safety investments, the budgeting for an

assistant city attorney for code and misdemeanor enforcement,

additional officers for the downtown enforcement team, and

retaining park impact fees within the downtown core.

Stevan Stankovich, Santa Rosa Plaza mall manager, spoke in favor

of a safe and secure downtown area, additional downtown

enforcement team officers from the Santa Rosa Police Department,

and an extra city attorney for misdemeanor and property claims.

Michael Lipelt spoke on investment in active transportation

infrastructure to create safe, low-stress, protected bicycle lanes,

rather than continuing to support vehicle infrastructure and

refocusing on urban areas as vibrant places for people to walk,

bicycle and use other forms of transportation.

Mayor N. Rogers addressed and provided reasons for consideration

of the student resource officer program in this budget cycle.

PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE TAKEN ON THIS ITEM ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 10,

AFTER ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVE MADE THEIR PRESENTATIONS.

3. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING

Mayor N. Rogers adjourned the meeting at 3:27 p.m. The next

regular meeting will be held in Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at a time to

be set by the Mayor.

Approved on:

____________________

Rhonda Bolla

Deputy City Clerk