* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. CONGRESS. [00:00:01] WONDERFUL. AND, [CALL TO ORDER] UH, WELCOME EVERYONE. GOOD EVENING. AND, UH, THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PETALUMA CITY COUNCIL AND PETALUMA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UM, SUCCESSOR AGENCY FOR MONDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2026. IF YOU WISH TO PROVIDE A COMMENT, UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE, UH, FORMS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, JUST OUTSIDE THERE ON A TABLE. IF YOU WOULD, FILL 'EM IN AND BRING 'EM TO OUR CLERK WHO'S HERE AT THE FRONT. UH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND LET'S SEE. UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE DOING CONCURRENT TRANSLATION SERVICE. AND, UM, THIS FOR THIS MEETING, IT'S IN SPANISH IN A VARIETY OF OTHER LANGUAGES. AND TO ACCESS TRANSLATION ONLINE, YOU CAN USE THE LINK THAT'S PRINTED IN THE AGENDA THAT WE HAVE HERE, OR WE HAVE, UH, QR CODE ON, UH, THE DOORS AND OTHER PLACES SO THAT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. UM, MAY WE HAVE OUR ROLL CALL FOR THE EVENING, PLEASE? BARNACLE PRESENT. CATER THOMPSON. HERE TO CARLY. HERE NOW. HERE. QUINT. HERE SHRIVES. HERE. MCDONALD HERE. AND WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. LET'S STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE, ONE NATION UNDER DOUBT, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY, KING OF JUSTICE FOR ALL AND A MOMENT OF SILENCE, PLEASE. [AGENDA CHANGES AND DELETIONS (TO CURRENT AGENDA ONLY)] AND, UH, TO BEGIN THE MEETING, I ALWAYS LOOK UP AND DOWN THE DAIS AND ASK IF ANYONE HAS ANY AGENDA CHANGES TO MAKE ON WHAT WE'VE, UH, SHOWN IN PRINT AND, UH, NOT SEEING ANY, UH, UH, THEN WE'RE GONNA ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRINTED BY CONSENT. UH, AND, UM, [PROCLAMATIONS] WE HAVE A COUPLE PROCLAMATIONS TONIGHT, WHICH IS ALWAYS A FUN THING. AND OUR, OUR FIRST PROCLAMATION IS FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH. AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE, UH, OUR COMMISSIONER, JENNY BELTWAY OF THE SONOMA COUNTY COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO THE PODIUM TO ACCEPT. AND THERE SHE IS. AND I'LL START. IT SAYS, WHEREAS THIS YEAR'S THEME FOR WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH LEADING THE CHANGE, WOMEN SHAPING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE CALLS UPON US TO CONFRONT THE WIDE RANGE OF OVERLAPPING GLOBAL CHALLENGES, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE, ECONOMIC INSECURITY, HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES, AND THREATS TO DE DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION. AND WHEREAS THE STORY OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT AMERICAN AND SONOMA COUNTY IS THE STORY OF WOMEN OF ALL AGES, RACES, AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS WHO LED CAMPAIGNS FOR EQUALITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS, ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOUNDED ENTIRELY NEW ENTERPRISES AND CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE ARTS, SCIENCES AND HUMANISTIC CAUSES. AND WHEREAS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS TO EXPAND APPRECIATION FOR THE DIVERSE CONTRIBUTIONS OF WOMEN WHO HAVE LED AND WHO ARE LEADING SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS ACROSS ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC, EDUCATIONAL, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS AND EMPOWER A EMPOWER ACTIONS TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY. WHEREAS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH HIGHLIGHTS HOW THESE CHALLENGES ARE INTERTWINED, HOW WOMEN, PARTICULARLY FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, SUCH AS IN PARTS OF SONOMA COUNTY, OFTEN EXPERIENCE THEIR IMPACT MOST ACUTELY NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, KEVIN MCDONALD, MAYOR OF PETALUMA, ALONG WITH ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE PETALUMA CITY COUNCIL, IN RECOGNITION OF THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE PLAYED BY WOMEN IN LEADING THE CHARGE TOWARDS LASTING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO THESE COMPLEX CHALLENGES, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM MARCH, 2026 AS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, WE ALSO HAVE TONIGHT, UM, AMERICAN RED CROSS MONTH, AND TO HELP US WITH THAT, WE HAVE, UH, NATALIE LYNN, HENRY AMERICAN RED CROSS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY COORDINATOR, AND BRIAN BRAN, THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS VOLUNTEER. AND IF YOU'D JOIN US AT THE PODIUM, WE'D SURE LIKE TO SEE YOU AND NOT SEEING THEM STEP FORTH. UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO READ THE PROCLAMATION ANYWAYS 'CAUSE THEY DO CONTRIBUTE MIGHTILY IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. WHEREAS IN MARCH, WE CELEBRATE AMERICAN RED CROSS MONTH BY HONORING OUR NEIGHBORS WHO MAKE ITS HUMANITARIAN MISSION POSSIBLE IN PETALUMA EVERY DAY. THEIR ACTS OF KINDNESS CHANGE LIVES, [00:05:01] BRING RELIEF, COMFORT AND HOPE WHEN HELP CAN'T WAIT. THIS COMPASSIONATE SPIRIT RUNS DEEP IN OUR COMMUNITY JUST AS IT HAS FOR 145 YEARS THROUGH THE AMERICAN RED CROSS. AND WHEREAS TODAY, THOSE WHO SERVE WITH THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL REGION OF THE RED CROSS LIGHT THE WAY DURING EMERGENCIES, WHETHER IT'S DELIVERING SHELTER, FOOD AND COMFORT AFTER DISASTERS, PROVIDING A SAFE LIFE SAVING BLOOD SUPPLY FOR PATIENTS FACING, FACING CONDITIONS LIKE CANCER TREATMENT, CHILDBIRTH COMPLICATIONS AND TRAUMATIC INJURIES, ASSISTING MILITARY MEMBERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH 24 7 GLOBAL SUPPORT OR EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS WITH SKILLS LIKE FIRST AID AND CPR, THAT WHICH ALL SAVE LIVES. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT I, KEVIN MCDONALD, MAYOR OF PETALUMA, ALONG WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE PETALUMA CITY COUNCIL, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM MARCH, 2026 AS RED CROSS MONTH AND ENCOURAGE ALL CITIZENS OF PETALUMA TO REACH OUT AND SUPPORT ITS HUMANITARIAN MISSION. THANK YOU. NOW [GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT] WE, UM, ALWAYS OPEN OUR MEETINGS WITH, UH, GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UH, LET ME DESCRIBE THAT. UH, DURING GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO MAKE COMMENTS ON ITEMS OF PUBLIC INTEREST THAT ARE WITHIN THE CITY COUNCIL'S SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION AND THAT ARE NOT LISTED ON THE CURRENT AGENDA. PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE LIMITED UP TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON, AND DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF PERSONS WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL TIME WILL BE ALLOCATED IN EQUAL SHARES TOTALING NO MORE THAN 20 MINUTES. IF WE HAVE MORE THAN 20 PEOPLE WISHING TO SPEAK, THE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS WILL BE HEARD AFTER THE LAST BUSINESS ITEM ON THE AGENDA. AND, UM, AND I NOTE THAT THE BIG AGENDA ITEMS OF TONIGHT, THE NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES, UM, AND THE, UH, REFERENDUM ARE INDEPENDENTLY GENERALIZED, NOT IN GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. AND SO I'D LIKE TO ASK OUR CLERK IF WE RECEIVE ANY GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT VIA EMAIL OR OTHER COMMUNICATION. AND THEN PLEASE, UH, READ, UH, THE SCRIPT NECESSARY. UH, ABSOLUTELY. WE DID RECEIVE NINE GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENTS AND THOSE ARE POSTED ONLINE. AND AT THIS TIME, I WILL START A 32ND CLOCK. DURING THESE 30 SECONDS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SHOULD BRING THEIR SPEAKER CARDS TO THE CLERK'S DESK IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. SPEAKER CARDS RECEIVED AFTER THIS TIME MAY NOT BE ACCOMMODATED. WE HAVE EIGHT SPEAKER CARDS TONIGHT. AND SO, UH, THAT'LL SET THE CLOCK AT TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. UH, MADAM CLERK. SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO INVITE GEORGE WAGNER TO, UH, BE OUR FIRST SPEAKER AND JODY JOHNSON TO BE OUR SECOND SPEAKER. GOOD EVENING, MR. MAYOR, DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER FLYNN. MY NAME IS DR. GEORGE WAGNER AND I'M WITH THE ROTARY CLUB OF PETALUMA SUNRISE. TONIGHT I'M HERE TO ANNOUNCE AND THEN TO INVITE YOU ALL TO PETALUMA SUN ROAD, PETA SUNRISE ROTARY'S 20TH ANNUAL GREAT PETALUMA EGG HUNT. THE EVENT IS SATURDAY, MARCH 28TH AT THE PETA FAIRGROUNDS FROM 10:00 AM TO 12 NOON, AND IT'S RAIN OR SHINE, SO WEAR APPROPRIATE CLOTHING. THE EGG HUNT IS FOR CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER, BUT FREE TO ALL WHO ATTEND. IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FUN. WE HAVE A EASTER BUNNY WILL BE THERE. WE HAVE GREAT MUSIC FROM DJ ATTAINMENT. WE HAVE HOT DOGS FROM PAMA MARKET. WE HAVE MILK AND CHOCOLATE MILK FROM CLOVER STORNETTA. LOCAL BUSINESSES WILL BE THERE PROMOTING THEIR GOODS, AND IF IT RAIN DOESN'T, UH, PRESENT ITSELF, WE MIGHT EVEN HAVE SOME DEMONSTRATIONS FROM MARTIAL RUSA AND ON GUARD FENCING. WE DO THREE DIFFERENT EGG HUNTS WITH THE DIFFERENT AGES. SO THE LITTLE KIDS AREN'T BATTLING THE BIG KIDS FOR THEIR AGES OR FOR THEIR EGGS. UM, WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS ABOUT THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF EGGS THAT ARE PRETTY STUFFED WITH TOYS AND CANDY. AND IF THE CHILDREN ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND A PRIZE EGG, THEY CAN TURN IT IN FOR SOME KIND OF TOYS, UM, POSSIBLE SLUSHES FROM ONCE UPON A SLUSH POSSIBLE, UM, UH, FROM, UH, BASKIN ROBBINS. AND, UM, THEY MIGHT EVEN WALK AWAY WITH A BICYCLE. [00:10:01] SO ONCE AGAIN, THE, UH, GREAT PETALUMA EGG HUNT IS GONNA BE SATURDAY, MARCH 28TH, UM, FROM 10 TO 12 AT THE PETALUMA FAIRGROUNDS. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME, AND HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENING. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND JODY JOHNSON TO BE FOLLOWED BY TIM PORTUS, MAYOR CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF. OUR MOBILE PARK RESIDENTS IN PETALUMA CONTINUE TO BE ABUSED, RETALIATED AGAINST, AND SECRETLY HARMED. YOUNGSTOWN PARK MANAGEMENT HAS UNDERVALUED PURPOSELY A MOBILE HOME THEY SOLD, SOLD AS ALL AGES, NOT SENIORS, WITH AN EXORBITANT GROUND RENT OF $1,900. THIS PROPERTY AT 12, MICHAEL WAS ORIGINALLY LISTED AT ONLY $40,000 AND THEN REMARKABLY SOLD FOR 18,000 HUNDRED AND $27. THE INTENT IS TO DEVALUE ALL RESIDENTS OWNED MOBILE HOMES AND DRIVE THE GROUND RENT TO INFLATED PRICES TO ONCE AGAIN COERCE RESIDENTS INTO HAVING TO SELL THEIR MOBILE HOMES BELOW VALUE. SO AS A POTENTIAL BUYER COULD EVEN AFFORD THE GROUND RENT PAID DIRECTLY TO PARKS, SHOULD THE GROUND RENT BE ABLE TO BE RAISED TO THESE INFLATED RENTS UNDER THE CITY'S RSO? THE ANSWER IS NO. WE REMIND ALL THAT THE ONLY TWO WAYS THE GROUND RENT CAN GO UP BEYOND RSO LIMITS IS EVICTION OR REMOVAL OF AN OLD MOBILE HOME AND REPLACEMENT WITH A NEW NEITHER HAPPENED IN THE CASE OF THE SALE WITH 12 MICHAEL DRIVE OWNED BY THE PARK, UNLAWFUL COMES TO MIND. PARK OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT ARE AND CONTINUE TO GO AGAINST LAWFUL ORDINANCES AND THE SENIOR PARK OVERLAY. AGAIN, NO JUDGE HAS RULED THEY CAN LAWFULLY SELL AS ALL AGE LITIGATION CONTINUES. VIOLATIONS EXIST IN THE MARKETING AS ALL AGE 80 20 HAS ALWAYS EXISTED. BUT IS IT NOT FRAUD TO LIST ONLINE? A MOBILE HOME HAS AN ALL AGE PARK WHEN CITY ZONING AND ORDINANCES AND CITY WEBSITES STATE THAT YOUNGSTOWN IS A SENIOR MOBILE PARK, CAPRI LITTLEWOODS, YOUNGSTOWN COTTAGES HAVE HAD RESIDENTS COME FORWARD. THE GROUND RENTS FROM SELLER TO BUYER WENT UP IN A CITY THAT HAS ZERO VACANCY CONTROL, SOME 10%, SOME 15%, SOME 100% NO REPLACEMENT MOBILE HOMES OR EVICTIONS. IN FACT, QUITE A FEW WHERE A RESIDENT DIES AND THEIR HEIRS ARE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF NOT KNOWING THAT GROUND RENTS ARE BEING INCREASED TO BUYERS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TIM PORTUS TO BE FOLLOWED BY JENNIFER BOYLE. IN A LOT OF CASES, REALTORS WHO REPRESENT THEIR BUYERS AND SELLERS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN A ROOM WHILE LEASES APPROVAL OF GROUND RENT, ET CETERA, ARE HAPPENING. HOW MOBILE HOME PARK RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HARMED IS ALMOST ALWAYS 90% IN SECRET. IF A RESIDENT DOESN'T KNOW THEIR RIGHTS OR IS LED TO BELIEVE IN THEM BY MANAGEMENT DEEMED TO BE THE AUTHORITY THAT RATES INCREASES, EV A EVEN CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS ARE LAWFUL WHEN THEY SIGN. JUST LATELY, THERE EXISTED A CONTRACT IN YOUNGSTOWN THAT SAYS, IF THE PARK DECIDES TO CLOSE THAT RESIDENCE WILL GET EITHER 80% OF WHAT THEY PAID FOR THEIR RESIDENT OR WHAT THEY PAY FOR IT. THAT DUE PROCESS FALLS UNDER STATE LAW AB 2 7 82 AND RELOCATION EFFORTS. FAIR MARKET APPEALS ARE DEMANDED BY ANY CLOSURE PROCESS. THE QUESTION BECOMES, CAN A MOBILE PARK RESIDENT GIVE UP THEIR RIGHTS AND CLOSURE IF THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THEY ARE GIVING UP THEIR RIGHTS? OF COURSE NOT. OUR SENIORS AND VULNERABLE RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF, MANIPULATED OR EVEN DECEIVED IN ANY PURSUIT OF GOUGING OR GREED. THIS TYPE OF AGGRESSIVE BUSINESS PRACTICE SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED. FAIR HOUSING AND HOPA HOUSING FOR OLDER PEOPLE'S ACT WERE FORMED INTO LAW TO PROTECT. RETALIATION IS A REAL FEAR FOR ALMOST ALL MOBILE PARK RESIDENTS. THERE IS SUCH AN AMBULANCE, AN AM IMBALANCE OF WEALTH GOING AGAINST THESE LARGE EGREGIOUS INVESTMENT GROUP OWNERS. BUT THAT IS, DOESN'T MEAN A SENIOR OR VULNERABLE RESIDENT WHO OWNS THEIR OWN MOBILE HOME, LIVING WITHIN THEIR MEANS SHOULD HAVE LESS RIGHTS. WE ASK YOU ALL AND THE COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO STAND UP FOR THE VULNERABLE AS YOU HAVE BEEN DOING AND STAND AGAINST GREED AND SECRETIVE UNLAWFUL PRACTICES HAPPENING EVERY DAY IN OUR MOBILE PARKS. AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU. JENNIFER BOYLE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY CHRISTINE WHITE. SORRY. GOOD EVENING. AS ALWAYS, WE ARE PROUD TO LIVE IN A CITY AND TO BE GOVERNED BY LEADERS THAT PLACE EQUAL IMPORTANCE TO ALL THEIR CITIZENS. PETALUMA MOBILE [00:15:01] RESIDENCE UNITED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CHRISTINE WHITE TO BE FOLLOWED BY ROBIN RILEY. GOOD EVENING MAYOR. COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS CHRISTINE WHITE AND I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE, UM, RECENT HCPC MEETING THAT I ATTENDED REGARDING THE HOTEL. FIRST, I WAS PLEASED THAT EKN FOUND A WAY TO MAKE FOUR STORIES PENCIL OUT. AND UM, AND AT THE MEETING THERE WERE SEVERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE HISTORICAL DESIGN. I TRIED TO FIND IT ONLINE AND I COULDN'T FOR ALL FOUR SIDES. SO IF IT IS THERE NOW, PLEASE POINT ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION 'CAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT. BUT ANYWAY, SOME OF THE COMMENTS HAD TO DO WITH CAN WE USE MORE HISTORICAL DESIGN ELEMENTS? AND UM, AND, AND WHEN THE HISTORIAN WAS ASKED, SHE SAID THEY WERE, SHE WAS QUESTIONED WHAT KIND OF DESIGN IS THIS? AND SHE REPORTED CONTEMPORARY. AND THEN WHEN THEY ASKED ABOUT, WELL, WHAT MAKES THIS FIT INTO HISTORICAL, THE HISTORIAN REPORTED THAT, WELL, THE SITE HAD ALWAYS BEEN COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A COMMERCIAL BUILDING. AND, AND, AND WES, WHEN ASKED ADDITIONALLY, WELL, SOME OF THE COMMENTS HAD BEEN ABOUT CAN YOU MAKE THE WINDOWS NOT QUITE JUST A SQUARE BOX ON THE SIDE THAT FACES RECS IN PARTICULAR? CAN YOU ADD SOME EITHER A, UH, A SILL OR, OR SOME ARCHES OR SOMETHING TO FIT IN? AND SHE REPORTED THAT SHE DIDN'T TAKE THE OTHER STORIES INTO CONSIDERATION. I WOULD LIKE THE COUNCIL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE DESIGN AND TAKE THE WHOLE BUILDING AND ALL INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE WE DON'T JUST SEE, SHE ONLY TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THE FIRST FLOOR. AND THIS IS A FOUR STORY BUILDING, SO I FOUND THAT A LITTLE ALARMING. AND SO I'M ASKING YOU TO PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IT, THE WHOLE STRUCTURE AND HOW DO WE MAKE IT FIT IN, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW ADOBE CREEK WINERY, AT LEAST IT HAS SOME SHAPE TO IT AND IT FITS IN WITH OUR DOWNTOWN. SO THIS IS THE GATEWAY. SO THAT'S IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU ROBIN RILEY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ERIC SHEER. GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS ROBIN RILEY AND I'M A FORMER MEMBER OF THE CITY'S, UH, UH, PAST TECH TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND A VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE A CLU NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SONOMA COUNTY CHAPTER. UM, OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WE'VE HAD A SERIES OF VERY INTERESTING MEETINGS AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UH, AS PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED THAT FOUR FLOCK A LPR SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS WERE INSTALLED IN TOWN LAST OCTOBER. UH, THESE CAMERAS ARE ON 24 7, UH, ARE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET, UH, CAN BE COMPROMISED AND HAVE BEEN, UM, NOT NECESSARILY OURS, BUT THE DEVICES THEMSELVES IN GENERAL. UH, AND THEY PRODUCE DATA THAT IS EASILY SHARED AGAINST CALIFORNIA LAW WITH FEDERAL AND OUT-OF-STATE AGENCIES LIKE ICE AND CBP, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. TYPICALLY, A PRETTY SLEEPY C COMMITTEE HAS SEEN AN OUTPOURING OF INPUT FROM CONCERNED COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE PROVIDING WRITTEN AND VERBAL PUBLIC COMMENT, EXPRESSING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT FLOCK, A WIDELY ABUSED AND ERROR PRONE TECHNOLOGY, UH, AS WELL AS CONCERNS ABOUT THE CREEPING GROWTH OF SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY INFRINGING ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES AT A TIME WHEN WE HAVE A LAWLESS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS ENDANGERING US ALL. UM, I'M HERE TO SAY THIS, UH, I WOULD LIKE US TO SLOW DOWN AND MAKE SURE WE GET THIS RIGHT. UH, THE STAKES ARE JUST TOO HIGH IN THIS MOMENT. UH, I ASK THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF TO, UH, PLACE MORATORIUM OR SLOW DOWN AND NOT EXPAND ANY OF THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. LIKE NO NEW CAMERAS, UH, CONVENE A COMMUNITY WORKSHOP OR TOWN HALL ONE THAT'S ACCESSIBLE TO WORKING PEOPLE FOR US TO BEGIN TO BUILD A COLLECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES, THE RISKS AND THE BENEFITS AND APPROACH THIS THOUGHTFULLY. UH, AND LASTLY, UH, I ASK THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF TO WORK WITH A DIVERSE ARRAY OF STAKEHOLDERS TO CRAFT A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE. AND STO WILL PROVIDE US WITH A FRAMEWORK SO THAT WE DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP OF LETTING THE RECKLESSNESS OF SILICON VALLEY GET AHEAD OF US AS IT HAS HERE AND JEOPARDIZE OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CARE AND ENSURING WE UPHOLD OUR LONG STANDING AMERICAN IDEALS OF LIBERTY AND FREEDOM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ERIC SHEARER TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHANTELLE ROGERS. WE HAVE A TECHNICAL AND MAY I HOLD ONE SECOND? YEAH, PLEASE. YEAH, SURE. UM, OUR SCREENS HAVE GONE BLANK, HAVE ALL SCREENS GONE BLANK. SO IT'S A BIG SCREEN. AND ARE WE RECORDING AND, AND BROADCASTING? WE'RE BACK. WE'RE BACK. OKAY. PLEASE HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, CITY COUNCIL MAYOR, CITY PLANNER, UM, UH, CITY MANAGER SPECIFICALLY, FIRST AND FOREMOST FOR RECOGNIZING THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AND ALSO WOMEN COLLABORATIVELY AND THE BRILLIANCE THEY'VE PROVIDED WITH US IN THE MEDICAL FIELD, WHICH I'M IN, HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY AND SO IMPORTANT. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT. UM, WE HAVE A PUBLIC [00:20:01] HEALTH CRISIS BOTH ON A NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL. UM, BACK IN THE DAY, E-BIKES WERE DEVELOPED FOR OLD GEEZERS LIKE ME SO THAT I CAN GO AHEAD AND START TO CONTINUE TO RIDE BIKES AS I GOT OLDER. AND SINCE THAT PERIOD OF TIME, ACTUALLY, THEY'VE, I QUOTE UNQUOTE FLOURISHED SO MUCH THAT THEY'VE BECOME REALLY SORT OF E-BIKES ON STEROIDS AND THAT THEY'VE REALLY BECOME MOSTLY A AVENUE FOR YOUNG KIDS TO GO AHEAD AND USE AND ENJOY THEMSELVES ON. UM, WORKING AS A ER PHYSICIAN FOR CHILDREN, BOTH ON A REGIONAL LOCAL LEVEL AND ON A MORE BROAD LEVEL IN THE BAY AREA, WE'VE SEEN SO MANY MORE INJURIES, BOTH FOR CHILDREN AND PEDESTRIANS, THAT IT'S BECOMING A TRUE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS THAT I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY GRASP AND START GRAPPLING WITH AS A COMMUNITY ON A LOCAL LEVEL. EVEN IT STARTS THERE. UM, SO BOTH AS A FATHER, AS A RESIDENT HERE FOR 13 YEARS AND WATCHING WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE WHEN I WALK ALONG ON LYNCH CREEK TRAIL VERSUS BEING IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND SEEING WHAT WE SEE IN TALKING TO MY COLLEAGUES, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO BE, I WON'T EVEN SAY PROACTIVE NOW, BUT REACTIVE, UH, PROACTIVE IS SO IMPORTANT IN HEALTHCARE TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T SEE THE INJURIES AND DEATHS THAT ARE REALLY ACTUALLY HAPPENING NOW IN FRONT OF US. BACK IN THE DAY, UM, METAL BATS WERE USED FOR BASEBALL GAMES AND WE MADE IT A POINT TO GO AHEAD FOR CHILDREN SINCE THEY WERE SO DANGEROUS TO CHANGE THAT AND TO GO TO WOODEN BATS AND, UH, NATIONALLY, THAT BECAME SUCH A BIG DEAL AS WELL BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY DID SAVE CHILDREN'S QUALITY OF LIFE BY GOING AHEAD AND MAKING SURE THAT WE WERE SAFE USING THE RIGHT INSTRUMENTATION. SO PLEASE, LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A A A DIFFERENCE HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT WAS OUR LAST SPEAKER UNDER GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT. I'D LIKE IT, BRING IT BACK UP TO THE COUNCIL. AND, UH, THERE'S ONE MORE AND WE HAVE CHANTEL AS MY ERROR. I DUNNO HOW THAT COULD HAPPEN. I APOLOGIZE. I KNOW , I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE KIDS. . THANK YOU. A FEW COUNCIL CITY MEETINGS AGO, COUNCILMAN BARNACLE AS OTHERS, AS WELL AS OTHERS ON THE DAY, HAS EXPRESSED HAL HEARTFELT CONCERN FOR OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY AMID INCREASED ICE ACTIVITY BY OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, NOT KNOWING WHEN WE MIGHT BE MORE SEVERELY IMPACTED LOCALLY, MEMBERS ARE UNDERSTANDABLY WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT TO OUR FOREIGN BORN FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WHO ARE VITAL TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ECONOMY AND WHO CAN BE SNATCHED OFF THE STREET AT ANY MOMENT. I SHARE YOUR CONCERN FOR THE FATE OF THESE MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES. ONE CONCRETE THING YOU CAN DO IS TO CONSIDER IMMEDIATELY TERMINATING THE CITY'S CONTRACT WITH FLOCK. THESE CAMERAS ARE AI DRIVEN AND CLOUD STORED, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SAFEGUARD INFORMATION GATHERED REGARDLESS OF PERCEIVED PROTECTIONS. NO ONE HAS BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN GUARDRAILS AROUND SENSITIVE INFO ONCE IT BECOMES PART OF FLACK DATA. THIS IS WHY SO MANY CITIES AND JURISDICTIONS ARE CUTTING THEIR TIES WITH FLOCK. IT'S JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK OF INADVERTENTLY SHARING INFO THAT COULD BE USED BY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO TARGET PETALUMA RESIDENTS. PETALUMA IS NOT SPECIAL. WE DO NOT HAVE A MAGIC WAY TO MAKE SURE ICE AND OTHERS DON'T ACCESS INFO THAT WE GATHER AND UPLOAD. IT'S EASY TO VOTE TO UPHOLD MANDATES ALREADY PUT IN PLACE BY STATE OR COUNTY TO PROTECT OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATION. IT'S HARDER WHEN OUR CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE TO USE TECHNOLOGY WITH THE NEWEST BELLS AND WHISTLES TO MAKE THEIR JOB EASIER TO CATCH THE BAD GUYS. WE'VE ONLY HAD THE CAMERAS FOR A FEW MONTHS AND HAD OTHER OPTIONS TO TRACK INFO BEFORE THEN WHILE THE COMMITTEE WAS SPLIT ON RECOMMENDING TO COUNCIL TO REMOVE THEM. I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NEEDS TO IZE THE ISSUE AND SOON IT'S NOT FAST ENOUGH FOR US TO WRITE OUT THE CONTRACT UNTIL OCTOBER WHILE EVALUATING OPTIONS EVERY DAY THAT THEY'RE UP IS A DAY THAT INFO WE FACILITATED COULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT ONE OR MORE OF THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THAT CONCLUDES GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UH, THAT BRINGS IT BACK UP [COUNCIL COMMENT] TO THE COUNCIL. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK COUNCIL SOMETIMES, UH, UM, FILLS MORE OF, UH, THE MINUTES THAN, UH, WE INTEND TO. AND I'D LIKE TO ASK THE CLERK TONIGHT TO SET US AT A THREE MINUTE CLOCK AND, UM, AND TRY AND KEEP US ON TARGET AS THE PUBLIC STAYS ON TARGET. UH, AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SHRI TO START US OFF TONIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, NOT MANY MEETINGS THIS PAST WEEK, JUST ONE WEEK SINCE THE LAST MEETING, BUT I DID THIS MORNING ATTEND A MEETING PUT ON BY THE REDWOOD, UH, FOOD BANK AND, UM, UH, IT WAS REALLY IMPRESSIVE ABOUT THE NUMBERS THAT THEY REPORTED AS WELL AS THEIR OPERATIONS, WHAT THEY DO AND HOW THEY DO IT. SO JUST A, UM, SOME FACTS THAT THEY KIND OF GAVE TO US TO GO OVER. UM, FIRST THEY'RE LARGE ORGANIZATION, BUT THEY'RE STILL LOCAL. UM, THEY PRETTY MUCH COVER THE CALIFORNIA COAST, LET'S SAY, FROM NAPA ALL THE WAY UP TO OREGON ON THAT. AND, BUT HERE IN PETALUMA ALONE, JUST [00:25:01] PETALUMA, UM, THEY, UM, BRING IN A HUN UH, $1.5 MILLION OF A YEAR OF WORK, BUT THEY PROVIDE $6 MILLION WORTH OF FOOD TO OUR POPULATION. AND THEY SERVE 12,000 PEOPLE HERE, RIGHT HERE IN PETALUMA. SO, UH, SUB SUBSTANTIAL. AND THEY WORK WITH PARTNERS, UH, COTS UN UM, UH, UNIDA AND, UH, ELON LUTHERAN ALL ORGANIZED WITH VARIOUS CHURCHES AND THESE GROUPS AND, AND THEY ACTUALLY COOPERATE VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER, PROVIDING LOTS OF SERVICES AND EXTEND EVEN MORE. SO, UM, COTS ALONE SAID, UH, THEY PROVIDE OVER 250,000 MEALS PER YEAR. OUR SENIOR CENTER ALSO PROVIDES THOUSANDS OF MEALS A MONTH. SO HUGE EFFORT IS BEING MADE HERE. THE GOAL IS NOBODY GOES HUNGRY IN ANY ONE DAY AT ALL. SO IN MANY CASES, UH, UH, SOME OF THE SITUATIONS, ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE NONPROFITS THAT ARE WORKING, UM, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A HUNDRED X RATIO OF COST BENEFIT BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY SPEND AND THE AMOUNT OF SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE FOR A COMMUNITY. THEY SAID THEY'VE TURNED, UH, 2001 CASE THEY ILLUSTRATED, $2,000 TURNED INTO $700,000 OF, OF ACTUAL FOOD, UH, PROVIDED. SO IT, IT IS PRETTY HUGE. AND, UH, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT THEY, UH, GOALS THAT THEY SET BY IS CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH LOVE. UM, WHICH I THOUGHT IS A, A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL GOAL THAT THEY HAVE AS THEY'RE DOING THINGS. AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IS ANONYMOUS. GO GET FOOD HOWEVER YOU CAN, UM, AND WORK WITH THEM. AND, UH, THIS COMES DOWN TO DOLLARS PLUS PEOPLE, POWER COOPERATION, COLLABORATION MAKES US ALL WORK. UH, BUT THEY STILL HAVE LOTS OF COSTS IN THEIR FUEL AND STAFF TIME. SO, UH, MONEY AND, AND THEY BRING FOOD TO THEM AND BRING, UH, MONEY TO THEM. AND THAT'S A HIGH NEED. THEY DO WONDERFUL WORK HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, SO I THOUGHT I'D JUST REPORT ON THAT FOR THE BENEFIT THAT'S BEING PROVIDED HERE. SORT OF LIKE A PROCLAMATION ON MY OWN HERE. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER QUINT. YEAH, THANK YOU. UH, OKAY. THIS WEEK I ATTENDED THE, WITH, WITH, UH, A FEW OTHER MEMBERS HERE, THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP ON THE CALL FIELD ELI PROJECT. UM, THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT EVENT. UH, AND THEN UPCOMING, UH, THIS WEDNESDAY AT PAC WE'RE, WE ARE SET TO REVIEW THE PETALUMA RIVER, UH, PETALUMA RIVER PARK'S NTC COMPLETE STREETS CHECKLIST FOR A PLAN, MULTI-USE TRAIL. UH, AND WE'RE SET TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK ON THE CAULFIELD LANE AND ELI BOULEVARD SOUTH SAFETY AND PAVEMENT SAFETY AND PAVEMENT UPGRADE PROJECTS. AND THAT'S IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER NOW. GOOD EVENING. AND THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING TONIGHT'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING. MY PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS LIAISON REPORT WILL ONLY BE BRIEF AND TO THE POINT. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO CHECK THE CITY'S WEBSITE FOR A COMPLETE VIDEO OF THE MEETING AND THE DECISIONS MADE THAT EVENING. THE PETA POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFF AND CHIEF PRESENTED AN AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM AND THE CITY'S POLICY NUMBER 4 6 1. AFTER MUCH PUBLIC INPUT QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, DISCUSSIONS, THE COMMITTEE TOOK A VOTE TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL EVALUATE THE CURRENT CITY OF PETALUMA'S, A LPR PROVIDER OF FOUR FLOCK CAMERAS, AND AN ALTERNATIVE SERVICE PROVIDERS. AFTER AN L-A-L-P-R GRANT EXPIRES IN FALL 2026, THE CITY'S COST FOR THESE FOUR FOUR CAMERAS IS 12,000 A YEAR. THE PETAL POLICE DEPARTMENT CURRENTLY USES THESE FOUR CAMERAS AS A TOOL TO SOLVE CRIMES. ALL DATA IS REMOVED AFTER 30 DAYS, UNLESS IT'S BEING USED FOR AN ACTIVE CRIME INVESTIGATION. THE CITY'S POLICY FOR SIX ONE HAS BEEN UPDATED AND IS VERY SOLID. THE CITY'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING THE SERVICE PROVIDER'S CONTRACT WITH THE CITY IN THE HOMELESS COALITION. LENGTHY ZOOM MEETING I ATTENDED. MEMBERS HEARD FROM SERVICE PROVIDERS AND COUNTY STAFF ON SUBJECTS LIKE RAPID REHOUSING, THE FUTURE WITH COST AND BENEFITS. GOOD NEWS, PETALUMA IS TO RECEIVE FUNDING THROUGH MEASURE O FOR COTS AND THE MARY ISAAC CENTER. IT WAS COMMENTED BY ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS THAT THE HOMELESS INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING IT IN SONOMA COUNTY IS LIKE DRINKING WATER OUT OF A FIRE HOSE. AS I REPORTED IN THE LAST MONTH, THE 2026 POINT IN TIME COUNT WAS DONE. THE ACTUAL NUMBERS ARE NOT AVAILABLE YET. THE 15% INCREASE REPORTED BY THE PRESS DEMOCRAT IS NOT ACCURATE. PRELIMINARY RESULTS WILL BE REPORTED IN MAY A DUE TO FOR HUD FUTURE FUNDING. LOTS OF CHANGES ARE FORECASTED IN THE FUTURE IN THIS AREA. ON SATURDAY, I ATTENDED THE OPENING DAY PEDAL IN MY AMERICAN LITTLE LEAGUE. MY GRANDSON'S TEAM WON. I WANT TO WISH HIM AND ALL THE PLAYERS AND HIS TEAM FOR A WINNING SEASON, [00:30:01] BUT TO REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN, MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND LIFELONG MEMORIES. THIS AFTERNOON I KICKED OFF THE READ ACROSS AMERICA, ALSO REFERRED TO AS DR. SUE'S BIRTHDAY BY READING TO A GROUP OF STUDENTS AT MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THIS YEAR'S THEME IS CELEBRATING A NATION OF DIVERSE READERS CHAMPION KINDNESS TO MAKE ALL CHILDREN FEEL WELCOME AND VALUED BY HIGHLIGHTING BOOKS THAT REFLECT THE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES AND PERSONAL JOURNEYS. AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN PETALUMA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ALL, ALL THAT REPORT. UM, IT IS TRUE HARD TO KEEP YOUR MESSAGE IN THAT TIME, ISN'T IT? SORRY, COUNCIL MEMBER BARNACLE. UH, I HAVE NO REPORT OUT, UM, BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE GENTLEMAN ABOUT THE E-BIKES TO REACH OUT TO ME. I'D LOVE TO TALK. THANKS, UH, COUNCILWOMAN CATER THOMPSON. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY REPORTS FROM MY LIAISON, UM, BUT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CALL FIELD ELI WORKSHOP. IT WAS A GREAT WORKSHOP. BJORN, UM, BERG DID AN EXCELLENT JOB AND THERE WERE A LOT OF GREAT QUESTIONS AND IT WAS REALLY EASY TO UNDERSTAND, AND I JUST WANNA GIVE HIM KUDOS FOR WHAT A GREAT, UM, PRESENTATION THAT HE DID. AND IT WAS MY GRANDDAUGHTER'S 18TH BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY, AND HER WISH WAS THAT THE ENTIRE FAMILY WENT UP TO DAVIS FOR HER BIRTHDAY. AND EVEN MY GRANDSON FROM SAN DIEGO FLEW IN AND SURPRISED HER. SO THAT WAS EXCITING. THANK YOU. UM, VICE MAYOR, WHAT DO WE HAVE? GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I HAVE KNOWN NEWLY LIAISON REPORT SINCE LAST WEEK. MY ONLY MEETING, AGON OPEN SPACE WAS CANCELED. AND SO IN THE LAST SEVEN DAYS, NOT MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH, IT'S ONLY BEEN A SHORT, SHORT TIME SINCE OUR LAST MEETING. UM, AND, UH, I, I THINK AS YOU GATHER, YOU, UH, YOU REALLY CAN'T GO TO, UM, A PUBLIC MEETING WITHOUT RUNNING INTO ONE OR TWO OR THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND SO I TOO WAS AT THE, UH, REDWOOD FOOD BANK THIS MORNING. AND, UH, UM, AND I THINK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SHRI SUMMED IT UP QUITE WELL. BUT, UH, COT SAID THAT THEY'VE GONE FROM 50,000 MEALS TO 250,000 IN JUST FIVE YEARS. AND YET THEY'RE SAYING THAT BECAUSE THE IMMIGRATION ISSUES AND IMMIGRATION FEARS, THEIR NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE SEEING THE IMPACT OF, UM, IMMIGRATION OPPRESSION. AND, UM, AND THEN, UH, AT THE, UH, THE CAWFIELD MEETING WAS, UM, I I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CAWFIELD MEETING. SO MANY GOOD QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC AND SUCH GOOD EXPLANATION OF THE POTENTIAL LANE REDUCTIONS IN, AND A ROUNDABOUT IN IN THAT AREA. UM, BIG CHANGES COMING FROM THE CITY ALSO ATTENDED THE CLIMATE ACTION ROUND TABLE OVER THIS, UH, WEEK, WHICH IS HOW TO TAKE WHAT WE ADOPTED AS A CLIMATE BLUEPRINT AND TURN IT INTO REAL ACTION AT THE CITY LEVEL, THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, AND, UH, ALL COMMUNITY LEVEL. AND, UM, ALSO, UM, ATTENDED A WORKSHOP THIS WEEK ON RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SPACES, SPACES LIKE PUTNAM PLAZA, WHERE, UH, THERE'S SO MANY EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL, UH, PUBLIC USE OF THINGS AND, AND WE WANT TO TRY AND MAKE ALL PUBLIC SPACES IS MORE WELCOMING. AND, UM, I BELIEVE, UM, WE HAVE NEWS ON OUR NORTH PLANNING AREA. UH, WE FORMED AN OUTREACH COMMITTEE, BUT I'LL, UH, DEFER TO THE CITY MANAGER AS WE ASK, UH, UM, FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. [CITY MANAGER COMMENT] THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YES, YOU'RE RIGHT. WE HAVE A ADVISORY GROUP IN PLACE AND WE HAVE 15 MEMBERS, AND WE HAD A VERY INTRODUCTORY KICKOFF MEETING ON FEBRUARY 25TH. ONE OF OUR AGENDA ITEMS AT OUR FIRST MEETING WAS TO DISCUSS THE FORMAT FOR FUTURE MEETINGS. ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM WILL BE FOR THE WORKING GROUP MEMBERS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND THEIR BACKGROUNDS, THE LARGER GROUP. UM, AND, UH, SO LOTS OF FLEX FLEXIBILITY 'CAUSE IT ISN'T A BROWN ACT BODY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GO AROUND THEIR SCHEDULE AND, AND KICK THIS, THIS SPECIFIC PLAN OFF. NO QUESTION. OUTREACH IS AN IMPORTANT PART AND I'M GLAD THEY'RE GETTING STARTED EARLY ON IT. THAT MOVES US TO [CONSENT CALENDAR] OUR CONSENT CALENDAR FOR THE EVENING. UM, THERE ARE ONLY TWO ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR THIS WEEK. AND SO, UH, IF, UH, NO OBJECTION, I'M GONNA ASK, DO WE MOVE RIGHT TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR AND ASK THE CLERK TO LEAD THAT DISCUSSION. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY CARDS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, BUT THIS IS THE MOMENT TO BRING AND NOT SEEING ANYBODY, UH, HAVING A CARD, UH, RUNNING TO THE CLERKS. WELL, MAYBE ONE, UH, COMING TO THE CLERKS. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WISHES TO SPEAK ON THE, ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR? AND, UM, OUR, UM, SPEAKER TONIGHT IS CHRISTINA WHITE. AND, UM, WE START, UH, SORRY, THIS CARD WAS FOR A LATER ITEM FOR A LATER ITEM CLARIFIED. I'M NOT HAVING A GREAT NIGHT, AM I? OKAY. SO, UM, THAT, UH, CLOSES, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR, AND I'LL BRING IT BACK UP TO THE DIOCESE COUNCIL MEMBER BARNACLE. YEAH. JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A PACKED AUDIENCE, I JUST WANNA POINT EVERYBODY TO, UH, MONDAY, MARCH 23RD, WE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING TO TALK ABOUT OUR GOALS AND PRIORITIES [00:35:01] AS A CITY. UM, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GET A BIG PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY AND, UM, COMMENT ON THINGS THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE A PRIORITY. AND WITH THAT, I WILL MOVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR. I'LL SECOND THAT SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. MAY WE HAVE OUR ROLL CALL VOTE. I'M SORRY, I MISSED THE SECOND. IT'S FROM CATER THOMPSON, I'M SORRY. MOTION BY BARNACLE. SECOND FROM CATER THOMPSON. UH, BARNACLE. AYE. CATER THOMPSON? YES. TO CARLY? YES. NOW, YES. QUINT. YES. SHRIVES? YES. MCDONALD? YES. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. AND THAT TAKES US TO OUR NEXT, [3. Resolution Appointing Individuals to Climate Action Commission, Historical and Cultural Preservation Committee, Public Safety Advisory Committee, Senior Advisory Committee, and Sonoma County Library Commission] UM, AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS A RESOLUTION APPOINTING INDIVIDUALS TO, UM, CERTAIN COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS. WE HAVE, INCLUDING THE CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION, THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, A SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION. AND, UM, BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION OF THIS, UH, WE MAKE APPOINTMENTS FROM TIME TO TIME TO TO KEEP THESE COM UH, COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS ALL FULL. AND, UM, THE JAN, THE WAY IT'S GONNA WORK HERE IS I'LL ASK THE COUNCIL IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AND, AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT I'LL ASK THE PUBLIC FOR ANY PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL BRING IT UP, UM, BACK UP TO THE, THE DIOCESE. AND, UM, UH, AND DURING, DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, ANY APPLICANT MAY WAL ALSO SPEAK. I MEAN, ANYBODY FROM THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING APPLICANTS MAY SPEAK. UM, AND THEN WE'LL BRING BACK UP AND WE'LL VOTE ON EACH OF THESE COMMITTEE'S, COMMISSIONS INDIVIDUALLY RESOLVE THAT, MOVE TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE. SO, UH, DO WE HAVE THAT CORRECT? AND DO YOU HAVE A BIT OF A PRESENTATION FOR US? YES. JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND. UM, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR COUNCIL. UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE SIX VACANCIES ON OUR CITY COMMISSION'S, COMMITTEES, AND BOARDS DUE TO MEMBERS LEAVING THEIR POSITION PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THEIR TERMS. OUR USUAL RECRUITMENT IS IN THE SPRING. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION BYLAWS STATE THAT VACANCIES SHOULD BE FILLED WITHIN 60 DAYS, WE DECIDED TO DO A MID-YEAR RECRUITMENT TO FILL ALL OF THE CURRENT VACANCIES. UH, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT SEVERAL OF THESE SEATS ARE FOR A VERY SHORT TERM, WHICH JUST EXPIRING JUNE 30TH, 2026. THIS IS JUST TO KEEP CONSISTENCY WITH OUR USUAL TERM LIMITS. UM, HOWEVER, COUNSEL WOULD BE ABLE TO REAPPOINT THESE FOLKS TO A FULL TERM IN JUNE. UH, AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE APPOINTED TO THESE SHORT TERMS, THE CLERK'S OFFICE WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH THEM TO STREAMLINE AND SIMPLIFY THE APPLICATION PROCESS IF THEY WANNA REAPPLY FOR REAPPOINTMENT. UH, THE RECRUITMENT WAS OPEN FROM JANUARY 19TH TO FEBRUARY 19TH. OUR OUTREACH INCLUDED POSTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE CITY'S WEBSITE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY UPDATE, AND DURING THE CITY MANAGER COMMENT AND DIRECT OUTREACH TO FOLKS WHO HAD EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE CCBS. IN THE PAST, WE RECEIVED 16 APPLICANTS FOR THE SIX VACANT SEATS. AND AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, WE WILL CONDUCT A ROUND OF VOTING FOR EACH COMMITTEE SEPARATELY, AS MANY ROUNDS AS NEEDED, UH, FOR AN APPLICANT TO REACH A MAJORITY OF COUNCIL VOTES, WHICH IS FOUR. UH, AND I'LL HAVE SLIDES FOR EACH COMMITTEE FOR VOTING. UM, AND COUNCIL HAS SUBMITTED A VOTING WORKSHEET OF THEIR INITIAL PREFERENCES, WHICH WILL BE FILLED OUT ON THE SLIDES JUST TO GET US GOING, UH, AND THEY CAN CONFIRM THOSE VOTES WHEN WE DO IT, AND I'LL PULL THAT PRESENTATION UP AFTER COUNCIL QUESTIONS AND THE PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY, GREAT. SO I'LL LOOK TO COUNCIL AND ASK IF ANYONE HAS A QUESTION THEY WISH TO ASK BEFORE WE MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. ANY QUESTION? LET'S MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. WE DID RECEIVE ONE COMMENT AHEAD OF TIME, AND THAT'S POSTED, AND I HAVE SEVERAL CARDS, BUT IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK NOW IS THE MOMENT TO BRING YOUR SPEAKER CARD, SPEAKER CARDS TO MY DESK. SO OUR FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE ROBIN RILEY TO BE FOLLOWED BY ELLEN OSLER. HELLO AGAIN, CITY COUNCIL. UM, I'M HERE TO MAKE TWO BRIEF REMARKS ABOUT THE APPOINTMENTS YOU ARE MAKING THIS EVENING. UH, FIRST, WITH REGARDS TO THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION, UH, I WILL SAY IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ON THE PETALUMA LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD FOR THE LAST, COMING UP ON THREE YEARS, I THINK NOW, UH, AND TO SERVE AS ITS CHAIR FOR NEARLY THE LAST TWO. UM, AND I'LL ADD, I'VE HAD THAT REAL DISTINCT PRIVILEGE OF WORKING ALONGSIDE FORMER COMMISSIONER TIM MAY, WHO I BELIEVE MANY OF YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS OUR, UH, LATE COMMISSIONER, UH, PAUL RIDGE, TO TAKE THE PETALUMA LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD, WHICH HAD BEEN AWFULLY SLEEPY AND NOT PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO MAKE IT A MORE ROBUST MUNICIPAL BODY AND SERVICE OF THE LIBRARY AND THE COMMUNITIES THAT IT SERVES. UH, IT'S AGAINST THIS BACKDROP THAT I SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION TO SERVE AS PETALUMA'S NEXT LIBRARY COMMISSIONER, WHERE [00:40:01] AMONG OTHER THINGS, UH, I PROMISE TO FIGHT CENSORSHIP, TO BUILD EVERMORE INCLUSIVE AND EDUCATED COMMUNITIES, UH, TO ENSURE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE USED EFFECTIVELY AND TO IMPROVE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARDS ACROSS THE COUNTY. I HUMBLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR VOTE TO APPOINT ME AS OUR NEXT, UH, LIBRARY COMMISSIONER. UH, SECOND, VERY BRIEFLY, I WANT TO VOICE MY SUPPORT, UH, WITH REGARDS TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS FOR SABRINA PETRI DOVE'S APPLICATION TO SERVE ON THAT COMMITTEE. THE PEACE, A C LIKE ANY OTHER MUNICIPAL BODY, UH, REALLY NEEDS PEOPLE WHO WILL LISTEN, WHO WILL DO THEIR HOMEWORK, WHO WILL WORK TO UNDERSTAND MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND EXERCISE, GOOD JUDGMENT. UM, I AM AWARE OF SABRINA'S RECORD AND I KNOW THAT SHE'S THIS KIND OF PERSON. UH, SO PLEASE VOTE TO APPOINT SABRINA AS THE NEXT MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I HOPE EVERYBODY HAS YOU WELCOME THE EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ELLEN OSLER TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHANTEL ROGERS. OH, HI. UM, HI THERE. UH, I AM, WELL, I WAS GONNA DO THE, THAT OPPOSITE, BUT I'M ALSO HERE, I'M HERE FOR THE BOAT. SAME TWO RECOMMENDATIONS. I WANNA SUPPORT ROBIN RILEY'S APPLICATION TO SERVE ON THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION. ROBIN HAS JUST SAID, UH, SHE'S BEEN ON THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRING IT FOR TWO YEARS. UM, AND LIKE ALL THE VOLUNTEER WORK ROBIN DOES, SHE'S ALWAYS GIVEN IT HER ALL. AND SO I HOPE, UM, I KNOW THAT SHE'LL DO A GREAT JOB REPRESENTING US AND HELP YOU APPOINT HER. AND I ALSO SUPPORT, UM, SABRINA DOVE'S APPLICATION TO SERVE ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I SIT ON THAT COMMITTEE AND BELIEVE HER SERVICE WILL HELP IT IMMEASURABLY TO FULFILL ITS MISSION TO ACT AS A COMMUNITY RESOURCE TO ADDRESS POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS REGARDING THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. I THINK IT'S BEEN LOST IN THE YEARS SINCE THE COUNCIL CREATED THE COMMITTEE THAT IT WAS FORMED IN THE WAKE OF BLACK LIVES MATTERS PROTESTS WHEN COMMUNITY LED LED LISTENING CIRCLES SHOWED THAT HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS WERE HAVING VERY DIFFERENT INTERACTIONS WITH POLICE THAN WHITE PEOPLE WERE. HAVING THE LISTENING CIRCLES LED THE COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH AN AD HOC COMMITTEE WHO AFTER MEETING FOR SIX MONTHS, RECOMMENDED AMONG OTHER THINGS OF THE CITY INSTITUTE INDEPENDENT POLICE OVERSIGHT. IN MAY, 2022, COUNCIL DIRECTED A HYBRID MODEL OF CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT, INCLUDING THE INDEPENDENT POLICE AUDITOR. AND THE COMMITTEE LAST WEDNESDAY WAS THE COMMITTEE'S FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY A SAY IN AN IMPORTANT MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY. BEFORE THE MEETING IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE HAD VERY LITTLE POD BOOK ENGAGEMENT THAT CHANGE WHEN THE SUBJECT OF FLOCK LICENSE PLATE READERS CAME ON THE AGENDA FOR JANUARY'S MEETING. 73 PEOPLE WROTE IN, AND ABOUT 15 PEOPLE SHOWED UP IN CHAMBERS WITH SIX OR SEVEN PEOPLE MAKING PUBLIC COMMENTS ALL AGAINST FLOCK BECAUSE THE TOPIC WAS AN AGENDA FOR A VOTE. THE SUBJECT CAME BACK LAST WEDNESDAY FOR THAT MEETING, 56 PEOPLE WROTE IN, AND THERE WERE 45 PEOPLE IN CHAMBERS WITH 17 PEOPLE MAKING PUBLIC COMMENT ALL AGAINST FLOCK. AFTER ALL THE COMMENTS, OUR CHAIR, MIKE MILLER, MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT THE COMMITTEE ON BEING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND HEARING THE PUBLIC CLEARLY STATING THEY DIDN'T FEEL SAFE WITH FLOCK READERS, HE MADE A MOTION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL TAKE DOWN THE READERS. THREE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE VOTED NO, AND THEREFORE THE MOTION DID NOT PASS. SABRINA DOVE IS A MOM WITH KIDS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. SHE'S AN ENGAGED COMMUNITY MEMBER. SHE'LL WIDEN OUR SPECTRUM OF VIEWPOINTS. I KNOW FROM ALL THE QUESTIONS SHE'S BEEN ASKING ABOUT THE COMMITTEE THAT SHE'LL COME TO THE MEETINGS PREPARED. MOST IMPORTANTLY, SHE WILL TAKE THE FUNCTION OF POLICE OVERSIGHT SERIOUSLY AND LISTEN WHEN THE COMMUNITY SPEAKS. I REALLY HOPE YOU APPOINT HER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. UM, OUR LAST SPEAKER, I IS, UH, CHANTEL ROGERS. DIDN'T FORGET ME THIS TIME. , I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY EXPRESS MY SUPPORT ALSO FOR SABRINA DOVE. I, FOR THE, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, YOU APPOINT SOMEONE WHO IS WILLING TO, UM, LISTEN TO ALL SIDES. UM, WHETHER YOU SUPPORT THINGS OR DON'T SUPPORT THEM, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION AND I FEEL LIKE SHE'S IMMINENTLY CAPABLE OF, UH, FULFILLING THAT ROLE. I HOPE YOU'LL VOTE FOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THAT CLOSES PUBLIC COMMENT AND I'D LIKE TO BRING IT BACK UP TO COUNCIL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE INTO THE VOTING? UM, I, I, I THINK I DO WANNA REPLY TO, UM, UM, ONE, UM, THIS QUESTION OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE. UM, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S MY THOUGHT WHEN PEOPLE VOLUNTEER FOR THESE KIND OF THINGS THAT THEY'RE WELL INTENDED AND, AND, UH, HOPEFULLY SKILLED. AND [00:45:01] THAT'S WHAT WE GET TO REVIEW RESUMES, UH, FOR APPLICATIONS FOR ALL THESE POSITIONS ARE. AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE MY FAITH IN GOOD COMMUNITY HELPING OUT WITH, WITH ALL THIS. AND OUR SPEAKER HERE MOMENTS AGO MENTIONED HOW, UH, THE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS FORMED IN OUR GEORGE FLOYD MOMENT. AND I WANNA NOTE THAT WHAT WE DID IN PETALUMA, UM, EXCEEDED ANYTHING DONE ANYWHERE AROUND THE COUNTY. OUR, UM, CITY INVESTMENT, UH, IN BRINGING OUT VOICES THAT HADN'T BEEN HEARD WAS UNPRECEDENTED AND UNPARALLELED. AND, UM, WHAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES TO, UM, LEAD THAT MISSION, BUY INTO THAT MISSION, UH, TO TO SEE EYE TO EYE WITH THE COMMUNITY, UH, IS REALLY FABULOUS AND WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO BOTH THE, THE ADVISORY COMMUNITY AND OUR POLICING DEPARTMENT WHO ARE SO COMMUNITY POLICE BASING. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK IT'S, UH, IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WHILE WE'RE ADVOCATING FOR ONE PERSPECTIVE OR ANOTHER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT IN PETALUMA, THAT, UM, THE COMMUNITY IS WELL REPRESENTED BY ITS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND BY ALL ITS COMMITTEES. SO, UM, THAT WAS ALL I WANTED TO SAY AND TURN IT BACK TO YOU, MADAM CLERK. YES. SO I CAN SHARE, UH, THE SLIDES FOR EACH VOTE. THERE WE GO. SO, UH, I ENTERED IN THE, UH, THE PRELIMINARY VOTES. SO, UH, WE ACTUALLY DID, UH, NARROW IT DOWN TO TWO. THERE ARE TWO SEATS AVAILABLE ON THE CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION. ONE IS FOR A SHORTER TERM AND ONE IS FOR A LONGER TERM. UH, WITH COUNCIL'S PRELIMINARY VOTES. THERE ACTUALLY WERE TWO CANDIDATES WHO RECEIVED FOUR. UM, SO IF COUNCIL IS COMFORTABLE WITH THESE VOTES, UM, THAT WOULD BE THAT BRYNN O'DONNELL WHO RECEIVED FOUR VOTES FROM CATER THOMPSON TO CARLY QUINT AND TRIS WOULD BE APPOINTED. AND MIGUEL PEREZ, WHO RECEIVED FOUR VOTES FROM BARNACLE, QUINT, TRIS, AND MCDONALD. AND IT LOOKS LIKE, UM, THERE WERE TWO INDICATIONS THAT MIGUEL SHOULD RECEIVE THE SHORTER TERM. SO IF EVERYONE'S COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, BRYNN WOULD RECEIVE THE LONGER TERM AND MIGUEL WOULD RECEIVE THE SHORTER TERM. I THINK IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. OKAY, SO LET'S MOVE THAT OVER. WHAT WE DIDN'T SAY EITHER. AT THE END OF THIS, THERE'S A RESOLUTION AND IT PUTS OUR WINNERS INTO THE RESOLUTION AND WE VOTE AT THE END. SO, UM, LET'S MOVE TO OUR NEXT COMMITTEE. THIS ONE ALSO SEEMED, UH, FAIRLY SIMPLE. HAROLD MATSON RECEIVED, UH, UNANIMOUS SELECTION BY THE WHOLE COMMITTEE OR COUNCIL. EVERYONE'S STILL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. WE'LL MOVE ALONG. UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, UH, SABRINA DOVE, PETRI RECEIVED FOUR VOTES FROM BARNACLE CATER THOMPSON, QUINT, AND MCDONALD. IF EVERYONE IS COMFORTABLE, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD. AND SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, CATHERINE WELLS RECEIVED FOUR VOTES FROM BARNACLE CATER, THOMPSON, QUINT AND REPPS. AND FINALLY, THE SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY COMMISSION. ROBIN RILEY RECEIVED FIVE VOTES, ACTUALLY SIX VOTES FROM BARNACLE CATER THOMPSON NOW QUINT, SCHIBS AND MCDONALD. AND, UH, VICE MAYOR DI CARLEY. APOLOGIZE, WE COULDN'T READ YOUR FORM. I WASN'T SURE WHO YOU WANTED TO VOTE FOR. WE CAN ENTER THAT NOW IF YOU'D LIKE. I'LL VOTE FOR RILEY AS WELL. . OKAY, PERFECT. IT'S UNANIMOUS. AND THAT WAS ALL OF OUR SEATS, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. RELATIVELY PAINLESS. , UH, WE'LL HAVE THE MOTION NOW TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL, RIGHT? SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR A MOTION FROM COUNSEL THAT REFLECTS THAT, UH, STRAW POLLS FOR ALL OF THESE, RIGHT? YES, CAN DO IT. ALL RIGHT. I'LL MOVE THAT WE APPOINT ALL OF THESE AND, UM, WITH THAT EXPRESS, MY THANKS FOR EVERYBODY WHO APPLIED AND FOR EVERYBODY WHO'S SIGNING UP TO SERVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'LL SECOND, I'LL SECOND. WE HAVE A, UH, MOTION FROM BARNACLE AND A SECOND FROM NOW. AND MAY WE HAVE OUR ROLL CALL VOTE BARNACLE. AYE. CATER THOMPSON? YES. DI CARLY? YES. NOW YES. QUINT? YES. REBS? YES. MCDONALD? YES. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK, AND AS COUNCIL MEMBER SAID, THANKS TO ALL THE, UH, APPLICANTS FOR THIS OPERATION. WE NEXT MOVE TO ITEM FIVE, WHICH IS AN, UM, NO ITEM FOUR [4. Introduction (First Reading) of Ordinance to Change Certain Appropriations for the Operations of the City of Petaluma from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026; and Mid-Year FY 2025-2026 General Fund Update and Finding that this Action is Not a Project Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(B)(5).] HAVING TODAY. UM, SO ITEM FOUR IS AN INTRODUCTION TO FIRST READING OF AN ORDINANCE TO CHANGE CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE OPERATIONS OF THE CITY OF PETALUMA FROM JULY 1ST, 2025 TO JUNE 30TH, 2026, UH, IN A MIDYEAR FY 25 26 GENERAL [00:50:01] FUND UPDATE IN FINDING THAT THIS ACTION ISN'T CQA. AND, UM, PURSUANT TO, UH, THE GUIDELINE SECTION, I'D LIKE TO HAVE, UM, TURN THIS OVER TO, UH, CORY GARLA, UM, OUR ASSISTANT, UM, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, AND TO LINDA LEE, OUR DEPUTY, UH, CITY, UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. SO THERE WE ARE. THANK YOU MAYOR MCDONALD AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THE CITY REVIEWS ITS BUDGET ON A CONTINUAL BASIS. THERE'S THREE BUDGET ADJUSTMENT REPORTS, UM, TYPICALLY PRESENTED ANNUALLY. ONE AT FIRST QUARTER, ONE AT MID-YEAR, AND THE FINAL YEAR END. THE PROPOSED MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING ARE FOR THE ADOPTED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 26. THE MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS PRESENTED ARE RESULTING FROM APPROVED COUNCIL ACTION SINCE ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET, UM, OCTOBER 1ST, UH, THROUGH DECEMBER, ALONG WITH, UH, CIP ADJUSTMENTS TO BETTER ALIGN FISCAL 26 PROJECT BUDGETS TO ACTUAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES AHEAD OF THE 27 BUDGET CYCLE. A DETAILED LIST OF ALL THE BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS ARE INCLUDED IN THE STAFF REPORT. UM, ADJUSTMENTS TO NON-GENERAL FUNDS ARE PRIMARILY DUE TO CAPITAL PROJECT CHANGES AND UPDATES. UM, ALSO INCLUDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, UM, IS A GENERAL FUND, UH, UPDATE, WHICH PROVIDES A RECAP OF THE REVISED BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS AND UPDATED FORECAST AS OF MID-YEAR. IN SUMMARY, ON THE REVENUE SIDE, WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, FISCAL 26 REVENUES TO BE SLIGHTLY MORE THAN WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED A YEAR AGO. THIS IS LARGELY RELATED TO SALES TAX AND PROPERTY TAX. UM, GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE ECONOMY HEADING INTO THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, OUR SALES TAX CONSULTANT PROJECTED SLIGHTLY CONSERVATIVE REVENUES. WE NOW HAVE SEVERAL QUARTERS OF ACTIVITY, UM, THAT SHOW GREATER GROWTH. THUS WE ARE, UM, INCREASING OUR REVENUES IN FISCAL 26 AND OVER THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST. IN ADDITION, OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES HAVE SEEN GREATER GROWTH AND ANTICIPATED MAINLY DUE TO MORE, UM, PROPERTY TAX GENERATED IN THE REDEVELOPMENT AREAS OF BECOMING AVAILABLE AND THEN BEING REDISTRIBUTED TO LOCAL AGENCIES. ON THE EXPENDITURE SIDE, WE ARE SEEING INCREASES IN COSTS, UM, DUE TO INCREASED SERVICE LEVELS, AS WELL AS INCREASED CROSS UH, COSTS ACROSS THE BOARD. EXPENDITURES HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED AS WELL, UM, IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD. SO OVER THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST, WE DO ANTICIPATE OUR EXPENDITURE GROWTH TO OUTPACE OUR REVENUE GROWTH. UH, THE ECONOMY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS BEEN CHALLENGED, RESULTING IN A LOWER SALES TAX BASE THAN WHAT WE WERE ESTIMATING COMING OUTTA THE PANDEMIC. UM, IN ADDITION, COSTS HAVE GONE UP FOR ESSENTIALLY EVERYTHING IN SOME AND IN SOME AREAS. WE ARE EXPERIENCING COST INCREASES OF ABOUT 25% SINCE 2020. ALL OF THIS TOGETHER HAS CREATED A SITUATION THAT REQUIRES A REBALANCING. THE CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM HAS BEEN MEETING REGULARLY SINCE LA UH, LATE LAST YEAR TO CLOSELY REVIEW SPENDING ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS AND PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY EFFICIENCIES AND REDUCE OR ELIMINATE COSTS WHERE POSSIBLE. THIS WORK IS ONGOING, UH, WITH FURTHER REDUCTIONS NECESSARY AS WE CONTINUE BUILDING AND BALANCING THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET. APPROXIMATELY 80% OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET IS SALARIES AND BENEFITS. THEREFORE, THE FOCUS OF THE REDUCTIONS COULD COME IN FORMS OF LOWER COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS, POSITION FREEZES OR LAYOFFS. WE ARE REQUIRED TO BRING FORWARD A BALANCED BUDGET, WHICH WE WILL DO ALONG WITH A BALANCED LONGER TERM FORECAST. WE CONTINUE TO REFINE REVENUES AS WELL AS ANTICIPATE COSTS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO ADJUST IF CHANGES EMERGE, WE WILL BE BACK TO COUNCIL WITH ANOTHER UPDATE IN MAY AT THE FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET WORKSHOP. SO FINALLY, IT IS RECOMMENDED THIS EVENING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT THE ATTACH ORDINANCES TO AMEND APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JUNE 30TH, 2026. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND STAFF ARE HERE TOO AS WELL TO ASSIST. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M BRINGING IT UP TO THE DAAS. AND DOES ANYONE HAVE A QUESTION FOR OUR RECORDING TONIGHT? AND, UM, NO PARTICULAR QUESTION. UM, I THINK, UM, PROBABLY MOST OF US HAVE OUR QUESTIONS IN THE FORM OF A COMMENT HERE, AND SO WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT FIRST, UH, SO THAT WE CAN, UH, GET TO COUNCIL. COMMENT TO THAT. I, I, UH, PASS THE BATON BACK OVER TO OUR CLERK. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY COMMENTS AHEAD OF THE MEETING, BUT I HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL CARTS. I THINK I SEE ONE MORE COMING. OKAY. SO I'D LIKE TO INVITE HEATHER KRATT AND THEN, UH, DARREN KUEN. GOOD EVENING. UM, I JUST WANTED TO REQUEST MORE TRANSPARENCY ON THE MEASURE U SPENDING. I THINK MOST PEOPLE SUPPORTED IT BECAUSE [00:55:01] THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD GO TO MAINTAINING AND REPAIRING OUR ROADS, AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT. MOST OF IT GOES TO STAFFING AND OPERATION EXPENSES, SO JUST SOME MORE TRANSFER AROUND THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DARREN RAKU IN TO BE FOLLOWED BY MAUREEN GOTCHU. THANK YOU CLERK AND COUNSEL. YOU KNOW, I EXAMINED THIS MID-YEAR BUDGET UPDATE AND ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT THE COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR LAST FISCAL YEAR TO SEE WHAT TRENDS THE CITY'S LOOKING AT. AND I, IT'S ALL OUTLINED IN THE ATTACHMENTS. I REALLY APPRECIATED ATTACHMENT ONE, THE KIND OF FORECASTING, AND I ACTUALLY REALLY APPRECIATED COREY'S COMMENTS ON KIND OF THE STRUCTURAL MOVES THAT HAVE TO BE MADE BECAUSE THE TRENDS ARE PRETTY CLEAR THAT EXPENSES ARE GOING UP. THERE'S NOT MAJOR REVENUE CENTERS COMING ONLINE AND WITH INFLATION INCREASES IN PENSION, UH, AND BENEFITS. WE'RE EATING AWAY AT WHAT IS ALREADY A NON-EXISTENT UNASSIGNED GENERAL FUND BALANCE. SO WE'RE KIND OF TRENDING TOWARD A POINT, LIKE HOW DO WE SUSTAIN THIS? UH, SO I'LL JUST RUN THROUGH MY, MY OVERARCHING COMMENTS ON THIS. UH, GENERAL FUND UNASSIGNED RESERVE IS NEAR ZERO. UH, SO THE FORECAST SHOWS THAT UNASSIGNED RESERVE, SO EXTRA MONEY IN THE GENERAL FUND THAT WE CAN DO THINGS WITH IS GONNA BE ABOUT ZERO THROUGHOUT. UH, IN LOOKING AT OTHER CITIES LIKE SAN RAFAEL, SANTA ROSA IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMAL, SO I KIND OF MOVED THAT OFF. BUT LOOKING AT SAN RAFAEL AND NEARBY MUNICIPALITIES, IT LOOKS LIKE MOST HAVE SOME KIND OF FORMAL RESERVE TARGET, UH, AS WELL AS A REPLENISHMENT PLAN. THIS IS PART OF THE REASON WHY I'VE COME FORWARD TALKING ABOUT QUARTERLY EXPENSE REPORTS. WHERE ARE THOSE AREAS WHERE WE CAN PEEL BACK A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND, A MILLION DOLLARS IN SPENDING AND START PUTTING THAT TOWARD SOME KIND OF UNASSIGNED GENERAL FUND BUDGET SO WE HAVE SOMETHING AND SOME KIND OF FLEXIBILITY OR LIQUIDITY IN THE GENERAL FUND, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS BEING ROLLED FORWARD. THAT IS KIND OF A, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ITEM IN MY MIND. IT'S REALLY CALLED OUT AND I THINK WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IS THE BOTTLENECK, BECAUSE THERE'S CLEARLY RESTRICTED FUNDS, THERE'S FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN COLLECTED THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS. BUT I GUESS THE QUESTION IS, IS IT DELIVERY CAPACITY IN TERMS OF STAFF AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT? IS IT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANY EXTRA UNASSIGNED GENERAL FUND MONIES THAT WE NEED TO MAYBE SUPPORT THAT? OR ARE WE LACKING LIKE SOME KIND OF MATCHING FUNDS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO PULL THAT RESTRICTED MONEY INTO SERVICE? UH, SO REALLY FIGURING OUT WHERE THAT BOTTLENECK IS AND FIGURING OUT WHAT IS OUR REALISTIC ANNUAL DELIVERY CAPACITY. I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME CHANGES IN PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES, SO I ASSUME SOME OF THAT WORK IS KIND OF ONGOING. UH, AND I THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING DELAYS COULD INCREASE THE LONG-TERM COST POTENTIALLY. UM, AND THEN THE PAYROLL AND BENEFIT GROWTH. YOU KNOW, COREY SPOKE TO THIS. I THINK IT'S FINDING INTELLIGENT WAYS TO PAIR BACK THAT SPENDING. UM, AND THEN AL ALSO WHAT I CALLED OUT WAS IN THE, UM, IN PRIOR YEARS WE'VE HAD SOME UAL PAY DOWN, SO SOME PAY DOWN OF LIKE THESE MASSIVE LONG-TERM CALPERS LIABILITIES. AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY STRATEGY LIKE THAT AND IF THAT EVEN MITIGATES LONG-TERM COSTS. I NOTICE THERE'S ABOUT 7 MILLION THAT WE'VE MADE IN PRIOR YEARS TO PAY DOWN THOSE BIG LIABILITIES AND MAYBE THAT SAVES US MONEY IN LONG TERM. SO SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. I ALSO, UH, JUST BROUGHT UP LAST THING, FAIRGROUNDS AND PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY. JUST UNDERSTANDING IF THOSE ARE IN THAT ATTACHMENT ONE BUDGET FORECAST. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA BE A MUCH MORE ROBUST BUDGET PROCESS IN MAY, BUT ARE WE CAPTURING THOSE COSTS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAUREEN AL TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHANTEL ROGERS. HELLO. UM, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT GOES INTO THE MIDYEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST. I WANNA FOCUS MY COMMENTS TONIGHT ON TWO AREAS, THE STATE OF OUR RESERVES AND THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE 30 MILLION IN CAPITAL PROJECT DEFERRALS AS RIGHT SIZING, THE REVISED GENERAL FUND UN UNASSIGNED BALANCE IS THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHT, TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SEVEN HUNDRED ON AN 82.6 MILLION BUDGET. THIS IS THREE TENTHS OF 1%. THE GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDS A MINIMUM UNRESTRICTED FUND BALANCE FOR TWO MONTHS OF OPERATING EXPENDITURES FOR PETALUMA. THAT WOULD BE 13.8 MILLION. WE'RE NOT JUST BELOW THE THRESHOLD. WE ARE FUNCTIONING AT ZERO. AND IF THE CITY DOES HOLD RESERVES ELSEWHERE, WHY ARE THEY NOT INCLUDED IN THIS FORECAST? THAT WOULD BE A MEANINGFUL DATA POINT FOR THIS COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC TO EVALUATE OUR FISCAL HEALTH. LOOKING AT THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST, THERE IS NO TRAJECTORY TOWARD BUILDING RESERVES. THE ASSIGNED BALANCES FLAT LINES AT ZERO FROM FISCAL YEAR 2029 THROUGH 2031. THE BUDGET APPEARS TO BALANCE EACH YEAR, BUT ONLY BECAUSE MEASURE U TRANSFERS INCREASES FROM 14.7 MILLION THIS YEAR TO 17.6 MILLION IN 2031, CONSUMING NEARLY ALL OF THE FUND'S REVENUE FOR [01:00:01] GENERAL FUND OPERATIONS. RATHER THAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRIORITY INITIATIVES. VOTERS EXPECTED THIS IS NOT FISCALLY SOUND WITHOUT MEANINGFUL RESERVES, THE CITY HAS NO CUSHION FOR AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, A NATURAL DISASTER OR UNEXPECTED EVENT RISKS. THE STAFF REPORT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THE FORECAST ASSUMES STEADY REVENUE GROWTH, BUT STAFF ALSO NOTES THAT THE GDP GROWTH IS PROJECTED TO BE LESS THAN INFLATION THROUGH 2027. CALIFORNIA FACES A 22 BILLION DEFICIT BEGINNING IN FISCAL YEAR 2027 AND 2028. THE SALES TAX PERFORMANCE, WHICH DRIVES BOTH GENERAL FUND AND MEASURE U REVENUE REMAINS UNCERTAIN. ADDITIONALLY, THE STAFF REPORT NOTES THAT TRANS TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUES ARE TRENDING AT ONLY 55% OF THE BUDGET AS OF DECEMBER, 2025. YET NO MIDYEAR ADJUSTMENT WAS MADE TO THAT REVENUE LINE. IF THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR DOES NOT DRAMATICALLY OUTPERFORM THE FIRST, THAT BECOMES ANOTHER SHORTFALL ON TOP OF AN ALREADY RAZOR THIN MARGIN. IF ANY OF THESE RISKS MATERIALIZE, WE HAVE NOTHING TO FALL BACK ON. THE CORE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT THE EXPENDITURE GROWTH IS OUTPACING REVENUE GROWTH AND THE CITY HAS NOT TAKEN SUFFICIENT ACTION TO REDUCE SPENDING. PERSONAL COSTS REPRESENT 79% OF THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES WITH WORKERS' COMPENSATION AND HEALTHCARE PROJECTED TO INCREASE AT A MINIMUM OF 8% ANNUALLY, SERVICES AND SUPPLIES ARE PROJECTED TO RISE 3%. THESE ARE STRUCTURAL COSTS INCREASE THAT COMPOUND OVER TIME WITH WITHOUT A DELIBERATE PLAN TO REDUCE OPERATIONAL SPENDING, THE CITY CANNOT BUILD RESERVES PERIOD. ON THE CAPITAL SIDE. THIS MID, I THINK I'M GETTING ANOTHER THREE. YEAH, I SEE THAT WE HAVE SEATED TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANKS. ON THE CAPITAL SIDE, THIS MIDYEAR ADJUSTMENT INCLUDES OVER 30 MILLION IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT BUDGETS BEING ROLLED FORWARD TO FUTURE YEARS. THE STAFF REPORT DESCRIBES THIS AS RIGHT SIZING. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THIS TERM HAS A WELL-KNOWN HISTORY IN CORPORATE CULTURE. IT EMERGED IN THE 1980S AS A A SOFTER ALTERNATIVE TO DOWNSIZING, WHICH WAS ITSELF ALREADY A EUPHEMISM FOR LAYOFFS, MAKING RIGHTSIZING A EUPHEMISM OF A EUPHEMISM DESIGNED TO DISTANCE DECISION MAKERS FROM THE REALITY OF THEIR BUSI BUS BUSINESS DECISIONS. RIGHT SIZING APPLIES, THEIR ORIGINAL BUDGETS WERE WRONG, AND THAT THEY WERE OVERSIZED AND ARE NOW BEING CORRECTED TO MATCH ACTUAL NEEDS. BUT THESE WERE NOT ABSTRACT ESTIMATES. THEY WERE SPECIFIC PROJECT BUDGETS THAT CITY COMMITTED TO THE PETALUMA PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY AT 2.77 MILLION. THE PIPS PARALLEL FORCE MAIN AT 12.3 MILLION, MULTIPLE WASTEWATER AND WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, ROAD RESTORATION, FIRE STATION UPGRADES, AND THE WILSON STORM WATER PUMP STATION. THE MORE ACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE CITY LACKS THE CAPACITY, WHETHER FINANCIALLY, STAFFING OR OPERATIONALLY TO EXECUTE ITS CAPITAL PLAN AS BUDGETED. THESE ARE DEFERRALS, NOT CORRECTIONS. THE WORD CHOICE MATTERS BECAUSE IT SHAPES HOW THIS COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC PERCEIVE WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING WITH OUR INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITMENTS. I URGE THIS COUNCIL TO DIRECT STAFF TO DEVELOP A PLAN THAT PRIORITIZES BUILDING RESERVES THROUGH EXPENDITURE REDUCTIONS, NOT JUST THROUGH REVENUE GROWTH ASSUMPTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE AN HONEST ACCOUNTING OF OUR CAPITAL PROGRAMS EXECUTION CAPACITY. RATHER THAN CHARACTERIZING SIGNIFICANT DEFERRALS AS ROUTINE ADJUSTMENTS. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY MEANS MAKING DIFFICULT CHOICES, NOT ENGINEERING A FORECAST THAT BALANCES ON PAPER WHILE CARRYING FUNCTIONAL ZERO RESERVES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NICHOLAS HARRIS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, I WANT TO, UH, GO BACK TO, UH, THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS LAST YEAR AT THE BUDGET WORKSHOP FOR THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. THERE WERE TWO POIGNANT OBSERVATIONS. ONE WAS, UH, AND THIS IS MY UNDERSTANDING, THE THE ROLLING FORWARD OF, OF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BUDGETS APPEARED, UM, SOMEWHAT MISLEADING. UH, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, TWO, UH, RECOGNIZING THE AMBITION OF THE SCOPE OF THE CAPITAL PROJECTS PRESENTED IN THE BUDGET, MAYOR ASKED IF MORE HEAD COUNT WAS NEEDED TO SUPPORT AND EXECUTE RIGHT SIZING IN THE BUSINESS WORLD IS CODE FOR LAYOFFS AND RESTRUCTURING. UH, I KNOW THAT FROM READING BOOKS BY JACK WELSH, I'M ASKING THE COUNCIL TO PROBE INTO THE REDUCTION OF CIP TARGET BY $30 MILLION. THAT MEANS A POST-MORTEM ANALYSIS IS REQUIRED. ONE OF YOU NEEDS TO MAKE A MOTION ASKING FOR THAT POST-MORTEM ANALYSIS. I'M ASKING YOU ALL DEMONSTRATE YOUR COMMITMENT TO OVERSIGHT [01:05:01] OF PUBLIC SPENDING AND SUPPORT THAT MOTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THAT WAS OUR LAST PUBLIC SPEAKER CLOSING PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ITEM. I'D LIKE TO BRING IT BACK UP, UH, TO THE COUNCIL. BUT BEFORE I DO THAT, UM, I'D LIKE TO INVITE, UH, COREY TO COMMENT ON PARTICULARLY RESERVES IS I IS AN AREA I THINK IS MISUNDERSTOOD, PERHAPS BY THE PUBLIC. WOULD YOU MAKE THAT RIGHT? SO, UM, THE ITEM, UH, THE FORECAST UPDATE AND THE BUDGET ITEM ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA, UM, MAINLY ARE FOCUSED ON THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. WE DO UPDATE THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST, BUT WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON THE UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE AND WHETHER OUR BUDGET IS BALANCED. UM, OPERATING, UM, OUR OPERATING BUDGET IS BALANCED FOR THE CURRENT YEAR AND INTO THE FUTURE. UM, WE DO HAVE EMERGENCY RESERVES, AND ACTUALLY AT THE END OF 20 FISCAL YEAR 25, OUR EMERGENCY RESERVES, UM, OUR TOTAL ASSIGNED RESERVES, WHICH A PORTION OF THAT IS EMERGENCY RESERVES, WAS AT 16 MILLION. SO THAT REPRESENTS ABOUT 22% OF OUR OPERATING EXPENDITURES. UM, A PORTION OF THAT IS, UM, FOR, UH, CAPITAL AND DEBT SERVICE. SO WHEN YOU TAKE OFF THAT OFF THE TOP, UM, THE PERCENTAGE THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT IS ABOUT 13.5 TO 14% OF OUR OPERATING, UM, EXPENDITURES. SO WE DO HAVE EMERGENCY RESERVES, UM, WE CONTINUE TO BUILD THEM, WE MAINTAIN 'EM AT THE COUNCIL POLICY, WHICH IS AT CURRENTLY AT 15% OF OPERATING EXPENDITURES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT JUST CAME TO MIND BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO OUT FOR BOND AND BOND RATING AND THINGS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE STRONG RESERVES TO GET THE KIND OF RATING WE JUST GOT RATED FOR. SO I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE ON THAT. AND, UM, THEN, UM, I'M SEEING OUR PUBLIC WORKS TEAM STEPPING UP. AND SO, UH, I THINK YOU GUYS NEED THE MICROPHONE FOR A MINUTE HERE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO WEIGH IN? YEAH, GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY. UH, PAUL , DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. I'M HERE WITH JONATHAN RA. HE'S OUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS AND OVERSEES OUR CIP PROGRAM. UM, I DID WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PAVING, UH, PROJECTS, WHICH I KNOW IS OF CONCERN, UM, AND, AND EXCITEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY ON ON WHEN THOSE PROJECTS ARE GONNA GET IMPLEMENTED. WE DO HAVE SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON ACTIVELY. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, RAINIER AVENUE PAVING PROJECT IS ABOUT TO GET STARTED. I THINK WE'RE ABOUT A MONTH AWAY FROM, UM, FROM THAT WORK HAPPENING. UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT PAVING PROJECT, WE HAVE TWO PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN DESIGN OR ARE ABOUT TO START DESIGN. HOWARD AVENUE PROJECT IS CURRENTLY UNDER DESIGN. WE ANTICIPATE, UM, COMPLETING THE DESIGN, UM, THIS FALL AND BIDDING IT FOR CONSTRUCTION, UM, NEXT SPRING SUMMER. UM, ADDITIONALLY, COFFEE LANE IS GONNA BE, UH, DESIGN IS GONNA BE UNDERWAY SOON. AND THEN THAT PROJECT'S ALSO SCHEDULED FOR CONSTRUCTION NEXT SUMMER. UM, AND THEN I THINK JONATHAN CAN PROBABLY SPEAK BETTER TO KIND OF HOW WE BUDGET AND, UM, KIND OF ANTICIPATE FOR BEST CASE, UM, SO THAT WE BUDGET, UH, MORE THAN SOMETIMES IS NEEDED WITH WITHIN ANY GIVEN FISCAL YEAR. AND SOMETIMES THOSE GET CARRIED OVER OR ROLLED OVER INTO THE, THE NEXT YEAR. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I ALSO JUST WANNA POINT OUT, WE ALSO HAVE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE PROJECTS GOING ON. WE JUST COMPLETED, UH, SLURRY SEAL SEALING THIS FISCAL YEAR, AND WE'RE ALREADY PLANNING NEXT FISCAL YEAR'S SLURRY CEILING AS WELL. UH, BUT JUST TO ADD TO PAUL'S POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO IN CAPITAL PROJECTS IS, YOU KNOW, PLAN FOR OUR BEST CASE SCENARIO IN TERMS OF GETTING THESE PROJECTS DONE. SO WHEN WE'RE COMING TO, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL FOR THE PROJECT AWARD, WE'RE NOT COMING TO ASK FOR MORE MONEY. SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE ALSO PLANNING IN THESE BUDGETS, AND SO YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THAT AS REDUCTIONS AS WELL AS WE'RE PLANNING, YOU KNOW, 15 OR 20% DEPENDING ON THE PROJECT OF CONTINGENCY. SO SOME OF THOSE ARE ACCOUNTING FOR SOME OF THOSE REDUCTIONS AS WELL. UM, SO ONE OF THE BIG PROJECTS THAT'S A LARGE PORTION OF THAT MONEY THAT IS, UH, IS TRANSFERRING THIS YEAR IS THE PIPS PROJECT. AND SO I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ON TRACK FOR THAT, BUT PART OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN TERMS OF STAFFING IS WE HAVE A LOT, YOU KNOW, A PRETTY AMBITIOUS CAPITAL PROJECT, UH, BUDGET. AND SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH HIRING NEW STAFF AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET ALL THESE PROJECTS DONE. SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE SIX VACANCIES, UM, THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY INTERVIEWING FOR, FOR OUR CAPITAL TEAM. AND SO THAT WILL HELP US BE ABLE TO DELIVER THESE, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS. GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, YOU MIGHT WANNA HANG FOR A HEARTBEAT IN CASE, UH, ANY OTHER COUNCIL HAS A A QUESTION MR. REGARD. ANY, UH, ANYONE WANNA LEAD OFF THE QUESTION? UM, I I WANTED TO COMMENT ON THE RESERVE BALANCE IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WE DON'T PUT RESERVE INTO THE BUDGET. WE HAVE RESERVE IN OUR FUNDING. SO SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, WHERE IF YOU DO A QUICK CURSORY LOOK AT A 300 PAGE BUDGET, YOU'RE PROBABLY, YOU MIGHT NOT FIND THINGS WHERE YOU THINK THEY ARE. BUT, UH, HAVING BEEN HERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS OF DISCUSSION ON THIS, I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE [01:10:01] HAVE THAT ONE IN PLACE. UM, AND, AND, UM, AND I APPRECIATE WHAT THE CITY'S DONE AND WHAT THEY'VE WATCHED OTHER CITIES DO REGARDING, UH, THE PERS DEBTS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE STILL, YOU KNOW, LIKE HAUNTING US, UH, PRE DECISIONS FROM 20, 30 YEARS AGO THAT, THAT WE STILL CAN'T SHAKE FREE OF. BUT WE HAVE PLANS AND WE WATCH WHAT OTHER CITIES DO AND WE FIND OUT WHETHER THAT'S A GOOD PRACTICE OR WHETHER OUR PRACTICE IS, IS THE PATH TO FOLLOW. AND I'M SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING THE FIRST ALSO ALL OF THE FAIRGROUNDS IMPROVEMENTS. UM, A LOT OF THAT DOESN'T COME UP IN THE CAPITAL PROJECT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. SO WE SEE THAT MONEY KIND OF COME OUT OF, IT'S NOT RESERVE, IT'S IT'S FUNDS WE HAVE THAT WE DECIDE TO AUGMENT THE BUDGET WITH THIS YEAR. SO WE'RE AUGMENTING THE BUDGET AND ACHIEVING MORE IN THIS YEAR IN SOME AREAS. AND IF YOU COME IN MAY, YOU'LL HEAR ME GET ON MY BANDWAGON LIKE EVERY YEAR ABOUT WHY AREN'T WE GETTING MORE CAPITAL DONE? I'M A CAPITAL PROJECTS ENGINEER BY DAY, AND I JUST WANT THE TEAM TO GET LIKE, SO MUCH MORE INFRASTRUCTURE DONE IN IN THE CITY. WE NEED A BETTER PLAN. WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING ON IT. UM, AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER SPEAKERS MENTIONED AS HE'S HEARD THE MAYOR SAY THIS AGAIN. DO YOU NEED MORE BODIES? DO YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET MORE WORK DONE? SO I'M SURE WE'LL SEE THAT, BUT THIS MOMENT RIGHT HERE IS KIND OF THE COMPILATION OF THE CHANGES THAT WE'VE DONE AND BEING TOTALLY TRANSPARENT OF HOW OUR BUDGET IS, UH, DYNAMIC DURING THE YEAR. AND THIS IS OUR SNAPSHOT. SO I THINK THE REAL FUN AND MEET WILL BE AT OUR BUDGET MEETINGS THAT ARE COMING REAL SOON WHERE WE SET PRIORITY THROUGH BUDGETING. ANYBODY ELSE, UH, HAVE ANYTHING BEFORE WE, UH, HAVE A MOTION HERE? CAN I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION BY BARNACLE AND A SECOND BY CATER THOMPSON. AND MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL? VOTE BARNACLE. AYE. CATER THOMPSON? YES. TO CARLY? YES. NOW YES. QUINT? YES. SHRIVES? YES. MCDONALD? YES. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU TO OUR WHOLE FINANCE TEAM. AND, UM, NOW, UH, [5. Staff Update on Potential Changes to Animal Services within the City of Petaluma – ITEM PUBLISHED FRIDAY 2-27-26] I'D LIKE TO, UH, MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE, A STAFF UPDATE ON POTENTIAL CHANGES TO THE ANIMAL SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY OF PETALUMA. AND TO LEAD US OFF HERE, WE HAVE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, UH, BRIAN COCHRAN. SO TAKE IT AWAY. OKAY. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY, UH, STAFF ARE FREE TONIGHT WITH AN ANIMAL SERVICES UPDATE AND REQUEST FOR POSSIBLE DIRECTION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL ON SOME NEXT STEPS. UH, IN AN EFFORT TO BE ACCOUNTABLE AND TRANSPARENT, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU SOME OPTIONS IN CASE YOU FEEL IT IS IMPERATIVE TO MAKE A CHANGE TO OUR CURRENT PROVIDER, NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES, AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF OUR ANIMAL SERVICES, RFP, WHICH WE HAD PLANNED TO RELEASE IN A FEW WEEKS AND AHEAD OF A NEW AGREEMENT, WHICH WOULD GO INTO EFFECT ON AUGUST 1ST. THE EXISTING AGREEMENT, UH, HAS AN, UH, EXPIRATION TERM OF JULY 31ST. OUR GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A STABLE, HUMANE, AND RESPONSIVE ANIMAL SERVICES SYSTEM THAT THE PUBLIC CAN COUNT ON. WE'RE FOCUSED ON CONTINUITY OF CARE FOR THE ANIMALS' CURRENTLY IN THE SHELTER AND CONTINUITY OF OUR FIELD RESPONSE FOR RESIDENTS DURING ANY TRANSITION THAT MIGHT OCCUR. SO WE HAVE SEEN THE REPORTING AND THEIR PUBLIC OUTCRY RELATED TO THE SITUATION AT THE CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL SHELTER, WHICH IS EGREGIOUS. HOWEVER, WHILE WE SHARED THE SAME PROVIDER AS CLEAR LAKE, UH, WE WANNA BE CLEAR THAT PETALUMA IS NOT CLEAR LAKE AND THERE'S NO INDICATION THAT OUR SHELTER IS OPERATING ANY DIFFERENTLY THAN IT HAS FOR MANY YEARS, NOR IS THERE INDICATION OF THE TYPES OF POOR ANIMAL CONDITIONS THAT WERE APPARENT IN SOME OF THE PUBLICLY RELEASED PHOTOS THAT MANY OF US SAW. THE CITY'S PRIOR PLAN WAS OUTLINED IN OUR RESPONSE TO THE GRAND JURY REPORT, AND WE, UH, FINALIZED THAT AND YOU ALL APPROVED IT IN SEPTEMBER OF 2025. AND THAT PLAN INCLUDED, UH, MAKING SOME FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ANIMAL SHELTER, HIRING A THIRD PARTY CONSULTANT TO ASSESS OPERATIONS AND ASSIST NBAS WITH IMPROVING THEIR OPERATIONS, UH, AND THEN ISSUING THE RFP THAT I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED FOR A NEW PROVIDER, UM, TO COME ONLINE AFTER THE EXPIRATION OF THE CURRENT CONTRACT. AND AGAIN, WE ARE ANTICIPATING RELEASING THAT RFP THIS MONTH. SO ON THE IMPROVEMENTS FRONT, IN TERMS OF THE SHELTER ITSELF, THE CITY HAS ALREADY COMPLETED MORE THAN $150,000 IN SHELTER F UH, FACILITY RENOVATIONS, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT ROOF REPAIRS, HVAC UPGRADES AND [01:15:01] OTHER IMPROVEMENTS, UH, LIKE FRONT, UH, FACADES ON SOME OF THE KENNELS. HOWEVER, UH, THE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS HAVE BEEN STALLED BECAUSE NBAS DECLINED TO WORK WITH THE CITY'S SELECTED CONSULTANT TO HELP 'EM IMPROVE. OPERATIONS AND STAFF HAVE NOTED ONGOING CONCERNS REGARDING COMMUNICATION AND RESPONSIVENESS TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO CITY STAFF. THE RFP REMAINS ON TRACK TO BE ISSUED AND A DRAFT THAT IS READY TO, TO GO VERY SOON, UH, AS SOON AS MID-MARCH WAS ATTACHED AS A, UH, ATTACHMENT THREE TO THE STAFF REPORT. UH, AND WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ISSUE THAT IF THERE ISN'T SOME OTHER TRANSITION THAT'S MADE IN THE INTERIM THAT, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK THROUGH MORE HERE TONIGHT. SO WE DID PUT A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS IN THE STAFF REPORT, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS NO PERFECT OPTION. ALL OF THEM HAVE TRADE-OFFS, THEY HAVE AMBIGUITIES, AND THEY HAVE ISSUES THAT ARE STILL TO BE WORKED OUT. BUT STAFF FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LAY OUT THE OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL AND FOR THE PUBLIC WITH AS MUCH INFORMATION, UH, AS WE COULD COMPILE IN THE SHORT TIME PRIOR TO PUBLISHING THE STAFF REPORT. SO IN THAT REPORT, WE IDENTIFIED THREE MAIN PATHWAYS TO MOVE FORWARD. AND OPTION ONE WOULD, UH, ESSENTIALLY BE TO STAY THE COURSE TO CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT SHELTER PROVIDER NBAS THROUGH THE EXISTING TERM OF JULY 31ST OF THIS YEAR. AND THEN ALSO CONCURRENTLY, UH, AS I ALLUDED TO, UH, IMMEDIATELY ISSUE THE RFP FOR A SUCCESSOR PROVIDER WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. OPTION TWO, UH, IS TO TERMINATE THE NBAS CONTRACT AS OF A DATE CERTAIN, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, MARCH 31, UM, ABOUT FOUR SHORT WEEKS AWAY AND POTENTIALLY CLOSE THE SHELTER ON A TEMPORARY BASIS TO NEW ADMISSIONS DURING A SHORT TRANSITION WIND DOWN PERIOD. THIS WOULD REQUIRE US TO RELOCATE ALL OF THE EXISTING ANIMALS, UH, TEMPORARILY AT LEAST. AND THE STAFF ESTIMATES OUR, THE LAST LAST COUNT WE HAD ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO WAS 68 ANIMALS COMPLETE WHATEVER, UH, IMPROVEMENTS, CLEANING, COUNTING OF INVENTORY, TRANSFER OF DATA, ET CETERA IS REQUIRED, AND THEN BRING ON AN INTERIM PROVIDER OR PROVIDERS FOR UP TO ONE YEAR, UM, POSSIBLY SHORTER THAN THAT, WHILE A FULL RFP PROCESS PROCEEDS ALSO, UH, WE WANTED TO NOTE THAT DURING THE SHELTER CLOSURE PERIOD, ANY NEW ANIMALS THAT WOULD BE ADMITTED TO THE SHELTER WOULD NEED TO BE, UH, TAKEN BY ANOTHER PROVIDER AND ADMITTED AT AN ALTERNATE SHELTER LOCATION WHILE, UH, PETALUMA IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. OPTION THREE WOULD BE TO TERMINATE THE EXISTING AGREEMENT AND PERMANENTLY CLOSE THE PETALUMA ANIMAL SHELTER. AND IN THIS OPTION, WE WOULD CONTRACT WITH AN ALTERNATE PROVIDER, UH, SHELTER PROVIDER, I SHOULD SAY, AS MANY OTHER CITIES THAN SONOMA COUNTY DO TO MAINTAIN THAT SERVICE CONTINUITY AND TAKE IN, UH, SHELTERED ANIMALS FROM PETALUMA ON AN ONGOING BASIS. SO, WANTED TO EXPAND A LITTLE BIT ON OPTION TWO, UH, BECAUSE WE DID PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THAT. AND ATTACHMENTS ONE AND TWO TO THE STAFF REPORT. SO WE DO HAVE A PROPOSAL IN THERE FOR INTERIM FIELD SERVICES AND FOR FIELD SERVICES AND LICENSING. WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING AN INTERIM OPTION WITH SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES THAT WOULD INCLUDE ENFORCEMENT, UH, COORDINATION WITH OUR POLICE AND DISPATCH FOR AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES, AND THEN PROVIDE REGULAR FIELD SERVICE HOURS. THE PROPOSAL INCLUDES PRIORITY DEFINITIONS AND, UH, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TARGETS, SUCH AS RESPONSE TIMES, BOTH DURING REGULAR OPERATING HOURS AND OUTSIDE NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. AND SO WE FEEL THAT THIS IS A WORKABLE INTERIM APPROACH. AND IF WE WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OPTION TWO, THIS WOULD PROVIDE IMMEDIATE AND INTERIM COVERAGE FOR THE, UH, ANIMAL CONTROL AND THE FIELD SERVICES. THE SHELTERING PIECE IS ADMITTEDLY MORE COMPLICATED, AND THERE ARE JUST A NUMBER OF REALITIES HERE THAT WE WANTED TO MENTION. SO THERE ARE UNKNOWNS AND THAT'S, THAT'S JUST GONNA BE INHERENT IN A TRANSITION SUCH AS THIS. AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE INTERDEPENDENCIES WITH THE OPERATIONS OF THE SHELTER. SO WE WOULD NEED TO WORK THROUGH BOTH WITH NBAS AS WELL AS A FUTURE PROVIDER. UH, ANIMAL OWNERSHIP AND TRANSFER ISSUES, MEDICAL AND VACCINATION HISTORIES, ANY BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENTS THAT HAVE, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN DONE ON EXISTING ANIMALS. TRANSFER THE DATA AND THE ANIMAL RECORDS, INCLUDING ANY BITE RECORDS, UH, SORTING THERE, THERE'S A, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CITY OWNED EQUIPMENT AT THE FACILITY. SO SORTING THROUGH WHAT IS [01:20:01] CITY OWNED VERSUS PROVIDER OWNED EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, LOOKING AT THE STAFFING, UH, CONTINUITY FOR STAFF. DO THEY WANT TO COME OVER TO A NEW PROVIDER, DO THEY NOT? THOSE SORTS OF QUESTIONS. UH, AND THE FACILITIES CONDITION AND ANY CLEANING, UPGRADES, REPAIRS, OR DEFICIENCIES THAT A SUCCESSOR PROVIDER MIGHT NEED TO, TO CURE OR TO CORRECT IN ORDER TO TAKE OVER THE OPERATIONS AT THE SHELTER. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS AVOID AN OVERLY RUSHED APPROACH THAT WOULD COMPROMISE ANIMAL WELFARE OR PUBLIC SERVICE RELIABILITY, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING FOR A SMOOTH OF A TRANSITION TO A NEW PROVIDER, UH, AS WE CAN. AND, UH, SO LOOKING A LITTLE BIT AT THE FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF THIS, OUR EXISTING CONTRACT WITH NBAS PROVIDES ALL OF THOSE SERVICES, BOTH THE SHELTERING, UH, ASPECT AS WELL AS ANIMAL CONTROL AND FIELD SERVICES FOR, UH, $478,000 A YEAR, ABOUT $40,000 PER MONTH. AND I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING, UH, THAT THE GRAND JURY REPORT FROM LAST YEAR POINTED OUT THAT PETALUMA CURRENTLY PAYS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER ON A PER CAPITA BASIS FOR ANIMAL SERVICES THAN ANY OF THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT THE GRAND JURY STUDIED. SO, UH, JUST ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IT'S NOT A SURPRISE THAT IF WE MOVE TO A NEW PROVIDER, THERE MAY BE SOME SIGNIFICANT COST INCREASES THAT WE'LL BE FACING. THE, UH, THE SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES PROPOSAL FOR FIELD SERVICES IS ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY $360,000, UH, FOR A FULL YEAR OR, OR PRICED OUT AT ABOUT 30,000 PER MONTH. AND LOOKING AT A SHELTER TRANSITION SCENARIO, WE DID INCLUDE, UM, ATTACHMENT TO A, AN INITIAL PROPOSAL FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY. AND THEY WERE ESTIMATING INITIAL STARTUP COSTS OF ABOUT $200 AS WELL AS A QUARTERLY OPERATING COSTS, UH, IN THE, IN A RANGE. AND THIS IS AN ESTIMATE ABOUT 200 TO $300,000 PER QUARTER, UH, AGAIN, WITH A CAVEAT THAT, UH, THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT UNKNOWNS THAT, THAT WE WOULD NEED TO WORK THROUGH. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION, UH, SOME SORT OF LATE BREAKING NEWS HERE, JUST LATE, LATE THIS AFTERNOON, WE DID ALSO RECEIVE AN INTERIM SERVICES PROPOSAL FROM MARIN HUMANE. SO WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT TO ENSURE THAT THAT TRANSITION IS SMOOTH IF WE ARE GOING TO, TO MOVE TO A NEW PROVIDER. AND ADDITIONALLY, I WANTED TO MENTION THAT, UH, WE WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE IN A REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH THAT PROVIDER DURING THIS INTERIM PERIOD TO ASSESS COSTS WITH THE HOPE THAT ONCE OPERATIONS ARE UP AND RUNNING AND STABILIZE, THAT THE COSTS WOULD ALSO STABILIZE. AND WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT, UH, DONATIONS AND OR VOLUNTEERS MAY BE ABLE TO ABSORB SOME OF THAT COST AND THE, THE, THE DUTIES AS A NEW PROVIDER GETS FULLY RAMPED UP. SO IN CONCLUSION, UH, REGARDLESS OF WHICH PATH COUNCIL CHOOSES, OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES REMAIN THE SAME, WHICH IS TO PROTECT THE ANIMALS IN OUR CARE AND TO, UH, MAINTAIN SERVICES TO THE PETALUMA COMMUNITY. AND ANY TRANSITION PLAN, UH, NEEDS TO PRIORITIZE THE WELLBEING OF PETALUMA ANIMALS AND THE CONTINUITY OF SERVICES, RELIABLE FIELD SERVICES, INCLUDING RESPONSE CAPACITY AND, UH, ANIMAL LICENSING. AND WE ARE, WE'RE EMPHASIZING AN ORDERLY TRANSITION THAT ACCOUNTS FOR SOME OF THOSE REAL OPERATIONAL COMPLEXITIES THAT I MENTIONED, LIKE RECORDS, MEDICAL HISTORIES, UH, BITES, STAFFING, INVENTORY, CLEANING, ET CETERA. SO WITH THAT, UH, STAFF IS HERE TO RECEIVE DIRECTION FROM THE COUNCIL AND PROCEED WITH A PLAN THAT KEEPS PETAL AND ANIMAL SERVICES SAFE, HUMANE, AND RELIABLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO IF WE GO WITH OPTION ONE OR SHORT OF ANY CHANGE IN DIRECTION FROM WHAT WE STATED IN THE CIVIL GRAND JURY RESPONSE BACK IN SEPTEMBER AS MENTIONED, WE WILL PLAN TO, TO, UH, ISSUE THE RFP FOR A SUCCESSOR PROVIDER IN MID-MARCH. AND WITH THAT, WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANKS, UM, AND REALLY APPRECIATE STAFF'S GETTING US ON THE COUNCIL'S AGENDA RIGHT AWAY, AND, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S, IT'S A BIG DEAL. AND SO I'M GLAD YOU PULLED TOGETHER REPORTS AND INVESTIGATED OPTIONS FOR US. SO WHO ON COUNCIL WANTS TO LEAD WITH ANY, UH, QUESTIONING COUNCIL MEMBER BARNACLE? YEAH, SO WE HAVE, IT FEELS LIKE WE HAVE A, A PATHWAY FOR OPTION TWO. UM, BUT I DON'T THINK I CAUGHT THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LONG-TERM, UH, SHELTER IF WE DECIDE FOR OPTION THREE TONIGHT, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. AND OUR, OUR THOUGHT WITH OPTION TWO IS THAT WE WOULD LIKELY, UH, SLIGHTLY DELAY THE ISSUANCE OF THE RFP JUST TO KIND OF GET THE NEW PROVIDER UP AND RUNNING AND THEN ISSUE PERHAPS IN APRIL OR, OR MAY. UH, BUT THAT COULD STILL KEEP US ON TRACK TO HAVE THE NEW [01:25:01] PROVIDER IN, IN THE LATE SUMMERTIME IF WE WANTED TO GO THAT ROUTE. UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT THOUGH. OPTION THREE, WE HAVE NOT FULLY FLUSHED OUT OR VETTED WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE OR WHAT THE COST WOULD BE. OKAY. THAT'S REALLY MY ONLY QUESTION AT THIS TIME. CAN I JUST, UM, PA PARAPHRASE THAT BACK TO MAKE SURE I'M HEARING THIS RIGHT. SO WITH OPTION ONE, IF WE DO A AN RFP, WE THINK THAT THE TRANSITION DATE IS JULY 31ST. THAT'S THE END OF CONTRACT DATE. IF WE CORRECT, DO THE SECOND OPTION AND DELAY THE RFP, WE STILL HAVE A, WE STILL COULD HIT THAT 7 31. WE'D AIM FOR HITTING THAT SAME 7 31. WE, WE COULD AIM FOR IT, BUT JUST GIVEN THE, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR, UH, AGENCIES TO CREATE THEIR RESPONSES TO DO ANY FOLLOW UP AND VETTING OF THOSE RESPONSES, IT MAY NEED TO GO PAST JULY 31, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT TIMELINE MORE CLOSELY TO SEE IF WE CAN STILL MAKE THAT. AND JUST SOME WANTED TO BE ON CLEAR. WHAT WOULD YOUR REPORT COUNCIL MEMBER CARLEY, THANKS FOR THE REPORT, BRIAN. SO IN, IN OPTION TWO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PROPOSING TO CLOSE THE FACILITY IN TWO TO FOUR WEEKS. IS THAT, I UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. 'CAUSE THEN IT, IT SEEMS LIKE AS I, AS I READ IT, YOU KNOW, THE ANIMALS THAT ARE THERE, THEY DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO. ANY ANIMALS THAT NEED A PLACE TO GO, DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO GO. AND, UH, SO WHY, WHY CAN'T WE TIGHTEN DOWN THE DATE TO HAVE A SMOOTHER TRANSITION IF THAT WERE THE OPTION COUNCIL WOULD GO WITH? YEAH, SO PART OF THAT TRANSITION WOULD BE TO RELOCATE THE EXISTING ANIMALS, AT LEAST ON A TEMPORARY BASIS. SO WE CLOSE THE SHELTER, UH, FIND ALTERNATE, UH, SHELTERING FOR THOSE ANIMALS THAT WHICH WOULD THEN ENABLE US TO DO FULL INVENTORY CLEANING REPAIRS, ET CETERA, THEN SPOOL BACK UP WITH THE NEW PROVIDER. UH, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF OFFERS OF SHELTERING FOR ANIMALS, WHETHER CATS OR DOGS. UH, SO WE FEEL THAT WE CAN, WE CAN GET THOSE ANIMALS OUT TO SAFE, GOOD LOCATIONS. UM, BUT THAT WOULD REALLY BE NECESSARY, AT LEAST FOR ONE OF THE PROVIDERS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD NEED THAT KIND OF TIME TO REALLY ASSESS THE FACILITY. AGAIN, WE HAVE TWO PROPOSALS, SO WE CAN KIND OF LOOK AT THE PROS AND CONS OF THOSE. BUT, BUT IN EITHER SCENARIO THERE IS AT LEAST A NECESSARY, UH, CLOSURE OF SOME LIMITED PERIOD OF TIME TO HELP THEM GET UP AND RUNNING BEFORE THEY'RE FULLY OPERATIONAL. SO THIS COMES AS A REQUEST FROM, FROM OTHERS THAT ARE APPLYING TO DO THIS, THIS TRANSITION PERIOD. WELL, AGAIN, WE HAVE TWO PROPOSALS FROM TWO DIFFERENT AGENCIES WHO HAVE STEPPED UP TO, TO HELP IF WE WANT TO GO THIS ROUTE. AND BOTH OF THE PROPOSALS MENTIONED THAT THERE WOULD NEED TO BE AT LEAST SOME CLOSURE. SO YES. MM-HMM . DO WE KNOW HOW MANY ANIMALS COULD BE DISPLACED THAT WOULD BE INCOMING, THAT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO, SO THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER COMPONENT OF IT. UM, WE DON'T HAVE A GOOD COUNT OF THE FLOW IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER PER WEEK OR NUMBER PER DAY, BUT THOSE WOULD NEED TO GET DIVERTED TO A DIFFERENT SHELTERING SOLUTION WHILE THAT CLOSURE WAS IN EFFECT. AND THEN AS SOON AS IT, UH, REOPENED, THEN WE COULD START ACCEPTING ANIMALS INTO OUR OWN FACILITY AGAIN. OKAY. YEAH. 'CAUSE MY CONCERN THERE WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO OFTEN PEOPLE DUMP ANIMALS OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE THINKING THAT THEY'RE ANIMALS AND THAT THEY'LL SURVIVE, BUT THEY'RE NOT EQUIPPED TO, AND THEY NEED, YOU KNOW, THEY NEED SHELTERS TO GO TO. SO I, I DON'T REALLY LIKE THAT THERE'S THIS LONG, I GET THINGS NEED TO BE CLEANED, BUT A LONG TRANSITION PERIOD IN BETWEEN. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WITH, UM, KIND OF ALL THE UNKNOWNS HERE, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, WHY AREN'T WE WAITING TO, TO BRING THIS DISCUSSION BACK WHEN, LIKE, THIS IS A LITTLE MORE CLEAR? WELL, WE, WE FELT THAT THIS WAS IMPORTANT TO GET TO YOU QUICKLY. UH, EVEN IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE HEADLINES AND BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE SEEING AND SORT OF THE LACK OF CONFIDENCE, WE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS NECESSARY. UM, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE ANSWERS IRONED OUT IMMEDIATELY, IF WE RECEIVE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO GO A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, UH, THEN STAFF WILL CONTINUE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS AND OUR PROVIDERS TO ENSURE THAT WE, WE DO HAVE A SOLID PLAN ONCE WE CAN GET SOME OF THOSE, UM, FINER DETAILS WORKED OUT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. AND THIS WOULD HAPPEN RELATIVELY QUICKLY, LIKE WITHIN THE MONTH OF MARCH. MM-HMM . OKAY. YEAH. 'CAUSE AGAIN, I JUST, THE LONG TRANSITION TIME IT, AND THEN THE UNKNOWNS, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD THE ISSUE WITH KAVANAUGH POOL AND, AND THAT WAS NOT A GOOD SITUATION AND THIS IS MUCH WORSE. SO I, I WOULDN'T WANT TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAPPEN AGAIN. AND THAT'S WELL, AND, AND I HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION TOO. UM, THERE, THERE WAS A CONSULTANT THAT WAS BROUGHT UP AND THERE'S BEEN BACK AND FORTH ABOUT THAT. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE, IF [01:30:01] THERE WAS ANY SORT OF ISSUES WITH THE CONSULTANT, WHY DID WE NOT SEEK TO HIRE ANOTHER ONE? WELL, I, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE CONSULTANT, BUT NBAS MADE A DECISION, AND I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY, FOR WHATEVER REASON, DECIDED THAT THEY DID NOT WANNA WORK WITH THAT PARTICULAR CONSULTANT. UM, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTUALLY, THE CITY MANAGER, UH, THROUGH, AS THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CONTRACT HAS THE ABILITY TO REQUEST ANY DATA, ANY INFORMATION, DO WALKTHROUGHS AT THE SHELTER, ANY TIME REQUESTS, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL INFORMATION. SO THAT WAS REALLY IN THE, THE SPIRIT OF WHY WE HAD, UH, HIRED THE CONSULTANT TO PERFORM SOME OF THAT WORK, WHICH WAS THEN GOING TO INFORM, UH, THE GOALS OF THE CO OF THE AGREEMENT WITH THE CONSULTANT, WHICH WERE TO, UH, LOOK AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF NBAS, HELP THEM WITH SOME OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND EFFICIENCIES, LOOK AT THE LICENSING TO SEE IF THERE WAS A WAY WE COULD GET THAT, UM, UPGRADED. SO THE, THE GOALS WERE THOSE, BUT WE NEEDED, AND THE CONSULTANT NEEDED SOME BASELINE DATA TO BE ABLE TO START MAKING SOME DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND THAT JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN. RIGHT? NO, AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN GOOD TO HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS FOR SURE. UM, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SINCE IT DIDN'T WORK, WHY DID THE CITY NOT THEN GO WITH ANOTHER CONSULTANT SO THAT WE COULD GET ALL THOSE THINGS AND GET THINGS IRONED OUT AND POTENTIALLY IN A BETTER SITUATION, I'M JUST GONNA JUMP IN HERE. IT WAS PRETTY EVIDENT BECAUSE WE HAD ASKED FOR THAT INFORMATION, THEN WE HAD A CONSULTANT ASK FOR THAT INFORMATION IN BOTH, UH, SCENARIOS, WE DID NOT GET THAT INFORMATION. SO WE BELIEVED THAT HIRING ANOTHER CONSULTANT WASN'T GOING TO GET US WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. AND, AND ALSO I APPRECIATE THAT YOU WERE ALREADY PREPARING THE RFP, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE GRAND JURY ARE OUR ACTIONS FROM THE GRAND JURY, WE WERE ALREADY ON A PATH TO HAVE THE RFP OUT THERE. SO THAT WAS, UH, A GOOD EFFORT. COUNCIL MEMBER SCHS. UM, YEAH. UH, SO CLEAR LAKE IS, IS DEFINITELY WAS A, UM, ACTUALLY A PHYSICAL EMERGENCY DISASTER, UH, FOR THE ANIMAL CARE ITSELF. BUT WHAT WE'RE, WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT IT'S MORE OF A MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATIONS, PAPERWORK, COMMUNIC, UM, UH, DOCUMENTATION, ALL THAT IS THE REAL ISSUE HERE. UM, BUT I'M ALSO HEARING THAT THE ACTUAL ANIMAL CARE, THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL SHELTER, THE ANIMALS, UH, THAT ARE THERE ARE MOSTLY, PRETTY MUCH, WE'RE IN A MUCH BETTER SITUATION WHERE IT'S OKAY, THERE'S NOT AN EMERGENCY FOR THE ANIMALS RIGHT NOW TODAY. IS THAT CORRECT? THERE'S NOT AN EMERGENCY RIGHT NOW TODAY? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. SO NOT TODAY. OKAY. SO THAT JUST WANNA BE CLEAR THAT, UM, IF THERE'S NOT AN EMERGENCY TODAY JUST FOR THE ANIMAL CARE FOR THE MOMENT, UM, THEN, UH, I'M, I'M AFRAID OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD, CREATING PROBLEMS, STAFFING, GETTING INVOLVED, TRYING TO DO THINGS ON A TEMPORARY BASIS, DOING THIS, DOING THIS, THIS, AND STILL ENDING UP WITH AN RFP LATER ON. NOT SURE WHAT TO DO. SO, UM, JUST FOR EFFICIENCY OF STAFF AND OF ANIMAL CARE, UM, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IF WE, UM, GO AHEAD AND WE, WE KNOW THAT, UH, THE NORTH BAY SAY, OKAY, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TERMINATED, BUT OKAY, THE DATE'S GONNA BE KIND OF MAYBE PUSHED OUT A LITTLE BIT. WE NEED THE CARE, WE WANNA TRANSITION AND THEN HAVE THE STAFF DO THE WORK THAT'S NECESSARY TO BRING SOMEONE IN TO DO IT INSTEAD OF THIS TEMPORARY, BUT LET'S ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING FULL. WHAT TYPE OF TIMEFRAME ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? IF WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DO WE HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT NOW OR CAN WE COME BACK AND HAVE IT READY TO GO IN ABOUT A MONTH? WHEN WOULD YOU BY BE READY TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING AND TRANSITION WITHOUT A TEMPORARY, UH, INTERMEDIATE TYPE THING? YEAH, I WOULD SAY AT LEAST 30 DAYS. UM, I THINK THE REASON WHY WE DIDN'T PARSE THAT OUT AS ITS OWN OPTION IS BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A TOTAL OF FOUR MONTHS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN THE CONTRACT WOULD EXPIRE ANYWAY. AND WITH THE, THE LEAD TIME NEEDED ON THE RFP ANYWAY, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF GETTING TO THAT POINT WHERE WE NEED TO START THAT PROCESS OF SELECTING A NEW, UH, ONGOING LONG-TERM OPERATOR ANYWAY. AND SO THAT SEEMED LIKE THE, AND YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY, THE SMOOTHER THING WOULD BE TO, TO LEAVE NBAS IN PLACE FOR THOSE FOUR MONTHS WHILE WE DO THE RFP PROCESS, RATHER THAN KIND OF A MULTI-STEP, YOU KNOW, LEAVE THEM IN FOR A LITTLE WHILE, FIND SOME OTHER CONTRACTS WHEN WE'RE ALREADY SOLICITING FOR NEW CONTRACTS ANYWAY. OKAY. SO I THINK THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS TO IDENTIFY THE, UH, IN THE CONTRACT, WHAT'S EXPECTED, AND I THINK IT'S, UH, WE HAVE SOME EXPECTATIONS NOT BEING MET NOW. WE NEED THEM THE EXPECTED. SO CAN THE, UM, IF STAFF CAN GET IT DONE IN, IN 30 DAYS, CAN WE COME BACK TO THIS DECISION AND GO WITH THE RFP THEN? UM, IS THAT AN OPTION NOW? AND, AND, AND TELL NBAS, OKAY, YOU GOTTA MAINTAIN CARE UNTIL WE ACTUALLY DO THE TRANSITION AND THEN ACTUALLY PLAN THE TRANSITION. SO IT'S WITHIN A DAY JUST BOOM BOOM AND NOT ALL THIS INTERMIX STUFF. CAN WE DO THAT? SO LET ME JUST UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. COUNCIL MEMBER. RI [01:35:01] I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, I MEAN, THE RFP PROCESS WILL TAKE A COUPLE MONTHS, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PUT IT OUT THERE, GET, UM, GET THE PROPOSALS IN, ANALYZE THEM, BE ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS, BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE PROPOSERS. UM, SO THAT'S WHY WE OFFERED THIS INTERIM SOLUTION THAT HAD THE 30 DAY RAMP UP PERIOD, RIGHT? SO I'M THINKING JUST FOR EFFICIENCY OF STAFF TIME AND EFFORT, UH, WOULD IT BE BETTER, UM, FOR THE EFFICIENCIES OF A TRANSITION? 'CAUSE IT'S, ANIMAL CARE IS THE NUMBER ONE THING. WE WANT ANIMAL CARE PROPERLY WITH MINIMUM DISRUPTION TO THE SYSTEM AND STILL HAVE THE CARE HERE. UM, SO ANYWAY, THE, THE, I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY, MY QUESTION AS TO IF WE WAIT TO GO THROUGH THE RFP PROCESS, THEY HAVE A COUPLE MONTHS, IT'S GONNA TAKE US THAT MUCH TIME TO HAVE A GOOD TRANSITION, NOT THIS THING TO HAPPEN UP IN CLEAR LAKE, WHICH CLEARLY IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. SO ANYWAY, UM, IS THERE ANY OTHER INFORMATION YOU GIVE? UH, IS THAT, CAN WE DELAY JUST DELAY UNTIL A COUPLE MONTHS AND MAKE IT HAPPEN AND GET FOR THE TRANSITION PERSON, UH, PERIOD? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IN OPTION ONE. I MEAN, WE WOULD KEEP, WE WOULD KEEP OUR EXISTING PROVIDER. WE, WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS GONNA NEED TO BE A HANDOFF AGAIN OF ALL THOSE THINGS. DATA, EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, ET CETERA, OWNERSHIP OF THE ANIMALS THEMSELVES. AND THAT WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME ANYWAY. SO THEY'RE IN THAT, UH, SCENARIO WHERE WE ARE DOING AN RFP, WE HAVE A NEW PROVIDER AUGUST 1ST. THERE IS LIKELY ANYWAY GOING TO NEED TO BE SOME CROSSOVER, SOME HANDOFF AND, UH, JUST LIKE WE WOULD IN THIS SCENARIO, BUT THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, THE OPTION TWO, THE INTERIM PROPOSAL WAS SO QUICK AND, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPED VERY RAPIDLY TO JUST, UH, MAKE A CHANGE QUICKLY THAT IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO THAN IF WE HAVE THE PLANNING TIME AND THE RAMP UP TIME TO BE ABLE TO ONBOARD A NEW PROVIDER IN A THOUGHTFUL WAY. OKAY. I THINK THAT THAT ANSWERS MY QUESTION. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER QUINN. THANK YOU. UH, I'M GONNA TRY TO, SO I, I, I WAS TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND THE TIMING QUESTIONS AND UH, I, I WAS HOPING WE'D GET THERE, BUT I WAS STILL, I'M STILL A LITTLE CONFUSED. SO, UM, FOR OPTION ONE, UH, THE, THE TIME FROM BETWEEN NOW AND HAVING A NEW PROVIDER IN PLACE, ROUGHLY YOUR BEST GUESS. WELL, OUR TARGET AGAIN WAS AUGUST ONE. UM, AGAIN, AS FOR THE REASONS PEGGY MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ISSUE THE RFP MID-MARCH, GIVE THE PROVIDERS SAY SIX WEEKS TO RESPOND. YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ALREADY AT THE END OF APRIL, WE NEED TIME TO ANALYZE THE PROPOSALS AND MAYBE DO INTERVIEWS, UH, NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT, ET CETERA, BRING THAT TO COUNCIL, SAY IN JUNE, YOU KNOW, EARLY JUNE WITH AN ONBOARDING DATE, UH, OF AUGUST 1ST. SO THAT'S KIND OF, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME IF THINGS NEED TO SLIP OR SOME UNEXPECTED THINGS HAPPEN THAT WE'VE GOT THAT TIME TO, TO ONBOARD THE NEW PROVIDER. SO, SO THAT, THAT TO ME SOUNDS LIKE A KIND OF A, A WORST CASE SCENARIO. AND MAYBE IT'S NOT THE, MAYBE IT'S NOT THE WORST CASE SCENARIO, BUT IT, IT'S, IT'S A CONSERVATIVE TIMEFRAME, RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. IT MAY BE ABLE TO HAPPEN SOONER THAN THAT. YEAH. SO IF, COULD I ASK, I MEAN, YOU'RE ASKING US TO, TO PROVIDE, UM, DIRECTION ON REALLY, ESSENTIALLY A COUPLE OF OPTIONS HERE. AND SO TO HELP DO THAT, CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT OPTION ONE COULD LOOK LIKE IN A BEST CASE SCENARIO? LIKE IF, IF, IF WE, IF OUR DIRECTION IS, LET'S GO WITH OPTION ONE, BUT LET'S DO OUR VERY BEST TO DO IT QUICKLY. I THINK JULY ONE IS, IS PROBABLY A BEST CASE. UM, DO YOU THINK WE CAN SOONER, PEGGY? YEAH. IT, IT MAY, IT MAY BE ABLE TO HAPPEN IN JUNE. WE ALREADY HAVE SOME PROPOSALS FROM, FROM WHAT, WHO'S PROBABLY GOING TO RESPOND TO OUR RFP. SO I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME GOOD FOUNDATION. WE'VE GOT KIND OF A START. YEP. YEAH, I WOULD JUST, I WOULD JUST ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, IN TERMS OF THE RFP ITSELF AND, AND WANTING AS MUCH, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE GRAND JURY AND SOME OF THE OTHER CONCERNS THAT WE'VE HAD, WHAT WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO DO IS BEEF UP THE RFP TO ASK A LOT OUT OF POTENTIAL OPERATORS IN TERMS OF THEIR RESPONSE. MM-HMM . UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE CITED AS SHORTCOMINGS, WE'RE GONNA, WE WANT TO ASK DIRECTLY, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, X, Y, AND Z? SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE A THOUGHTFUL RESPONSE AND THAT THEY'RE TAKING ALL THOSE FACTORS INTO CONSIDERATION, UM, WITH A NEW CONTRACT MOVING FORWARD, SO THAT WE DON'T RUN INTO THE SAME, SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD. THAT THAT'S FAIR. IS IT ALSO, WOULD IT ALSO BE FAIR TO CHARACTERIZE THAT WE ALREADY KIND OF KNOW THE PLAYERS IN THE MARKET WHO MIGHT BE POTENTIAL, AND I'M SURE THEY HAVE REPUTATIONS AND WE CAN, I THINK THAT'S FAIR. NOT, NOT THAT WE WANNA MAKE THE DECISION PURELY ON THAT, [01:40:01] BUT WE, IT'S, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE SEVERAL NEW PLAYERS COME IN AND, AND FIVE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. RIGHT, RIGHT. I THINK THAT'S FAIR. YEP. UM, CAN, OKAY. SO THAT'S THE TIMING ON OPTION ONE. OPTION TWO, TIMING. SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TALKING LATE JUNE, EARLY JULY IS SORT OF THE BEST CASE, UH, AUGUST 1ST AS A CONSERVATIVE ON OPTION TWO. UM, CAN YOU SORT OF FRAME UP, LIKE, I, I'M THINKING AT THE POINT, HOW LONG WOULD IT TAKE US TO GET THE FACILITY BACK UP? ARE WE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, IS THAT AGAIN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SORT OF BEST GUESS? YEAH, SO WE WERE, WE WERE LOOKING AT A TERMINATION DATE OF AROUND MARCH 1ST FOR NBA, OR EXCUSE ME, MARCH 31ST FOR, FOR NBAS. AND THEN, UM, IN THE, IN THE SONOMA COUNTY HUMANE PROPOSAL, THEY WERE REQUESTING A TWO TO FOUR WEEK CLOSURE. AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT UNKNOWN, JUST DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY FIND WHEN THEY GET IN THERE MM-HMM . UM, OR INHUMANE, I'M GOING FROM MEMORY, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS A ONE OR ONE TO TWO WEEK CLOSURE, SO A LITTLE BIT SHORTER MM-HMM . BUT AGAIN, IN, IN EITHER EVENT, UM, SOME SORT OF CLOSURE. SO REALLY, I THINK YOU COULD COUNT ON MOST OF, OR PART, PART OR MOST OF THE MONTH OF APRIL IS BEING CLOSED AND THEN BACK UP AND RUNNING NO LATER THAN MAY ONE, I THINK IS A GOOD, GOOD BALLPARK. OKAY. AGAIN, MEANWHILE THE RFP PROCESS WOULD BE ONGOING AT SOME POINT DURING THAT TIME AS WELL. OKAY. THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL. UM, DO WE HAVE A SENSE FOR, EXCUSE ME, UH, DO WE HAVE A SENSE FOR WHAT TRANSPIRED IN CLEAR LAKE TO UNDERSTAND? I MEAN, LIKE, I, LOOK, I KNOW WE, WE, I WAS HORRIFIED TO SEE WHAT TRANSPIRED IN CLEAR LAKE, SO I'M NOT, I DON'T WANNA SUGGEST THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I'M NOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO KNOW IF WE WERE TO A, AS, AGAIN, AS WE'RE TRYING TO WEIGH BETWEEN OPTION ONE AND OPTION TWO, ARE WE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE, THE, THE LEVEL OF RISK THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT COULD HAPPEN HERE? I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UM, THE LEVEL OF RISK, AND I THINK WE, WE MENTIONED IT IN ONE LINE IN THE STAFF REPORT, IS JUST, UM, LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN THE VIABILITY OF THE CURRENT PROVIDER. SO, YEAH. UM, OKAY. THOSE ARE ALL MY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER. NOW, UM, THANK YOU, UM, TO THE CITY STAFF FOR ALL THE INFORMATION LEADING UP TO TONIGHT, AND THANK YOU COMMUNITY FOR BEING HERE. BUT FOR THE CITY STAFF, I WANNA KNOW HOW FAR BEHIND IS NB BS IN THEIR REPORTING AND PAPERWORK TO THE CITY ON THE ANIMAL CALLS, SERVICE CALLS, ET CETERA. SO THERE ARE TWO MAIN REPORTS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GIVE US EVERY YEAR. ONE IS THEIR AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, WHICH WE DO HAVE FOR ALL YEARS UP THROUGH 2024, WHICH IS THE LAST YEAR THAT WE COULD EXPECT THEM REASONABLY TO HAVE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. UH, ON THE, THE STATS, THE DATA, THE ANNUAL REPORT SIDE, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE US A COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL REPORT EACH YEAR. WE, THE LAST REPORT WE GOT FROM THEM WAS 2022 . NOW, I, I WILL SAY THAT I, I WILL SAY THAT THEY DO HAVE, THEY DO HAVE SOME SHELTER DATA AND , I'M GONNA INTERRUPT FOR ONE SECOND HERE. SURE. I DIDN'T THINK I'D HAVE TO, UH, DO THIS KIND OF MESSAGING, BUT I THINK I'M GONNA STEP IN AND SAY WE RUN WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DECORUM HERE AND IT'S DISRESPECTFUL TO SHOUT OUT ANSWERS. SURE. OUR HEARTS ARE BROKEN. SURE. WE MAY BE ANGRY OR OTHER ISSUES, BUT THIS IS DELIBERATIVE TO TRY AND FIND IMPROVEMENT. WE DON'T SHOUT OUT AND, AND WE DON'T CAT CALL. SO IF WE COULD, WE'LL LET, UH, THE SPEAKER SPEAK. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YEAH, JUST TO ADD ONE OTHER BIT OF INFORMATION THERE. SO, NBAS DOES HAVE A NUMBER OF STATISTICAL REPORTS ON THEIR WEBSITE. THERE IS SOME UPTODATE, UH, STATISTICAL REPORTING FOR 24 AND 25, UH, THOUGH I WOULD CHARACTERIZE THOSE AS MOSTLY, UH, DATA DUMPS OUT OF THEIR, THEIR DATABASE. SO THEY DO PROVIDE SOME BASIC SHELTER STATS, BUT DEFINITELY NOT TO THE LEVEL OF AN ANNUAL REPORT. NOT CALLS FOR SERVICE, NOT, NOT ANY OF THE SERVICES OR THE ANIMAL CONTROL, UH, STATS. CORRECT. YEAH. AND IN THE FUTURE, IF A CONTRACTOR FAILS TO MEET A DEADLINE SET BY THE CITY AS WE HAD THE GRAND JURY REPORT, UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME SERIOUS AND IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES. UM, I BLAME SOME OF THIS PROBLEM ON THE FACT THAT THE CITY, UM, DIDN'T KEEP UP WITH WHAT THE MBAS WAS DOING, AND THAT'S OUR FAULT FOR NOT ASKING AFTER THE GRAND JURY REPORT FOR A MONTHLY UPDATE. SO I, I TAKE THAT BECAUSE THIS, THE COMMUNITY WAS [01:45:01] ASKING ME THINGS THAT I'M LIKE, I DON'T KNOW. I, I HAVEN'T GOTTEN ANY INFORMATION I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN TO ASK AND I APOLOGIZE. UM, THE THIRD PARTY CONSULTANT THAT THE CITY HIRED WAS NOT A GOOD FIT. I DON'T KNOW WHEN WE DISCOVERED THAT, BUT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RED FLAG RIGHT THEN. AND, UM, THEY, THEY AG THEY AGREED, WHEN WE HAD THE GRAND JURY REPORT, WHEN WE SAT HERE AND MADE THE MOTION AND VOTED, WE SAID WE WERE GONNA DO THIS WITH N-N-B-A-S, AND THEY AGREED. AND I'M, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THROUGH. AND, UH, IN THE FUTURE, WE JUST GOTTA BE MORE, WE, WE'VE GOTTA BE ON THESE SERVICE PROVIDERS IMMEDIATELY. THANK YOU. YEAH, I THINK WE DRIFTED A LITTLE INTO COMMENT COMMENTARY, AND I THINK IT'S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO, AND JUST TO ASK STRICT, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW A CONTRACT'S GONNA WORK. UM, BECAUSE, UH, I DO FEEL TOO THAT WHEN THE GRAND JURY CAME IN AND ADVISED US OF PROBLEMS, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UH, SOME AWARENESS OF, UM, WE STUCK OUR NECK OUT BY SAYING WE'D PROVIDE THAT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT BECAUSE WE FELT WE STILL HAD A PARTNER. AND, UM, AND I DON'T THINK WE DO. UM, I, I THINK THAT BURNT A LOT OF TRUST AND GOODWILL. UH, AND SO, UM, WHAT I WORRY ABOUT IS I'M, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULES AS YOU'RE TELLING US, YOU KNOW, THE SHELTERED, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS HERE AND YOU KNOW, AS THE PROJECT SCHEDULER, I'M KIND OF LIKE, WAIT A SECOND HERE. UM, SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS WE MAY HAVE SELECTED SOMEBODY BY MID-JUNE AND HAVE THEM UNDER CONTRACT BY MID-JUNE, BUT THEN THERE'S STILL TRANSITION BECAUSE OPTION ONE, WE DON'T LET THEM OUT EARLY. WE SAY YOU, YOU RUN TO AUGUST 1ST, THE NEW PEOPLE, WILL THERE BE ANY TRANSITION TIME FOR THEM? YOU KNOW, THAT'S, WILL THERE STILL BE A CLOSURE IN OPTION ONE AND IN OPTION TWO JUST AT DIFFERENT DAYS? UH, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'D BE A CLOSURE IN OPTION ONE IF WE HAVE THE FULL RAMP RAMP UP TIME TO SELECT A NEW PROVIDER, BUT I THINK SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT, THOSE WOULD ALL BE PART OF OUR DISCUSSIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS ONCE WE'VE NARROWED DOWN TO A SELECTED PROVIDER TO BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE SOME OF THOSE SPECIFIC DETAILS INTO THE AGREEMENT THAT WE WOULD BRING FORWARD. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS THINKING ABOUT, WE'RE, UH, THINKING ABOUT, UM, COMPARING, UH, KNOWN PLAYERS WITH KNOWN REPUTATIONS THAT WE'D LIKE. UM, THERE'S STILL THE TERMS OF SERVICE WE HAVE TO REVIEW, AND THAT'S THE TWO WEEKS TO A MONTH, YOU KNOW, FOR FEE AND SERVICE. UM, AND, UM, AND THEN, AND THEN ALL THE TRANSITION WORKLOAD AS WELL. I, I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT SCHEDULE ON THIS, THAT IT'S GONNA KEEP, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA TAKE LONGER THAN WE ANTICIPATE, AND I DON'T WANT TO MISREPRESENT NOW, UM, HOW LONG A TRANSITION WOULD TAKE. UM, SO YOU ALSO MENTIONED IT A NUMBER OF COSTS. SO WE ARE, UH, YOU'RE SEEING A, A 480, UH, THOUSAND DOLLARS COST CURRENTLY, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MILLION-ISH, UM, FUTURE COSTS. HAVE YOU A PLAN FOR HOW WE FUND THE DIFFERENCE? WHERE WERE WE? I MEAN, WHERE DO WE PULL THAT IF WE DON'T HAVE A RESERVE OR WE WHAT NOT HAVING RESERVES MEANS, UH, OR WHAT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A GOOD BUDGET MEANS IS THAT YOU'RE PULLING IT OUT OF ANOTHER POCKET TO PAY THIS POCKET. HAVE WE GOT, ARE WE THAT FAR DOWN THE ROAD? WE KNOW THAT. WELL, THAT'LL BE PART OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET DISCUSSIONS THAT'LL BE COMING TO COUNCIL IN A FEW MONTHS. UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE GO WITH, UH, LIKE AN OPTION TWO, OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD HAVE THE SAVINGS OF NOT PAYING NBAS FOR THOSE COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT THEY'RE NO LONGER ON CONTRACT, WHICH WOULD THEN OFFSET ANY OF THE COST OF ONE OF THE INTERIM PROVIDERS. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THAT WOULD ALL NEED TO BE WORKED IN. THIS IS A GENERAL FUND COST. UM, SO WE WOULD NEED TO PLAN FOR THAT. AND, AND WE ARE, WE'RE ALREADY STARTING THAT. WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR BUDGET DISCUSSIONS INTERNALLY AS A STAFF AND AS A TEAM. AND THIS WOULD BE PART OF THAT OVERALL EQUATION TO ENSURE THAT THE GENERAL FUND CAN FUND, UH, A FULL YEAR'S WORTH OF A NEW CONTRACTS COSTS. AND WE HAD ALREADY ANTICIPATED AN INCREASE, UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE. SO YEAH. YEAH, WHEN THE GRAND JURY REPORT CAME OUT, I REMEMBER CAUTIONS ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET. BUT, UM, YOU'RE SAYING OF OPTION TWO, THERE'S THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IMPACTS NOT THE FULL NUMBER, BUT WE SAY WHAT WE WOULDN'T PAY TO NBAS, BUT WE STILL HAVE A BIG JUMP THIS YEAR. AND THEN OF COURSE, THE REAL BIG JUMP IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, RIGHT? RIGHT. SO THERE WOULD BE A JUMP IN MONTHLY COST FOR ESSENTIALLY MONTHS, APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE. SO WE WOULD NEED TO LOOK AT EITHER SOME VACANCY SAVINGS, OTHER SAVINGS THAT WE HAD IN, IN THE BUDGET IN THE CURRENT YEAR TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT WORK. AND ONE LAST THING. IF, IF WE DO CLOSE THE SHELTER FOR A PERIOD SHORTER, YOU KNOW, TWO WEEKS TO SIX WEEKS, WHATEVER IT TAKES, HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC THAT [01:50:01] WE'RE NOT TAKING ANIMALS HERE, THAT THEIR ANIMALS NEED TO GO TO SOMEWHERE ELSE? AND HOW DO WE, HOW DOES THAT PROCESS WORK? IF, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ONE LOCALLY, I WOULD LOVE, I'M GONNA CALL SOMEBODY UP. I, I'VE GOT BOTH THE HUMANE SOCIETY, UM, OF MARIN AND OF SONOMA COUNTY. SONOMA COUNTY, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME UP AND SPEAK TO THAT INFO. HI. HI, MAYOR MCCONNELL AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANKS FOR HAVING US TODAY. I JUST WANNA START OFF AND SAY THAT, UM, OUR PROPOSALS THAT WE SUBMITTED ARE COMPLIMENTARY. THEY'RE COMPETING AND THIS IS CYNTHIA KING FROM . YEAH, I'M CYNTHIA KING AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY, NANCY MCKINNEY, CEO OF MARIN HUMANE. AND IN GENERAL, ANIMAL WELFARE IS VERY COLLABORATIVE AND SUPPORTIVE NETWORK OF PROVIDERS. AND THAT'S HOW WE'VE RESPONDED TO CLEARLAKE AND HOW WE'RE APPROACHING THIS SITUATION TOGETHER. REGARDING, I THINK THE QUESTION IS ABOUT OUR CLOSURE PLANS AND WHY WE PUT THEM IN, WHETHER IT'S ONE WEEK, TWO WEEKS, WHICH WAS, I THINK YOURS, UH, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN WE WOULDN'T HELP OR ANSWER CALLS OR RESPOND TO CALLS, BUT IT IS A WAY TO SAY THAT THERE IS A NEED TO STOP THE INTAKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. SO OWNER SURRENDERED ANIMALS WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO GO ELSEWHERE FOR A WHILE. THERE'S DEFINITELY OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UM, PREVENTING OR, UM, UH, DIVERSION OF ANIMAL INTAKE. WHILE WE ANALYZE THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THERE ARE AT PETALUMA, THERE'S CONCERN THAT THERE ARE ANIMALS THERE THAT MIGHT NOT BE IDENTIFIED, THAT MIGHT BE ON BIKE QUARANTINE, MIGHT BE PART OF CASES FROM THE OTHER CITIES THAT GOT TRANSFERRED IN. AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL RUMORS AS FAR AS I KNOW, BUT TRYING TO GO IN AND, AND MAKE AN ASSESSMENT ON THE CONDITION OF EVERY ANIMAL, MAKING SURE WE COULD TRACK WHERE THAT ANIMAL CAME FROM, WHAT'S THE STATUS, IF IT CAN BE UP FOR ADOPTION. WE HAVE LOTS OF RESCUE PARTNERS THAT WE WOULD MOVE THOSE ANIMALS OUT SO THAT THEY COULD HAVE A CHANCE TO GET ADOPTED FASTER. SO I THINK THE, THE IN INTENTION OF THE ONE TO TWO WEEKS IS TO GET STAFF IN THERE TO GET OUR HANDS ON THE ANIMALS, GET THE VETERINARIANS IN TO DO THE ASSESSMENTS, AND REALLY DO THE PAPER TRAIL THAT WE ARE UNDER. THE IMPRESSION HAS NOT BEEN DONE. AND TO GET THE STATISTICS OUT AND TO BE FULLY TRANSPARENT. SO THERE WOULD BE PEOPLE THAT ARE CARING FOR THE ANIMALS. THERE WOULD BE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE EMERGENCY CALLS AND TO, UM, GET THE ANIMALS THAT ARE DEEMED ALREADY PAST THEIR HOLD PERIOD AND ARE NOT PART OF PROPERTY OF ANYBODY ELSE OR LOST ANIMALS. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIND, MOVE THEM TO OUR PARTNER AGENCIES FOR ADOPTION PURPOSES. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA SHARE IS THE DISCUSSION AROUND TRANSITION. AND THE REASON THAT MY BOARD IS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH US OVERLAPPING WITH NORTH BAY AS A PROVIDER IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT DEMONSTRATED GOOD FAITH TO BE TRUSTED FOR THAT. AND SO THEY FELT LIKE IT WAS TOO MUCH RISK FOR US TO STEP IN IN THAT ROLE AND THEN BE THE CONTINUED OPERATOR. SO I WOULD SAY THAT MORE TIME IS NOT NECESSARILY GONNA SOLVE A PROBLEM WHEN IT'S MISSING DATA AND POTENTIAL MISTREATMENT OF ANIMALS, EVEN IF IT'S NOT CLEAR LAKE LEVEL CONDITIONS. AND SO I WOULD JUST TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY. I HAVE COMMENTS FROM MY PUBLIC COMMENT TIME THAT I'LL KEEP SEPARATE. UM, BUT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH NORTH BAY, WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING THE SPAY NEUTER FOR THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS AND HAVE, UM, HAD TROUBLE GETTING RECORDS AND GETTING CONSISTENT INFORMATION THAT WE NEED. AND SO MY ASSUMPTION GOING IN IS NOTHING RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO RECORDS OR ASSETS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S NOT HANDING OVER, IT'S JUST STARTING ANEW. AND THAT'S WHY PARTNERING WITH MARIN HUMANE AND WITH THE SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES IS WHAT MAKES SENSE TO US, RATHER THAN TRYING TO SALVAGE WHAT MIGHT BE THERE. UH, I ALSO JUST WANNA NOTE, WHILE THERE IS SIX TO EIGHT ANIMALS ON SITE, THERE'S ABOUT A HUNDRED IN FOSTER CARE, MANY OF THEM ARE FORCED TO ADOPT BECAUSE THEY'RE WAITING TO GET FIXED. AND SO THERE IS A LARGER PROJECT TO BE DONE AND THE INTAKES NEED TO BE DONE BY A VETERINARIAN TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSESSMENT AND REALLY FORENSIC ASSESSMENT OF THEIR CONDITIONS. WE EXPECT A LOT OF ANIMALS WITH BEHAVIORAL ISSUES FROM WAREHOUSING. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH APPRECIATE HAVING YOU AT THE MICROPHONE. I THINK WE WANNA ASK, SINCE WE HAVE YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DI CARLY, I THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT CLARIFICATION. THE FOSTERED ANIMALS THAT ARE OUT THERE, WILL THEY BE MOVED AS WELL OR WILL THEY BE ABLE TO STAY WITH THEIR FOSTER FAMILIES? THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAY WITH THEIR FOSTER FAMILIES, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE FOSTER ADOPT, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK TOGETHER TO FACILITATE THE ADOPTIONS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WAIVING FEES, GETTING THE, UM, SPAY NEUTER DONE, UH, AT OUR FACILITY. I, I THINK THE BIGGEST QUESTION THAT BRIAN MENTIONED IS OWNERSHIP. UM, THE QUESTION IS WHETHER OWNERSHIP TRANSFERS IMMEDIATELY WITH A MUNICIPAL CONTRACT OR WHETHER NORTH BAY AS A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION HOLDS OWNERSHIP AND CAN RETAIN IT WHEN THEY LOSE THE CONTRACT. AND I THINK WE, WE RECOGNIZE IT GOES, IT GETS TRANSFERRED WITH THE CONTRACT. YEAH. SO ONCE THAT, IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN THAT THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. IT'S JUST A, A MATTER OF TIME AND SCHEDULING THEM FOR SURGERY AND SUPPORT. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER BARNICK QUESTION. [01:55:01] WHAT, WHAT OWNERSHIP TRANSFERS? WHAT, WHAT ARE THEY, WHAT IS THE OWNING OWNERSHIP OF WHAT TRANSFERS OF THE ANIMALS? OH C OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER SCHIBS, JUST TO GET AN, AN ESTIMATE OF COST, BOTH OF YOU CAN MAY MAYBE ANSWER THIS. UM, SO JUST DO A, A, A DOLLARS COMPARISON OF, UM, LET'S SAY ONE VERSUS TWO, UM, OR BEFORE WE GET, LET'S ASK THIS. IF WE GO TO GO TO THE TRANSITION AT ANY POINT IN TIME, WHETHER IT BE NOW OR AUGUST, AND WE NEED TO TRANSITION SERVICES, THERE STILL WILL NEED TO BE A, A SHUTDOWN TIME. UH, AND THAT'S NOT GONNA BE ANY DIFFERENT WHETHER WE DO IT NOW OR DO IT LATER. IS THAT CORRECT? I, GO AHEAD. I THINK THE WAY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IF YOU TRANSITION TO A FULL SERVICE, FULL-TIME NEW PROVIDER FOR LONGER OR AN INTERIM SUCH AS MARIN HUMANE COMING IN TO BE SORT OF THE CONSULTANT THAT YOU NEED AND TO TRANSITION AND DOCUMENT WHAT'S THERE AND AND MAINTAIN SOME BASIC SERVICES, WE ARE SUGGESTING WE WOULD NEED TO BE CLOSED AT LEAST FOR A WEEK, TO DO ALL THE ASSESSMENTS AND THE PAPERWORK TO DO THE FORENSICS. LIKE WHERE IS THE DATA FOR THE DOG LICENSING, WHERE ARE THE TAGS IF ANY ANIMALS ADOPTED, THEY NEED TO BE LICENSED. SO IT'S GETTING IN THERE AND ALSO LOOKING AT THE FACILITY AND GETTING THAT EXAM. SO WE SAY ONE TO TWO WEEKS, DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THAT COULD BE DONE. IT COULD BE FASTER IF THAT'S, YEAH, I THINK WE AGREE WITH THAT AS WELL. OKAY, GOOD. AND SINCE THIS IS, UH, THE PROPOSAL THAT YOU'RE BRINGING FORWARD IS JUST AN INTERIM PROPOSAL UNTIL A PERMANENT PERSON, A PER PERMANENT BUSINESS COMES IN AND DOES THIS, OR ARE YOU OFFERING PERMANENT ONCE YOU GET IN THAT YOU, YOU WOULD ALSO OFFER? I THINK THERE ARE THREE STAGES. THERE'S WHAT I DO THINK IS AN EMERGENCY STAGE RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS THE ASSESSMENT IN RESPONSE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THERE. IT'S KIND OF A BLACK BOX FOR EVERYBODY. SO WHATEVER WE SUBMITTED WAS OUR BEST GUESS. THEN THERE'S THAT INTERIM THROUGH THE END OF THE CONTRACT FOR WHATEVER PERIOD IT REMAINS THAT NEEDS TO BE COVERED. AND THEN THERE'S THE LONGER TERM WHICH YOU NEED TO PLAN BASED ON THE ACTUALS. 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THE ANIMALS COMING INTO YOUR SHELTER ARE COMING FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE. SO WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ANIMALS ACTUALLY WOULD BE COMING INTO THE PETALUMA SHELTER. WE'RE ASSUMING IT'S LOWER THAN THE NUMBER THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING NOW, BUT WE WOULD NEED SOME DATA TO CONFIRM THAT, THAT WE CAN TRUST. OKAY. UH, THEN MAYBE, UH, THEN FOR STAFF, UM, INTERIM VERSUS LONG TERM. SO WHAT I DON'T WANNA SEE IS LIKE HIRING INTERIM, WE'RE DOING THIS AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN DO A THIRD PARTY COMES IN LONG TERM. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OF THE COST OF THIS INTERIM OFFER VERSUS, UH, WAITING FOR THE RFP JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AND JUST GOING THROUGH THE, THE PERMANENT PERSON AS A TRANSITION? WHAT'S THE COST DIFFERENCE? WELL, I'M NOT QUITE SURE WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE ARE A LOT OF BLACK HOLES IN TERMS OF DATA, ET CETERA. UM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERIM IS THAT, AGAIN, UH, LIKE WAS MENTIONED, THAT'S A BIT OF AN OPPORTUNITY, NOT SUPER LONG, BUT, YOU KNOW, TWO TO THREE MONTHS MAYBE TO ACTUALLY START GATHERING SOME OF THE DATA AS, UH, BOTH WHAT'S THERE NOW AS WELL AS THE THROUGHPUT OF THE SHELTER ITSELF, WHICH MAY HELP INFORM THE PROPOSALS ON A GO FORWARD BASIS. BUT SOME OF THE COSTS THAT IS IN THE PROPOSALS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE, FROM THE AGENCIES, UM, IS SOME OF THAT STARTUP, YOU KNOW, THE INTERIM, KIND OF GET IN THERE, DO THE ANALYSIS OF, OF WHAT IS OR ISN'T THERE. UM, AND I, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WHEN THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THEY ALREADY HAVE SOME OF THE KNOWLEDGE, UH, THEY'VE, THEY'VE STREAMLINED THE OPERATIONS. THEY'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE KIND OF UP AND RUNNING THEN TO DO A PROPOSAL TO JUST CONTINUE WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, A A SIMILAR TYPE OF SERVICE PROVISION THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING, UM, AGAIN VERSUS COMING IN COLD. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT YEAH, I MEAN OUR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WAS, AND THIS HAS ALL BEEN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS, BUT, UM, TO HAVE THE THREE MONTHS THAT WOULD THEN, UH, LEAVE SPACE TO NEGOTIATE THE PRICE FOR THE YEAR CONTRACT RIGHT. BASED ON THE ACTUALS RATHER THAN, UH, COMMITTING RIGHT AWAY TO A TOTALLY UNKNOWN. AND THAT'S BECAUSE I HAVE AN ACTIVE BOARD WHO TAKES THEIR FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY AND SHOULD BE ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS, RIGHT. AND, AND KNOW THAT INFORMATION BEFORE COMMITTING US TO A CONTRACT. SO THAT'S THE INTENTION BEHIND THAT. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT WE WOULD COME IN FOR THREE MONTHS AND FLY AWAY UNLESS, YOU KNOW, THE CONDITIONS ARE SUCH THAT WE DO SUPPORT THE IDEA OF CLOSING IT PERMANENTLY, IF THAT'S WHAT'S NEEDED. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE THINKING. WE JUST DON'T KNOW. OKAY. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A BALLPARK FIGURE HERE AND NOTHING EXACT. SO IF YOU DO THE INTERIM AND, AND TAKE CARE OF THAT NOW, WHICH IS OPTION TWO VERSUS OPTION ONE, WAITING UNTIL, UH, LATER ON AND JUST DOING THE FULL RFP, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND AND, AND IS THAT ALL IN THE STAFF REPORT? 500,000 REPORT? CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WAS IN THE STAFF REPORT TO, TOWARDS THAT QUESTION? WELL, AGAIN, WE, WE DIDN'T HAVE, UH, ANY COSTING IN THE STAFF REPORT FOR A PERMANENT KIND OF ONGOING ANNUAL. WHAT WE DID HAVE IS, UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS THE SONOMA, THE, UM, HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY HAD UP TO A ONE YEAR, YOU KNOW, IF WE NEEDED A LONG [02:00:01] INTERIM PERIOD, SAY UP TO 12 MONTHS, THEY HAD IT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF QUARTERLY, WHAT WOULD THE COST BE? SO YOU COULD EXTRAPOLATE THAT OUT FOR A FULL YEAR IN THAT. AND IT WAS, UM, BETWEEN I THINK 800001.1 MILLION KIND OF IN THAT BALLPARK. SO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO COMPARE TO OUR CURRENT COST THAT'S EFFECTIVELY DOUBLE OR MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT THE CITY'S CURRENTLY PAYING. OKAY. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, MAYBE 40 TO $60,000 PER MONTH TO DO AN INTERIM RIGHT NOW RATHER THAN EASILY YES. CHANGING OVER. YES. OKAY. SO, ALRIGHT, JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, OKAY, THEN ONE MORE QUESTION OVER HERE BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. SO COUNCIL MEMBER DI CARLY, UH, GOING BACK TO THE CLOSURE PERIOD, AND ANYBODY CAN ANSWER THIS. UM, WHAT WILL WE DO FOR FIELD CALLS WHERE AN ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS NEEDED TO RESPOND TO SOMETHING? WELL, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, WE'RE LOOKING AT WHETHER THE CURRENT ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICERS ARE, ARE CERTIFIED AND QUALIFIED AND WANT TO REMAIN TO COVER CITY OF PETALUMA JURISDICTIONS. THEN THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO ANSWER WHAT WE CALL PRIORITY ONE CALLS, CALLS FOR ANIMALS RUNNING AT LARGE, INVESTIGATING BITE REPORTS. IT WOULD BE THE PRIORITY CALLS. AND IF THE ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICERS FROM NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES ARE NOT RETAINED BY WHOEVER IS THE INTERIM, UH, MARIN HUMANE OFFICERS WOULD BE DEPUTIZED TO COME IN AND COVER FOR THOSE PRIORITY CALLS. SO WE WOULD SEND OFFICERS TO COVER THE CITY OF PETALUMA FOR THOSE PRIORITY ONE CALLS DURING THE INTERIM FOUR TO SIX WEEKS THAT WE MIGHT BE DOING IT. DOES THAT ANSWER OKAY, GOOD. WELL, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FOUR TO SIX WEEKS NOW? OR WE ONE TO TWO OR TWO TO FOUR. I MEAN, IT, IT'S ALL UNKNOWN, RIGHT? SO WE ARE JUST DOING OUR BEST GUESS FOR WHAT MIGHT BE THERE, WHAT MIGHT BE NEEDED. IF WE CAN, WE HAVE THREE TO FOUR SHELTERS WHO ARE WILLING TO TAKE THE ANIMALS IN. THAT'S NOT GONNA BE AN ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS, UM, GIVING THEM EXAMS, DOING THE FORENSIC INVESTIGATION, AND THEN GETTING THEM PLACED INTO A NEW HOME. AND THEN THE ISSUE IS REALLY THE TRANSITION. SO, YOU KNOW, CLEAR LAKE CHOSE A SIX MONTH TRANSITION THAT DIDN'T END BETTER THAN A SHORTER ONE. SO THAT'S, I THINK MY CONCERN IS THAT MORE TIME IS IN THIS, LIKE, GONNA HAVE A BETTER OUTCOME. AND FIELD SERVICES CAN ALSO GET COVERED, UM, DEPENDING ON, UM, HOW LONG THE INTERIM IS IS BY THE COUNTY. THEY JUST CAN'T GET UP AND RUNNING UNTIL ABOUT APRIL. SO WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN ON THIS AS WE GO FORWARD. WHATEVER WE DO IS GONNA MEAN BRAVE NEW WORLD. UH, LET'S GO TO, UH, THE PUBLIC, UH, FOR, UM, PUBLIC QUEST PUBLIC QUESTION FOR THE COMMENTS AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK UP HERE. 'CAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT MORE STILL UP HERE ON THE COUNCIL TO TALK ABOUT. DO I DO HAVE A QUESTION? DO YOU NEED TO DO NOW? DO I NEED TO? YES, I DO. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE ONE MORE COUNCIL, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. THE QUE THERE WAS A $200,000 AND THEN A $300,000 NUMBER FOR THE INTERIM. SO WITH THE FIELD, THAT'S WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN. SO WE WOULD NOT CONTRACT, WE COULD ACTUALLY CONTRACT IF THE EMPLOYEES TODAY WANNA STAY, AND THEN THEY WOULD PROVIDE THAT. AND THEN THAT COST WOULD BE THROUGH THE, IT WOULD BE THROUGH MARIN HUMANE. OKAY. YEP. JUST, I JUST WANT CLARIFICATION ON THAT. SO THEN THAT WOULD SEPARATE SO WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO LOOK AT THE OTHER DOCUMENT THAT TALKED ABOUT THE FIELD THAT WOULD BE SEPARATE OR THAT WOULD BE VOID. 'CAUSE IT WOULD BE THROUGH THE HUMANE. YEAH, THAT, SO THAT DOCUMENT THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS THE PROPOSAL FROM SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES? CORRECT. THEY, THEY SUBMITTED A PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE ESSENTIALLY ONE FTE COVERAGE, UH, FOR PETALUMA FOR UP TO ONE YEAR AT A COST OF ABOUT 30,000 PER MONTH. SO THAT WOULD BE, AGAIN, MORE LIKE A, A A LONGER TERM INTERIM PERIOD FOR, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. UM, BUT WE COULD ALSO FLEX THAT TIME PERIOD. IF WE DO HAVE A PERMANENT PROVIDER THAT CAN PROVIDE THE ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES, WE COULD GO AHEAD AND END THAT CONTRACT ONCE THE NEW PROVIDER WAS FULLY UP AND RUNNING. BUT IF WE DIDN'T GO IN THAT DIRECTION, AND THE EMPLOYERS THAT ARE THERE TODAY WANNA STAY AND CONTINUE WITH THAT POSITION RIGHT, THEN THAT WOULD BE FUNDED THROUGH. SO THE EMPLOYEES OF NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES ARE THEIR EMPLOYEES AS A PRIVATE NONPROFIT. SO EVEN WITHOUT THE CONTRACT, THEY'RE STILL, THEIR EMPLOYEES AND, UH, WOULD HAVE TO BE TRANSFERRED OVER TO A NEW EMPLOYER. MM-HMM . BASED ON BOTH THEIR AVAILABILITY, INTEREST AND THE NEED QUALIFICATIONS ALSO. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. BUT THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS WOULD BE, UH, HIRED BY SCS, UH, IF THEY HAD OPENINGS, NOT BY HUMANE. THANKS. PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE. YES. WE RECEIVED 24 COMMENTS AHEAD OF THE MEETING, AND THOSE ARE POSTED ONLINE. AND AT THIS TIME, I WILL START A 32ND CLOCK FOR THE PUBLIC COMMENT. AND DURING THESE 30 SECONDS, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK SHOULD BRING THEIR SPEAKER CARDS [02:05:01] TO MY DESK IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE. SO, SPEAKER CARDS RECEIVED AFTER THIS TIME MAY NOT BE ACCOMMODATED. OKAY. UM, WELL, WE HAVE, UH, 23 PEOPLE WISHING TO SPEAK TONIGHT. AND, UM, THAT'S A LOT. AND, AND WE ALLOW THREE MINUTES PER, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT. AND, UM, SO I'D LIKE TO CAUTION EVERYBODY, IF THE COMMENT YOU WISH TO MAKE HAS BEEN MADE BY SOMEONE AHEAD, SAY, I REALLY, REALLY SUPPORT THAT COMMENT THAT WAS MADE AHEAD AND, YOU KNOW, SEE IF YOU REALLY NEED THE FULL THREE MINUTES, OR I THINK IT'D BE APPRECIATED BY THE WHOLE ROOM IF TWO MINUTES WORKED FOR YOU. SO, UM, YOU HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES AND, UH, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY BEING HERE TONIGHT TO, UH, TO SPEAK. AND, UH, WE'LL START WITH, UH, CARRIE STEWART AND, UM, UH, FOLLOWED BY, UH, CYNTHIA KING. MY NAME IS CARRIE STEWART, AND I'M THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND PROGRAMS AT THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY. I'M ALSO A REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNICIAN. I'VE WORKED IN VETERINARY MEDICINE AND ANIMAL WELFARE FOR 15 YEARS, INCLUDING ABOUT 10 YEARS OF MY CAREER WITH HSSC. FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, I MANAGED THE HEALDSBURG SHELTER UNDER BOTH A SHELTERING AND ANIMAL CONTROL CONTRACT, SERVING THAT COMMUNITY IN HEALDSBURG, WE SEPARATED FROM NBAS AND CONTRACTED WITH SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES IN 2025. AS OUR FIELD SERVICES PROVIDER, THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN CLEAR AND MEASURABLE, FASTER RESPONSE TIMES, PROACTIVE PATROLS, INCREASED DOG LICENSING, AND RABIES VACCINATIONS AND TRANSPARENT TIME, TIMELY REPORTING OF RECORDS AND CALL LOGS. SCS HAS LONG SERVED SONOMA COUNTY AND WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THEM TO DELIVER COORDINATED COMMUNITY-BASED ANIMAL WELFARE SOLUTIONS. I ALSO WANNA SPEAK TO WHAT I PERSONALLY WITNESSED AT CLEAR LAKE. THREE DAYS AFTER THE CHANGE IN PROVIDERS, I WAS ON THE GROUND LEADING AN HSSC TEAM THAT TRANSFERRED 30 DOGS INTO OUR CARE. THESE INCLUDED NURSING MOTHERS WITH NEWBORN PUPPIES, UNVACCINATED PUPPIES, WHO LATER DEVELOPED PARVO VIRUS AND SEVERELY EMACIATED ADULT DOGS LIVING IN CONDITIONS. UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE SEEN, SOME ANIMALS COULD BARELY TURN AROUND IN THEIR MAKESHIFT KENNELS. THE STRESS CAUSED BY STARVATION, INADEQUATE HOUSING, LACK OF MEDICAL TREATMENT, AND MINIMAL HUMAN CONTACT WAS PROFOUND. ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES ARE MEANT TO PREVENT SUFFERING, NOT ALLOW IT TO OCCUR THROUGH NEGLECT. THOSE ANIMALS ARE STILL AT HSSC TODAY, RECEIVING LIFE-SAVING MEDICAL TREATMENT AND REHAB FROM OUR VETERINARIAN SHELTER TEAMS. I INVITE YOU ALL TO COME VISIT AND SEE FIRSTHAND THE LEVEL OF CARE THAT WE ARE OFFERING. HSSC IS COMMITTED TO HUMANE SHELTERING THAT MEETS AND EXCEEDS THE GUIDELINES ESTABLISHED BY THE AMER, THE BY THE ASSOCIATION OF SHELTER VETERINARIANS. WE PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL CARE, BEHAVIOR SUPPORT, ROBUST ADOPTION PROGRAM, HUMANE EDUCATION, COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND SHELTER, DESER DIVERSION SERVICES, INCLUDING FOOD AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP FAMILIES KEEP THEIR PETS. WE ALSO PROVIDE ACCURATE, TRANSPARENT, AND TIMELY REPORTING OF RECORDS AND STATISTICS. ORGANIZATION IS WIDELY REGARDED AS A LEADER IN PROGRESSIVE AND HUMANE SHELTERING PRACTICES IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. TONIGHT, I RESPECTFULLY ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO REMOVE NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES AS A SERVICE PROVIDER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND ALLOW MANAGEMENT TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR TRUSTED SHELTER PARTNERS AND, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO IMPLEMENT HUMANE, ACCOUNTABLE AND EFFECTIVE ANIMAL WELFARE. SO SOLUTIONS FOR THE PETALUMA COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, CYNTHIA. AND, UH, THE OTHER, THE OTHER, UH, DECORUM IS TO, WE, WE DO NOT APPLAUD DURING, UH, THESE SPEAKERS 'CAUSE IT THAT'S AT A RISK OF NOT APPLAUDING OTHER SPEAKERS. AND LET'S KEEP OUR, UH, RESPECT HIGH. AND CYNTHIA KING TO BE FOLLOWED BY ADA NOMS. NORRIS NORRIS. IT'S MY WRITING. SORRY. HEY. HELLO. UM, HELLO AGAIN. I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY, AND I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE. UM, AND YOU'RE THE HISTORY OF YOUR SHELTER. WE HAVE BEEN THE OPERATOR. WE HAVE BEEN THE INTERIM IN BETWEEN OPERATORS. UM, WE HAVE BEEN, WE'VE HAD A LONG RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER. AND, UM, WHILE THERE ARE SPECIFIC AND CLEAR CONCERNS WITH NORTH BAY'S OPERATIONS AND NONPROFIT ADMINISTRATION, THE LARGER PATTERN OF CHOOSING THE CHEAPEST PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE SERVICES, UM, WHERE THE CONTRACTS THAT ARE SIGNED HAVE BUDGETS THAT CLEARLY DON'T COVER THE COST OF WHAT'S REQUIRED IS A REPEATING ISSUE. THE USE OF NONPROFITS IS A SAFETY VALVE TO OPERATE CRITICAL SERVICES AT CHEAPER PRICES IS A COMMON BUT OUTDATED MODEL WITH ITS WHEELS FALLING OFF. THE UPDATED MODEL IS TO [02:10:01] RECOGNIZE THAT PAYING FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFFER TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE, COMMUNITY TRUST, AND EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION SAVES MONEY AND ENSURES QUALITY. IF MOVING TO THAT MEANS WE NEED TO SHARE THE COST, THEN LET'S DO THAT AS A DIRECT NEGOTIATION RATHER THAN AN ASSUMPTION OR A COMPETITION CONSTRUCTED OF A SCARCITY MINDSET THAT CUTS OPERATIONAL CORNERS AND CHRONICALLY UNDERPAYS STAFF. WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF EXPLORING A JOINT POWER OF AUTHORITY MODEL THAT HASN'T COME UP TONIGHT, BUT IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SOLUTION TO ALL OF THIS. AND THAT WE BE CONSIDERED AS A PARTNER IN DEVELOPING THAT. AND THAT ALL OF OUR PARTNERS IN THE ANIMAL WELFARE IN SONOMA COUNTY ARE RECOGNIZED FOR THE VALUE AND EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE WE BRING TO JOIN THAT CONVERSATION DURING AND NOT AFTER, JUST AS AN RFP. WHILE OUR HUMANE SOCIETY IS ALSO RECOGNIZED AS A NO KILL SHELTER WITH AN AVERAGE 98% LIVE RELEASE RATE, THE TERM IS OUTDATED AND MISLEADING. AN AGENCY THAT CONSISTENTLY BOASTS ABOUT ITS NO-KILL STATUS WHILE WAREHOUSING DOGS FOR YEARS WITHOUT BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION, ENRICHMENT OR MEDICATION IS NOT BEING COMPASSIONATE OR CARING. DOGS, ESPECIALLY LARGE DOGS, DETERIORATE MENTALLY WITH THIS KIND OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. KEEPING THEM IN THIS CONDITION IS NOT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. IT IS A CELEBRATION OF AVOIDABLE SUFFERING TO MAKE THE PEOPLE RATHER THAN THE ANIMALS FEEL BETTER. I'M ALSO HOPING WE CAN MOVE THE FUNDING CONVERSATION IN GENERAL AWAY FROM A DIVISIVE PEOPLE VERSUS ANIMALS IDEA THAT, UM, COMES UP. THE WORK WE DO USES A PREVENTION FOCUS THAT HELPS ANIMAL HUMANS, HELPS THEIR ANIMALS, AND SUPPORTS THE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL BOND. THE CHEAPEST AND BEST THING WE CAN DO FOR AN ANIMAL IS RETURN IT TO ITS OWNER OR PROVIDE THE OWNER WITH RESOURCES LIKE FOOD OR ACCESS TO CARE TO KEEP THEIR ANIMAL AT HOME. WE SEE THE SHELTER AS A LAST RESORT MEANT FOR SHORT STAYS, CONTINUALLY DECREASING THE NEED FOR SHELTERING BY INCREASING RESOURCES, SPAY NEUTER RATES, AND FOSTER CARE. DEAR SHELTERS RIGHT NEXT TO COTS, MARY ISAACS CENTER AND NEAR GOODWILL. BOTH ARE GREAT PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE THE ANIMALS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIPS, AND POPULATION MANAGEMENT ARE THE RESULTS OF AN ANIMAL ARE THE RESULTS OF ANIMAL WELFARE WORK AND BENEFITS OUR ENTIRE COUNTY. LET'S FOCUS ON THE INTERSECTIONS RATHER THAN THE SEPARATIONS THAT'LL CREATE A STRONGER COMMUNITY TOGETHER. AND THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO TONIGHT TO ADVOCATE FOR ANIMALS. PLEASE CONSIDER FOSTERING LARGE DOGS. THAT'S WHAT WE ALL NEED THE MOST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, ADA NORRIS, UH, TO BE FOLLOWED BY ASHLEY ARMSTRONG. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. UH, MY NAME'S AIDAN NORRIS. I AM VETERINARIAN AND SENIOR MEDICAL DIRECTOR AT THE HUBE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY. I TRAINED AT CORNELL'S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE WITH A FOCUS ON SHELTER MEDICINE. SINCE 2019, I'VE LED, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PUBLIC FACING SAFETY NET COMMUNITY CLINIC AND EXPANSION OF REGIONAL SPAN NEUTER PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS OVERSEEING CARE OF OUR SHELTER ANIMALS. UH, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT AND EMPHASIZE ONE CORE PRINCIPLE AROUND THE ANIMAL SHELTERING PIECE. VETERINARY OVERSIGHT IS NOT OPTIONAL IN MODERN SHELTERING, IT IS FOUNDATIONAL. ANIMAL SHELTERS ARE NOT JUST HOLDING FACILITIES. THEY'RE MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH OPERATIONS. THEY MANAGE INFECTIOUS DISEASE, RABIES CONTROL, BEHAVIORAL SAFETY, SPAY AND NEUTER COMPLIANCE, DISASTER RESPONSE, AND WHEN NECESSARY HUMANE EUTHANASIA DECISIONS. THESE ARE MEDICAL DETERMINATIONS THAT REQUIRE DEFINED PROTOCOLS AND ACCOUNTABLE LEADERSHIP. THE ASSOCIATION OF SHELTER VETERINARIANS PUBLISHES A PEER REVIEWED STANDARDS OF CARE THAT ARE CLEAR SHELTERS MUST HAVE TIMELY INTEGRATED VETERINARY LEADERSHIP, GUIDING DAILY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING MEDICAL RECORD KEEPING, COMPLIANCE, OVERSIGHT, AND A DESIGNATED VETERINARIAN OF RECORD. WHEN VETERINARY LEADERSHIP IS AD HOC, ABSENT OR UNDEFINED, PREDICTABLE SYSTEM FAILURES OCCUR. DELAYED TRIAGE AND PREVENTATIVE CARE, INCONSISTENT DOCUMENTATION, COMPLIANCE GAPS, POPULATION LEVELS THAT EXCEED HUMANE CAPACITY FOR CARE. OUR PROPOSAL CENTERS VETERINARY AUTHORITY, CAPACITY FOR CARE PRINCIPLES, TRANSPARENT REPORTING DEFINED PROTOCOLS FROM DAY ONE, A FRAMEWORK THAT PROTECTS ANIMALS, STAFF, THE PUBLIC, THE CITY, AND BRINGS COHESION AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO ANIMAL SHELTERING ACROSS THE COUNTY. THANKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ASHLEY ARMSTRONG TO BE FOLLOWED BY MARK KIMBERLY. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ASHLEY ARMSTRONG. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WE CARE ANIMAL RESCUE IN ST. HELENA, BUT I'M ALSO A SONOMA COUNTY RESIDENT. I HAVE 18 YEARS OF ANIMAL RESCUE EXPERIENCE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CITY TO AWARD THE CITY'S ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL CONTRACT TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY, MARIN HUMANE SONOMA, AND SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES. IMMEDIATELY I WORK CLOSELY WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND SEEING THEIR PROFESSIONALISM AND COMPASSION FIRSTHAND. AND I THINK ABOUT IT PERSONALLY. IF MY OWN ANIMALS WERE TO BE LOST ON THE STREETS, I WOULD WANT A KIND GAS OFFICER OR MARINE HUMANE OFFICER TO PICK THEM UP AND TO BRING THEM TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY WHERE THEY COULD BE SHELTERED SAFELY UNTIL WE COULD BE REUNITED FOR TOO LONG. NORTH BAY ANIMAL SHOW SERVICES HAS SHOWN A PATTERN OF MISMANAGEMENT AND NEGLECT. ANIMALS WHO ARRIVED SIX, SCARED [02:15:01] AND INJURED, REPLACED IN A SYSTEM THAT SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED THEM. AND THOSE ANIMALS WERE GREATLY FAILED. MARK SCOTT, IT'S IRONIC THAT YOU'RE NOT HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE THE NEXT PART OF MY SPEAK TALKS ABOUT HOW YOUR CONTRACTORS ARE NEVER AVAILABLE WHEN CALLS TO SERVICE OR MADE. I'VE REACHED OUT MANY TIMES AS MY SHELTER NEIGHBORS. THE CITY OF CALISTOGA, WHO CONTRACTS WITH MBAS WE'RE CONSTANTLY GETTING CALLS THAT THEY'RE BEING IGNORED FOR SERVICES. ONE CASE I'LL NEVER FORGET IS ZIGGY, A SIX WEEK OLD KITTEN WITH A RUPTURED EYE, LITERALLY OOZING OUT OF HIS FACE, FOUND INJURED WITHIN THE CALISTOGA JURISDICTION. MY STAFF AND I SPENT HOURS ON THE PHONE WITH NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM TO TAKE THIS ANIMAL THAT THEY WERE CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO TAKE. THEY DIDN'T. AT SEVEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, WE DECIDED WE COULD NO LONGER ALLOW THIS ANIMAL SUFFERING ANYMORE. WE TOOK ZIGGY IN TODAY. HE'S THREE YEARS OLD AND HE IS THRIVING IN HIS LOVELY ADOPTED HOME. THE SITUATION IS ALSO PERSONALLY DEEP TO ME. AS RECENTLY, I WENT UP AND SAW FIRSTHAND THE CONDITION OF THE CLEAR LAKE SHELTER, AND I ACTUALLY LEFT WITH A DOG. I LOVE HER DEARLY. I'M SO THANKFUL FOR CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL ASSOCIATIONS WHO MADE SURE SHE WAS SAFE AND KIND BECAUSE SHE'S A SENIOR WHO I FOUND UP THERE WITH EVERY RIB SHOWING FULL OF PARASITES AND RIDDLED WITH CANCER. I LEFT CLEAR LAKE IN TEARS. AND I WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW, IN MY 18 YEARS I'VE BEEN IN PUPPY MILLS, I'VE BEEN IN DOG FIGHTING RINGS, AND I'VE BEEN INTO HOARDING HOUSES. THE CONDITIONS AT CLEAR LAKE BROUGHT ME TO TEARS. MANY OF THOSE SITUATIONS HAVE NOT. I WANNA ALSO ADDRESS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT AND OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD IN THE COMMUNITY AND THIS FIELD AS WELL. NBAS HAS FREQUENTLY POSITIONED ITSELF BEHIND A NO KILL LABEL. WHILE THAT SOUNDS GREAT ANIMAL PROFESSIONALS, PROGRESSIVE ANIMAL WELFARE PROFESSIONALS, I SHOULD SAY, KNOW THAT FOCUSING ON A SINGLE LABEL CAN SOMETIMES DO HAR MORE HARM THAN GOOD. AND IT BECOMES A MARKETING TOOL INSTEAD OF A COMMITMENT TO TRUE HUMAN CARE. THAT'S WHY THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF SONOMA COUNTY'S TRADITION TRANSITION TOWARDS SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS SHELTERING IS SO IMPORTANT. THIS MODEL FOCUSES ON ETHICAL DECISIONS, COLLABORATIONS, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND TRUE HUMANE OUTCOMES. TONIGHT YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESET THE STANDARD IN PETALUMA TO REBUILD PUBLIC TRUST, TO CHOOSE ORGANIZATIONS WITH EXPERIENCE, STRUCTURE, AND COMPASSION. I HOPE THAT YOU'LL DO IT FOR ZIGGY. I HOPE THAT YOU'LL DO IT FOR LADY, I'LL HOPE YOU'LL DO IT FOR EVERY ANIMAL THAT HAD TO ENDURE PAIN OR SUFFERING AT THE HANDS OF NBS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MARK KIMBERLY TO BE FOLLOWED BY AMY TAYLOR. SO I GUESS NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES, BACK IN THE HEADLINES AGAIN, RIGHT? YOU MUST HAVE SEEN IT. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON ANY OF YOU ARE TAKING ACTION TONIGHT, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A NEW SITUATION. YOU CITY MANAGERS AND ASSISTANT, ALL OF THE COUNSEL HAS BEEN RECEIVING COMPLAINTS AND BEEN HANDED EVIDENCE FOR YEARS ABOUT THIS PLACE. AND WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO? BRIAN COCHRAN, YOU ISSUED BLANKET DENIALS LETTERS SAYING ALL THE ALLEGATIONS WERE FALSE, WHILE YOUR BOSS WOULDN'T EVEN ANSWER ANYBODY'S EMAILS OR TAKE ONE STEP TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION. NOW HERE WE ARE. IT'S A BIG EMERGENCY, RIGHT? YOU'RE ACTING LIKE, OH MY GOD, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING NOW RIGHT AWAY. WHY? NOW I'VE BEEN INVOLVED FIVE YEARS. THERE'S PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN, BEEN INVOLVED LONGER THAN ME AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE UNTIL NOW. THAT'S BECAUSE BAD PUBLICITY, YOU HAVE EGG ON YOUR FACE. YOU LOOK TERRIBLE. NOW YOU'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING. WELL, WHEN YOU FINALLY DO, DON'T THINK YOU'RE GONNA GET A PAT ON THE BACK FROM ANY OF US, BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL GUILTY OF DERELICTION OF DUTY. NOW, LET'S JUST LOOK AT A FEW BULLET POINTS FROM THE PAST HISTORY ABOUT NBAS. THAT ORGANIZATION IS HEADED UP BY A MAN WITH ZERO QUALIFICATIONS. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS. HOW DID HE GET THE JOB? HOW DID HE GET THERE? RIGHT? HE HAD ZERO QUALIFICATIONS. HE HAD ONLY HAD ONE JOB IN THE FIELD PREVIOUSLY. HE WAS FIRED FROM THAT. HE IS UTTERLY UNQUALIFIED. NUMBER TWO, THEY HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED BY PRIVATE PARTIES, NEWS REPORTERS, AND TWO COUNTY GRAND JURIES, BUT NEVER BY THE CITY OF PETALUMA. NO INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN DONE. DON'T SAY THERE HAS, BECAUSE WE'VE ASKED FOR IT FOR YEARS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. THEY'VE BEEN SUED BY PRIVATE PARTIES AND FORMER EMPLOYEES. THEY'VE BEEN FORCED TO PAY OUT 70,000 ON A PRIVATE LAWSUIT AND 30,000 TO AN EMPLOYEE JUST RECENTLY. AND YOU CAN EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO GO WAY HIGHER BECAUSE NOW THAT THAT EMPLOYEE'S GETTING PAID OUT, ALL THE OTHER ONES THAT DIDN'T GET FAIRLY PAID, THEY'RE GONNA BE FILING CLAIMS. NUMBER FOUR, EVIDENCE EXISTS TO SUPPORT ALLEGATIONS, INCLUDING CRUELTY TO ANIMALS, ILLEGALLY EUTHANIZING HEALTHY ANIMALS, FALSIFYING OFFICIAL RECORDS TO A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY, WHICH IS A FELONY SUBMITTING FRAUDULENT REPORTS. EMBEZZLEMENT, I CAN POINT TO, RIGHT? I CAN POINT YOU RIGHT WHERE TO [02:20:01] FIND THAT EVIDENCE. IF YOU WANT TO DO A FORENSIC AUDIT. WE HAVE PROOF. I CAN POINT YOU RIGHT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. ALSO, OPERATING A NONPROFIT AFTER THEY WERE SUSPENDED FROM DOING SO FOR OVER A YEAR. SO THE BIG QUESTIONS ARE, WHY DID HE GET THE CONTRACT? WHY? ONCE COMPLAINTS STARTED POURING IN, DID THE CITY REFUSE TO INVESTIGATE AND IGNORE ALL OF THOSE CRIMES AND ADAMANTLY DEFEND THEM, DENYING AND DEFLECTING EVERYTHING? WHO DIRECTED THAT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, THAT'S THE THREE MINUTES SO FAST, ISN'T IT AMY TAYLOR TO BE FOLLOWED BY WAS I WAS, I THOUGHT YOU SAID, I'M DONE. NO TIME. SHE'S ALLOWED TO. SHE'S GIVING YOU OF TIME. OKAY, THREE MORE MINUTES. ONE MORE PARAGRAPH. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ONES. 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO STOP THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. AND IT'S UP TO YOU. NOW, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? WE LEARNED THAT THERE'S A PRIVATE PARTY, NOT EVEN AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, NOT EVEN A MEMBER OR AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF PETALUMA. HER NAME IS SHERRY CARDO. SHE ALLEGEDLY, FOR SOME REASON HOLDS UNDUE INFLUENCE AND ACCESS OVER CITY MANAGERS. PEGGY FLYNN AND BRIAN COCHRAN. AND IT WAS HER ALLEGEDLY THAT WAS ABLE TO GET THEM TO CAPITULATE. THEN THEY ALLEGEDLY SWAYED THE COUNCIL TO FOLLOW THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS. BACK IN WAS TIME TO AWARD THIS CONTRACT. AND THEN SINCE THEN, IN ALL THE COVERUPS, THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS WERE HER RECOMMENDATIONS. THAT MEANS SHERRY CARO IS MAKING DECISIONS FOR THIS CITY. AND SHE IS JUST A PRIVATE CITIZEN. WELL CONNECTED, WEALTHY ACCESS TO THE PRESS, RIGHT? I WANNA KNOW WHAT SHE PROMISED YOU GUYS. WHAT'D YOU GET? WHAT WAS IT? WHY WOULD YOU DO HER BID THAT WAY? YOU KNOW, AT, AT SOME POINT, UM, THIS KIND OF ALLEGATIONS BACK AND FORTH. UNPRODUCTIVE. ALL RIGHT. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. OKAY? THE PEOPLE OF PETALUMA WANT TO KNOW. AND IN RETURN, WE'RE GONNA WANNA KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. BECAUSE THIS SITUATION IS OF YOUR OWN MAKING. WE NEVER HAD TO BE HERE. THOUSANDS NOW OF ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED. HUMANS HAVE BEEN HARMED EMOTIONALLY. HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS POSSIBLY ARE DEAD. THERE'S 30% OF THOSE ANIMALS HAVE NO OUTCOMES. IT'S LIKE THEY JUST DISAPPEAR OUT OF THE RECORDS. CITY ATTORNEY BLOCKS EVERY LEGAL ATTEMPT AT GAINING THE DOCUMENTS. WE NEED TO PROVE THAT. I'VE GONE THROUGH TWO ATTORNEYS AND THOUSANDS, TWO OF MY OWN. I MEAN, THAT I WAS PAYING AND THOUSANDS OF DOCUMENTS. I CAN NEVER GET THE THINGS I WANT. JUST LIKE HE'S A CO-CONSPIRATOR WITH THESE PEOPLE. ALL THREE OF THEM ARE, AND IT'S ILLEGAL. AND I CAN TELL YOU SOMETHING. WE NEED TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS. WE NEED TO KNOW WHO CAUSED ALL THIS. IT DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN. IT'S NOT NEW. IT'S BEEN GOING FOR YEARS. IT WAS AN INSIDE BACKDOOR DEAL, A NEFARIOUS DEAL. THESE PEOPLE NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT CONTRACT. THIS NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THE ANIMALS. AND WE SHOULDN'T BE HERE RIGHT NOW IN DAMAGE CONTROL. WE WILL EVENTUALLY GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. I'M ASKING THIS COUNCIL TO INVESTIGATE HOW THIS HAPPENED. IT'S ON YOU TO FIND OUT HOW IT HAPPENED TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. AGAIN. AND IF YOU FIND WHAT I THINK YOU FIND, IF YOU DO INVESTIGATE, THERE'S A COUPLE PEOPLE UP HERE THAT NEED TO GET FIRED BECAUSE THAT'S HOW CORRUPT IT IS. 'CAUSE I'M SEEING CORRUPTION IN LITTLE OLD PETALUMA. EVERY BIT IS BAD IS WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO FIND AT THE VERY UPPER ECHELONS OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THAT'S HOW BAD IT IS. AND IT'S NOT NEW AND IT'S GOTTA BE DEALT WITH. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. CAN I JUST ADD THAT, UH, THE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED IN 2018 PRIOR TO MY COMING ON, PRIOR TO BRIAN COMING ON? YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. IS THAT THIS CONTRACT WAS, UH, THE CAUSE OF QUITE A PUBLIC, UH, STIR BACK IN 2018. AND QUITE, UH, QUITE A FEW CONTENTIOUS MEETINGS. AND, UH, N NONE OF US, UM, ON THIS DAIS WERE IN, UH, IN THE COUNCIL AT THAT TIME. BUT I THINK ALL OF US FOLLOWED ALL OF THE CONTENTIOUSNESS IN THE PAPER AT THAT TIME. YEAH. AND UM, AND, UH, FOR, FOR ONE, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS ONE HERE TONIGHT AND COME INTO A CLOSE ON, UM, THIS CHAPTER. SO TURN WORDON IS OUR, OUR NEXT, UH, SPEAKER. SHOULD WE AMY TAYLOR? AMY TAYLOR? NO, AMY, UH, WAS THE ONE WHO SEATED TIME. SHE GAVE MARK HER TIME, SEATED TIME AND THEN, AND THE, I DUNNO WHO SHE'S, BUT CARLA, SHE GAVE CARLA CARLA BARRINGSON. OH, SORRY. I HAD THE NEXT SPEAKER UP WAS AMY. AND SO, UM, IT'S, DO YOU HAVE A CARD IN? YES, YES, YES SHE DOES. AND THE NAME IS CARLA . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AMY'S NEXT . OKAY. AND THEN TO BE FOLLOWED BY TERRY [02:25:01] WARDEN. GOOD EVENING. UM, IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW MARK KIMBERLY, BUT HERE I AM. I AM HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SAFETY ISSUE OF NO RABIES VACCINES. AND THE FACT THAT THE GRAND JURY TOLD YOU THIS LAST YEAR AND NOBODY JUMPED OUT OF THEIR SEAT. THAT NO DOGS COMING FROM NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES HAD RABIES VACCINES. RABIES, LIKE THE WHOLE CITY IS UNDER SURGE. IF YOU GET ONE RABIES BITE, YOU'RE DONE. LAWSUIT. SO ON THE FOSTER ADOPT TO ADOPT ISSUE, I, IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE HAD 15 PERSONAL FRIENDS THAT HAVE FOSTERED TO ADOPT FROM NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES. HERE IS ONE OF THE LETTERS THAT I WAS SENT. I ADOPTED A YOUNG DOG FROM NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES ON A FOSTER TO ADOPT. THEY RELEASED THE DOG WITHOUT A RABIES VACCINE. THE DOG NEEDED SOCIALIZATION, BUT I WAS SEVERELY LIMITED DUE TO THE VACCINATION STATUS. I FOLLOWED UP EVERY WEEK FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND THEY FINALLY SAID, I CAN GET WHAT HE NEEDS AT MY EXPENSE. I JUST HAD TO PAY TO GET HIM WHAT HE NEEDED. ALL THE TESTS HE NEEDED WERE $550 AND HE WASN'T EVEN MINE. HE WAS TECHNICALLY NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES DOG. WHEN YOU FOSTER, YOU ARE NOT THE OWNER. LET'S GET THAT STRAIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER THE CONTRACT, SHORTLY AFTER THEY CONTACTED ME TO BRING HIM IN FOR THE NEUTER, THEY GAVE HIM A SECOND RABIES VACCINE. AFTER THAT FOSTER TOLD THEM HE HAD HIS VACCINATION. BUT BECAUSE WHAT HE SAYS HERE, WE DID ADOPTION PAPERWORK, BUT DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEIR SLOPPY REP RECORD KEEPING AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE SHOULDN'T EVEN EVEN BEEN GIVEN THE SECOND ONE, TRIGGERED AN AUTO AUTOIMMUNE REACTION. THIS DOG WAS SICK FOR THREE MONTHS, INCLUDING HOSPITALIZATIONS OF $7,500. AND THE DOG SUFFERED. SO THIS IS JUST SOMEBODY GOING INTO THE SHELTER, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO FOSTER TO ADOPT. WHAT A GREAT IDEA THIS IS. AND HE'S OUT $8,000 BECAUSE OF IT. THIS IS MY NEIGHBOR. HE CAME TO ME, HE CAME TO MY HOUSE. YOU DON'T THINK THAT I'M LIKE, TRIGGERED BY THAT. THE MAN HOLDING THE SIGN IN THE BACK, ERIC, HE HAD TO GO. SAME THING. FOUND A DOG, PAID FOR THE DOG. THEN MARK SCOTT CALLED AND SAID, HEY, DO YOU WANNA ADOPT THAT DOG? NOW NOW'S A GOOD TIME AFTER HE'S NEUTERED HIM AND DONE ALL THE VETERINARY ON HIM, HE WANTED ANOTHER $250. AND I WON'T TELL YOU WHAT HIS WIFE TOLD HIM TO GO DO. SO THERE'S A PROBLEM. HERE I AM AGAIN. AND I, WHEN PASF GOT KICKED OUT, I DIDN'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THEM. THE TRANSITION WAS VERY QUICK. SO THANK GOD FOR THESE WOMEN OVER HERE, BUT IT'S A VERY QUICK TRANSITION. IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU TERRY WARDEN TO BE FOLLOWED BY, UM, PIP MARCUS DELA. I JUST BASICALLY WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW THIS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE LIKE AN OVERSIGHT OF INFORMATION. IT JUST SEEMS TO ME THAT, THAT THE EVIDENCE POINTS MORE TO A MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE AND, AND INTENTIONALLY MISREPRESENTING, UH, REPORTS TO COVER UP. ANIMAL ABUSE HAS HAPPENED. AND JUST, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE CITY REALLY DOESN'T TAKE IT AS SERIOUSLY. 'CAUSE THEY HAVEN'T TURNED IN REPORTS SINCE 2022. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN I'M HEARING ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT THINGS YOU COULD DO, WHY NO ONE HAS SAID THAT THEY SHOULD HIRE AND INDEPENDENT, UH, FORENSIC AUDITOR TO COME IN AND LOOK AT ALL THESE RECORDS. YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOUR OFFICERS ARE CERTIFIED. UM, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING, UH, FINANCIAL DATA AND SHOT RECORDS AND HEALTH RECORDS, AND I JUST FEEL LIKE AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY SHOULD COME IN BECAUSE, UM, I AGREE THAT THE SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER SHOULD TAKE OVER. BUT IF THEY'RE COMING IN AND THEY'RE AUDITING THIS DATA, THERE'S NO CHECKS AND BALANCES IN PLACE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? LIKE, THERE'S, THEY SHOULD NOT BE POLICING THEMSELVES AND LOOKING AT THESE RECORDS. AN INDEPENDENT PERSON SHOULD COME IN SO THAT WHEN THEY START TO DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THE DATA BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY, UH, BEEN COMPROMISED. I'VE BEEN A CFO FOR OVER 35 YEARS. AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE DATA THAT'S COMPROMISED, YOUR REPORTS AND YOUR WORK THAT YOU'RE GONNA DO BASED ON IT, AREN'T AREN'T GONNA BE GOOD EITHER. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA HIRE AN INDEPENDENT PERSON TO COME IN AND AUDIT THESE RECORDS. THIS IS COMMENT THERE NOT A QUESTION, PERIOD. OKAY. WELL, I MEAN, IT SHOULD BE, I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S [02:30:01] WHAT SHOULD BE DONE. THERE'S OBVIOUSLY BEEN, YOU KNOW, CRIMES IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE, MARK SCOTT SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, AND, UH, I JUST FEEL LIKE LEAVING THEM IN CHARGE, LIKE WHERE YOU WERE SAYING LIKE THEY MIGHT HAVE TO BE IN CHARGE FOR A FEW MONTHS, THAT'S JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BECAUSE THEN THEY'RE CONTINUING AND GOING ON AND BEING ABLE TO KEEP ABUSING THESE ANIMALS. AND, AND THE CITY'S KIND OF ENABLING IT BY, BY NOT MOVING QUICKER AND NOT FOLLOWING UP ON ALL THESE DISCREPANCIES THAT HAVE GOING, BEEN GOING ON SINCE 2022. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO SAY. THANK YOU. PIP MARQUEZ DELA UH, PLATA TO BE FOLLOWED BY STEPHANIE LAREN. HI, MY NAME IS PIP. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FORGOTTEN FEELINGS OF SONOMA COUNTY. UM, I HAD SOMETHING WRITTEN, BUT THE MORE I HEAR TONIGHT THINK I WANNA GO A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE HEARD IS THAT, ARE WE GONNA GET IS BAD IS WHAT YOU SAW AT CLEAR LAKE. UM, REMEMBER, CLEAR LAKE DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE FOR THIS ORGANIZATION TO SHUFFLE ANIMALS TOO. UM, SO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN INSIDE THE SHELTER HERE IN PETALUMA, BECAUSE THERE'S NOT THAT OUTLET TO MOVE ANIMALS AROUND LIKE IT WAS BEFORE. NUMBER TWO, THERE'S THE ANIMALS IN THE SHELTER THAT YOU CAN SEE, BUT THERE'S THE ANIMALS THAT THAT'S THE, THE SHELTER'S RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU CAN'T SEE. SOMEONE JUST MADE A REFERENCE TO ONE WE HAVE. AND I PUT IN THE WRITTEN RESPONSE THAT I HAD, I PUT IN MULTIPLE TIMES THAT OUR ORGANIZATION HAS ACTUALLY INTERVENED WHEN THERE'S BEEN NEGLECTFUL THINGS HAPPENING WITH THEIR FOSTER ANIMALS. UM, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ZACH AND ZOE, FOR EXAMPLE. UM, PETALUMA RESIDENT WAS IN A FOSTER TO ADOPT SITUATION. HE CALLED US. I'M, I'VE TRIED TO GET THEM SPAYED AND NEUTERED. I CAN'T ADOPT THEM UNTIL THAT HAPPENS. IT'S BEEN MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS. AND NOW THEY'RE IN MY LIVING ROOM AND THEY'RE TRYING TO MATE WITH EACH OTHER. SO WE SAID, JUST GET THEM TO US AND WE WILL GET THEM FIXED. THEY'RE NOT, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN THERE. 'CAUSE WE KNEW THE HISTORY OF THAT NOT HAPPENING. THEY BROUGHT THE CATS TO US. THEY WERE JUST SIX MONTHS OLD KITTENS. THE MALE CAT HAD AN EYE INFECTION, UM, THAT WAS NOT TREATED. THEY PLEADED WITH NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES TO LOOK AT THE EYE AND TREAT THE EYE. AND THEY REFUSED TO DO IT. BY THE TIME WE GOT THE CAT, WE HAD TO REMOVE THE EYE BECAUSE THE INFECTION WAS SO SEVERE THAT IS, WAS A HUNDRED PERCENT PREVENTABLE. SO THESE THINGS, AND I HAVE A LIST OF THESE THAT WE TOOK ON, NOT GET PAID, NOT ANYTHING, BECAUSE WHAT WE CARE ABOUT IS THE WELFARE OF THESE ANIMALS. BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE THAT BECAUSE THESE ANIMALS AREN'T IN THE SHELTER. THEY'RE IN HOMES. I THINK THEY'RE, THE ESTIMATE IS THERE'S 50 TIMES TOTAL. THEY'RE IN FOSTER HOMES. YOU'RE NEVER GONNA SEE THAT YOU'RE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT CONDITION THOSE ANIMALS ARE IN. YOU CAN'T WALK IN THE SHELTER. THEY'RE NOT IN WHERE YOU CAN SEE, MY GUESS MY GUT FROM WORKING WITH NORTH BAY FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS OR SEVEN YEARS, OR HOW LONG IT'S BEEN THAT IT'S NOT AS GOOD AS YOU WOULD HOPE IT WOULD BE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WAS THAT MY TIME? YEAH. ALRIGHT, STEPHANIE, LAUREN, THANK YOU. SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY DANA GRINDER. IT'S STEPHANIE LAVIN. SORRY IF I DIDN'T WRITE IT PROPERLY. UM, UNDER SWORN TESTIMONY, IT'S BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY MARK SCOTT THAT HE BOTH SIGNS CHECKS AND OVERSEAS BOOKKEEPING FUNCTIONS FOR NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES AND NONPROFIT GOVERNANCE. ESPECIALLY FOR ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING PUBLIC FUNDS. THAT CONCENTRATION OF FINANCIAL AUTHORITY IS A RECOGNIZED INTERNAL CONTROL WEAKNESS. BEST PRACTICE REQUIRES SEPARATION BETWEEN AUTHORIZING PAYMENTS, ISSUING CHECKS, MAINTAINING ACCOUNTING RECORDS, INDEPENDENT RECONCI RECONCILIATION AND REVIEW. THIS IS A STRUCTURAL GOVERNANCE CONCERN THAT HAS BEEN IGNORED BY CITY LEADERSHIP. WHEN FINANCIAL AUTHORITY IS CONCENTRATED IN ONE INDIVIDUAL, THE SYSTEM LACKS INTERNAL CHECKS DESIGNED TO PROTECT AGAINST ERROR OR MISUSE OF FUNDS. BECAUSE TAXPAYER DOLLARS ARE INVOLVED, THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE IS NOT DEBATE, IT IS VERIFICATION. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST [02:35:01] THAT THE CITY COMMISSION AS AN INDEPENDENT FORENSIC AUDIT TO CONFIRM THAT ADEQUATE SAFEGUARDS ARE IN PLACE. TRANSPARENCY PROTECTS EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE ORGANIZATION. I'M GLAD I HAVE TWO MINUTES LEFT TO SPEAK. I'M STEPHANIE LAVIN. I'VE BEEN HERE LIVING HERE SINCE I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE. I AM A CITIZEN OF THIS TOWN. I'M A RETIRED PET POLICE DEPARTMENT DISPATCHER AND AN EX NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES VOLUNTEER. I LEFT THERE BECAUSE OF WHAT I WAS SEEING THERE AND WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE. I HAVE CONTACTED COUNCIL MEMBERS, I'VE CONTACTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS. I'VE CONTACTED PEGGY FLYNN. CRICKETS, CRICKETS. RECENTLY THE MAYOR. THANK YOU. YOU DID RESPOND BACK TO ME. DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTIONS, BUT YOU RESPONDED BACK. SO THANK YOU FOR AT LEAST RESPONDING BACK. YOU'RE OUT THERE. I'M SHAKING RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE I'M SO UPSET FROM THE THINGS THAT I SAW THERE. I KNOW YOU SAID YOU HAVE WALKED IN THERE AND SAYS, IT LOOKS OKAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT. I NOW CURRENTLY, UH, VOLUNTEER FOR RONER PARK, WHICH I'M PROUD TO SAY THAT I VOLUNTEER THERE. I DON'T LEAVE THERE IN TEARS. I LOVE VOLUNTEERING THERE. IT'S THE BEST PEOPLE THAT I VOLUNTEER WITH AND VOLUNTEER FOR. THEY'RE THE HARDEST EMPLOYEE WORKING PEOPLE AT A SHELTER. GO WALK INTO RONER PARK AND SEE WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE. SEE HOW IT SHOULD BE RAN. WITH THAT BEING SAID, I ASKED YOU ABOUT THE THRIFT STORE. HE HAS A THRIFT STORE. HE'S MAKING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR. WHERE'S THAT MONEY GOING? IT'S DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO FEED THE ANIMALS OR TO TAKE CARE OF THE ANIMALS. I'VE HAD SEVERAL FRIENDS, I'M GONNA RELAY WHAT SOME OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING. MY GIRLFRIEND DID A FOSTER TO ADOPT. THE DOG NEEDED DENTAL WORK AFTER 6, 8, 9 MONTHS. SHE FINALLY PAID FOR IT HERSELF. I HAD FRIENDS THAT GOT THOSE FRENCH BULLDOGS THAT ALL WENT TO CITY EMPLOYEES, ALL WENT TO CITY EMPLOYEES. EVEN THOUGH I ASKED FOR ONE AND I WAS A VOLUNTEER, I DIDN'T GET ONE. THEY DIDN'T GET FIXED FOR AT LEAST NINE MONTHS. MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S THE THREE MINUTES. UH, DANA, UH, GRINDER TO BE FOLLOWED BY SUSAN HUSSEY. GOOD EVENING. NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES KNOWS YOU'RE FIRING THEM. SO SOME OUTSIDE AGENCY NEEDS TO COME IN IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU THINK THE CARE IS GOING TO IMPROVE, YOU ARE, YOU'RE FOOLING YOURSELF. I WANNA TALK ABOUT STRUCTURE, NOT PERSONALITIES. THE CITY USED TO HAVE AN ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE. THAT COMMITTEE PROVIDED INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT AND REGULAR PUBLIC REPORTING ON HOW THE ANIMAL SERVICES CONTRACT WAS PERFORMING. THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTOR WAS REQUIRED TO POST THEIR BALANCE SHEET AND PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT. FULL TRANSPARENCY ON FINANCIALS. WHEN THAT COM COMMITTEE WAS DISSOLVED, AN IMPORTANT LAYER OF ACCOUNTABILITY WENT AWAY AFTER THAT OVERSIGHT WAS PLACED UNDER BRIAN COCHRAN ALONE. AND WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT MAY HAVE SEEMED DEFICIENT, IT ALSO MEANT THERE WERE FEWER CHECKS AND BALANCES. NO MORE FINANCIALS TO REVIEW. NOWHERE TO ASK QUESTIONS IN AREAS INVOLVING PUBLIC HEALTH AND ANIMAL WELFARE OVERSIGHT REALLY MATTERS. IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE MORE THAN ONE SET OF EYES IS REVIEWING. PERFORMANCE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES CREATE TRANSPARENCY. THEY CREATE REGULAR REPORTING. THEY ALLOW PROBLEMS TO SURFACE EARLIER INSTEAD OF LATER. WHEN THAT STRUCTURE IS REMOVED, SAFEGUARDS WEAKEN. PROBLEMS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE IDENTIFIED PUBLICLY AND ADDRESSED. INSTEAD, THEY TEND TO SURFACE ONLY ON AFTER THEY'VE GROWN INTO WHAT WE SEE. NOW. THE PERFORMANCE ISSUES THAT LATER EMERGE DIDN'T HAPPEN IN ISOLATION. THEY HAPPENED IN A SYSTEM WHERE INDEPENDENT MONITORING HAD ALREADY BEEN ELIMINATED. WHEN YOU REMOVE CHECKS AND BALANCES RISK INCREASE, THAT'S NOT PERSONAL. THAT'S STRUCTURAL. SO THE REAL QUESTION ISN'T ABOUT INDIVIDUALS. IT'S WHETHER THE SYSTEM ITSELF HAD ENOUGH SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN, I DON'T BELIEVE IT DID. IT'S TIME TO FACE THE REALITY THAT CHANGE IS NEEDED. THE TIME FOR OVERSIGHT IS LONG PASSED. WE OWE IT TO THIS COMMUNITY AND TO THESE ANIMALS, WE ARE THEIR VOICE. YOU HAVE EMPLOYED AN AGENCY TO PROVIDE CARE THAT HAS BEEN DERELICT IN ITS DUTY. YOU HAVE NOT PROVIDED PROPER OVERSIGHT. YOU'VE ASKED FOR TRANSPARENCY. THEY PROVIDED NONE. ANIMALS FROM PETALUMA HAVE BEEN SHIPPED TO CLEAR LAKE. THEY'VE BEEN NEGLECTED AND LEFT TO DIE. IF YOU FAIL TO CEASE THIS CONTRACT IMMEDIATELY, ANY OTHER ANIMAL'S, BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, CHRISTINE SUSAN HUSSEY TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHRISTINA WHITE. HELLO, MY NAME IS SUSAN HUSSEY. I HAVE A BUSINESS HERE IN TOWN. I HAVE BEEN DOING RESCUE WORK FOR 20 YEARS. I HAVE, [02:40:01] UH, DONE A LOT OF DELIVERIES OF BABIES, FOSTER PUPPIES, PROBLEM DOGS. I WAS HIGHLY INVOLVED IN THE CAPPIES THAT CAME OUT OF REDDING. SO I'VE SEEN A LOT FROM ACID BURNS ON FACES TO PUPPIES LEFT IN BOXES TO HERPES DEATHS IN AN ENTIRE LITTER. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. NEVER. AND THE FACT THAT WE KNEW GOING IN THAT MARK WAS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE. HIS PERSONAL RECORD ALONE SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN TO THAT. AND THE UNDERHANDED WAY THAT HE GOT THIS CONTRACT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. AND YEAR AFTER YEAR, PLENTY OF EVIDENCE HAS BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE THE COMMITTEES, BEFORE THE COUNCILS MORE THAN JUST YOURSELVES. AND IT'S BEEN SWEPT UNDER THE RUG. AND NO ONE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT. AND TWO GRAND JURY REPORTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO SAY, WAIT A MINUTE. AND ABOLISHING THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WAS OUTRAGEOUS. AND MARK IS MASTERFUL. I WILL GIVE HIM THAT. HE'S THE BIGGEST CON ARTIST I HAVE EVER MET. AND WHEN HE TRIED TO GET ME TO GO AND DO THE COUP WITH HIM, HE SAID, ONE EVENING DURING THE FIRES, DO YOU KNOW WHAT A PUPPET MASTER IS? WELL, THAT'S WHAT JEFF CARTER IS. AND IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT, I WILL HELP YOU. THAT'S THE KIND OF MAN YOU HAVE. AND YOU CAN SAY, WE AREN'T RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEAR LAKE. THAT'S NOT OUR DEAL. WELL, MAYBE WE CAN'T BOMB IN THERE WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT WE SURE AS HECK HAVE AN OBLIGATION. WHEN THAT ENTITY WAS DEVELOPED HERE, THAT 5 0 1 3 C WAS SPECIFICALLY DEVELOPED TO TAKE THIS COMMUNITY. AND HE HAS PARLAYED THAT TO OTHER CITIES. WE HAVE A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PUSH FOR SOME KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY. OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN TALK TO THEIR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HE SHOULD BE CRIMINALLY PROSECUTED. AND YES, WE DO HAVE EVIDENCE THAT OUR DOGS ARE UP THERE. THAT WAS HIS AUSCHWITZ. THAT WAS HIS, LET'S HIDE IT UP HERE. AND YOU CAN WALK INTO THIS SHELTER AND SAY ALL KINDS OF THINGS ABOUT HOW GREAT IT LOOKS. AND SURE, WELL A TON OF IMPROVEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE. BUT IF YOU LEAVE THE VERMIN IN THE BUILDING, IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER, DOES IT? SO I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING NOW YOU HAVE EXPERTS IN THIS ROOM THAT ARE IMMENSE. THEY HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FIELD LIKE NOBODY. AND IF WE AREN'T LISTENING, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM AND WE SHOULD ALL TURN IN OUR MORAL COMPASS. THANK YOU, CHRISTINA WHITE TO BE FOLLOWED BY CARLY BOYD. HI. SO I AM DEEPLY SADDENED BY EVERYTHING THAT I'M HEARING HERE. MY EXPERIENCE WITH ANIMAL CONTROL. MY EXPERIENCE IS WITH ANIMAL CONTROL. AND WHEN I CALL BECAUSE THERE'S A HURT ANIMAL IN THE WILDLIFE AREA WHERE I WALK EVERY DAY, SOMEBODY COMES OUT. SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THE COST OF WHAT THE NEW COSTS, WHAT WE'RE PAYING OUR CURRENT IS 480,000 AND WHAT THE RECOMMENDED PRICE IS, 200,000 A QUARTER. CLEARLY WE'RE, WE HAVE A DISPARITY IN WHAT WE'RE PAYING AND WHAT WE NEED TO BE PAYING. BUT I HAVE A QUESTION WHEN IT COMES TO, IF YOU'RE DOING AN IMMEDIATE TURNOVER AND COUNCIL MEMBER DI CARLY, THANK YOU FOR ASKING. WHEN WE HAVE A HURT SKUNK OR FOX OR, UH, DEAR, WHO ARE WE GONNA CALL AND HOW LONG IS IT GONNA TAKE? 'CAUSE WHEN I MAKE THOSE CALLS, THEY COME IMMEDIATELY AND THOSE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS ARE PHENOMENAL. AND I CAN SEND A PICK TEXT TO LOCATE WHERE IT IS, AND I GET A CALL BACK AND THEY, THEY COME. I HAVE A DOG WHO WON'T LEAVE A HURT ANIMAL. SO SOMETIMES I HAVE TO STAY AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO TAKE HER 'CAUSE WE HAVE SOCIAL THERAPY THAT WE HAVE TO BE AT. AND WITH THE SKUNK, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, I WASN'T ALL THAT WANTING TO WAIT IN CASE IT GOT UPSET. BUT IT, IT CONCERNS ME THAT WE WON'T HAVE OUR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES OFFICERS TO, TO BE HERE AT OUR IMMEDIATE NEED. AND CALLING MARIN IS NOT ALWAYS EASY OR SANTA ROSA. WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT TRAFFIC IS LIKE. SO PLEASE, IN YOUR CONSIDERATIONS, I I HAVE NOTHING BUT RESPECT FOR THEM. I'VE HAD GREAT, UH, REACTION OR INTERACTIONS WITH EVERYBODY, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE SHELTER SINCE OUR DAUGHTER WAS YOUNG AND VOLUNTEERED THERE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU CARLY BOYD TO BE FOLLOWED BY COURTNEY GARCIA. HI, IS THIS ADJUST? ALRIGHT. HI, UM, I'M DR. CARLY BOYD. I'M A VETERINARIAN HERE IN PETALUMA, AND I HAVE [02:45:01] BEEN A VETERINARIAN IN THE SONOMA COUNTY AREA FOR A TOTAL OF FIVE YEARS. UM, THIS ISSUE IS UNIQUELY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I ALSO GREW UP IN LAKE COUNTY AND I STILL HAVE FAMILY THERE THAT I RECENTLY OR COMMONLY GO TO SEE. UM, I ALSO FREQUENTLY VOLUNTEER WITH THE SPCA OF LAKE COUNTY AND HELP WITH THEIR SPAY AND NEUTER, UM, OPERATIONS UP THERE. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I I HAD MORE, UM, OF A COMMENT PREPARED, BUT ESSENTIALLY IT REALLY ECHOES A LOT OF THE ANECDOTES THAT YOU'RE HEARING TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH THESE COMMENTS ARE MY OWN AND I DON'T REPRESENT MY EMPLOYER, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST MENTION WHAT I AM SEEING FROM, UH, THE, UH, STANDPOINT OF A GENERAL PRACTICE VETERINARIAN IN OUR AREA. I COMPLETELY AGREE. WE HAVE MANY CLIENTS WHO COME IN, THEY ARE DOING THE FOSTER TO ADOPT PROGRAM. THEY ARE WAITING MONTHS AND MONTHS FOR SERVICES THAT NEVER COME. THEY END UP SPENDING THEIR OWN PERSONAL MONEY TO GET THESE ANIMALS SPAYED OR NEUTERED OR ANY OTHER MEDICAL CARE THEY MIGHT NEED. UM, NOT ONLY THAT, BUT WHEN WE GET RECORDS FROM THESE PLACES, IT IS NO SURPRISE TO MYSELF OR ANY OF MY STAFF MEMBERS WHEN THE RECORDS ARE INCOMPLETE, INCOHERENT, UM, MISSING, YOU KNOW, RABIES VACCINES IS A HUGE ONE THAT IS ACTUALLY A STATE LAW FOR THEM TO PROVIDE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S VERY CLEAR FROM EVERYONE THAT'S COME UP TONIGHT THAT THE NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES CONTRACT SHOULD BE CANCELED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE REPUTABLE, UM, PROVIDERS WHO ARE WILLING TO STEP UP TO THAT AND TO JUST KIND OF RETURN TO THE STATEMENT I DID PREPARE, UM, WHILE WE MAY SIT HERE AND SAY THAT THE SITUATION IN CLEAR LAKE IS NOT DIRECTLY EQUIVALENT TO OUR SITUATION IN PETALUMA, I DO, UH, RESENT THAT A LITTLE BIT ONLY BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THIS IS JUST A DOWNFALL OF AN IMPOVERISHED COUNTY THAT DIDN'T DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE. I THINK THIS IS A LONG STANDING, UH, GRADUAL DECLINE DUE TO, YOU KNOW, GROSS NEGLIGENCE. UM, THIS CITY SHOULD NOT TACITLY ENDORSE OR RATIFY THIS TYPE OF DEPLORABLE AND ARGUABLY CRIMINAL ANIMAL ABUSE. FURTHER, THE CITY SHOULD NOT LET THEM CONTINUE TO CONTINUE AS A SERVICE PROVIDER. IN LIGHT OF THESE ISSUES, AT BETH BEST, NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES HAS PROVIDED MINIMALLY COMPETENT SERVICES TO THE CITY. AND AT WORST, SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED HAVE BEEN WASTEFUL, FRAUGHT WITH CONTROVERSY AND LOVE, LESS BENEFIT AND VALUE TO OUR CITY THAN ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN PROVIDED BY MORE COMPETENT ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE READY TO SERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COURTNEY GARCIA TO BE FOLLOWED BY HEATHER KRATT. GOOD AFTERNOON. I COME TO YOU AS A PETALUMA COMMUNITY MEMBER, UH, A RESCUE MOM AND, UH, A PETALUMA EDUCATOR. EIGHT YEARS AGO, I STOOD BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL AND I CAUTIONED YOU ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES. FOR EIGHT YEARS, YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN BRINGING THEIR CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF CARE AND THE FINANCIALS OF NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES TO YOU. FOR EIGHT YEARS, NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES HAS BEEN A DANGER TO THE ANIMALS AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS OF PETALUMA. I THINK EIGHT YEARS HAS BEEN LONG ENOUGH FOR THIS DANGER TO PERPETUATE. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PETALUMA ANIMALS TO BE PUT IN THE HANDS OF PEOPLE WHO TRULY CARE ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING. AND MY LAST COMMENT ARE TO THOSE HEROES WHO WALKED INTO THE LAKE COUNTY SHELTER AND SAVED THOSE DOGS THAT WERE HARMED AT THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT THE CITY OF PETALUMA PUT IN PLACE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU HEATHER KRATT TO BE, UH, FOLLOWED BY SUSAN AKAMI. UM, I'M GONNA START BY POINTING OUT THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO WAS HERE IN 2018, THE CONTRACT STILL REQUIRED OVERSIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT WAS LACKING ALL THESE YEARS. AND I KNOW MANY PEOPLE PERSONALLY WHO HAVE COMPLAINED AND, UM, HAD THEIR DOGS ILLEGALLY, THEIR DOGS AND CATS ILLEGALLY EUTHANIZED BY NBAS. THEY DIDN'T WAIT THE PROPER TIME. UM, SO WHEN YOU, WHEN THE ISSUE IS DISMISSED, IS A LACK OF PAPERWORK OR A LACK OF DOG LICENSING, I DON'T, I THINK YOU'RE REALLY GETTING THE WHOLE GIST OF WHAT'S GOING ON AT NBAS. UM, I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT THAT IF, IF THIS, IF DIRECTOR MARK SCOTT IS NOT WILLING TO WORK WITH A CONSULTANT IN A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN CONTROL OVER THE SHELTER, WHY WOULD YOU EXPECT HIM TO [02:50:01] WORK WITH THE TRANSITION TEAM? WHEN HE IS LOSING FULL CONTROL? I WOULD EXPECT HIM TO GO IN AND JUST MESS EVERYTHING UP JUST TO, JUST TO BE LIKE HIS USUAL CHARACTER. UM, SO, UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REMIND THE COMMUNITY TOO, TO REACH OUT TO DIS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS IN BOTH SONOMA AND LAKE COUNTY, UM, BECAUSE IT ISN'T JUST MARK SCOTT WHO, WHO, UM, COMMITTED THESE CRIMES. ANYBODY WHO WAS AWARE OF THE CRIMES AND DID NOTHING TO DO IT OR COVERED THEM UP IS JUST AS GUILTY AS THE ANIMAL ABUSER HIMSELF. THANK YOU SUSAN AMI TO BE FOLLOWED BY SIERRA MORANT. GOOD EVENING. I'M SUSAN TAMI, A RETIRED EDUCATOR AND A RESCUE MOM, A PUBLIC SERVANT, AND A BUSINESS OWNER. I WILL BE BRIEF BECAUSE I SUPPORT EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED, UH, AND BEEN SAID BEFORE, BUT I WISH I COULD REMEMBER WHO SAID IT AND WHERE I READ IT. BUT A MARK OF A CIVILIZED SOCIETY IS HOW WE CARE FOR OUR ELDERLY, OUR CHILDREN, AND OUR ANIMALS. AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A DIFFICULT FINANCIAL DECISION TO MAKE, UM, THAT'S PART OF THE VALUE HERE, BUT IT'S BECOME CLEAR THAT IT IS GOING TO COST MONEY TO PROVIDE THE CARE THAT THESE ANIMALS DESERVE. AND ONE VERY SPECIFIC, UM, ACTION THAT I URGE YOU TO TAKE IS ON, UH, LOOKS LIKE PAGE FOUR OF WHAT WAS SENT TO COUNCIL ON THE RESPONSES TO COUNCIL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. THERE'S THE QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, UM, ANIMAL SERVICES COMMITTEE. AND IT, UH, IS STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE ANIMAL SERVICES COMMITTEE, IF IT'S UNDER CONSIDERATION, BE FORMED FOLLOWING THE, UM, TRANSITION OR THE HIRING OF A PERMANENT, UM, ORGANIZATION TO CARE FOR, UH, CARE FOR OUR PETALUMA ANIMALS. UM, I WOULD URGE YOU TO DO THAT IMMEDIATELY AS A WAY TO PROVIDE THE OVERSIGHT FROM THE PUBLIC THAT YOU'VE BEEN HEARING TONIGHT AND, UM, PROVIDE THAT COMMUNICATION THAT APPARENTLY HAS JUST BEEN BEEN THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON WITH ANIMAL CONTROL AND SERVICES AND CARE AND THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIERRA MORAN TO BE FOLLOWED BY SALE WHITE. RIGHT. HELLO AGAIN. AS SOMEONE WHO WAS BIT BY A DOG IN PETALUMA AND HAS HAD A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE DEALING WITH NBAS, THE COMMENTS ABOUT POTENTIAL RABIES EXPOSURE ISSUES HIT REALLY CLOSE TO HOME WITH ME. WHILE I'M HOPEFUL THAT YOU TERMINATE THE NBAS AGREEMENT FOR CAUSE, THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE WHERE YOU CAN JUST WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN. HERE ARE TWO THINGS THE CITY OF PETALUMA CAN DO TO EFFECTIVELY MOVE FORWARD AND START TO REBUILD THE PUBLIC'S TRUST. FIRST, SECURE ADMINISTRATOR LEVEL ACCESS TO NB S'S SYSTEMS AND RECORDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, AND BY ANY LEGAL MEANS NECESSARY. CITY STAFF HAS SAID THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS AND NBIS HAS REFUSED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO YOUR CONSULTANT. I AM AND OR YOU. UH, I IMAGINE THIS PUTS THE CITY IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION WITH REGARDS TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS AND OPEN CASES. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT AGENCIES HAVE ACCESS SO THEY CAN FOLLOW, CARRY FORWARD EXISTING CASES AND KNOWN ISSUES SUCH AS POTENTIAL CRUELTY CASES AND DANGEROUS ANIMALS AND ADEQUATELY CARE FOR AND ADOPT OUT ANIMALS AT THE SHELTER. SECOND, IT IS CRUCIAL THE CITY CALL FOR A THIRD PARTY FORENSIC AUDIT OF NBI S'S FINANCES. IF AN AUDIT SHOWS THAT FUNDS HAVE BEEN MANAGED RESPONSIBLY, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RELEASE THE RESULTS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY AND HAVE BETTER DATA TO INFORM HOW YOU BUDGET FOR ANIMAL CONTROL AND SHELTER CARE MOVING FORWARD. IF AN AUDIT SHOWS ANY DEFICIENCIES, YOU'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIND AND REDIRECT OR RECOVER ANY MISAPPROPRIATED OR MISUSED FUNDS. PROTECT THE CITY AND TAXPAYERS AND PRESERVE FIDUCIARY INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENCY TO THE PUBLIC. I KNOW THIS IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT AND I'M GLAD TO SEE IT'S BEING ADDRESSED IN A PUBLIC FORUM TONIGHT. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE AS ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SET AN EXAMPLE AND DEMAND BETTER FOR THE ANIMALS AND PEOPLE OF PETALUMA AND SONOMA COUNTY. I SEEDED MY REMAINING TIME TO SAIL WHITE. UM, IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY, UNFORTUNATELY. I WON'T TAKE LONG. OKAY, YOU GUYS KNOW ME. SAIL WHITE. I SPOKEN TO YOU. UM, THE MIC HERE. SAIL WHITE TO YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS BE FOLLOWED BY TO BE FOLLOWED BY NINA ZITA . I'M, I'M PRETTY RILED UP RIGHT NOW, TO BE HONEST. I'M ANGRY AND I'M SAD. I'M EXTREMELY ANGRY AT CITY STAFF AND I'M EXTREMELY ANGRY AT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT I'VE SPOKEN TO ABOUT THIS FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. SEVEN YEARS, I'VE, I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS. I'M AN ANIMAL PERSON. I'M A NUMBERS PERSON. THE MINUTE NORTH ANIMAL SERVICES TOOK OVER THE CONTRACT, THINGS STOPPED MAKING SENSE. [02:55:01] MR. COCHRANE WAS A MATH MAJOR IN COLLEGE. I FIND THAT REALLY ANNOYING BECAUSE I LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS AND I SAID, THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. HOW CAN YOU HAVE FEWER ADOPTIONS AND A HIGHER LIVE RELEASE RATE? THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, BUT WHAT'S MISSING HERE? CAN YOU GIMME THE ANIMAL RECORDS? THEN I STARTED LOOKING THE ANIMAL RECORDS AND THEY MADE EVEN LESS SENSE ANIMALS THAT I WOULD GO MISSING FROM THE RECORDS. ANIMALS WOULD BE TAKEN IN AS HEALTHY ANIMALS AND THEN THEY'D BE CREMATED OUTTA THE BLUE. I BROUGHT THIS UP. I WROTE 14 PAGES OF PUBLIC WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENT OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. I ACTUALLY, I STOPPED IN 2021 WHEN MR. COCHRANE DISBANDED THE ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE BECAUSE NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO ME, NO ONE WAS LISTENING TO ANYONE IN THE CITY. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU NINA ZITO TO BE FOLLOWED BY BECCA EDWARDS. HELLO. THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING ALL THIS SO THOUGHTFULLY. UH, THE, THE PAST, UH, 78 YEARS HAVE BEEN PRETTY BAD, BUT ANYONE WHO, WHO KNOWS PETALUMA HAS KNOWS THAT, UH, UH, SHELTER LOCATION AND, AND SERVICES NOW BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN, UH, INADEQUATE FOR DECADES, TRULY DECADES. BUT WHAT THIS MEANS IS WE'VE GOT A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A STATE OF THE ART FACILITY TO JOIN THE, UH, NEW FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE NEW POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THE FAIRGROUNDS. UH, IT MAKES SENSE. AND WITH THE LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE OF MARIN HUMANE SOCIETY, SONOMA, UM, UH, HEALTH SERVICES, THE COUNTY OF SONOMA, UH, WE, WE'VE GOT SOME , YOU KNOW, SOME BIG TALENT WHO CAN SHOW US THE WAY AND MAKE THIS, UH, A, A SHELTER TO REFLECT ALL THE GOOD THINGS WE DO, LIKE THE ICE RINK AND THE MUSIC THINGS, AND ALL THE BICYCLES AND ALL THE TRANSIT AWARENESS AND ALL THAT NONSENSE. BUT WE'VE GOT LIVING CREATURES WHO ARE SUFFERING AND THAT'S UNFORTUNATE. UM, I, I I WOULD CONCUR. WE NEED TO HAVE A, AN ADVISORY COMMISSION AGAIN AND, UM, UH, PLEASE, UH, ACT ON THESE THINGS PROMPTLY. AND, UH, REMEMBER THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BECCA EDWARDS SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY GARRISON BOYD. GOOD EVENING. I'M BECCA EDWARDS AND I'M THE LIFESAVING PROGRAMS MANAGER FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETY FOR INLAND MENDOCINO COUNTY. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT WITH THE TEAM FROM CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL ASSOCIATION. I JUST WANNA START BY SAYING THAT DISTANCING YOURSELF FROM THE EMERGENCY IN CLEAR LAKE DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY NORTH BAY. I HAVE BEEN TO MEETINGS IN CLEAR LAKE, WHERE THE CITY MANAGER TRIED TO CONVINCE US THAT THERE WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY HAPPENING INSIDE. THREE WEEKS AGO, I WAS EXPOSED TO THE WORST CASE OF NEGLECT AND ABUSE THAT I'VE EVER SEEN. INSIDE OF THE CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL SHELTER, OVER A HUNDRED DOGS WERE FOUND EMACIATED, LIVING IN CRATES AND HALF KENNELS COVERED IN FECES WITH NO ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER. I HAVE BEEN HELPING ONSITE AND BEHIND THE SCENES AT CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL ASSOCIATION SINCE THEY TOOK OVER THE CONTRACT FROM NORTH BAY. AND JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I'M TRAUMATIZED FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN AND EXHAUSTED FROM THE ENDLESS WORK THAT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CLEAN UP AFTER NORTH BAY. BUT I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I NEVER WANNA SEE THIS HAPPEN AGAIN TO ANY ANIMAL ANYWHERE. AND I JUST WANNA STRESS THE URGENCY WE'RE ALL FEELING TO MAKE THESE CHANGES. HA CHANGES HAPPEN VERY SWIFTLY. PART OF MY SUPPORTIVE ROLE HAS BEEN HELPING WITH ENTERING RECORDS FOR THE CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL ASSOCIATION. I HAVE SEEN EVERY RECORD THAT WAS PROVIDED BY NORTH BAY IN THE HANDOFF, ANIMALS LIVING THERE FOR THREE MONTHS WERE NOT GIVEN A NAME. THEY WERE NOT SEXED TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE MALE OR FEMALE MICROCHIPPED, OR EVEN GIVEN THE MOST BASIC LIFESAVING PREVENTATIVES VACCINES THAT EVERY ANIMAL ENTERING A HIGH RISK ENVIRONMENT DESERVES. ANIMALS THAT LIVED THERE FOR YEARS WERE NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED. AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS SENT UP FROM PETALUMA WERE LABELED UNTOUCHABLE AND SENTENCED TO LIFE IN THOSE SMALL UNSANITARY KENNELS AND CRATES. SORRY, THESE WERE NOT RECORDS, THESE WERE PIECES OF PAPER WITH A NUMBERS THAT DID NOTHING TO HELP PROVIDE THE CONTINUITY [03:00:01] OF CARE THAT WAS PROMISED AND THAT THE ANIMALS DESERVED. AND I FEAR THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA COME NEXT IF IT, THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN QUICKLY. CLEAR LAKE HAS A HUGE PROBLEM IN THEIR COMMUNITY WITH HOMELESS AND UNWANTED ANIMALS, JUST LIKE EVERY COMMUNITY IN OUR AREA ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY DOES RIGHT NOW. BUT THESE CONDITIONS WERE NOT CAUSED BY TOO MANY ANIMALS IN A COMMUNITY. THESE CONDITIONS WERE CAUSED BY NEGLECT. AND THE ANIMALS INSIDE OF THE CLEAR LAKE SHELTER WERE NOT GIVEN THE MOST BASIC NEEDS THAT ANY SHELTER SHOULD PROVIDE. THEY WERE NOT FED, AND THE SHELTER WAS NOT MANAGED THE WAY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. IN NORTH BAY'S PRESS RELEASE AND LETTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THEY PRIDE THEMSELVES IN BEING NO KILL. AND IN 2025, HAVING ZERO HEALTHY ANIMAL EUTHANASIA. MEANWHILE, HUNDREDS OF SICK AND NEGLECTED ANIMALS SUFFERED QUIETLY IN THEIR CARE. NORTH BAY WANTS TO WARN YOU THAT DISCUSSION OF EUTHANASIA HAS ALREADY BEGUN FROM THESE NEW PROPOSALS. THANK YOU. THAT'S THE THREE MINUTES THERE. APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT. GARRISON BOYD, TO BE FOLLOWED BY JOHN HANIA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE COUNCIL. AND ALSO THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO THE CITY'S EMPLOYEES AND PUBLIC SERVANTS FOR TAKING THESE MATTERS SERIOUSLY AS WE ARE TODAY. UH, I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE MARIN HUMANE, S-C-A-S-S-C, HUMANE, CAC AND H-S-I-M-C FOR ALL OF THEIR WORK AND TRYING TO TRIAGE THE MESS THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP AT THE, UH, CLEAR LAKE ANIMAL SHELTER. I ALSO WANT TO ECHO DR. NORRIS'S COMMENTS REGARDING VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS AND DOCTORS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE TO THE REMEDIATION OF ALL THESE PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THE PROBLEMS WITH THE CLEAR LAKE SHELTER. I WANNA HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE RECORD AND HOW WE GOT HERE TODAY. FIRST AND FOREMOST, THIS YEAR, AFTER THE GRAND JURY ISSUED ITS REPORT 2025, THE CITY RELEASED A COUPLE OF QUOTES AND FOLLOW UP TO THAT SAYING QUOTE, OUR OVERALL ASSESSMENT IS THAT NBAS AS AN ORGANIZATION IS A CARING, COMPETENT, FLEXIBLE, AND COMMUNITY-MINDED ANIMAL SERVICES PROVIDER. FURTHER, THAT THE CITY BELIEVES THAT NBAS HAVE BEEN INCREMENTALLY IMPROVING THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE, VETERINARY SERVICE AVAILABILITY, VOLUNTEER COORDINATION, AND SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT. LOOKING AT ALL OF THE RECORDS THAT WE HAVE TODAY AND KNOWING AS SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE CITY MANAGER HAVE STATED THAT THEY'VE BEEN OUT OF COMPLIANCE WITH THEIR CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS FOR THREE YEARS, SINCE 2022, HOW ARE WE POSSIBLY COMING TO THAT DETERMINATION IN 2025? IT FRANKLY MAKES ZERO SENSE AND IS EVIDENCE OF THE CITY'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE OBLIGATIONS. AS AN ATTORNEY BY TRADE, I'M VERY, VERY AWARE OF THE NECESSITY OF MAINTAINING DUE DILIGENCE OVER ALL ASPECTS OF CONTRACTUAL OPERATIONS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IT'S A PARTICULAR FAILURE OF ANY CIVIL SERVANT WITHIN THE CITY OF PETALUMA, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT NONETHELESS. MOREOVER, QUICK CIVICS LESSON ABOUT FEDERAL 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT CREATION. YOU NEED A BOARD MEMBER OR A SERIES OF BOARD MEMBERS IN ORDER TO CREATE A 5 0 1 3. HOW MANY BOARD MEMBERS OF NBAS ARE VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS? GIVE YOU A HINT, IT'S ZERO. HOW MANY VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS ARE CURRENTLY ON THE STAFF OF NBAS ZERO IN REGARDS TO ASSESSING COMPLIANCE WITH THE CONTRACT? ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE DUTIES IS MAINTENANCE OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND REGULATORY STANDARDS AND STANDARDS THAT ARE HELD UP BY ENTITIES SUCH AS UC, DAVIS. HOW IS NBAS POSSIBLY ASSESSING THEIR COMPLIANCE INTERNALLY AND HOW IS THE CITY ASSESSING THEIR COMPLIANCE WITHOUT ANY VETERINARY PROFESSIONALS ON STAFF WHATSOEVER? I THINK THE CITY OWES A GREAT DEAL OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR REVIEWING THIS. MOREOVER, WHEN THE CITY'S CIVIL SERVANTS PREPARE REPORTS ON THESE MATTERS, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY BE FOLLOWED THIS ENTIRE DEBACLE RESULTS BECAUSE THIS COUNCIL, NOT ANY OF THE MEMBERS TODAY VOTED SEVEN TO ZERO UNANIMOUSLY TO GRANT THE CONTRACT TO NBAS IN 2018. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JOHN HANIA. I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER CARD IF I NEED IT FROM A SPEAKER WHO, FROM A PERSON WHO'S, WHO'S HERE. UM, SORRY IF IT WASN'T SUBMITTED DURING THE PERIOD. NO, NO PROBLEM. OKAY, NO PROBLEM. ALRIGHT. I HEARD ALL KINDS OF THINGS. I HEARD A LADY SAID THAT, UH, ONE PERSON HAVE TO PAY $250 IF THEY WANT THE DOG, WHICH IS NOT TRUE. ADOPTION FEE IS A HUNDRED DOLLARS. I HEARD A LADY, I HEARD A LADY TALK ABOUT RO PARK SHELTER. MY SHA IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE RONALD PARK SHELTER, AND IT'S NOT AS NICE AS SHE PUT IT. AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO ADOPT A DOG FROM THERE. MARINE HUMANE SOCIETY. OKAY. YOU CAN ADOPT A CHILD A LOT EASIER THAN YOU CAN ADOPT A DOG, AND IT CREATES, [03:05:01] UH, UH, THE, UH, PUPPY, UH, MILL. OKAY? BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT NOR BAY SHELTER, AND I SUGGEST THAT EACH ONE OF YOU AND ANNOUNCE TO GO AND VISIT AND SEE FOR YOUR OWN EYES. THE LEVEL OF CARE FOR ANIMALS IS BEYOND, BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN IMAGINE. I RECENTLY ADOPTED TWO DOGS FROM THERE, AND YOU ALL KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT ANIMALS. ANIMALS ARE MY KIDS, MY DOGS. IN FACT, YOU ALL SEEN MY BIG DOG WHO'S LIKE AS BIG AS A HORSE WHO CAME STRAIGHT FROM RUSSIA, AND I HOPE DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T ICE, SEND ICE TO A, TO SEND IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY BECAUSE IT WAS LEGALLY BROUGHT IN. BELLA IS THE, UH, BELLA, THE LADY WHO'S COORDINATE THE ADOPTION AT THE NORTH BAY. SHE TAKE CARE OF EACH DOG AS IF IT'S HER OWN KID, OKAY? THERE'S TWO YOUNG PEOPLE WHO TAKE CARE OF THE KENNELS, JOSE, AND I THINK THE SECOND ONE, ESTEBAN, THEY TAKE CARE OF THE DOGS AND TAKE CARE OF THE KENNELS. I AM THERE ALMOST EVERY DAY. I VISIT THAT SHELTER. I WALK SOME OF THE DOGS AND WHAT I SEE AND WHAT I READ THIS AND I SEE THE PICTURE, I DON'T SEE ANY OF IT IN THERE. AND I REALLY, REALLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR EACH ONE OF YOU SHOW UP AND VISIT THE SHELTER SO YOU COULD SEE FOR YOUR OWN EYES. THAT WAY YOU CAN HAVE ALL THE NUTS AND BOLTS TO MAKE A DECISION. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE GRAND JURY. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE CONTRACT, BUT I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE. THE CONSULTANT WHO WAS HIRED, THERE'S AN ISSUE BETWEEN HIM AND NORTH BAY, AND THAT'S WHY THEY REFUSED TO WORK WITH HIM. AND THAT RIGHT THERE, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, NOT PUT ASIDE. AND NOW WE ARE HERE IN THIS PREDICAMENT. SO I REALLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO VISIT THE SHELTER. EVERY TIME I VISIT THERE, I SEE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE STAFF AND THE PEOPLE. AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING FROM WHAT I'M HEARING FROM ALL THESE FOLKS. I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW WHERE ALL THIS COMING FROM. THANK YOU. TURN AROUND, LOOK AT THE PICTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND LET'S TRY AND KEEP DECORUM FOR A LITTLE LONGER IN THIS ROOM. WE'VE DONE SO WELL TO THIS POINT, I BELIEVE MY AUDIENCE. SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE ALL THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO'VE COME. I MEAN, UH, I, I REALIZE, UM, NOT ALL OF Y'ALL ARE, UH, RIGHT CLOSE. AND THAT SPEAKS TO HOW POWERFUL THE ISSUE IS TO YOU THAT YOU'RE HERE. AND I THINK EVERYTHING YOU SAID HAS BEEN POWERFUL AND IMPACTS OUR COUNCIL POWERFULLY. AND, UM, AND, AND THAT'S ANYONE? YES. UH, SO TRYING TO DECIDE WHO, WHO GETS TO WEIGH IN FIRST HERE? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER CATER THOMPSON. I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO WEIGH IN ON THIS. THANK YOU. UM, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING AND ALL THE COMMENTS. AND I HAVE READ THE LETTERS AND I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SOME PEOPLE, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON DOG BITES. UM, IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO THAT MY DAUGHTER ALMOST LOST HER ARM. I MEAN, IT WAS A HORRIBLE DOG BITE THE B RIGHT TO THE BONE. AND I, I DID CALL, YOU KNOW, TO FIND OUT SUPPORT FROM THE SHELTER AND GOT NONE. I DIDN'T SAY I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER. I DON'T DO THAT. AND IT, UM, BASICALLY HAD TO DRUG THE DOG, PUT IT INTO A GARAGE THE NEXT DAY. WE WERE PETRIFIED TO OPEN THE GARAGE DOOR. I MEAN, IT WAS SUCH A VICIOUS THING THAT HAPPENED IN MY KITCHEN. I MEAN, I WAS IN THE OTHER ROOM AND THE NOISE WAS UNBELIEVABLE. UM, AND I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH SIERRA, UM, QUITE A BIT, UM, WITH HER DOG BITE. AND I HAVE TALKED WITH CITY STAFF AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING, UM, MORE STRONG ON THIS AND TRYING TO MAKE THESE CHANGES. I WAS IN THE ROOM IN 2018 AND I WATCHED THE DOG AND PONY SHOW WITH HOW THE CONTRACT MOVED FORWARD. AND IT WAS A POLITICAL MOVE. IT WAS NOT REALLY ABOUT THE ANIMALS, BUT IT WAS, I THINK ABOUT PEOPLE'S PERSONALITIES INSTEAD OF WHAT REALLY WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING WAS LOOKING AT THE CONTRACTS AND WHAT WAS BEST. AND THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT. UM, SO HERE WE ARE TODAY, AND FOR ME, I WANT TO MOVE TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT. I DON'T WANT, I DO BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE ANIMAL SERVICE COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF COMING AROUND THE SAME THING, EVEN WITH THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE THAT WE DISBAND. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE AI AND YOU HAVE ALL THESE CONCERNS. AND SO COMMITTEES [03:10:01] ARE IMPORTANT. THEY ARE CUMBERSOME THOUGH, YOU KNOW, SO IT WOULD BE NICE TO CREATE A SITUATION THAT WORKS WITH, UM, 'CAUSE A STAFF MEMBER IS USUALLY THERE. I WOULD SUPPORT THAT. UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE DOCUMENTS THAT ARE AT NBAS ARE REALLY THERE AND TO SEE WHAT THE DOCUMENTS, I MEAN, GET INTO THE SYSTEM. UM, BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IF THERE IS FINANCIAL, YOU KNOW, DISCREPANCIES AND OTHER THINGS. AND I WILL ADMIT, I FEEL LIKE AS A COUNCIL MEMBER, I REALLY FAILED. 'CAUSE I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THIS UP, UM, A LONG TIME AGO, ESPECIALLY WHEN MY DAUGHTER GOT BIT, AND IT WAS A HORRIBLE BITE. I MEAN, THE ENTIRE ARM FROM HERE TO DOWN HERE HAD DOG BITES. UM, FORTUNATELY THE DOG DIDN'T HAVE RABIES. UM, BUT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH IT OURSELVES. AND SO FOR ME, I WANT TO, UM, MOVE, UM, TO TERMINATE THE CONTRACT. AND I WANNA MOVE FORWARD WITH THE INTERIM AND MOVE WITH THE R-F-P-A-S-A-P. AND I THANK YOU. I AM NOT GOING TO, I SHOULD HAVE REALLY PUSHED STAFF MORE AND I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE I DID. AND I WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. BUT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE ROOM THAT WERE HERE IN 2018 AND WE ALL SAW THE SAME THING. I HAVE FRIENDS ON BOTH SIDES AND, BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT FRIENDS ON BOTH SIDES. IT'S REALLY WHAT WAS BEST FOR THE CITY AT THE TIME. AND THE RECOMMENDATION WAS NOT TAKEN AND THEY JUST WENT IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. THE COUNCIL AT THE TIME. AND I THINK IT'S JUST POLITICS IS WHAT HAPPENED. POLITICS AND PULLING STRINGS AND OTHER THINGS. AND I'M JUST SAD BY ALL OF THIS. UM, BUT THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA SAY. THANKS. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, WENT FROM THIS SIDE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BARNACLE. YEAH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, UM, BEFORE I LAY MY COMMENTS OUT. UM, WE'VE GOTTEN THE, YOU SAID THEY'VE GIVEN US FINANCIAL AUDITS. UM, WERE THOSE CLEAN AUDITS? YES, THEY WERE. OKAY. UM, NOW I'M LOOKING ON OTHER CITIES AND I'M NOT SEEING THAT THEY HAVE ANIMAL SERVICE COMMITTEES. DO YOU KNOW IF SANTA ROSA RUNNER PARK, OTHER CITIES HAVE ANIMAL SERVICE COMMITTEES? I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OTHER CITY IN SONOMA COUNTY HAS A ANIMAL SERVICES COMMITTEE. OKAY, THANKS. UM, SO CLEARLY WE'VE PROVIDE, FAILED TO PROVIDE OVERSIGHT. UM, UH, I'LL SAY, UM, FROM THE MOMENT I ANNOUNCED I WAS RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL IN 2020, PEOPLE WERE LOBBYING ME, UM, FOR AND AGAINST IT NORTH BAY ANIMAL SERVICES. UM, AND I, UM, I WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT SAIL TALKED TO, UM, AND, UM, I MADE A MISTAKE. UH, WE HAVE, UH, WE'VE CLEARLY NOT FOLLOWED THROUGH ON OUR DUTY, UM, TO OVERSEE THIS ORGANIZATION. UM, I WAS, UH, FRUSTRATED WITH THE GRAND JURY REPORT. I WAS FRUSTRATED WITH, UM, I WAS HOPEFUL THAT WE WERE GONNA SEE ACTION, MEANINGFUL ACTION COMING OUTTA THAT. BUT THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN FAILING TO COOPERATE WITH OUR CONSULTANT THAT, UM, WE CAN'T GET DATA OURSELVES, THAT OTHER PROFESSIONALS WHO WOULD BE TAKING IT OVER FEEL LIKE IT'S A BLACK BOX IS, UM, VERY CONCERNING TO ME. UM, AND I WOULD SAY THE, THE, THE SMOKE, UM, THAT I'VE SEEN, IF YOU WILL, WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S FIRE. I THINK THERE IS A HUGE RECORDS ISSUE THERE, UM, BASED ON THE LIMITED EXPOSURE I'VE HAD TO IT. SO, UM, I, UH, APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I DEFINITELY SUPPORT TERMINATING THE CONTRACT. UM, WITHIN SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS, WE'RE GONNA BE IN EXTREMELY BETTER HANDS IF WE DID THAT RIGHT NOW, WE'D HAVE 30 DAYS FOR THE CONTRACT TERMINATION AND WE'D HAVE TWO TO FOUR WEEKS, UM, UNDER NEW NEW MANAGEMENT. AND I THINK, UM, WE WOULD BE IN EXTREMELY, UM, BETTER SITUATION IN A MUCH SHORTER TIME. UM, SO I'M CERTAINLY IN SUPPORT OF, UM, CANCELING THE CONTRACT AND MOVING FORWARD AS, AS PROPOSED WITH OPTION TWO. UM, WHAT I'M NOT CLEAR ON RIGHT NOW IS, UM, THE URGENCY TO, UM, UH, THE SHELTER AND A LONG TERM, UH, WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE A SHELTER IN THE LONG TERM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT COSTS ARE GONNA BE FOR THAT. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COST BENEFIT OF WHETHER WE'RE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED IN SOUTH COUNTY, WHETHER IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO HAVE THAT. UM, AND SO FOR THAT REASON, I'M NOT IN AN URGENT HURRY TO RELEASE AN RFP FOR SOMETHING THAT MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT SCOPE. UM, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO, LIKE, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WOULD IT COST IF WE DIDN'T HAVE [03:15:01] A SHELTER IN PETALUMA. LIKE WHEN I ASKED THE QUESTION MY COUNCIL QUESTION, IT SAID, WE'VE OFFERED THIS FOR MANY YEARS IN PETALUMA. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE SHOULD BE OFFERING IT. UM, IT MEANS WE HAVE BEEN OFFERING IT. SO I WOULD PREFER THAT WE, UM, FOCUS ON HAVING A GOOD TRANSITION IN, UM, GETTING A NEW OPERATOR IN PLACE AND, UM, DETERMINING IF IT'S A LONG TERM, IF IT'S THE RIGHT THING. 'CAUSE THE OTHER THING THAT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO IS BURNED IN MY MEMORY FROM THE GRAND JURY REPORT IS THAT, UM, THEY'VE BEEN SAYING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A COUNTYWIDE SOLUTION FOR A WHILE. YOU BROUGHT UP THE JPAI ASKED ABOUT IT HERE. UM, I THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER CITIES IN SONOMA COUNTY THAT ARE GONNA BE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. YOU KNOW, WHAT AM I DOING RIGHT NOW? UM, THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO HOPEFULLY TURN CRISIS INTO IMPROVEMENT COUNTYWIDE. SO I PREFER THAT WE, UM, FOCUS OUR RESOURCES ON, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF AN RFP ON TRYING TO FI FIX THIS THING, UM, FOR GOOD. UM, THE OTHER THING, UH, I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE, WHATEVER LEGAL MEANS NECESSARY, WE NEED TO GET ACCESS TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS AS SOON AS WE CAN. UM, AND I SUPPORT A FORENSIC AUDIT. UM, I THINK WE, UH, WE CLEARLY HAVE NOT DONE, UM, EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT. I DON'T THINK THAT THE ANIMAL SERVICE COMMITTEE, UM, WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO EFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT. UM, BUT I THINK WE OWE IT TO THE COMMUNITY TO ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE, UM, PROBABLY THE MOST POWERFUL THING TO ME HERE, OBVIOUSLY OTHER THAN THE PICTURES OF THE, UM, DISTRESSED ANIMALS, IS THE FACT THAT SO MANY PEER ORGANIZATIONS HERE, SO MANY PROFESSIONALS IN THIS SPACE ARE HERE TO SAY LIKE, WE NEED TO TERMINATE THIS CONTRACT. THAT'S, UM, UH, EXTREMELY ALARMING THAT, UM, WHAT I FELT LIKE WAS A POLITICAL, UH, STUNT FROM 2018 THAT I WAS BEING LOBBIED ON, UM, IS INDEED A, A MESS OF PEER ORGANIZATIONS THAT FEEL LIKE THIS IS AN UNQUALIFIED ORGANIZATION AND IT'S NOT THE, UM, IT DEFINITELY ISN'T LIVING UP TO THE STANDARD THAT PETALUMA EXPECT AND THAT I EXPECT. UM, SO FOR THAT REASON, I SUPPORT TERMINATING THE CONTRACT IMMEDIATELY. I'M NOT IN A HURRY TO ISSUE THE RF I'M RFP, I REALLY WANT TO COST BENEFIT ON WHETHER WE NEED TO HAVE A, UM, A SHELTER AND THEN I SUPPORT, UH, A THIRD PARTY AUDIT AND, UM, DOING WHATEVER WE NEED TO, TO SECURE ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS. THANK YOU. UM, VICE MAYOR DI CARLY. SO, UM, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, I SHARE, SHARE SENTIMENTS ABOUT SETTING UP AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, GOING FORWARD. NOT THAT THIS WILL HOPEFULLY EVER HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET THAT STARTED? THE COUNCIL COULD CREATE A NEW COMMITTEE, UH, JUST AS IT DID IN THE PAST. IT'S A RESOLUTION, UH, AUTHORIZING THE, THE NEW COMMITTEE THAT WOULD HAVE THE VARIOUS BYLAWS AND THE SETUP AND THE DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S UNDER COUNCIL PURVIEW. OKAY. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS MADE CLEAR, HOW, HOW DID THE COMMITTEE DIS DISSOLVE IN THE FIRST PLACE? SO THE COMMITTEE DISSOLVED A FEW YEARS AGO, UH, WHEN WE BROUGHT A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL THAT WE FELT THAT THERE WERE, UH, OTHER WAYS TO GET SOME OF THE SAME INFORMATION WITH OUR WEBSITE, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, OTHER METHODS IN ORDER TO, TO DO THE SAME SORTS OF THINGS AND SORT SAME SORTS OF CONVERSATIONS. UM, I WOULD ALSO JUST MENTION, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED A FEW TIMES HERE TONIGHT, UH, THAT THE DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE WERE NOT AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. AND I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS IN THE DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE THAT THEIR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT TO OVERSEE THE ACTIVITIES, THE OPERATIONS, THE FINANCES, OR THE STAFFING OF THE ANIMAL SERVICES OPERATOR. SO IT WAS KIND OF A, IT IT WAS A LITTLE BIT, UM, DIFFERENT THAN MAYBE WHAT SOME FOLKS HAD ENVISIONED IT TO BE AT THE TIME. AND SO PART OF IT WAS, IT WAS FORMED MANY YEARS AGO UNDER AN OLD OPERATOR WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHERE WE FOUND OURSELVES IN 2021 OR, OR 2022. RIGHT. NO, THANK YOU. YEAH. 'CAUSE I, UM, I DON'T LIKE HEARING HOW THINGS HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY THE CITY. I KNOW STAFF WORKS HARD, BUT I DON'T THINK THINGS WERE HANDLED VERY WELL. AND WITH SO MUCH TIME PASSING BETWEEN DATA AND REPORTS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COLLECTED BY THE CITY, YOU KNOW, FRONT NBAS, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND. AND HOW, AS COUNCILWOMAN NOW POINTED OUT DURING HER QUESTIONS, HOW THE CITY, UM, WASN'T ON TOP OF THIS FOR WHAT HAS BEEN YEARS. AND SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE URGE TO END THE CONTRACT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE COUNCIL WOULD [03:20:01] LIKE TO BE ASSURED BY STAFF AND THOSE INVOLVED IN THAT THIS TRANSITION IS AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE. I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE BEEN, I THINK EV IT'S GONNA BE EVERYBODY'S PRIORITY GOING FORWARD. UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, UH, IT NEEDS TO BE OF MINIMAL IMPACT, IMPACT, UH, FOR THESE ANIMALS, FOR THEIR WELLBEING, UM, FOR THEIR HEALTH. AND NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE SUFFERING AT ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, I'M KEEPING NOTES AS WE GO ACROSS IN CASE WE HAVE WRAP UP ISSUES. SO THAT'S, UM, LEANING TOWARDS IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL. IS THAT WHERE, WHERE YOU ARE ON THE OPTION ONE, OPTION TWO. OPTION TWO. I THINK TWO. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL MEMBER NOW. UM, THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. WELL, IN 2004 TO 2008, I SERVED AS THE COUNCIL LIAISON IN MY LAST TERM OF CITY COUNCIL ON THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND ONE OF OUR THINGS THAT WE MET MONTHLY WAS WE LISTENED TO THE COMMUNITY AND ONE OF THE CONCERNS WAS OUR POTBELLY PIG ORDINANCE. SO WE DID THINGS THAT WE WOULDN'T WANNA DO UP HERE AS A COUNCIL, WE DID AS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. AND THEN WE BROUGHT THE RECOMMENDATION, I THINK THE CITY POLICY HAD AN ORDINANCE HAD TO BE CHANGED. HOW MANY POT BELLY PIGS? E ERIC STANLEY SHAKING HIS HEAD IN AGREEMENT BECAUSE IT WAS UNIQUE. IT WAS LIKE, HOW MANY POT BELLY PIGS CAN YOU HAVE IN YOUR HOME? AND IT WAS ANNOYING THE NEIGHBOR. SO THAT WAS A VERY, OH, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS FUNNY TO TALK ABOUT NOW. UM, THAT WAS ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, BUT WE DID SOME VERY GOOD THINGS THAT AVOIDED WHAT'S GOING ON UP HERE TONIGHT, LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I DIDN'T GET A DOG UNTIL AFTER THE 2022. AND I HAD MY FIRST COMMUNICATION WITH THE N-N-B-A-S. UM, AND I, THEY, ALL I HEARD WAS THE EXCUSES OF THE PANDEMIC. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. THE PANDEMIC CAUSED US TO BE BEHIND IN PAPERWORK AND WE'RE NOT COLLECTING. WELL, LAST FRIDAY, I COULDN'T WAIT ANY LONGER FOR THE STAFF REPORT. SO MR. HANIA, I DID MAKE THAT UNSCHEDULED APPEARANCE AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER. AND THE FRONT LOOKED AWESOME. THERE WERE SO MANY DONATIONS. AND AS I WAS THERE, A FRIEND FROM HIGH SCHOOL WAS DROPPING OFF MORE DONATIONS. OUR COMMUNITY IS SO GENEROUS WHEN IT COMES TO ANIMALS AND PEOPLE AND NEEDS. I REMEMBER DURING THE TUBS FIRE, WE HAD SO MUCH GIVEN TO US, AND I WAS GREETED BY STAFF. AND THEN I WAS BROUGHT IN, I HAD A TOUR BY MARK SCOTT WITHOUT ANY QUESTION. IT WAS CLEAN. IT WAS, THERE WAS LESS THAN A DOZEN DOGS, LESS THAN A DOZEN CATS. I GOT A TOUR OF THE BACK, WHICH IS NEWER THAN IT WAS 20 YEARS AGO WITH A HUGE PLAY AREA AND TRAILERS FOR VETERINARY CLINIC AND FOR, UM, LIKE FOR PEOPLE TO SIT WITH A DOG AND GET TO KNOW A DOG OR A CAT BEFORE AN ADOPTION OR EVEN THERE'S A PLACE FOR A HOMELESS INDIVIDUAL TO CONNECT WITH THEIR ANIMALS. SO I WAS VERY IMPRESSED ON THE SURFACE. BUT THEN WHEN I SEE THE STAFF REPORT THAT WE HAVE THESE THREE OPTIONS, AND I READ THROUGH IT AND I READ THROUGH IT AGAIN. AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE BEHIND IN PAPERWORK AND I KNOW THE GRAND JURY REPORT AND WHAT DIDN'T TAKE PLACE AFTER WE ASKED THEM TO. AND THE RED FLAGS THAT CAME UP WHEN THEY COULDN'T, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH A CONSULTANT THAT WE CHOSE. I HAVE TO SAY THAT ONE I'D LIKE TO SEE GOING FORWARD, AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE REINSTATED FOR THE ANIMAL, UM, SERVICES, UM, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE, JUST SO WE HAVE THIS COMMUNITY INPUT THAT WE HAVE HERE TONIGHT GOING FORWARD. UM, WE DON'T WANNA LOOK AT SOCIAL MEDIA AS THE HOLY GRAIL. IT IS NOT ALWAYS FACTUAL. SO WE DON'T LOOK PROBABLY AT SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE YOU DO BECAUSE IT'S EMOTIONAL. WE LOOK AT FACTS. WE LOOK AT WHAT THE CITY STAFF PROVIDES US. AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT GOING DEEPER INTO MY, UM, QUESTIONS OF STAFF AND WHAT WAS GOING FORWARD AFTER THE GRAND JURY REPORT CAME OUT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GO WITH OPTION TWO AND GIVE A THREE TO FOUR WEEK PERIOD TO CLOSE THE FACILITY. HAVE IT, YOU KNOW, INTERIM TAKEN CARE OF BY MARIN HUMANE SOCIETY AND DO THE INVENTORY OF WHAT IS NBAS [03:25:02] INVENTORY AND WHAT IS CITY INVENTORY, UM, WHAT THE FACILITY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE OWN AND WHAT THEY OWN. WE NEED TO HAVE TIME TO DO THAT. DO A DEEP CLEAN AND A CLEAN SLATE FOR THE NEXT PROVIDER. SO THANK YOU TO COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, ON THIS SIDE OF THE DANCE WHO ALREADY SPOKE. 'CAUSE I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER QUINT. THANK YOU. UH, FIRST I WANNA, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING OUT AND SPEAKING TO, UH, SPEAKING TONIGHT. UH, IT WAS IMPACTFUL TO ME. UH, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE FOR KEEPING DECORUM. UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A EMOTIONALLY CHARGED, UM, TOPIC AND EMOTIONS RUN HIGH. AND SO I JUST WANNA EXPRESS MY THANKS FOR THAT. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOUR VOICE HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE WITH ME. I WAS ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I WAS LOOKING AT THIS IN TERMS OF LIKE, HOW DO WE MAKE THE, THE THE MOST ORDERLY, UM, YOU KNOW, TRANSITION POSSIBLE AND WITH THE LEAST RISK. AND, AND I WAS, I WAS THINKING THAT IT WAS PROBABLY, UM, YOU KNOW, OPTION ONE AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE STAFF THE ABILITY TO MOVE QUICKLY INTO OPTION TWO IF, IF WE SEE, UM, IF WE, IF WE SEE WHERE THINGS ARE GOING SOUTH. BUT, BUT I, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU CHANGED MY MIND AND, AND SO I, I SUPPORT OPTION TWO. AND I WOULD EVEN GO SO FAR AS TO, TO ASK THAT WE, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GIVING, UH, NOTICE, UH, FOR THE END OF MARCH, THAT, YOU KNOW, IF POSSIBLE, LET'S TRY TO GET SOMEONE IN THERE EVEN BEFORE THAT, UM, TO, TO PARTNER, UH, JUST SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, TO, TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, MINIMIZE ANY RISK. UM, I, I ALSO, I LIKE BRIAN'S, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BARN'S, UH, SUGGESTION ON THE HOLDING OFF ON THE RFP AND EVALUATING IF WE REALLY NEED A SHELTER, IF THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A, A BETTER LONG TERM SOLUTION? UM, I ALSO SUPPORT TAKING THE NECESSARY LEGAL STEPS TO GAIN POSSESSION OF ANY DATA, YOU KNOW, BOTH ANIMAL RECORDS AND FINANCIAL RECORDS. I SUPPORT IT. THIRD PARTY AUDIT. AND IF THERE'S ANY EVIDENCE, IF, IF THERE'S ANY EVIDENCE OF CRI CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD PURSUE THAT. I, I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT THEY ARE, THAT, THAT THERE IS. UM, BUT IF, IF SOMETHING IN AN AUDIT RAISES SUSPICIONS AND THERE'S EVIDENCE, I, YOU KNOW, UH, I I I WOULD ASK THAT WE BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THAT AND, AND, AND PURSUE THAT. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER REBS. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, YES, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE THAT, UH, HAS SHOWN UP, ESPECIALLY ALL THE PROFESSIONALS FROM ORGANIZATIONS, VETERINARIANS ARE SHOWING UP AND, UH, FROM ALL THE PROFESSIONALS. IT'S A CONSISTENT STORY THAT YOU'RE TELLING US. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT, THAT THAT'S DEFINITELY CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT WHAT'S, WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. UM, WHEREAS BEFORE I WAS LOOKING AT, OH, MAYBE A SLOWER TRANSITION, A LITTLE MORE CONSISTENT, BUT IT'S OBVIOUS WE NEED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE FASTER ROUTE THAN, THAN MORE, SOONER THAN LATER. SO I'LL, SO MY PREFERENCE IS FOR, FOR UH, TWO, UM, UH, AND ALSO AGREEING WITH WHAT WAS BEEN STATED BEFORE ABOUT THE, UH, AUDITING. THERE'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE THAT HAS BEEN STATED IN THIS ROOM THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD NOW AS A COLLECTIVE BODY. SO IN THE PAST IT WAS LIKE ONE LITTLE THING HERE, A LETTER THERE, WHATEVER. IT WAS FAR ENOUGH BETWEEN IT WAS JUST ONE OFF, IT WAS. BUT A LOT OF OTHER FOLKS WERE, WAS GETTING, SAYING GREAT THINGS. AND APPARENTLY, UH, THERE'S TWO FACES TO NBAS. THERE IS THE FUNNEL FACE OF, WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT DO GREAT JOBS. THE CITIZENS CAME IN THAT DID GREAT JOBS AT THE KENNEL. THEY MADE THINGS LOOK NICE, AND YOU WALKED IN, UM, AND REALLY GOOD CARE HERE IN PEN BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE, VOLUNTEERS WHO CARED SO MUCH TO TAKE CARE OF THE PLACE. AND THEN THERE'S, UM, THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS CERTIFIED, THEY'RE DOING THEIR REALLY GOOD JOB. SO THE FACE TO THE PUBLIC LOOKED REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR MOST OF US. IT DID. LIKE MY DAUGHTER VOLUNTEERED AND SHE CAME BACK WITH ALWAYS GOOD REPORTS. UM, SO I ALWAYS TRUSTED THAT, OH, ON FACE THINGS WERE WORKING. WELL, IT'S OBVIOUS FROM YOUR STORY THAT YOU'VE TOLD US, THERE'S TWO FACES HERE. THERE'S THE BEHIND THE SCENES FACE AND ALL THIS EVIDENCE NOW ACCUMULATED NOT JUST ONE HERE, ONE THERE AND ONE OTHER. IT'S NOW ACCUMULATED TOGETHER AS A PACKAGE. AND YES, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE LAWYER THERE IS POSSIBLE ACTIONS HERE WE SHOULD BE TAKING, UH, FROM A LEGAL POINT OF VIEW AT THIS POINT. SO I'M VERY DISTURBED BY WHAT I'VE HEARD TONIGHT, UH, FROM YOU FOLKS AND ALL THESE EVIDENCES. SO YES, AT FINANCIAL AUDIT, [03:30:01] YES, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE THAT'S BEEN PROVIDED BY YOU AND ACTUALLY ACCUMULATE IT IN THIS PACKAGE AND GIVE IT TO OUR POLICE OFFICER CHIEF AND SAY, CHIEF, IS THERE SOMETHING HERE THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED LEGALLY? UM, AND, AND, AND EITHER, EITHER GO FOR IT OR CLEAR HIS NAME, WHATEVER. THERE'S FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN CALLING TO CLEAR MARK'S NAME. UH, HE HAS SEVERAL LETTERS, DID COME IN TO SUPPORTING MARK SAYING HE'S DOING A FANTASTIC JOB, THAT HE REALLY CARES FOR THE ANIMALS, THAT HE'S A GOOD MANAGER. SO THERE'S SEVERAL LETTERS DID COME IN. SO THERE'S, I SAID, THERE'S TWO STORIES HERE ENTIRELY. UM, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO FOLLOW UP AND WE WANT YOUR CONFIDENCE THAT THINGS ARE DONE RIGHT. WE WANT YOU TO DO, UM, TO TRUST US AS A COUNSEL. I'M JUST BECOME, THIS IS AS, UH, MORE SERIOUS THAN I'VE EVER THOUGHT IT WAS, OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO YES, INVESTIGATION, AUDITING IS, IS FROM WHAT YOU'VE SAID, YES, WE NEED TO DO THAT. UM, MAYBE IT'S BEEN CLEARED IN THE PAST. WHERE'S THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS? SO A LOT OF ACCUSATIONS, ARE THEY REAL OR ARE THEY NOT? UM, WE NEEDED TO KNOW, UH, THAT NEEDS TO BE CLEARED UP. SO ANYWAY, SO I'M GONNA GO WITH, UM, OPTION TWO. NOW. I DID HAVE A DOG FOR 13 YEARS. WE, UH, WAS ABLE TO GET AND TOOK CARE, THE VETERINARIES AND EVERYTHING. LOVED OUR DOG ENTIRELY DYED IN MY ARMS. IT WAS GREAT, UH, FOR, FOR THE, FOR HIS LIFE AND FOR OURS AND FOR THE FAMILY LIFE. SO, UH, YEAH, SO I'M ALL ABOUT, UH, LIVING ANIMALS ALSO, UH, NOT JUST TREES, AS YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD ME BEFORE, TALKING ABOUT TREES. UM, BUT ANYWAY, I'LL GO WITH, UH, OPTION TWO NOW, TERMINATING AND THEN BRINGING, ESPECIALLY WITH THE THANK YOU FOR THE HUMANE SOCIETIES COMING FROM, I HAVE NOW CONFIDENCE WHAT YOU'VE SAID AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE. THANK YOU FOR COMING AND, AND SUPPORTING AND SAYING YOU'RE GOING TO DO YOUR PART AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN. UM, I WASN'T SURE IF THAT WAS POSSIBLE UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY SPOKE UP AND GIVE US, GIVE ME THE CONFIDENCE THAT YES, YOU CAN DO THIS JOB. UM, I WASN'T SURE, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD DIFFERENT THINGS IN THE PAST, BUT I'M HEARING FROM YOU NOW, PLEASE STEP UP IF WE NEED TO DO IT SOONER, WHATEVER IT NEEDS TO DO TO MAKE A TRANSITION BETWEEN NOW AND THEN IF IT'S DOWN FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. OKAY. I'M NOW FINE WITH THAT. OKAY. SO THAT'S ABOUT WHERE, WHERE I'M STANDING. SO WITH THAT, OKAY. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UM, I HAD ONE. UM, WHY, I THINK I MIGHT, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER CONVERSATION ON THE DAIS BEFORE I, UM, WEIGH IN, BUT THERE'S THIS BEEN, THIS DISCUSSION OF, UM, SLOWING THE ROLE ON THE RFP. I'D LIKE TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IF WE, IF, IF, IF THAT'S IN FACT WHAT THAT'S SUGGESTION IS FROM SOME, IS THAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING THAT TO MEAN? IT WOULD REALLY DEPEND ON THE SERVICE PROVIDERS. IF THEY'RE WILLING TO STICK AROUND DURING THE TIME THAT WE, OUR INTERIM TIME WOULD BE LONGER. AND, AND MAY I ASK, THAT'S AN RP FOR THE SHELTER SERVICES MAINLY THE INTERIM WOULD BE FIELD SERVICES. IT, IT'D BE IF IT'D BE FOR BOTH. BOTH. BOTH. YEAH. OKAY. 'CAUSE UM, I, I WORRY ABOUT US. UM, WELL, I, I'LL, I'LL ROLL MY THOUGHTS AND COME BACK, BACK AROUND HERE. UM, ONE, UM, I, I THINK IT'S EVIDENT, WELL DOCUMENTED TONIGHT THAT WE HAVE JUSTIFICATION FOR CANCELING FOR CAUSE. UM, AND WHEN WE HAVE NO TRUST, WE HAVE NO RECORD. THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY STRUCTURAL SUPPORT, UM, UH, BOARD SUPPORT. THEY DON'T, UH, PUT OUT IMPACT REPORTS OF, OF THEIR WORK. UH, THEY FAILED IN COMPLETION OF TASKS. I'M, I'M VERY COMFORTABLE, LIKE IMMEDIATELY THIS MOVE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECT. I THINK WE HAVE LEGAL CAUSE TO, TO HEAD IN THAT DIRECTION. UM, SO I DON'T WANNA SEE ANY DELAYS, BUT I WANNA SEE AN EFFECTIVE PLAN OF US MOVING INTO THE RIGHT SPACE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT INVOLVES REPLACING OR, OR RETAINING, UH, THE LOCAL SERVICE OFFICERS. UM, BUT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR CONTINUITY. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE ANIMALS ARE COVERED NO MATTER WHAT DECISION. SO I WANT, WE'RE PUTTING A BURDEN ON STAFF, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'RE SAYING DO IT, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT. AND IT'S WITH OUR, UM, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION SUPPORT. SO I APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. UM, AND I CONCUR ON THE INVESTIGATION AND AUDIT IDEAS, UM, ON THE COMMITTEE. I THINK IF WE SELECT A REPUTABLE OPERATOR, THE COMMITTEE IDEA IS, IS LESS OVERSIGHT OF THE SERVICE PROVIDERS THAN IT IS. WHAT DO WE NEED IN THIS ARENA, ASIDE FROM THE COMPETENCE OF THE, UM, OF A WELL-SELECTED, UM, NONPROFIT. SO THERE'S THOSE, AND THE DISCUSSION, THE JPA HAS COME UP AND WE, WE GO TO A MAYORS AND COUNCILS, UM, GENERAL MEETING OF ALL CITIES. AND, AND THERE'S A, THERE'S A GOVERNING BOARD OF THAT. AND, UM, THE IDEA OF A JPA IS NOW EITHER ON THE NEXT AGENDA, NEXT MONTHLY AGENDA, AND THE MONTHLY AGENDA AFTER THAT. SO IT'LL BE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN OUT. BUT I WORRY THAT J P'S GOVERNMENTAL ACTION THEY TAKE FOREVER. AND I WANNA MAKE SURE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NOT DOING AN RPA ARE RFP REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AT, AT THE SPEED WE WERE CHOOSING, THAT OUR GOVERNMENTAL PROCESS OF MANY CITIES REALLY SLOWS THE ROLL AND THEN THE BALL DROPS, THE CONTINUITY [03:35:01] DROPS. I DON'T WANNA SEE CONTINUITY DROPS. SO I'D EXPECT STAFF TO TELL US, WHICH IS THE PREFERRED OPTION. WE CAN'T GET THE COUNTYWIDE DONE FAST ENOUGH. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING LOCAL, AND THEY CAN SORT THAT OUT IN THE NEXT WEEK. YOU KNOW, SO, UM, AND, UM, THAT, THAT, UH, I, I AGREE LONG TERM, YOU KNOW, WE ALL MAY LOOK DIFFERENT. WE MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME SHELTER HERE. I KNOW WE'LL HAVE RESPONSE SERVICES HERE, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO GET TO WHAT OUR LONG TERM IS AND NOT EVER HAVE THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AGAIN. NOW I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER CATER THOMPSON, YOU WANTED TO WEIGH IN. I JUST WANTED TO WEIGH IN. AND IT WAS ALSO ON THE JPA TO, TO, 'CAUSE THOSE ARE LONG PROCESSES. AND SO WHAT DO YOU DO IN BETWEEN? AND SO MAYBE THE RFP PROCESS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. UM, BECAUSE THIS IS COMPLICATED. AND I JUST DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE SANTA ROSA DIDN'T HAVE A SHELTER AND HOW EVERYTHING WAS REALLY WORKING. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A SHELTER AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, ALWAYS HAVE HAD A SHELTER. AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, I HAVE A, A WARM SPOT IN MY HEART TO KEEP ONE DOWN HERE ALSO, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FIND THAT OUT. BUT THAT'S GOOD, THE LONG TERM. AND I THINK WE NEED TO DEAL WITH, UM, WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING FOR THE SHORT TERM. AND THE SHORT TERM COULD BE A COUPLE YEARS BY THE TIME YOU CREATE A JPA TAKES TIME. WELL, AND, AND, AND PERHAPS, UM, WHEN WE DO THE RFP PART OF THAT SERVICES, WORKING WITH OUR SERVICE PROVIDER TO DETERMINE LONG-TERM, DO WE KEEP THE, DO WE KEEP THE SHELTER OR DON'T WE, I MEAN, I, I'VE GOTTA TELL YOU, IT'S, UM, JUST HAVING THE PHYSICAL, UM, PLACE FOR ANIMALS, UM, FOR VET CHECKS FOR ADOPTIONS, I, I WOULD IMAGINE THERE'S A BENEFIT, BUT I WOULD WANNA WORK WITH THE PROVIDERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT. SO MAYBE WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THE RFP WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING OF WORKING WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER. FIGURE OUT FACILITY NEEDS. COUNCILMAN BARNACLE. YEAH, SO I THINK WE'RE IN AGREEMENT ON THE FIRST THREE. UM, I WOULD EITHER, AS PART OF THE RFP WE SAY WE OFFER, DO YOU WANT TO RUN THE S DO YOU WANT TO RUN THE SHELTER IN PETALUMA OR NOT? AND HAVE SOMEONE TELL US WHAT THEIR SOLUTION WOULD BE. UM, I'M JUST NOT IN A HURRY TO ISSUE AN RFP, I'M IN A HURRY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM AND LIKE, AND TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION IS, NOT IN A HURRY TO ISSUE AN RFP AND GO THROUGH A PROCUREMENT THAT MAY RESULT IN ANOTHER TRANSITION. YOU KNOW, OR MAYBE NOT, BUT LIKE, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN TRANSITIONS. I'M INTERESTED IN STABILITY. AND SO LIKE, I WOULD BE, LIKE, I WOULD SAY IF DELAY THE RFP UNTIL WE DO A COST BENEFIT ON SHELTER, LIKE DO WE WANT THE SHELTER LONG TERM OR NOT? WHAT'S, WHAT IS THE COST BENEFIT OF THAT? AND THE SECOND THING IS AT LEAST PUT, PUT OUR TOE IN THE WATER ON A COUNTYWIDE SOLUTION. LIKE IF, IF THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO THERE THERE AND THERE'S NO INTEREST FROM OTHER CITIES, LIKE WALK FROM IT, UM, AND WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR OWN THING. SO WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SUGGEST IS AN INTERIM SOLUTION OF NOT A SHORT PERIOD OF UNTIL A DECISION IS MADE ON THE OTHERS, UH, 12 MONTH CONTRACT, 12 MONTH CONTRACT, SIX MONTH CONTRACT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I'M JUST, I DON'T SEE, LIKE, I DON'T WANT, I DON'T WANT THE STAFF THAT SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A SMOOTH TRANSITION RELEASING AN RFP AND MAN AND RESPONDING TO BIDS QUESTIONS AND DOING INTERVIEWS AND NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS FOR THAT STUFF. LIKE, I WANT US TO BE FOCUSED ON MAKING THIS TRANSITION AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE. AND HONESTLY, I'M MORE INTERESTED IN A FORENSIC AUDIT THAN I AM IN RFP. LET ME, UM, LET ME THEN TRY AND SUMMARIZE. 'CAUSE THE IDEA WE'RE TRYING TO DO TONIGHT IS GIVE STAFF DIRECTION. I THINK WE'RE IN CONSENSUS THAT IMMEDIATE TRANSITION IS APPROPRIATE, A CONSENSUS. AND THEN, UM, WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT, UH, IF WE LET AN RFP OR WHETHER WE LET THE INTERIM SOLUTION CONTINUE UNTIL A NEXT STAGE. AND, AND IF WE'RE COMFORTABLE LETTING THAT GO TILL STAFF REPLIES BACK WITH A POSITIVE, UH, DIRECTION, THEN, THEN SO IS THAT KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE HEARING? THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON THE SERVICE PROVIDERS, RIGHT? SURE. IF THEY'RE WILLING TO DO THE INTERIM WITHOUT HAVING THAT CLEAR IDEA OF HOW LONG THAT'S GONNA BE. RIGHT. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE HIRING A MONTH TO MONTH INSTEAD OF BUYING SOMETHING. YEAH, WELL, THAT'S DIFFICULT FOR, AND THAT'S DIFFICULT. YEAH. UM, AND, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA UNDERSTAND THAT AS STAFF GETS DEEPER INTO THIS, THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION THAT THE RFP HAS TO GO OUT OR NOT, BUT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION THIS EVENING. YEAH. WON'T WE, WON'T WE HAVE BETTER RFP IF WE, IF LIKE THE BLACK BOX IS NO LONGER A BLACK BOX TOO? LIKE, SO I MEAN, SO LIKE, I WANT TO HAVE THEM GO THROUGH AND SAY LIKE, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE, THE MESS THAT WE'RE IN, AND LIKE, HERE'S THE RFP THAT SHOULD BE WRITTEN OR THAT, AND THAT'S GOING TO ACTUALLY FEED [03:40:01] INTO OUR RFP PROCESS. THAT'S WHY WE TALKED ABOUT PUSHING THE RFP OFF A MONTH WHILE WE WORK WITH, IN THE INTERIM PERIOD WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS SO THEY CAN GET IN, IN ON THE GROUND AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING. LET'S LET OUR ATTORNEY WEIGH IN. JUST BRIEFLY, I, I WANTED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF RECORDS AND INFORMATION. UM, THE NBAS AGREEMENT, IT'S AGREEMENT, IT'S A, THERE'S A, AN AGREEMENT FOR USE OF THE PROPERTY, AND THERE'S AGREEMENT TO PROVIDE, THE SERVICES ARE BASED ON OUR STANDARD ONES, UM, SERVICE AGREEMENTS WHERE WE OWN ALL THE RECORDS THAT ARE CREATED IN THE COURSE OF, OF PERFORMING THOSE SERVICES. SO WHATEVER THEY ARE, SUCH AS THEY ARE, AND WE'VE NOT HAD AN EASY TIME, UM, ACCESSING THEM. WE, WE HAVE THE, WE HAVE ALL THE LEGAL MEANS WE NEED, WE JUST NEED TO, YOU KNOW, PRACTICALLY P YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY GO IN AND ARRANGE TO GET THOSE IN WHATEVER FORM THEY ARE. UM, AND PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF THE, THE TIMEFRAME THE COUNCIL'S GIVING US DIRECTION ABOUT THE SOONER THE BETTER BECAUSE THAT, THAT WAY WE CAN PRESERVE THOSE AND SEE WHAT, WHAT THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, EVEN AT STAFF LEVEL VIEW. AND IF IT'S THE COUNCIL'S DIRECTION TO HAVE A THIRD PARTY LOOK AT THOSE, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST WE'LL HAVE THE SOURCE DOCUMENT SO THAT THAT'S, THAT THAT SHOULD NOT BE A COMPLICATING FACTOR FOR US. OKAY. THANK YOU. WELL, I THINK THE RFP DISCUSSION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER QUINT, JUST ONE QUESTION. UM, SO RELATED TO THE RFP, UH, WHAT WOULD BE A STANDARD TERM FOR AN RFP IF WE DID HAVE THE RFP? WOULD THAT BE FOR LIKE THIS ONE OR, THIS CURRENT CONTRACT WAS WHAT, SEVEN, SEVEN YEARS? UH, SORRY. SEEMS LIKE EIGHT YEARS. IS THAT HOW LONG IT'S, SO I, THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT, I BELIEVE WAS THREE YEARS, EXCUSE ME, WAS THREE YEARS WITH A COUPLE OF EXTENSIONS. UH, WE DID GO IN TWO YEARS INTO THE AGREEMENT AND ADDED A, UH, SIX YEAR, UH, EXTENSION WITH ANOTHER THREE YEAR. SO PART OF THE REASON, UH, AT THE TIME WAS THAT WE WANTED TO PROVIDE A LONGER TERM TIME HORIZON FOR THEM TO RAMP UP FUNDRAISING TO GET THEIR FEET UNDER THEM, ET CETERA. THAT WAS THE AR THAT WAS AT LEAST THE ARGUMENT AT THE TIME. I BELIEVE THE RFP DRAFT THAT WE HAVE PUT IN AS ATTACHMENT TO THE STAFF REPORT PROPOSES A FOUR YEAR TERM WITH A TWO YEAR EXTENSION. SO COULD BE UP TO A TOTAL OF SIX YEARS IF WE EXERCISE THE EXTENSION, OR WE COULD CHANGE THAT. YEAH, THAT'S TOTALLY UP TO OUR DISCRETION OF WHAT TERM WE WANT TO PROPOSE. TYPICALLY, WE DO THREE YEARS. I THINK WE DO THAT WITH OUR LANDSCAPING, WITH OUR JANITORIAL. IT'S TYPICALLY THREE YEARS. YEAH. I, I, I MEAN, TO ME JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THREE YEARS, UM, THREE YEARS DOESN'T SEEM EXTRAORDINARILY LONG. IF, IF WE WENT INTO A THREE YEAR AGREEMENT AND THEN STARTED WORKING ON THE, UH, UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER THIS SHOULD BE A, A MORE A JPA, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, TO ME THAT SEEMS REASONABLE. OKAY. SO ARE WE ALL GOOD ON THIS UNDERSTANDING AFTER THAT CONVERSATION, COUNCIL MEMBER DE CARLY? WELL, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I THINK, I THINK AN RFP IS NECESSARY GOING FORWARD. I MEAN, HAVING AN ANIMAL SHELTER IS, IS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE FOR NOT ONLY PETALUMA, BUT DISPLACED ANIMALS. SO I KNOW OPTION THREE WAS ON THERE AS, UH, YOU KNOW, AS A POSSIBILITY, BUT I'M SURPRISED THAT WE'RE EVEN DISCUSSING SHUTTING DOWN THE SHELTER. I MEAN, IT, WE, WE NEED TO HAVE THAT PETALUMA. SO I THINK WHERE WE'VE LANDED, IF I COULD RECAP, IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE BEST FEEL ABOUT THE CLARITY OF AN RFP TO THE VENDORS UNLESS WE FIRST TAKE POSSESSION. SO RATHER THAN THE CONVERSATION BEING DO THIS TWO THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY AT THE BEGINNING, WE AGREED, UM, CANCEL THE CONTRACT, BRING IN, UH, UM, ANOTHER OPERATOR, HAVE THAT OPERATOR MAKE THE ASSESSMENT, HAVE THE ASSESSMENT INTO THE RFP. SO IT'S A LITTLE SLOWER, AND IT GIVES US TIME TO BE WORKING WITH THE COUNTY, AND IT GIVES US TIME TO HAVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR BACK TO US FOR BEST PRACTICE. GOOD. OKAY. ONE, ONE MAKING SURE I WANT TO LIKE THAT, LIKE THE FULL CO LIKE COST OF CAPITAL UPGRADES AND THINGS LIKE THAT AT THE, AT THE, THE EXISTING SHELTER. I WANT THAT TO MAKE SURE, LIKE, AS PART OF OUR DECISION OF WHAT THAT SHOULD, LIKE, WHEN YOU COME BACK TO US, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE, LIKE THE ACTUAL COST OF UPGRADING OUR FACILITIES TO THE EXTENT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WARRANTED, LIKE IS BROUGHT FORWARD, COUNCIL MEMBER SCH SHRIMPS, UM, YEAH, JUST TO PUT THE THING IN RELATIVE FOR THE MONEY PART, WHICH IS ALWAYS A CONCERN ON THAT. BUT TO PUT IT IN RELATIVE TERMS, AS IT WAS STATED EARLIER, THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SAFETY ALSO INCLUDES THE ANIMAL SAFETY. [03:45:01] UM, SO JUST AS A QUESTION FOR STAFF, UM, CAN YOU JUST GIVE A US NUMBER BETWEEN POLICE, FIRE, AMBULANCE SERVICES, ALL THAT SAFETY COST TO THE CITY RIGHT NOW PER YEAR, ABOUT HOW MUCH TOTAL MONEY PER YEAR IS THAT? IF WE FIND ALL ALTOGETHER ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION? NO, THOSE DEPARTMENTS ARE PROBABLY ABOUT 50, 55 MILLION. 55. OKAY. 55 MILLION FOR PEOPLE, BASICALLY PEOPLE, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY. AND WE'RE NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, ANIMAL PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH INCLUDES THE RABIES. AND WHAT WE HEARD IS IS ALSO FOR PEOPLE TOO, INCLUDING THE WILDLIFE SAFETY AND, UH, ANIMAL. SO JUST PUTTING THAT PERSPECTIVE OF THE COSTS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE FOR ANIMAL SHELTER AND VETERINARY SERVICES AND ANIMALS COMPARED TO THE OTHER COSTS WE HAVE. SO IF WE NEED TO MOVE MONEY, IF, IF WE HAVE TO GET THE CITY TO AGREE THAT, YEAH, WE MOVE MONEY FROM PEOPLE PUBLIC SERVICE, WE NEED TO ADD IT AND PUT ANIMAL PUBLIC SERVICE INCLUDED AS PART OF THAT PACKAGE. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT, RELATIVITY. AND, AND MAYBE THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO CLOSE THE CONVERSATION. WE PROVIDE A DIRECTION, WE, WE GOT APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE AND THAT CLOSES THIS ITEM, AND WE'LL MOVE TO OUR NEXT ITEM. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT. THANK YOU. AND WE WILL TAKE A, UH, FIVE MINUTE, UH, RECESS AND BE RIGHT BACK IN OUR SEATS. EIGHT. OKAY. WE'RE BACK IN SESSION. SO LET'S, UH, HAVE OUR COUNCIL ARRIVE AND, UM, I CHANGE MY THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OUR NEXT ITEM HERE [6. Consideration and Possible Action Pursuant to Elections Code Section 9241 Regarding the Referendum Petition on Resolution No. 2025-047 N.C.S, the Downtown Housing and Economic Development Overlay General Plan Amendment, which Would Increase the Maximum Allowable Floor Area Ratio in the Overlay from 2.5 to 6.0, to Either Repeal the General Plan Amendment, or to Submit the General Plan Amendment to the Petaluma Voters; and if Resolution No. 2025-047 is Submitted to the Voters, Whether to Submit Resolution No. 2025-047 N.C.S. to the Voters at the June 2, 2026, Statewide Primary Election or at a Later Time by or before the November, 2026 General Election] WILL BE, UM, ITEM SIX, IT'S CONSIDERATION POSSIBLE ACTION. OH, AND, UM, AND CAN I ASK, UH, OUR, UH, HELP IN SERGEANT AT ARMS ARE WE TODAY? UM, IF YOU WOULD SHUT THE DOORS EXCEPT FOR TWO OPEN PANELS THERE, IT'LL HELP THE ACOUSTICS IN THE ROOM. OKAY. SO THE ITEM IS ACTION PURSUANT TO ELECTION CODES REGARDING THE REFERENDUM PETITION ON RESOLUTION, UH, 2020 5 0 4 7, DOWNTOWN HOUSING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT, WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE FLOOR AREA RATIO FROM 2.5 TO SIX TO EITHER REPEAL THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT OR SUBMIT THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO PETALUMA VOTERS. UM, AND, UH, SO FORTH. I'D LIKE TO IN, UM, INVITE OUR, UH, VICE MAYOR TO, UH, WEIGH IN. GOOD EVENING. I'LL BE RECUSING TONIGHT FROM THIS ITEM BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF MY PROPERTY TO ZONE A. HOWEVER, I WILL SAY THAT THE DOWNTOWN OVERLAY ALWAYS WAS A CITYWIDE ISSUE, WHICH HAS BEEN MADE ESPECIALLY CLEAR BY A VERY SUCCESSFUL REFERENDUM, WHICH PROVED THAT THIS OVERLAY IS AFFECTING THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. AND IN LIGHT OF THAT, I'M DISAPPOINTED, DISAPPOINTED THAT MY DISTRICT, WHICH IS NEARLY A FIFTH OF THE CITY, WON'T GET REPRESENTATION THIS EVENING, EVEN THOUGH IT IS AFFECTING THE PUBLIC AT LARGE, INCLUDING THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO AS THE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EXITS AND, UH, WE, WE HAVE OUR, UH, CITY ATTORNEY ERIC DANLEY, TO PRESENT THIS, AND I THINK WE HAVE SLIDES OF THE SLIDES EVEN UP AND READY. SO, UM, WE'LL PAUSE FOR A SECOND, I GUESS, HERE. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. SORRY FOR THE, UM, OPPOSITE OF A CATCHY TITLE FOR TONIGHT'S ITEM. UM, MADAM CLERK, IF YOU'D GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M GONNA TRY TO GO EXPEDITIOUSLY THROUGH THESE THAT, THAT HIT THE COUNCIL'S OPTIONS FOR TAKING ACTION TONIGHT. SO, UM, IN MARCH OF 17 20 25, THE COUNCIL TOOK TWO RELATED ACTIONS, ENACTED TWO ITEMS OF LEGISLATION THAT TOGETHER MAKE UP WHAT WE REFER TO AS THE DOWNTOWN HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OVERLAY. ONE WAS ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE, ORDINANCE 2,900 NCS THAT, UM, INCLUDED MOST OF THE DETAILS OF THE COUNCIL'S, UM, OVERLAY POLICIES TO PROTECT HISTORIC RESOURCES AND, UM, PROVIDE FOR ENHANCED DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL IN THE AREA AFFECTED BY THE [03:50:01] OVERLAY, WHICH, UM, WAS IN, IN INITIALLY CONCEIVED OF AS A LARGER AREA. BUT ULTIMATELY THE COUNCIL TOOK ACTION ON, ON JUST A TWO SQUARE BLOCK AREA. THE OTHER PART, UM, OF THE OVERLAY LEGISLATION WAS A RESOLUTION THAT WAS TO, THAT AMENDED THE GENERAL PLAN, UM, PROVISIONS REGARDING THE, UM, FLOOR AREA RATIO OF POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE IT FROM 2.5 TO 6.0. UM, IN, IN THE, UM, IN THE ORDINANCE THERE'S A LOT MORE DETAIL CONCERNING THINGS LIKE MAXIMUM HEIGHT LOCK COVERAGE, UM, CUP REQUIREMENTS, ET CETERA. SO ON THE GRAPHIC, UM, YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE OVERLAY AREA WAS. AND THE NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THANK YOU. SO THE, UM, THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT ONLY, NOT THE ZONING AMENDMENT, NOT ORDINANCE 2,900, BUT THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. AND THE ONLY, THE ONLY PROVISION OF IT WAS TO CHANGE THE FAR AND THE OVERLAY OVERLAY AREA FROM, UM, FROM 2.5 TO SIX, THAT BECAME THE SUBJECT OF REFEREND ACTIVITY. UM, SUFFICIENT SIGNATURES WERE GATHERED TO CERTIFY, UH, REFERENDUM PETITION THAT SUSPENDED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. UM, AND THE COUNCIL DID TAKE ACTION TO, UM, AMEND THE ZONING ORDINANCE, UM, THAT WE CALL THE IZO TO MAKE THE, UM, TO BASICALLY RESTORE THE FAR AND MAKE IT CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WAS THE INITIAL FAR IN THE OVERLAY BECAUSE OF THIS, UM, SUSPENSION OF THE, OF THE, UH, GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. AND AS WE SPEAK NOW AND SINCE THEN, UM, THE OVERLAY ORDINANCE HAS REMAINED IN EFFECT WITH ALL THOSE PROVISIONS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THE ELECTION CODE REQUIRES, IN THE EVENT OF A SUCCESSFUL REFERENDUM PETITION, THAT THE COUNCIL REALLY HAS TWO BASIC CHOICES, UH, THE REPEAL THE CHALLENGE LEGISLATION COMPLETELY, OR SUBMIT IT TO THE VOTERS. UM, AND, AND THAT REALLY BECOMES A QUE THE SUBMISSION TO THE VOTERS BECOMES A QUESTION OF TIMING. UM, IT'S, IT MUST BE AT AN, AT AN ELECTION, AT A MUNICIPAL ELECTION, NOT LESS THAN 88 DAYS AFTER THE COUNCIL, UM, DECIDES TO PLACE THE ITEM ON THE BALLOT. IT COULD BE AT A REGULAR ELECTION OR A SPECIAL ELECTION. THE COUNCIL HAS TWO OPTIONS FOR A REGULAR ELECTION TO SAVE COST AND CONSOLIDATE IT EITHER, UM, UM, TO TAKE ACTION TONIGHT, TO PLACE IT, UM, UH, BEFORE THE VOTERS, UM, AND CONSOLIDATE IT WITH THE STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION IN JUNE, OR TO DO THAT LATER, NO LATER THAN THE FIRST MEETING IN AUGUST. UM, SO AS TO BE ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE THAT ELECTION WITH THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER, 2026. UM, THE TIMING, WE COULD SATISFY THE TIMING FOR EITHER OF THOSE. AND THE REASON WHY THIS IS BEING BROUGHT TO THE COUNCIL TONIGHT IS IT WOULD HAVE TO BE TONIGHT IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO PLACE THAT WITH THE STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UM, SO, SO BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESSFUL REFERENDUM ACTIVITY, THE, UM, FOR THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO BE APPROVED, IT MUST BE APPROVED BY A MAJORITY OF, OF THE, THE, THE VOTERS VOTING IN THAT ELECTION. UM, AND IF THAT OCCURS, THEN THE, THEN THE FAR AND THE OVERLAY AREA WILL, WILL INCREASE FROM 2.5 TO 6.0 WAS, WAS, OR ORIGINALLY INTENDED BY THE COUNCIL IN ENACTING THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PART OF THE OVERLAY. AND I'LL NOTE ALSO THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE COUNCIL TO MAKE THAT SAME STEP THAT DID EARLIER IN RESPONSE TO THE, UM, SIGNATURE GATHERING. UM, ONLY BE THE OPPOSITE ACTION TO, TO MAKE THE GENERAL PLAN AND THE ZONING ORDINANCE CONFORM WITH EACH OTHER BY, UM, BY UPPING THE, THE FAR OR ELIMINATING THE DIS THE, UM, INCONSISTENCY WITH THE ZONING ORDINANCE. SO IF THE, IF THE COUNCIL PLACES THAT, UM, THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT ON THE BALLOT AND IT'S REJECTED BY THE VOTERS, THEN THERE'S A, A ONE YEAR PROHIBITION ON, ON, ON REENACTING THAT SAME LEGISLATION WE'VE GOT ON THE SLIDE, THE COST DIFFERENCE, UM, BETWEEN A CONSOLIDATED ELECTION AND ONE THAT IS NOT CONSOLIDATED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, THAT, I THINK WE COVERED THE DATES, BUT IF THERE'S COUNCIL QUESTIONS, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO GO BACK TO THIS SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE. SO I THINK THAT, THAT WE'VE COVERED THE, THE OPTIONS FOR YOU AT A HIGH LEVEL, IT'S THE COUNCIL HAS THE OPTION TONIGHT OF REPEALING THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT FOR THE OVERLAY. UM, AND THAT WOULD CONCLUDE THE COUNCIL'S OBLIGATIONS, UM, UNDER THE ELECTIONS CODE. THE COUNCIL COULD ALSO, [03:55:01] UM, ORDER THE SUBMISSION OF THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO THE VOTERS. AND IT COULD DO IT EITHER, UM, TONIGHT FOR THE STATEWIDE PRIMARY ELECTION, IT COULD WAIT AND DO IT LATER, UM, BUT NO LATER THAN THE FIRST AUGUST MEETING TO, TO, UM, TO CONSOLIDATE THAT ELECTION WITH THE, UM, THE NEXT MUNICIPAL ELECTION, UM, IN NOVEMBER. UM, OR IT COULD DO IT SOMETIME IN BETWEEN AT A SPECIAL ELECTION. UM, AND, AND THOSE ARE THE COUNCIL'S OPTIONS, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO, LET'S SEE, IS THERE, I DON'T THINK THAT'S ANYWHERE SLIDES. NOPE. SO THAT'S COUNCIL'S CHOICES. BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. GREAT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. I THINK, UH, WE'VE ALL LIVED WITH THIS AND PROBABLY FEEL LIKE WE KNOW IT. UM, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS, WE SHOULD DO THIS. NOW, UM, I'M GONNA BE CLEAR THAT THIS IS QUESTIONS AND NOT COMMENT PERIOD, BUT, UM, IS THERE ANY COUNCIL QUESTIONS? COUNCIL MEMBER BARNACLE? YEAH. IF WE DIDN'T, UM, PUT IT ON THE JUNE OR THE NOVEMBER OR HAVE A SPECIAL ELECTION BETWEEN THEM, DOES IT JUST MEAN THAT IT JUST BASICALLY CEASES AND DIES ON ITS OWN? I WOULD ADVISE YOU WOULD STILL NEED TO TAKE SOME TIME IN THERE BEFORE AUGUST OF 2026, TAKE ACTION TO REPEAL AND THEN YOU'LL HAVE DISCHARGED YOUR DUTIES. OKAY, THANK YOU. BECAUSE THE, THE, THE VOTERS ARE ENTITLED TO SOME CERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT THE STATUS IS, I THINK. THANK YOU. OKAY, WELL, LET'S GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT. WE DID RECEIVE THREE COMMENTS AHEAD OF THE MEETING. UH, AND I DO HAVE SEVERAL CARDS HERE, UH, BUT IF ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, NOW IS THE MOMENT TO SUBMIT A CARD. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS TOM BERNHEIMER, AND TO BE FOLLOWED BY HEATHER KRET. THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH MONEY WASTED ON THIS ALREADY. I MEAN, MY ESTIMATE IS PROBABLY ABOUT 1.5 MILLION. YOU STILL HAVEN'T COLLECTED THE 800 K FROM, FROM EKN YET. WHY WASTE MONEY ON A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR THIS, JUST RESCIND THIS AND MOVE ON. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE DEVELOPER IN LINE FOR SOMETHING AND THEY PUT FORWARD A FOUR STORY HOTEL, SO THEY DON'T NEED THE INCREASE. THERE'S NO OTHER DEVELOPER THAT'S ASKING FOR THIS. THE WHOLE PROCESS HAS BEEN SLIP SHOT. IT'S REALLY BAD. YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE IDEA OF DO THE OVERLAYS AND STUFF, TWO THIRDS OF THAT OVERLAY NOW HAS BEEN WASTED. THAT'S MONEY. THAT'S OUR TAXPAYER MONEY HAS BEEN WASTED AS YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY THAT'S BEEN WASTED. JUST STOP, JUST, JUST RESCIND THIS AND MOVE ON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HEATHER KRAFT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY DARREN KUZEN. UM, SO I ASSUME YOU'VE ALREADY MADE YOUR DECISION BECAUSE NO, BEFORE YOU GROW, ANNOUNCED IT THIS AFTERNOON THAT YOU'RE GONNA REPEAL THIS. SO I GUESS WE'RE JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. UM, I'M CURIOUS WHY IS NO BEFORE YOU GROW DICTATING IF AND WHEN WE'LL HAVE AN ELECTION AND IS THERE THEY CARRY MORE WEIGHT THAN THE 7,000 SIGNATURES THAT WERE COLLECTED. SO IT'S VERY BIZARRE. BUT WE SHOULD NOT SPEND ANOTHER DOLLAR OF TAXPAYER MONEY ON A PROJECT WHEN THEY OWE US MONEY. AND YEAH, I REALLY THINK YOU NEED TO PUT A, A LIEN ON THAT PROPERTY BECAUSE THEY COULD TELL, TURN AROUND AND SELL IT TOMORROW. THEY ALREADY DID THE WORK TO GET THE PERMIT. UM, AND THEN WE'D BE OUT THAT MILLION DOLLARS OR WHATEVER THEY OWE US. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, DARREN RAKUTEN TO BE FOLLOWED BY CHRISTINE WHITE. THANK YOU COUNSEL. I'M GONNA URGE YOU TO REPEAL THIS GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. DARREN RAKUTEN HAVE BEEN ON THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS, HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT REVIEWING THIS PROJECT SINCE 2022 OR 2023. UH, THE RED HERRING THROUGHOUT HAS BEEN THE 6.0 FAR. THE PROJECT HAD THREE THINGS IN PARALLEL, THE HOTEL, THE OVERLAY, THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. AND I THINK FOR ME, UH, THERE'S A PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING WHERE I'M GOING THROUGH GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY. AND I POINT OUT HOW A 6.0 FAR IS TOTALLY OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH OUR, UH, GENERAL PLAN 2025, WHICH IS COMING TO A CLOSE THAT PUTS A LIMIT OF 2.5 FAR. IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME IN THAT MEETING BY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR O THAT LOOK, WE'RE LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE AND THE UPCOMING GENERAL PLAN AND THIS IS THE DIRECTION WE WANT TO HEAD WITH THIS TYPE OF FLOOR AREA RATIO. NOW THAT WAS, I THINK IN 2023. I [04:00:01] THINK OBVIOUSLY THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T AGREE WITH THAT DECISION, HENCE A REFERENDUM ONCE THIS GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT WAS FILED. AND THAT'S THE CITY'S WAY OR THAT'S THE COMMUNITY'S WAY OF SAYING WE DON'T BELIEVE IN THE 6.0 FAR. THAT WAS IN THE SUMMER OF 2025. IT DID NOT COME TO A HEAD IN A VOTE IN NOVEMBER OF 2025 WHEN THIS WAS ALL STILL UP IN THE AIR. BUT IN DECEMBER OF 2025, A NEW GENERAL PLAN, LAND USE MAP WAS SENT FORWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND THERE IS NO 6.0 FAR. SO WE HAVE EFFECTIVELY SIGNALED WE MIGHT NOT HAVE HAD AN ELECTION ALREADY, BUT WE HAD THE CULMINATION OF THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF COMMUNITY LAND USE. DISCUSSION. DISCUSSION BY THIS COMMITTEE AND OTHERS ON WHAT THE APPROPRIATE HEIGHT AND BUILDING SIZE AND SCALE SCALE. UM, SCOPE IS THINGS LIKE FAR WERE DISCUSSED AND WE LANDED ON A LIMIT ON THAT PARCEL OF 4.0. SO WE'RE SIGNALING OUR LAND USE DECISION FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS RIGHT NOW IS 4.0 ON THAT PROPERTY. SO WE MISSED THE CHANCE FOR A VOTE WHEN THIS WAS STILL UP IN THE AIR. YOU SIGNALED YOUR REAL LAND USE DIRECTION AND POLICY DIRECTION FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS. IF WE GO BACK NOW AND WASTE AND GET THE COMMUNITY ALREADY IN MORE DIVISION OVER THIS ISSUE, WASTE THE MONEY ON HAVING THE ELECTION AND IMMEDIATELY COUNTERMAN YOUR SIGNAL POLICY DIRECTION WITH THE GENERAL PLAN THAT MAKES NO SENSE ON ANY FRONT. AND IT WOULD LOOK EXCEPTIONALLY. I MEAN ALREADY THE 6.0 FAR WAS A REACH, LIKE I SAID, TO DO IT. NOW AT THIS STAGE, AFTER YOU'VE ADOPTED THE, OR SENT A DRAFT FORWARD OF A NEW PLAN THAT SETS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT, THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE 6.0 FAR TO DO THIS NOW, IT WOULD BE SUCH AN OBVIOUS LOOPHOLE THAT YOU CAN'T DO THAT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE. THAT'S NOT GOOD POLICY MAKING. IT'S NOT GOOD LEADERSHIP AT THIS POINT. THERE HAS BEEN A COMPROMISE ARRIVED AT BETWEEN THE PROPONENTS FOR THE 6.0 FAR BETWEEN THE HOTEL DEVELOPER AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. LET'S TAKE THAT VICTORY AND MOVE FORWARD AND JUST REPEAL THIS GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHRISTINA WHITE TO BE FOLLOWED BY JANE HAMILTON. HELLO AGAIN. THANK YOU. SO IT WAS MY HOPE THAT NO COUNCIL MEMBER WOULD BE RECUSED FROM VOTING OR RESPONDING TO ITEMS THAT IMPACT OUR CITY AND OUR CITIZENS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE FAIR POLITICAL PRACTICE COMMISSION HAS THE EXCEPTION OF PUBLIC GENERALLY. SO I REALLY HOPE THAT YOU'LL TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION 'CAUSE IT IMPACTS ALL OF YOU AND IT IMPACTS ALL OF US. SO WHEN COUNCIL MEMBER DI CARLY WALKED OUT, MY DISTRICT'S VOICE WALKED OUT. SO THAT BEING SAID, UH, IT SEEMS THAT EKN IS COMMITTED TO THE FOUR STORY BUILDING. THEY FOUND A WAY TO MAKE A PENCIL OUT REPEALING THE GENERAL REPEALING THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT, WHICH SAY PETALUMA MONEY. AND WE ALL WANT BUSINESS FOR PETALUMA. SO IT WOULD ALLOW EKN. BUT I DO ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE PUT A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY BECAUSE AS IT'S BEEN POINTED OUT, SHOULD THEY DECIDE TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND NOT BUILD AND SELL THAT PROPERTY, WE'RE NOT FIRST IN LINE TO GET MONEY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JANE HAMILTON SHOULD BE FOLLOWED BY ERIC SHEA CHER. SO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA SAY, . UH, FIRST I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR TOM LEWIS. HE HAD TO LEAVE AND HE TEXTED ME WHAT HE WANTS TO SAY AND THEN I'M GONNA SPEAK FOR ME. UM, SO FIRST I HAVE TO FIND WHAT HE SAID. SO HE SAYS THIS, I'M BEING TOM NOW. UH, BEST REGARDS TO THE COUNCIL AND STAFF FOR A LONG MEETING. I WANT TO REMIND US THAT AT ONE POINT LAST YEAR, DESPITE ALL THE CHALLENGES OVER THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT, WE CAME TO A MOMENT OF CLARITY AND UNDERSTANDING REGARDING AREAS B AND C FROM THE DS, IT WAS AGREED THAT AREAS B AND C COULD BE REMOVED FROM THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO APPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN THOSE AREAS THAT WILL REQUIRE A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT IN THE NEAR FUTURE. MONEY AND TIME WAS SAVED. HERE WE ARE AT A SIMILAR MOMENT TODAY, WE HAVE A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION FOR A COMPLIANT FOUR STORY STRUCTURE IN AREA A. THERE ARE NO APPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AREA A FOR WHICH A GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT IS NEEDED, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN NOW AND THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE COMING THIS FALL. I THINK THIS IS A MOMENT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON. LET THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT GO RESCINDED. NO ELECTION NEEDED, SAVE MONEY UNLESS FOCUS TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TOWARDS THE UPDATE IN THE FALL. THANK YOU. OKAY, THAT WAS TOM. NOW THIS IS ME. UH, OKAY. TONIGHT IS THE LUNAR ECLIPSE TIME FOR A RESET. SO THINK ABOUT THAT. UH, I'M GONNA SAY SOME THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID. THERE'S NO LONGER A NEED FOR A VOTE OF THE PUBLIC. EKN SEEMS SERIOUS [04:05:01] ABOUT THE FOUR STORY VERSION OF THEIR HOTEL. ACTUALLY, IT'S A LOT LESS EXPENSIVE FOR THEM. THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE IS COMING IN AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, PHA AND RENAISSANCE PETALUMA ARE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE DOWNTOWN AND MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER WITHOUT DIVISION. AND LET'S NOT THROW GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD. SO I HOPE YOU WILL RESCIND THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT AND THAT WE CAN ALL MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER. THANK YOU ERIC SHEER AND TOM GAFFEY. YOU CAN SPEAK. I WAS GONNA SEE MY TIME TO OKAY. THIS BE QUICK . THANK YOU ALL. UM, THERE IS NO LONGER A, A REQUIREMENT FOR A SIX STORY BUILDING IN THAT AREA AND I'M HOPING YOU CAN SEE YOUR WAY THROUGH TO JUST LET THIS THING GO NOW. UH, IT WAS SO GOOD. HUGGING ELIZA WEBER, UH, ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND I'D LOVE TO KEEP THOSE FEELINGS GOING AND YOU GUYS ARE THE ONES THAT CAN HELP US DO THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING. THANKS. AND THAT CLOSES PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE ITEM BRINGS IT BACK UP TO COUNCIL. UM, ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO WEIGH IN. COUNCIL MEMBER QUINT, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO REPEAL THE, UH, THE AMENDMENT SECOND. SO WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, BY QUINT. I, I'D SECOND BY BARNACLE AND FURTHER CONVERSATION ON THE MOTION. SO COUNCIL MEMBER NOW AM I GONNA GET TO MAKE A COMMENT? WE HAVE A MOTION. HE, HE HAS A PREROGATIVE OF ADDING A MOTION, BUT THE DIALOGUE GOES UNTIL WE KIND OF AGREE THE DIALOGUE'S DONE. SO YES, YOU DO. OKAY. WELL I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYBODY THAT I VOTED NO ON THIS TWO ACTIONS THAT WE ADOPTED A YEAR AGO. AND ALL I WANTED WAS A FOUR STORY HOTEL IN PETALUMA DOWNTOWN. AND I HOPE THE RENAISSANCE PETALUMA PEOPLE WILL GIVE ME A HUG BECAUSE I WAS, UM, ON THE WRONG SIDE FOR THE LAST YEAR AND I WAS FOR THE REFERENDUM. AND I WANNA THANK THE COMMUNITY WHO CAME OUT FOR THAT REFERENDUM. BUT, UM, I WILL BE SUPPORTING, UM, THE REPEAL OF THIS, UH, GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SCH. UM, YEAH, JUST THE FIRST QUESTION JUST ON THE, UH, THE NEW GENERAL PLAN THAT'S COMING UP THAT WE, WE ARE HAVING WITHIN IT AND THEN THE ZONING AND THE ORDINANCES WILL BE MATCHED TO A FAR OF 4.0. THAT IS THE PLAN AND THAT'S WHAT'S IN OUR COMING DOCUMENTS. IS THAT CORRECT? AS WAS NOTED THAT THERE IS IN THE, IN THE DIRECTION YOU'VE GIVEN FOR THE GENERAL PLAN TO COME BACK TO YOU. IT'S A 4.04 AND IT'S NOT JUST IN THE OVERLAY AREA. IT'S IN, IN THE BROADER DOWNTOWN AREA. UM, AND, AND WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW THE GENERAL PLAN WHEN THE COUNCIL APPROVES THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT AND THE GENERAL PLAN WITH THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE, WHICH WILL HAVE TO CONFORM TO WHAT'S IN THE GENERAL PLAN. AND PART OF THAT, THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE DECISIONS ABOUT DO YOU KEEP SOME OF THOSE OTHER FEATURES THAT ARE IN THE OVERLAY OR NOT. BUT, BUT THE FAR IS IS IN, IN ACCORD WITH YOUR CURRENT DIRECTION GONNA BE 4.0 IN THE DOWNTOWN IF THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL APPROVES WHEN THE GENERAL PEN COMES FOR FORMAL ACTION. OKAY, GOOD. WHICH, FOLLOWING MY LINE OF THOUGHT HERE, SO, UH, THE CURRENT HOTEL, EVEN THOUGH IT'S FOUR STORIES HAS AN FAR AROUND 2.5, EVEN THOUGH IT'S ALMOST THE FULL LOT STILL ONLY HAS A FAR OF 2.5 EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY FOUR STORIES. SO THERE'S OTHER LIMITATIONS INVOLVED BESIDES FAR, IS THAT CORRECT? RIGHT. THERE'S CONSIDERATIONS OF LOT COVERAGE. THE UM, THE FAR CALCULATION'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, DO SUBTERRANEAN LEVELS COUNT AND WELL THICKNESS AND ALL STUFF. BUT WE, WE'VE LOOKED AT IT VERY STEP, WE LOOKED AT THAT VERY CAREFULLY. IT SAYS, SO HERE, LET'S SEE WHERE I'M GOING IS UM, 'CAUSE I THINK WE HAVE TO SPLIT APART HOTEL AND THE ACTUAL OVERLAY, WHAT I WAS POINTED OUT EARLIER, UH, MR. O TALKED ABOUT THAT EARLIER. IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE HOTEL, IT'S FOR THE ENTIRE FUTURE BUILDING DOWNTOWN AND WE NEEDED BUILD DENSITY AND WE SAID YES, IF IT WAS A SIX STORY THAT MIGHT WORK. UM, BUT IF WE HAVE AN FAR OF 4.0 UNLESS THERE'S OTHER LIMITATIONS, UM, COULD A, UH, CONDO OR A SENIOR LIVING SITUATION BE DEVELOPED THAT WAS STILL SIX STORIES WITH A FAR OF 4.0 IN THAT DOWNTOWN AREA. COULD THAT STILL [04:10:01] HAPPEN GIVEN THE CURRENT REGULATIONS WE'RE PROPOSING IN THE FUTURE? GENERAL PLAN? UH, I DON'T KNOW. IT WOULD IT TO SOME, OH, GO AHEAD. BUT BRIAN PROBABLY DOES. GO AHEAD . GO AHEAD. UM, SO, SO WITH THE 4.0 PROPOSAL AND YOU PROVIDED, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER JUST A COUPLE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. THERE ARE THROUGH STATE DENSITY BONUSES, THE ABILITY TO SEEK THE ADDITIONAL HEIGHT. UM, BUT AS IT STANDS, UM, WITH THE UPDATED GENERAL PLAN, UH, ONCE, ONCE IT GETS ADOPTED, FAR 4.0, THAT'S ONE CONSTRAINT. THE OTHER CONSTRAINT IS THE, UM, IS THE HEIGHT, UH, WHICH IS STILL, UM, WILL REMAIN THE SAME, UM, FOR, UM, FOR THE CHANGE. AND SO THAT WOULD BE THE ADDITIONAL CONSTRAINT. UH, THE ONLY WILD CARD OR EXTRA CONSIDERATION WOULD BE, UM, WHAT THE STATE DENSITY BONUS WOULD ALLOW FOR, UM, ADDITIONAL HEIGHT AND THEN USED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. RIGHT, RIGHT. RESIDENTIAL. YEAH. YEAH. SO, UM, I'M TRYING TO GET THE POINT OF, OKAY, THE HOTEL'S A DONE DEAL, WAIT FOUR STORY, GREAT, BUT WE'RE ALL FOR WE OWN, IT'S ALL MOVE FORWARD AS FAR AS I KNOW. UH, THAT'S THE PLAN. BUT I WANNA GO BACK TO THE ACTUAL PURPOSE OF THE OVERLAY, WHICH WAS TO GET MORE HIGH DENSITY HOUSING DONE. WE JUST PASSED, ASKED FOR EIGHT STORIES BY THE TRAIN STATION, WHAT FAR WOULD THAT BUILDING NEXT EIGHT STORY, WHAT FAR MIGHT BE THERE, IS THERE ANY LIMITATIONS ON THAT? THERE IS. UM, I DON'T HAVE IT WITH ME AT THE MOMENT. I BELIEVE THE, UM, PROPOSAL WAS, UH, FAR SIX IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. BUT, UM, WE DID GO INTO DETAIL EARLIER, EARLIER THIS YEAR, UM, WHERE WE WENT LINE BY LINE, UH, BASED ON EACH OF THE DIFFERENT PROPOSED LAND USE DESIGNATIONS. SO EACH OF THEM HAVE A NEW PROPOSED FAR TO GO WITH, UM, UH, WITH THE HEIGHT. OKAY. SO IT'S STILL POSSIBLE TO BUILD AN EIGHT STORY. THE FAR MAY BE SIX BECAUSE SOME OF IT'S FOUR, SOME OF IT'S EIGHT, BUT UM, THE TOTAL AVERAGE IS GONNA BE LIKE PROBABLY 6.0 OR LESS FOR, FOR THAT STRUCTURE THERE. SO WE CAN STILL BUILD ALL THESE THINGS WE WANNA BUILD WITH THE, WITHOUT THIS 6.0 OVERLAY. YES. UH, ALTHOUGH I DO WANNA CLARIFY, THERE'S A, A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTEXT SO THAT, UM, SPECIFIC TO THE DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD ABOUT EIGHT STORIES, 6.0, UH, THAT WAS BY THE TRAIN STATION. SO I DON'T KNOW IF I WOULD COMPARE THAT TO THE DISCUSSION THE COUNCIL HAD ABOUT, UH, SORT OF THE DOWNTOWN CORE, WHICH WAS A DIFFERENT, UM, DISCUSSION. THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED TO GO TO A 4.0 FAR, RIGHT? YEAH. SO YEAH, THE CURRENTLY LIKE THE OVERLAY THAT WE HAVE NOW AND IT SAYS BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY GONNA BE BUILDING BETWEEN NOW AND, UM, THIS END OF THE YEAR OR PROPOSALS COMING IN AT FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA. SO, SO I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE THAT, UH, THE NEXT 25 YEARS AND THE, WHAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THAT, UM, THAT IF WE JUST COMPLETELY GET RID OF THE 6.0 NOW SINCE I, BUT WE, WHAT IS THE FUTURE BUILDING THAT WE COULD STILL DO WITH THE CURRENT PLAN, UH, THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO UPDATE? CAN WE GET ABOVE A FOUR STORY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA? A AGAIN, IT DEPENDS, UH, HOW YOU'RE DEFINING DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT IF WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT OUR DOWNTOWN AND WE'RE GOING TO USE THE EKN SITE AS AN EXAMPLE, UM, THE COMMUNITY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMISSION OR GENERAL PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS HAD, UH, A VERY THOROUGH DISCUSSION. AND THE POINT HAS, UM, WE'VE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT OF A 4.0 FAR. AND SO THAT WOULD BE ONE DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATION, BUT IT REALLY DEPENDS ON WHAT PROPOSAL WOULD COME IN. SO IF IT'S A HOUSING PROJECT, THEN THEY COULD SEEK THAT ADDITIONAL STATE DENSITY. OKAY. UM, GOOD, I JUST WANTED TO GET IT CLEAR ON, ON WHERE WE'RE GOING. OKAY. SO VERSUS WHAT WE'RE DOING. OKAY, GOOD. I I'M CLEAR NOW. OKAY. UM, GREAT. AND, UH, DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS DOWN? UH, JUST THAT I HOPE IT GETS BUILT THAT, YOU KNOW, A PROJECT APPROVED IS NOT A PROJECT BUILT. WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF EXAMPLES OF THOSE ALL OVER THE CITY, AND SO I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE CAN GET UP THERE AND CHEERS ON TOP OF THE, THE DECK OR IN THE SPEAKEASY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY BE BACK TRYING TO APPROVE A FOUR, UM, FAR SOMETHING BECAUSE WE DO WANNA SEE SOMETHING HAPPEN THERE. SO, UM, YEAH. OKAY EVERYBODY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I I, UM, I'M HAPPY THAT WE'RE AT THIS DAY AND IT'S REALLY FUN TO AGREE WITH [04:15:01] HEATHER KRATT, UH, THAT, UH, NO MORE MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT AFTER THIS THING. NOW I THINK WE'VE HIT THE FINISH LINE ON IT AND, UM, IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. I THINK WHAT WE SAW TONIGHT WITH THE ANIMAL SERVICE THING IS OUR NEEDS, OUR EXPENSES ARE RISING FASTER THAN OUR REVENUE. AND THIS COUNCIL'S GOT A RESPONSIBILITY TO FUND THOSE HUMAN AND ANIMAL NEEDS THAT WE ARE, WE'RE TRYING TO FUND. SO, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE FIND AN ALTERNATE REVENUE IF WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THIS REVENUE. IT WAS WELL INTENDED. I LOVE THAT AT THIS MOMENT, EVERYBODY THAT SPOKE SO MUCH VILE ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA STUFF AND WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO SHOWED THEIR WORST SELVES ON SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, I HOPE THAT THEY'RE ALL BACK IN THE PEACE AND LOVE CAMP NOW. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SO THAT COUNCIL MEMBER NOW CAN, CAN GO INTO DELLA AND SO, UH, YOU, ALL OF US CAN NO LONGER BE DOING THAT HURTFUL THING. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER BEING IN JANE'S JANE HAMILTON'S KITCHEN WITH TOM GAFFEY, TOM LEWIS AND UH, LYDIA ASLAN, UH, RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS THING. AND THEY SAID, ALL WE WANT IS A FOUR STORY HOTEL AND, AND NOT, NOT FIVE, NOT SIX. AND AND I SAID, BUT IF YOU GET THAT, WILL YOU BACK THAT? AND AT THAT MEETING BACK LIKE, IS THAT TWO YEARS NOW? THEY SAID YES, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. AND SO EVEN THOUGH A LOT OF THE PUBLIC IS STILL ONLINE TRASHING THE HOTEL AND EVERYTHING, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THE PLAYERS WHO INVEST IN BEING INVOLVED ARE CREDIBLE PEOPLE, BE THEY ON THE COUNCIL OR IN THE AUDIENCE. IT'S ALL ABOUT GOOD PEOPLE HAVING DIFFERING OPINIONS. AND, UM, SO, UH, I'M VERY HAPPY WE'RE AT THIS MOMENT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND BARNACLE AND, AND QUINT. AND I'D LIKE A ROLL CALL VOTE PLEASE. UM, I'M SORRY, BEFORE THE ROLL CALL, JUST TO CONFIRM, THAT'S TO ADOPT ATTACHMENT THREE, WHICH IS THE RESOLUTION TO REPEAL THE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT RIGHT AND THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR RE REITERATING BARNACLE AYE CATER THOMPSON. YES. DI CARLY IS RECUSED NOW? YES. QUINT? YES. SCH SHRIMPS. YES. MCDONALD? YES. MOTION CARRIES SIX TO ZERO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. A VERY GOOD DAY. THAT MOVES US TO INVITING OUR COUNCIL MEMBER, Q'S COUNCIL MEMBER IN, AND, UH, WITH THAT WE ARE ADJOURNED FOR THE EVENING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GO TO E. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.