Upcoming Meeting 10.1.24

At our next meeting we will be discussing one significant item:

- A discussion on whether to create a City Flag.

If you have thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 9.17.24 Meeting Summary

On Tuesday, the Council met in regular session.  Though there were no public hearings or action items, we did discuss a few items:

The City presented a check to the Mt. Diablo Elementary PFC in the amount of $6,258.38.  

This year, the City Sponsored Special Events Committee consisting of myself and Vice Mayor Trupiano, had the idea of partnering with the PFC to collect donations at our annual Concerts in the Grove series.  Each year the City sponsors concerts and during those concerts the City has traditionally asked for donations in order to support the cost of the events.  Rather than have City staff and Councilmembers collect these funds, we asked if the PFC would like to help out, and in exchange we would share any of the monies donated.

It was a great success and I look forward to continued opportunities to partner with our local schools.

This was also the first meeting that our new City Manager, Kris Lofthus was present.  He started the day before, and I am excited to work with him as the City continues to move forward.

Upcoming Meeting 9.17.24

At our next Council meeting on Tuesday, there are no action items or public hearings.  

- We will be recognizing the Mt. Diablo Elementary PFC for their efforts in helping fundraise during the summer Concerts in the Grove series.

- It will also be the first meeting that our new full time City Manager, Kris Lofthus, joins in his new role.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 8.20.24 Meeting Summary

 Last night the Council discussed several significant items:

- We approved the employment contract for our new City Manager, Kris Lofthus.  Mr. Lofthus comes to us from Suisun City where he currently serves as the Recreation, Parks, and Marina Director and prior to that as the Deputy City Manager.  With over 28 years of municipal experience, I am excited to welcome Mr. Lofthus as our next City Manager.

Related, this was also the last Council meeting that our current Interim City Manager, Adam Politzer, will be attending in this capacity.  I want to thank Adam for all he has done in the time that he was here.  As a retiree, he is limited in the number of hours he can work.  Because of this, and the nature of interim roles, typically the focus is only on things that can reasonably be accomplished during the allotted time.  But in working with Adam, you wouldn't know this because of the vigor in which he approached the role.

I am appreciative of what Adam has been able to accomplish, especially reorganizing the staff at City Hall to be more efficient and effective.  I am grateful for his leadership, guidance, and counsel.

- We heard an appeal of the Planning Commission's granting of a one year extension for the Oak Creek Canyon development project.  Extensions for development projects may be granted upon finding of good cause.  The Planning Commission heard the request from the developer and based on their judgment and staff's recommendation, the Planning Commission granted the extension.  The rational was that site work was continuing, but due to continuing efforts to locate specific underground petroleum pipelines.

A nearby property owner appealed this extension, asserting among other things that the project violates the Marsh Creek Road Specific Plan, that the water detention basin size was inadequate to support potential future development on neighboring property, that the City has failed to comply with the State housing element law, and that certain provisions of the approvals have not been incorporated into the City's General Plan.

Before Council on appeal was the granting of the extension of the Development Permit, only.  All other issues raised were not able to be appealed.  As such, after discussion, the Council upheld the Planning Commission decision to grant an extension and denied the appeal on a vote of 4-1.  Councilmember Cloven voted no.  Cloven stated that when he voted in favor of the appeal for the Oliva project, he faced community dissatisfaction, and that he felt that if the City granted this extension, then it would set precedent for future extension requests.

This is of course, incorrect on the facts and the law.  As a policymaking body and at times a semi-adjudicative body, the Council is charged with exercising its judgment based on the fact pattern presented.  Different fact patterns call for different judgments.  In fact, the standard of "good cause" is intended to convey the need for judgment on a case by case basis.  Granting an extension for one project does not mean that extensions must be granted for all projects.  This is a fallacy.

The standard for granting an appeal is showing of Good Cause, though the term "good cause" is not specifically defined in the City's municipal code.  This is likely intentional as this term is used throughout statewide government code without a standard definition in order to give municipalities latitude in exercising judgment.

- We also received an update on discreet action items that can help further the City's strategic plan.  Given the transition to a new City Manager, staff wanted to focus on certain short term items while continuing to plan for the larger efforts in the future.

Upcoming Meeting 8.20.24

On Tuesday the Council will meet to discuss several significant items:

- We will hear an appeal of the Planning Commission decision to grant a one year extension of the Oak Creek Canyon development of six residential units on the east side of town.

- We will receive an update regarding the City's strategic plan

- We will discuss the authorization of a permanent City Manager employment agreement.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.

My 7.16.24 Meeting Summary

Last night the Council met to discuss several significant items:

- First we held a GHAD meeting and discussed the annual levy of  assessments.  The meeting was recessed briefly to allow opportunity for any residents to comment.  The annual assessment was passed 5-0.  While this was perfunctory in nature, it does not change the overall underfunded status of the GHAD itself.  In order to actually increase the levy by any amount greater than CPI, the residents in the GHAD would need to approve that via a vote.  The GHAD Board is looking to hold that vote in the near future.

- We held a brief closed session to discuss the City Manager recruitment. There were no reportable actions from that closed session.

 

- We interviewed 5 candidates for 3 open positions on the Planning Commission.  Each of the 3 incumbents sought reappointment with 2 newcomers who threw their hat in the ring.  I want to thank everyone that stepped up and volunteered their time.  It is always difficult to put yourself out there in order to serve the community.  While I appreciated the enthusiasm and willingness to volunteer, ultimately the Council felt the incumbents have been doing a solid job as Planning Commissioners and felt that stability was important.  For those reasons, each of the three incumbents, Rich Enea, Sr., Maria Shulman, and Dan Richardson were reappointed to the Planning Commission on a 5-0 vote.

- We adopted increases to annual assessments in several areas.  These annual increases are regular in nature and follow a formula typically based on CPI.  Those areas were the Clayton Benefit Assessment District (BAD), the Downtown Park Operations (CFD 2006-01), and the Citywide Landscape Maintenance Assessment (CFD 2007-01).  We also approved the annual appropriations limit for the City.  Each of these passed 5-0.

- We also amended the scope of the professional services agreement with our City Engineer to provide additional oversight to our Maintenance Superintendent, as well as other projects going on in the City.

The regularly scheduled meeting for 8.6.24 has been cancelled in lieu of our Police Department hosting an annual National Night Out event.  More info to follow.

Upcoming Meeting 7.16.24

Tomorrow the Council will meet to discuss a few significant items:

- First the GHAD Board will meet for a public hearing to receive and discuss the FY25 annual report and proposed assessments.

- We will then conduct interviews for three open Planning Commission seats.

- There will be a closed session regarding the recruitment of a permanent City Manager.

 - We will receive a presentation and update from the Contra Costa Water District.

- We will appoint three individuals to the Planning Commission.

- We will discuss the current professional services agreement with Theis Engineering and consider expanding the scope of the agreement to include additional management services.

- We will discuss an annual update to tax levies for both the Downtown Park Operation (Community Facilities District CFD 2006-01) and Citywide Landscape Maintenance (Community Facilities District CFD 2007-01).

- We will establish the annual appropriations limit for FY25.

If you have any thoughts or questions on the above, please let me know.