Politics & Government

Live Updates From Tonight's Sonoma City Council Meeting

We'll be posting live updates from tonight's Sonoma City Council meeting. Check back starting at 6 p.m. to see what's happening.

6:09 Closed session just finished, council is trickling back in.

6:12 Meeting is in session; everyone is here but Councilperson Rouse.

6:14 Public Comment: Stan Pappas, owner of Pipe Pirates, says he'd like to see a medical cannabis dispensary in Sonoma. Many of his customers are in their late-60s and require cannabis for medical reasons. "It is a medicine, and it has now been legally used in 17-states," he said. "It's not just a party drug anymore."

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6:18 Public Comment: Herb Golenpaul suggests the city emulate his social club and do a raffle to raise money. "A lot of wineries and other places have fundraisers for everything else, why not the city," he said.

6:19 PC: Larry Weiner, a Ferndale resident, also wants to support a marijuana dispensary zoned in Sonoma.

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6:20 Onto council comments. Councilman Ken Brown had a good time on Independence Day (Editor's Note: Me too.) "Even though I slept through the fireworks my daughter assured me they were the best she'd seen in her nine years," he said.

6:26 "We all read about Jazz+ and how they need to raise money," said Councilman Barbose. "I was very disheartened." Barbose went to another festival this weekend with a less elaborate set up (no tent, no chairs, bring your own chair). "I just think we need to rethink that festival, and why it's so expensive, rather than trying to raise $500,000 when the nonprofits in this community are already struggling for revenue."

6:28 Councilperson Sanders wants to dedicate the meeting to Captain Joseph William Schultz, who died in Afghanistan. She also wants to congratulate that Herb Golenpaul for serving on the Traffic Safety Committee.

6:32 Mayor Gallian won an "elder warrior" award from Vintage Sonoma. She also attended the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation event at the Joseph Hooker House and enjoyed it. "I was there," said Brown. "You must have been the ones on the corner with wine glasses," said Gallian. The exhibit goes through August 1. The group also unveiled their new logo.

6:39 Sonoma City Manager Linda Kelly wants to remind everyone to attend this Saturday's Sustainability Day at the Sonoma Ecology Center.

6:41 Consent calendar passes. Now onto the lone public hearing: developing a disposition and development agreement for 32 Patten Street. However, this project is being implamented through the city's CDA, which is unable to make any agreements until the city has decided to . The public hearing will be moved to the fall.

6:43 "It sounds like what you're saying is that because of redevelopment the building is going to stay idle for the next three to six months," said Sanders. She suggests taking another meeting to discuss using other funds to keep the building from falling into disrepair during this period. Kelly says that they can speak about basic maintenance projects, as long as the city doesn't enter into any agreements.

6:44 Public hearing closed and cancelled.

6:46 Linda Kelly sums up the situation with Sonoma's redevelopment agency. Essentially, redevelopment agencies have two choices: disband, or pay a hefty fee to the state (Sonoma's payment is estimated at just over $1.7 million dollars). Until the city selects an option, redevelopment agencies are prohibited from entering into any new contracts.

6:51 If the CDA is disbanded, a successor agency would be formed to liquidator the assets of the CDA. The deadline to avoid dissolution is Nov. 1; the city would have to make a resolution and could immediately continue work. The payments would have to be made by the city, which can contract with the CDA to transfer the money. "It's important to know that the city would be responsible for the payment irresponsible of what happens to the CDA," said Kelly. The city cannot use bond money to make the payment.

6:57 "The Library and other bond-funded projects are safe," said Kelly.

6:58 Brown confirms that the Library and Community Center's renovation projects are safe.

7:00 Barbose asks the amount of revenue the city would get from redevelopment after the state payment was made. "We don't know, at this time, how much would be left," says Kelly.

7:03 Kelly's estimated breakdown would leave $1.4 million, including payments on the made by the city, for projects.

7:06 Sanders would like an estimate of how much of the property taxes would flow back to the general fund.

7:08 Gallian wonders how much of this revenue will be spent locally. Kelly mentions that the first year payment would count for the city's Prop. 84 payments to schools, after that there's no limitations.

7:10 The item will come back to council only after the state has finished finalizing estimates for payments for each of the districts. Then, hopefully, the city will look at the options with an independent counselor. September is likely.

7:12 "The thought of having only one vote on some gigantic committee is not appealing," said Brown.

7:12 "We've already forked over $2.2 million from before: is their priority in what we'd have to do, would we pay our debt first or our projects?" asked Gallian. Debt comes first, says Kelly.

7:16 Public Comment: Doug Wiele, Foothill Partners: "Not withstanding of what's happening in Sacramento, our interest hasn't changed. We're in line to close escrow before the end of the year if the state will allow us to do that."

7:17 Next item, discussion of developing a contract with the Valley of the Moon Fire Protection District. "Mutual Aid" agencies, like Sonoma's current set up, have a slower response time and involve many more administration hassles, then contracting services, said Fire Chief Phillip Garcia. "What we're asking here tonight is to consider all the tangible objective things that occur by coming together," said Garcia.

7:25 Staff has handed out a diagram showing the funding mechanism for the relationship. The Valley of the Moon district would draft the budget each year, and send it to an oversight committee (a renamed version of the transition committee) for review.

7:30 A separate "trust and agency" account would be formed, so there's no co-mingling of costs for either agency. The transition team is still deciding how to transfer the money. A quarterly financial report would be distributed so each oversight committee could report back to their districts.

7:46 With the contract, Sonoma would save approximately $108,718; a set of indirect costs - including vehicle replacement and long-term building - would take an additional $211,520. Each individual entity would retain its equipment and buildings; replacement for these unique items would be funded separately.

7:52 "We dont' have the oversight committee with the Sheriff's department, are there other differences in how you see this contract and that contract," asks Sanders.

7:52 "The most notable difference is with the oversight committee where there really is a collaboration between the two committees," said Giovanatto. "There's ongoing dialogue between all levels of each agency; the city does not talk with the county administrator and the sheriff - the budget is prepared at the county level and submitted to the city. All levels of management are going to be involved in this."

7:54 "Lastly, each agency retains their own equipment," said Giovanatto. Under the contract with the sheriff's department, though Sonoma retained the Police Department building, all equipment was transferred to the county - Sonoma now pays into the County's vehicle replacement fund.

7:55 Sanders asks how retirement fund budgeting would be effected the Valley of the Moon Fire District's fund costs go up. "Would we have, not such a cost savings, but a cost...how would we be able to put these agencies together with those uncertainties," she said. Answer: it would be up to the transition team to put this together. "There is a significant buffer zone," said Giovanatto.

8:04 Public Comment: Christine Armstrong asks about overtime. "I've heard a lot of talk about fireman and sheriffs in San Francisco getting overtime. Overtime costs a lot of money, if we're going to let some of these people go does that mean we're going to be paying a lot of overtime."

8:07 Giovanatto answers: both agencies will look over overtime, though its incurred by staffing and mandated by the fair labor standards act. The fire department operates under 'constant staffing,' which means staffing levels must be maintained at all times - regardless of sick leave or vacation time.

8:11 Phillip Garcia: "Mutual aid works, but it's all about time. One of the things we're concerned with EMS calls is time. We try to get 14-people on the scene within 10 minutes, because a quick aggressive attack on the fire defeats the origin. Yes, we can wait from an engine from Petaluma or Los Angeles, but it's just time. Basically by joining the two agencies together you have 14-individuals that are going to respond to a call in your community. You can't bank on that in a mutual aid scenario."

8:13 Garcia: "At this point in time there isn't any delineation between a Sonoma employee and a Valley of the Moon employee...This just assures that we're the most effective fire force that exists in the city of Sonoma at this time."

8:15 Public Comment closed. Brown: "I've gotten nothing from positive feedback on what we're doing...I take that responsibility seriously and I sleep  well at night because I know when I hear that siren those guys hit it, and they're fully equipped and fully trained...$108,000 savings is not slight, it's significant and I think it's going to approve. I'm the one guy that didn't want to go to the sheriff: I'm an old hippie and I wanted to control our police department and the idea of going to the sheriff didn't appeal to me. But I was wrong...and I'm not going to make that mistake again."

8:21 Barbose: "They're not going to be writing blank checks to get their costs up - if anything they have as much concern as we do." He also wanted to thank Chief Garcia and Giovanatto.

8:25 Sanders: "I'm confident if we're able to move forward it will make for better working conditions for the fire fighters, but it's also my job to think critically...At the higher level, our relationship with the higher level employees has dramatically removed...but with prior situations things weren't necessary transparent. Change is always difficult, and we want to make sure it's in the best interest of the city of Sonoma...I think this will be more transparent then it has been in the past."

8:28 Gallian: "For those in the transition team this is a significant night for you...We are so far ahead of the game...we're known throughout the county for our attempts here - some steps have been forward and some have been sideways, but we're definitely going in the right direction."

8:30 Motion passes unanimously.

8:44 Back from break. On May 16, the council received an overview of the formation of a Tourism Improvement District. It would be funded by a 2 percent tax on all lodge or hotel rooms within the city, and would generate revenue to increase room nights for all participating businesses. It can be created for up to five years, and renewed for up to ten years.

8:54 Brown asks if it's discretionary how long the district lasts. Answer: Yes.

9:05 Brown: "Is there something built into this to guarantee that if they're paying the full 12 percent, they're getting the benefit of the advertising."

9:09 Gallian interrupts: Best of the Bay poll names Sonoma the best getaway, by San Francisco Magazine readers.

9:10 Public Comment: Christine Armstrong: "A lot of times when you go to hotels they give you coupons, like 10 percent off Mary's Pizza. Is that acceptable through advertising?" Answer: If the coupon, paid for by the district, was for Mary's, that wouldn't work. But if it was for an additional night at the hotel, that would work.

9:13 "There's nothing in this plan that guarantees that funding would go to the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau," said Kelly. Staff added a sentence to the agreement, allowing that money from this fund can be distributed to the bureau. It could be put in the eventual contract, she said.

9:17 Public Comment: David Cook: "The one concern I did have was on the time limit...I've kind of done a little bit of research and there's nothing wrong with reviewing stuff." He recommends a three year commitment. He'd also like to see some of the funds come towards the visitors bureau.

9:25 PC: Bob Edwards: "I would point out the hoteliers have had a couple of months to interact with council and staff on the benefits of their proposal...I will brief the issue prior to this meeting. What they're asking in effect to do is to give up the city's revenue stream, and give it under total control to private corporations." "Let me suggest that any businesses that are in the tourism business that need help getting people to be in the tourism industry should not be in the tourism industry. People come here because of Sonoma."

9:31 PC: "The average stay at our hotel is 2.2 nights; if a guests average rate is $200, there's an average spend of $200. When we're talking about room nights, it's not just an overnight stay, it's the tax revenue that comes to the city."

9:34 Barbose: "Just to keep measures a float, we've lost our redevelopment, we've lost city salaries that we've allocated and paid for through redevelopment, there's just too many factors in this to say I'm willing to give up a 2 percent TOT increase." "We are a partnership, the lodging and hoteliers are all partners with the city and the visitors bureau - to me this feels like it's not a fair deal for all partners."

9:43 Brown says he can't make this assessment until the issues with the Redevelopment agency are settled. "I do know that I value our partners, I was part of the team that opened the Best Western in 1986...I know in my heart that their efforts are matched to what the city wants to have happen which is more people coming to our town, spending money, going home and coming back. I would agree with Mr. Barbose - six months maybe, but until we know what the landscape is going to look like, I just can't get there."

9:50 Brown: "What does the council want to spend the money on, do we want to save it, replenish our funds?" Gallian says this should be revisited when the item reappears.

9:51 On August 15, Gallian suggests, the council set a date for a study session on the issue.

9:55 Sanders says that information on the effectiveness of the Napa tourism district has influenced her decision. "Sonoma has been for at least a decade, very tete-a-tete with Napa. We compete for the same people. But having tourism come to the community and boosting that is also a way of creating jobs." 

9:59 Gallian thanks hoteliers for coming. "I just think that it's not for now, and stay tuned."

10:01 Sanders asks to postpone additional items so that the council has time to hear the additional closed session items. Council moves onto final remarks.

10:07 Brown asks for questions for Jared Huffman, who'll be on his show tomorrow, to be sent to him. Sanders would like to see more publicity and emphasis on the Vintage Festival. Gallian reminds everyone of a Relay for Life benefit dance at the Sonoma Veterans Building. Meeting Adjourned. 


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