Sonoma City Council Live Updates

We'll be bringing you live updates from the Sonoma City Council meeting. We posted some this morning, check here to see what's going on.

6:10: Everyone's running a bit late, not out of closed session yet.

6:19: Meeting's in session! , who gets a commendation at tonight's meeting, leads the pledge of allegiance.

6:22 Public Comment: Greg Montgomery says he represents a group of people concerned about the Fryer Creek bridge - which is on the next council agenda. He'd like to have the foot path dedicated in the name of a neighbor who was active in environmental issues. Mayor Laurie Gallian says that the subject should be brought up at the next meeting.

6:27 Public Comment: Herb Golenpaul says that he'd like the council to give a proclamation for safe boating day in May.

6:28 Public Comment: The Community Center's upcoming Rocky Horror Picture show has been moved back to 9 p.m. so as not to offend the neighbors (it'll be midnight in New York). There will be two security guards.

6:29 Ken Brown wants to wish everyone a happy Passover, and remind everyone that bike to work day is coming up.

6:31 Gallian wants to remind the public that Pollinator Pals happens on April 30 - "a worthwhile family event."

6:34 Onto the proclamation for Sarah Summers. "We were overwhelmed by the amount of talent in this Valley," says Commissioner Lorna Sheridan. "But we are so pleased to offer this award to Sarah Summers." "It means the world to me and I'm like so excited," said Summers. She's playing on SunFM Thursday at 7 p.m., so tune in!

6:40 Proclamation declaring the fourth Friday in April "Children's Memorial Day."

6:42 The City Attorney just told the council that they should vote to add a separate agenda item, regarding closed litigation, to be added to the agenda. Unanimous vote, added.

6:43 Consent calendar: Mayor Pro Tem Joanne Sanders would like to review the agenda from the April 4 meeting (5B) and she'd like item 8A, which is consideration of technology provided to council-members, to be tabled for the next meeting. Herb Golenpaul would like to discus plans for the library renovation (5G).

6:47 Golenpaul says that he takes issue with several items in the building plan (items 25 & 26 on page 44) which show several items that may need to be replaced which have not been evaluated. Update: all of these items were looked at and either have been funded, or will not be needed. Item approved unanimously.

6:53 Consent calendar approved. The council-members are reporting on their committee activities, since it's been a month since they've been able to give updates, since the last meeting was truncated.

6:56 Barbose says that he spent the afternoon at the Sonoma County Solid Waste Advisory Committee - they're trying to determine weather to continue to use our landfill, or outsource it. The process is moving along smoothly, he says. The North Bay Water Shed Association meeting is trying to discuss how to plan for climate change, which is an inevitability at this point, he says.

6:58 Sanders reports that the Economic Development Partnership was discussing the RAC's potential . There's also a news-rack ordinance coming, to limit the assent of advertising and abandonment of news-racks. She also says that the city needs to replace 118 of the holiday bows which faded last year. They cost $30 per bow, so she's looking into alternative ways of replacing them. Food truck Fridays was approved at last week's planning commission meeting, with up to 6 trucks.

7:04 Gallian says that Nancy Klein has joined the cemetery sub-committee, to try to mend some of their fiscal challenges. She also mentioned that she attended the community meeting for the . "It was very informative and I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it in the future," she says.

7:13 Sanders mentions the wave of travel documents highlighting Sonoma. "There's a lot of momentum, I think, going about Sonoma, and I think it just speaks to the need for us as City Council members to preserve what's working for us," she says. "As we get faced with issues...like a big-box store coming into town, these are things we need to be keeping an eye on, because this is who we are."

7:15 Sanders says the increase in fees the county will demand for the Veterans Building is a big deal for locals who'll have to absorb the fees. 

7:18 Brown notes that there are openings on four commissions and two openings on the Traffic and Safety Committee. Apply online.

7:34 Update from City Manager Linda Kelly on the state budget. Rumors: the governor will issue a May revise budget, to roll out an all-cuts budget, which will make the case for additional revenue sources. Redevelopment is still up in the air. Biggest impact to Sonoma: without extending taxes, the city has no way of extending the Citizens Options for Cops program, which takes $100,000 per year.

7:36 Goals setting session. The top goals from staff: 1. Setting a Budget, in the face of state uncertainty. 2. Figuring out the JPA agreement with the fire department (a few council-members disagree). 3. Creating a community swimming pool.

7:43 Rouse wonders if the Council's 32 goals are a realistic number to set for a year. Kelly answers that each of the big goals (budget for example) have several aspects to them. She thinks that 3-5 goals is the maximum. "We are very limited in a budgetary sense, and staff is very limited as to the amount they can take on at this time," she says.

7:50 Sanders wonders how the council can continue to talk if redevelopment has not been settled. Kelly says that the areas that would be effected by redevelopment have been singled out.

7:51 "Is it your understanding that the previous effort to end redevelopment will be a part of the more severe budget cuts rolled out by the governor," asks Barbose. Yes, says Kelly.

7:55 Public Comment: Golenpaul says that the Council's task is simple, they need to focus on how to get money.

7:57 "I think the budget and finance portion of this far overshadows the rest of this," says Barbose. He thinks each section should be looked at in an individual side-session, not in an overall council meeting.

8:01 Rouse doesn't think the discussion should be here. "A facilitator would be great, but we can't afford one," says Sanders. "I don't think we should go outside the top three things."

8:04 Onto the pool: "No body has ever figured out how to fund the pool," says Barbose. "You lose the site, you lose the school money...it's just like chasing your tail."

8:08 "I don't think any of the landscape has changed, if the pool doesn't go on school district property, they're not going to spend the money to build it," said Brown. "As much as I love meetings, I didn't find the meetings with the school district very productive." But still, "I'm not willing to scratch the pool."

8:11 Barbose thinks the Council should have a separate study session with the fire officials to discuss the JPA.

8:13 Gallian says that the budget sub-committee spent 12-hours preparing the budget, and she'd like a half-day meeting to hash out the budget. "The reason this item is on the agenda is because council-members could not commit a half day," she says.

8:16 "I'd like to see first how the budget looks before considering dipping into reserves," says Sanders. She says that the city should look at dipping into reserves before they consider raising taxes. "That's what they're there for, a prolonged economic situation."

8:22 The council will decide an evening date to further convene, date and time TBA.

8:23 Meeting adjourned (In other news, Giants win: 8-1)