S.R. City County Meeting, December 8th

Greetings!

This Tuesday's Santa Rosa City Council meeting agenda contains several items of which SRT members should be aware.  Among them are a 3pm study session in which a presentation entitled "SONOMA COUNTY’S BUILDING HOMES: A POLICY MAKER’S TOOLBOX FOR ENDING HOMELESSNESS" will be delivered by the County Community Development Commission.  Click on the above title to review the ToolBox.

City staff has responded indicating "The tools in the Toolbox overlap considerably with the strategies that the City of Santa Rosa’s has used or is considering to increase the supply of a full spectrum of housing that ranges from affordable housing for extremely low-income households - that could house homeless people and others earning less than 30% of the area median income - to incentivizing higher density market rate housing. The Toolbox may be a springboard for collaboration among the County and nine cities to think regionally about the common housing issues throughout the county."

Nevertheless, considerable discussion has taken place which reveals some frustration in the City over an insensitivity concerning the considerable work being done by the City on the issue.  It should be interesting to listen to Council members responses to the presentation.

Also on the agenda is an update on the progress of the City's Capital Improvement Budget.  Recent discussions by Council Members would lead us to believe that a more open and participative planning and prioritizing process for this significant amount of the City's budget is in the cards.

If you can't attend the meeting, remember you can find the links to watch it LIVE (or any past meeting) by clicking on the City's Meeting Agenda Link. 

And from our Friend, Anne Seeley of Citizens Concerned For Santa Rosa:

Friends:   

There is a Study Session at 3PM. 

2.1 Sonoma County's Building Homes Program.  This is in line with the Council's recent sessions looking at City housing needs and potential.  This program offers information from the county's perspective; its 'Toolbox'. See links to the City staff report and in the second, the county's document.

Study Session

The Planning Document

4PM

Consent

12.1 City Attorney's salary increase, voted on last week.  The increase is 4.5%, resulting in an annual income of $202,380.  Last week, Duane DeWitt spoke in opposition, commenting on the disparity between City salaries and benefits compared to those of most private residents.

12.2 Ordinance Adoption Amending the City Code to Increase Water and Wastewater Rates in a 5-Year Plan.  The only dissenting vote was by Council member Wysocky, who objected to setting rates out that far, considering conditions might change year to year.  He wants a yearly request and explanation.

Staff responded to him saying that the increases in rates in future rates are just caps on what might be charged, subject to yearly examination. 

Upcoming Meetings:

I'll see you there!    Anne

Anne Seeley

aeseeley@sonic.net

526-3925

484-8722 (cell)

Friends:   

There will be a design meeting on Saturday, December 12, at 10AM  at 19 Courthouse Square.  I'm told that this meeting place is on the floor level in a building on the southwest side of the Square, adjacent to 3rd Street.

This meeting is important.  You may know that I've been a long time supporter of reunifying the square, since back in the early 1990's, when a downtown group named Heart of Santa Rosa was working.  Plans have gone up and down and have been delayed by the recession.

This meeting is important because it might be a clash of two opposing concepts of the square.   Those of us who want a simpler, less expensive design with renewal of the side streets along with parking on those streets will be countered by those who don't want parking on the side streets.  Some people are opposed to the side streets because they would require the felling of some redwood trees.  The loss of those trees would be very unfortunate, but they'd be replaced by other trees considered more appropriate for providing shade and whose roots aren't problematic. [I understand and agree with the reverence for redwoods, but this proposal is full of trip-wires and my greatest hope is to get the project built.]

Please do join us!

Thank you!    Anne