Greetings!
An hour ago, the full agenda for next week's Santa Rosa City Council was posted. I have been watching the City website since the City's self-imposed posting deadline passed at 5pm yesterday. Each hour today, more items received their staff reports, and new items appeared. With the legal devastation of the district elections lawsuit, and the physical devastation of the fires, our City has had quite a set of whirlwinds on its plate.
The first indication of change came last week when the preliminary agenda contained an item recommending the Council delay further public hearings on the district elections "until the citizens of Santa Rosa are fully capable of participating in the process". I wondered then if City staff would be prepared for the questions which would be asked about whether that delay would result in the lawsuit it feared when it decided to change to district elections.
The final agenda has eliminated that recommendation, and the list of future Council meetings includes additional public hearings at the original pace.
The last item to be added to the agenda today:
It appears that City staff are responding quickly to their needs to assist residents to rebuild.
An hour ago, the full agenda for next week's Santa Rosa City Council was posted. I have been watching the City website since the City's self-imposed posting deadline passed at 5pm yesterday. Each hour today, more items received their staff reports, and new items appeared. With the legal devastation of the district elections lawsuit, and the physical devastation of the fires, our City has had quite a set of whirlwinds on its plate.
The first indication of change came last week when the preliminary agenda contained an item recommending the Council delay further public hearings on the district elections "until the citizens of Santa Rosa are fully capable of participating in the process". I wondered then if City staff would be prepared for the questions which would be asked about whether that delay would result in the lawsuit it feared when it decided to change to district elections.
The final agenda has eliminated that recommendation, and the list of future Council meetings includes additional public hearings at the original pace.
The last item to be added to the agenda today:
- Responds to the need for reconstruction of parcel properties damaged by the fire, by adopting an three-year ordinance overlaying a special zoning district in the impacted areas of the City which allows property owners to obtain all waived development fees, process their permits through an expedited review absent of any hearings, avoid the development of any environmental impact reports, and construct or place "trailers, recreational vehicles, manufactured homes, tiny homes, and similar configurations" on their properties prior to and during re-construction of their homes or commercial properties;
- Encourages the inclusion of granny units and small independent units built within the existing house footprint by waiving fees; and
- Blocks price gouging in rental units throughout the City "as long as the City remains under a federal, state, or local declaration of emergency, provided, however, that notwithstanding a state of emergency, this Ordinance shall not extend beyond April 18, 2018 unless otherwise authorized by law".
Of course, there are other interesting items on the agenda. These include:
- Adopting and approving the City's Salary Schedule;
- Approving the costs of the Annexation of Roseland, the agreements transferring housing projects and multi-year funds from the County, and establishing a new City/County District to transition South Park into the City's utility financing rates;
- Establishing the salary, job description, and title of a Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Officer;
- Approving straight-time overtime for exempt employees, lifting the vacation accrual limits, and establishing a disaster leave while the City is in a state of emergency.
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