111 E. COMMERCIAL STREET WILLITS, CALIFORNIA 95490 (707) 459-4601 TEL WILLITS (707) 459-1562 FAX WILLITS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES WEDNESDAY MARCH 12, 2025 Mayor Stranske called a regular meeting of the City Council to order at 6:30 p.m., in Council Chambers. The meeting was preceded by the pledge to the flag. Roll Call: Councilmembers Gerardo Gonzalez, Tom Allman, Bruce Burton, Vice Mayor Matthew Alaniz and Mayor Larry Stranske were present. Also present were staff members: Brian Bender, City Manager; Jim Lance, City Attorney; Dusty Duley, Community Development Director; Manual Orozco, Finance Director: Walter Kolon, Services and Facilities Director; Swetha Venuturupalli, Senior City Planner; Mike Parish, Interim Police Chief; and Delores Pedersen, City Clerk. 2. Public Communications Madge Strong expressed her concern over the Mayor's Appointments to City Committees, Boards and Agencies, Ms. Strong stated that all Counciimembers should be assigned to various Committees, Boards and Agencies sO that it does not fall on one Councilmember and allowing the City of Willits to have representation. Saprina Rodriguez announced there is a new Business Forum, Willits in Business, committed to strengthen the local economy. The group will meet on the last Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm at the Willits Center for the Arts, with the first meeting being held on March 25h. 3. Public Matters a. Little Lake Fire District Monthly Update Chief Alvarez reported that Little Lake Fire District is busy with inspections for new Business License Applications, change of ownership, vacant buildings and solar plan reviews. The installation for the tablet command inside all emergency vehicles is about to be completed. Five new sets of Turnouts (structure gear) have been purchased and should arrive within four months. Training consisted of continued five-man Engine Company drill with the addition of forward lay of the supply line and securing a water supply. EMT refresher training. Outside training consisted of Windsor Mill fire extinguisher training. There were 121 calls for service and 658 training hours completed. Page 1 of 6 Chief Alvarez reiterated how important a visible address is for emergency response, which includes not just fires but medical emergencies as well as law enforcement responses. The fire house offers free smoke detectors to those 55 years or older and to families with children five years old or younger. b. Update from Third District County Supervisor John Haschak. Supervisor Haschak reported that his Talk with Supervisor at Brickhouse Coffee will be at 9:45 am on March 13th. March 27th from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, there will be a cannabis roundtable at the City of Willits Community Center. Discussion will be regarding issues with the cannabis industry and how to make it more viable economically. Inviting input from all of Mendocino County. April 8th will be the Board of Supervisors meeting, this will be held at the Willits Justice Center, starting at 9:00 am. The main focus will be the budget. April 14th at 3:00 pm, there will be a Town Hall meeting at the Little Lake Fire District Fire House. There will be a second Town Hall on April 14th at 6:00 pm located at Harwood Hall in Laytonville. Supervisor Haschak met with Senator McGuire the week of March 3rd, discussion centered around Federal and State Budgets and how they will impact the local jurisdictions. Public Comment: None presented. 4. Enactment of Ordinances None presented. 5. Consent Calendar The following item(s) are recommended for approval or denial, as follows: a. City Council Minutes: i. February 26, 2025. Public Comment: Madge Strong commented on the minutes from the March 12th meeting and asked that her statement be revised. Ms. Strong also commented that if change in policy is what is going on in the repeated closed sessions, that she feels that should be conducted during open session. Councilmember Allman responded that the minutes are not verbatim. Moved by Allman/received no seconded there for the minutes were not approved. City Clerk Pedersen will make Ms. Strongs requested revisions and bring back to the March 26th City Council Meeting. 6. Monthly Activity Reports Matters that do not require action by the City Council but are of public interest. a. Accounts Payable Activity Report: February 2025. b. Building Permit Activity Report: February 2025. 7. Commissions, Agencies and Authorities None presented. 8. City Manager Reports and Recommendations Willits City Council Minutes of March 12, 2025 Page 2 of 6 a. Verbal Reports = No Action. i. Strategic Planning Workshop Recap. City Manager Bender provided a recap of the workshop to the public. The list of goal priorities are: Public Safety, Quality of Life, Infrastructure, Economic/Housing Development Growth, Community Engagement and Public Communication, Resiliency. The next steps will be to meet with senior staff and attach objectives to the goals then bring back to Council for adoption. The Goals and objectives will then be used to set budget priorities, staffing plans and refine the mission statement and what our priorities will be over the next two years. ii. Fire Hazard Severity Zones Public Forum and Next Steps. City Manager Bender reported that there were about twenty community members in attendance. Mr. Bender reported that the maps are available on the City's website. Public Comment: Tamara Alaniz thanked City Manager Bender for taking the comments back to CalFire to attempt to have changes to the maps made and further the interest of the City along with CalFire. Raghda Zacaria = inquired what the date is for the Goal Setting will be finalized for the public to be able to see the Goals. City Manager Bender reported that the list would be made and presented to council at one of the April City Council meetings. 9. Department Recommendations (Action Items) a. Deployment of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) by Approving a Two- Year Contract with the Flock Group, Inc. (Flock Safety) for $52,550 with an Annual Outlay of $23,500 for Subsequent Years. Public Comment: Saprina Rodriguez inquired what the City may potentially be giving up to pay for the Automated License Plate Readers. Ms. Rodriguez also questioned if the City would really want to be locked into a 5-year contract for $23,500 per year? Madge Strong asked how Flock is implemented if there is a report of a known suspect vehicle to watch for. Does a staff member need to take hours going through video of license plates? Interim Chief Parish responded that there is an ability to flag a license plate number into the system and if the vehicle enters the City of Willits jurisdiction, the Flock System would notify the Police Department. Helen Simms inquired that since the systems are set up within City Limits what happens to the areas in between the Cities, is there a need for coverage there? Raghda Zacharia what triggers the system to read license plates. Is Willits using the same company as the City of Ukiah? Will there also be cameras in the residential areas of the City? Interim Police Chief Parish stated that any crime triggers a license plate read. The Flock camera do not cover residential areas, it only covers the gateways of the City. The Cites of Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Willits and Covelo all use the Flock Group for their ALPR's. Councimember Gonzalez asked if maintenance of the cameras was part of the contracted price. Interim Police Chief Parish responded that as long as the City is under contract with Flock the maintenance is covered by Flock, this is part of the contracted price. Willits City Council Minutes of March 12, 2025 Page 3 of 6 Kristen MacLeod, of the Flock Group, added that as long as the City is under contract Flock owns and maintains the cameras. Flock monitors the cameras and maintains, and upgrades as needed. Councilmember Allman mentioned that the Willits Police Department Policy 426.3 is incomplete. Mr. Allman stated that the City's policy does not have guidelines and procedures to comply with the requirements of Civil Code S 1798.90.5 et seq. Will this be corrected once we have the cameras in place? Interim Police Chief Parish stated that this will be updated in the Policy. Mr. Allman asked that Council be notified of the guidelines. Finance Director Orozco commented that appropriations in fund 222 need to be increased to cover the cost of the Flock Group Contract. Moved by Gonzalez/Seconded by Allman and carried unanimously to adopt Resolution No. 2025-11 Approving the Purchase of an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) System from the Flock Group, Inc. (Flock Safety) in the Total Amount not to Exceed $52,550 for the First Two Years Followed by an Annual Outlay of $23,500 for Subsequent Years Followed by an Annual Outlay of $23,500 for Subsequent Years. b. Presentation of Prospective RCHDC Haehl Creek Village Housing Project at 275 Margie Drive. Beth Motsumoto, Director of Multifamily Development for Rural Communities Housing, presented a PowerPoint Presentation on the Haehl Creek Village Housing Project. Haehl Creek Village will have 62 affordable homes. These homes will be for residents that make 60% of the Area Median Income or below. RCH will be holding community workshop on March 31st at 5:30 pm in Council Chambers, for those that cannot attend the March 31st meeting there will be another opportunity on April 12th via Zoom. Public Comment: Saprina Rodriguez spoke in support of the project. Ms. Rodriguez shared that the Transit Authority currently has a pilot program for services in Covelo. Ms. Rodriguez stated that there are many components in this project that will benefit all of the citizens of Willits. John Kavasnicka inquired if the RCH had apartments in Ukiah and if sO, how are the apartments working out. Ms. Motsumoto responded that RCH does have apartments in Ukiah and that RCH partners with Behavioral Health on a lot of the apartments and they assist in housing the unhoused. Mr. Kavasnicka added that he feels that these low-income apartments may become problematic, especially for the homeowners in the Harrah Mannor Subdivision. Ed Beals and Raghda Zacharia spoke in support of Affordable housing in Willits. Robin Leler spoke in support of the Affordable Housing Project. She thanked Ms. Motsumoto for connecting to the rail w/ trail to allow for ease of traveling into town. C. Informational Discussion on Updating Regulations for Mobile Vendors, Including Permitting Requirements, Location Restrictions and Operational Standards. Swetha Venuturupalli, Senior Planner, presented a PowerPoint Presentation to the council and community on the Regulations for Mobile Vendors. Public Comment: Willits City Council Minutes of March 12, 2025 Page 4 of 6 Saprina Rodriguez inquired if going forward with potential changes to the ordinance would there be accommodations made for vendors that are not mobile. Dusty Duley, Community Development Director stated that yes there would be verbiage in the ordinance that would make accommodations for special events. Ed Beals stated that food trucks are one of the most accessible and budget- friendly avenues to starting and maintaining a food business. Food Trucks are a good way for chefs and entrepreneurs to prove themselves to investors. Young People and working people on the go will benefit from the accessibility. Tony Madrigal agrees that one block off of Main St. and one block off of Commercial St. is a good starting point. Mr. Madrigal that the Brick-and-Mortar businesses and Mobile Vendors need to have level playing field. Jill Persico also expressed a need for the Brick-and-Mortar businesses and the Mobile Vendors being on a level playing field. Tamara Alaniz asked that when considering the ordinance, mobile vendors are prohibited from setting up on one-way streets. 11. City Council Announcements. Communications and Reports Councimember Gonzalez League of California Cities/Redwood Empire Division = Reminder of the LCC District Meeting on March 14. Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) = Discussed the Irish Beach District Municipal Service Review and Sphere of Influence Update, this was a Public hearing. There was a Public Hearing on the Elk County Water District Review and Sphere of Influence. Discussion on the Mid-Year financial work plan report. Councilmember Allman Mendocino Museum Advisory Board - Looking for volunteers. Councimember Allman motioned to have contracts signed by the City Manager brought to the next council meeting. Mayor Stranske seconded the motion. Councilmember Burton suggested a hiring freeze should be part of the discussion until the City knows its financial condition. Mayor Stranske Mendocino Solid Waste Management Authority (MSWMA) - Meeting was canceled 15 minutes before it was supposed to start. Public Comment: None presented. 12. Good & Welfare Councilmember Burton Redwood Region Logging Conference starts on March 13th and goes through March 15th. Public Comment: Madge Strong questioned if there were any guidelines for multiple performance evaluations taking place. City Attorney Lance responded not that he knew of. City Council Adjourned to Closed Session at 8:08 pm. 13. Closed Session Notice a. Pursuant to Government Code $54957 - Public Employee Performance Evaluation = City Manager. Willits City Council Minutes of March 12, 2025 Page 5 of 6 The City Council reconvened to open session at 10:00 pm, reporting direction was given to staff. 14. Adjournment Mayor Stranske declared the meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. For more information on the March 12, 2025 Willits City Council Meeting please view the recording on YouTube. - s LARRY STRANSKE, Mayor City Council for the City of Willits ATTEST: boo DRosoe DELORES PEDERSEN City Clerk Willits City Council Minutes ofl March 12, 2025 Page 6 of 6