Council Meeting Date: September 21, 2022
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/TownOfAtherton/featured
Details of each item can be found via the links to Staff Reports within the narrative.
The City Council met for the September Regular Meeting on Wednesday, September 21 at 6 pm via Hybrid - (Zoom and In-Person) pursuant to the Governor's Executive Order. Following the Roll Call the Council began moving through the Agenda beginning with Presentations. The Council heard presentations to swear in a new police officer, a proclamation for Suicide Prevention Month, and an introduction of the Good City Company Housing Element Team. Following presentations, the Council moved to Public Comments.
Following Public Comments and a Report out of Closed Session, the Council moved to the City Manager's Report (~6:23 pm). The City Manager's Report is typically prepared monthly as part of the City Council's Regular Agenda. In addition to current reports from the City Manager, it typically includes departmental updates on the various happenings around Town such as reports from Administration, Community Services, Planning, Police, and Public Works.
Following the City Manager's Report, the Council moved to the Consent Agenda consisting of Items 4 through 9 (~6:24 pm). Items on the Consent Agenda are considered routine in nature and are generally considered in one motion and adopted by a single vote of the Council. Included in this month's Consent Agenda were bills and claims, minutes, Certification of the Continuing COVID-19 Emergency, adoption of a Resolution for the Citizen's Option for Public Safety Grant, acceptance of the Treasurer's Report for the 4th Quarter, and acceptance of work for the 2022 Slurry Seal Project. The Council approved all items on the Consent Agenda.
Next was Public Hearings.
Public Hearings are typically held for Ordinances, Budget Adoption, Fee Adoption, and Land Use approvals. The Agenda include a continuation of the Public Hearing Appeal to deny a Variance at 25 Isabella Avenue (~6:25 pm) - Item No. 10.
Following a brief staff report and public comments, the Council discussed the various issues related to the Variance request, attempts at resolution by the neighbors, and next steps. Following discussion, the Council denied the request for a Variance at 25 Isabella Avenue.
Next up was the Regular Agenda (~6:48 pm).
Item No. 11 was discussion of the Rail Committee's formal designation as a Town Committee (~6:48 pm). Following a brief staff report and public comments, the Council discussed the merits of retaining the Committee as a formal Town Committee versus an independent community committee. The Council discussed the value of maintaining the Rail Committee as a Town Committee but also expressed an appreciation for the staff time involved in serving the Committee. The Council directed staff to return a resolution to the Council to amend the meeting schedule of the Committee from 6 per year to 4 per year.
Item No. 12 was the creation of Public Works Maintenance Manager and Associate Engineer positions and establish salary ranges for said positions (~7 pm). Following a brief staff report and public comment, the Council adopted the resolution approving the new job classifications.
The last items on the Agenda were Council Reports and final Public Comments. Reports were made on the recent ADAPT Emergency Preparedness Drill, the upcoming ADAPT Zone Meeting, the recent Peninsula Clean Energy's Annual Strategic Retreat and the upcoming Community Meeting on the Housing Element (see more below).
Having cleared the entire Agenda, at approximately 7:22 pm, that as they say - was a wrap!
The next meeting of the City Council will be a Study Session/Special Meeting on Wednesday, October 5 @ 4 pm. The Agenda will include a presentation and recommendation by the Police Department on the use of the Paladin Drone System; and a discussion on possible revisions to the Town's Noise Ordinance to address Special Events on private property.
Housing Element News
The Town submitted its Draft Housing Element for the 2023-2031 Housing Cycle to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for its initial review. You can review the latest version of the Town's Housing Element by visiting the Town's Housing Element Webpage.
The Plan relies heavily on the construction and rental of new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on private property throughout Town. The Town is seeking support and input to develop a plan that encourages new ADU production and rental. Stay tuned for more information, to include a possible community survey and commitment to produce additional ADUs. The Town will also soon receive comments from HCD on our Draft Housing Element. We will be seeking your input on strategies for response.
Join the City Council for an overview of the Draft Housing Element and a forum for community input and feedback on Tuesday, October 11 from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Atherton Council Chambers at 80 Fair Oaks Lane. You can participate virtually as well via the this Zoom link (Meeting ID: 873 4334 1334, Passcode: Housing)
For more details, visit the Town's Housing Webpage. To stay engaged on Town topics and issues, sign up for the Town's E-News here.
Thanks for reading!
George Rodericks
City Manager
Town of Atherton
grodericks@ci.atherton.ca.us