 Okay, so I want to go ahead and get started. Let me begin by thanking everyone for being here My name is Daisy Gomez. I'm the city clerk of the city of Santa Rosa and I just want to make sure that I want you to all know that this is all being recorded So if there's someone who you know may be Interested in wanting to apply in one of the boards or commissions We will go ahead and send you the link in an email So if you make sure you provide that information up there, that would be really helpful The workshop will also be available on our website and With that I want to present to you our mayor Sawyer You can hear me, okay Yeah, just take this away. Sorry about that. I'll just lean in So thank you very much for being here this afternoon or this evening actually, you know what there are very few if any Departments in our city. They're not directly affected by the work the recommendations and The Suggestions that come out of our boards and commissions not a single department So it's very very important and it's it's a very rewarding way to become involved in Our city in governance in the operations of our city in how it will look in the future and It's it's it's maintenance its parks and recreation land use again, there's just there's virtually no No department and no citizen that is not affected by what is decided by our boards and commissions and ultimately the council Well, let me let me go through the five Briefly the five goals of the council determined in January and what the Boards and commissions have been dealing with and will continue to deal with Assuming that the next council Embraces those goals as well Reducing homelessness through a comprehensive strategy. This is taking a great deal of work We've been working on it for for it. It's very Intently for about a year now They've been working on it longer than that, but we've really been we put our nose to the grindstone and have been working very intensely for the last year Developing a comprehensive housing strategy called housing for all this is also a very important issue for us increasing housing citywide market rate workforce and affordable housing attracting housing in our downtown and our transit oriented development as well and Addressing rent stabilization. I'm also known as rent control We wanted to create a plan to address infrastructure and deferred maintenance throughout the community This is really really important. We're not the only city that's dealing with this issue There have been because of the reduction in funds and perhaps being a little Not on top of things our infrastructure has declined and it's aging It's this aging all over the country and Santa Rosa is not exempt from that aging. So we are Trying to address this issue as much as possible. The funding is is very expensive But we have to have a program to address our infrastructure. We don't want it crumbling around us I'm pursuing current opportunities for medical marijuana and cannabis cultivation lab and employment development and Preparing for the impacts of legalized marijuana. We have subcommittees on each of these issues and the subcommittee for Cannabis and medical cannabis. I just joined a number of weeks ago. It's pretty quick. It's really quite fascinating and Of course, everything could change in November With prop 64 coming forward So we're not really sure how all the ways that that particular issue will change After the election, but it's bound to change in some way And then completing the Roseland annexation and and move to implementation. This is starting to come very quickly to a head We will be dealing with the we're coming together as a subcommittee very soon that the meeting has not been set But this annexation question Which was last dealt with ten years ago. It will be very quickly Some recommendations will come forward from our subcommittee and the county subcommittee and I am expecting a Great deal of cooperation and moving forward very soon to embrace this Small city of seven thousand people that will come into the city of Santa Rosa. It's a no small endeavor and I wanted to highlight because these these goals are our lofty and It will take a fair amount of strength of character and a willingness to compromise Heavy on the compromise especially when it comes to issues like housing we have a Need for density in Santa Rosa. We have urban growth boundaries and we have a desire to Address housing needs in the center in the center of our city to put housing in our downtown So that we don't spread out any more than we are already so that we don't sprawl But that has its challenges the downtown proper right here in these few blocks that are surrounding us we're hoping for a fair amount of height and That has been in years past that came up to there was a fair amount of resistance to height in our set in our downtown I think there's less resistance now People are aware of the need for housing and the need to keep it center city centered So I think that there there will probably be less resistance now than there was a number of years ago But the right there the immediate downtown is not the only area. We also have real world square real world square is bordered by a great deal of historic Homes and a historic district and we have the train running right through the middle of it And we have a transit oriented development need in that area So there are lots of changes happening and compromise will be necessary if we if we try to accomplish these goals of housing in Santa Rosa Said the face of Santa Rosa will change It will evolve and we want it to evolve well and we want to be sensitive But it will not be painless and it will need there will be it'll be a tough some tough decisions coming forward in the next year that will be difficult to make and Ultimately if the you know with with the boards and commissions help they will go more smoothly But it will take strength of character. It will take people willing to compromise and say, you know I was hoping that we wouldn't see a three-story apartment complex on that street, but we may need it and unless we want to go out into further out into our neighborhoods and to the east and to the west wherever we have the possibility which is which is not limitless And fairly restricted. We need to go up. We need the density We need infill and that those projects are very very controversial And they are difficult and they are challenging for people to embrace Not only for those that have to make the decisions but for the community that will be affected by them and the neighborhoods and Neighborhoods and people tend not to get involved until something lands on their doorstep and Then it's it gets tough. It is it's tough But at the end of the day if you go through the entire process and you watch the process and you see how it works And you get testimony from the community and you and you you know Churn about the the issue and you learn as much as you possibly can about it And you feel you can ultimately feel that you've done your work and you've made the best recommendation that you possibly can For the betterment of the entire city Even though it may adversely affect some neighbors, maybe a maybe a neighborhood That's that's the meaning of Evolution and compromise and the chain in the changing city in which we live But it is necessary So it is not it's not it's not always easy But it is always rewarding and it is always necessary and the council Depends on the recommendations coming out of our boards and commissions for us to do our work so I appreciate your interest and I hope that you will continue to be interested and and When the new council is seated and they are looking for for people to appoint that you will consider Applying to become a member of one of our boards or our planning Commission So thank you for being here and I wish you luck and I just appreciate your interest. Thank you very much That's under everybody Not a board or commission, but when it comes to As we move forward with housing there will be there could be changes in our Not ordinances, but our Zoning to allow for certain things. So we're doing our best to expedite, but but there's The expedition of building in California is an oxymoron Nothing is expedited in this state Regardless of the it's very very difficult to get things built just because of the many hoops that we have to jump There was many Hi, my name is Stephanie Williams, and I'm the deputy city clerk We're gonna flip the agenda just a little bit where I'm going to go through the application process If you are interested in applying and submitting an application for consideration On the screen we have our home page, and I'm just going to navigate really quickly when you go to SR city org You'll come to this page and under government It will take you to this government links, and there's boards commissions and committees here And then there is access current vacancies and apply online for a board commissioner committee And this lists all of our boards. You can see if there's any vacancies Right now the council is Making appointments to the art and public places committee even though it says one current vacancy There are some vacancies because the board has been reconstituted in the spring. We had Members from other boards serve on this board and the council changed it so that each council member can make an appointment But you can go to each of the boards and you can see Member roster here how to get a hold of members if you're interested in talking to any of them You can do that and that's for all that's for all of our boards That are listed here and If you want to apply for a board here It will take you open the application and you would fill out this application. You have an An option to apply for as many boards as you're interested in so just one application if you're interested in One board for boards all the boards you can just check each one once you're done submitting the application I get an email that an application has been submitted I check voter registration and whether or not you are living in the city of Santa Rosa boundaries And once you become eligible, then your application is forwarded on to the council members for consideration And you can always amend the information on your application or give me a call And I usually email you if you've submitted an application before I'll email you letting know your your applications Been received and has been forwarded on for consideration Just some Information all Applications need to be on file in the city clerk's office five days Before you actually start serving so if you've submitted an application and a council member has appointed you Then your application needs to be on file in the city clerk's office five days prior to you serving or Tending on the board or attending a board meeting and that's per our council appointment policy Some There are only a couple boards left where applicants are interviewed by the full council most of the boards individual council members make the appointments and in that case you will be contacted by that Council member to either do a phone interview some of them will set up a coffee interview but The boards that are appointed by the full council We will set up the interviews with each of the applicants to come in and Interview with the full council and they're usually held on the Tuesday just before the start of the council meeting Because after they do the interviews once they go into the meeting they make the appointments that same day So if you are applying housing authority has some at-large members and they're appointed by the full council So that would be one of the boards that you would come in and be interviewed by everybody Let me see Currently we have terms that are expiring December 31st Most terms run concurrent with the appointing council member so With an election year we hold one of these workshops to build a pool of applicants For new council members that are elected. They have a pool that they can choose look through and Interview and make their appointments to their new boards the folks that Whose terms expire with the outgoing council member will usually serve until the new appointment is made So that could take up, you know, January February 2017 but just so you know, that's what this is for us to build a pool of applicants for new appointments and then we hold them also in case somebody decides to resign or Can't serve anymore Then we'll pull your application and give it to the council members for consideration So this year we'd like and if you're interested in applying we're going to take Applications until after the holidays the first of the year and then once the new council members are seated and have a chance to Get their council legs under them Then they'll be informed that they need to make appointments and we will give them all the applications so that they can Consider those You must be a registered voter in the city of Santa Rosa and you must live within the Santa Rosa boundaries a Lot there are some county pockets in Santa Rosa So you just want to make sure that you're in the boundaries and I will check that but if a lot of people sometimes think they have a Santa Rosa address that they're in Santa Rosa and There is exceptions to that if you live in a county pocket The online application allows us to do create a report for the city council By our city charter we're required to provide the city council a report on the diversity of our Board and Commission members and our applicants so the online application allows us to run those reports and you are not required to fill out the Demographic survey that's at the end of the application, but it really helps us to give the city council a more comprehensive report of who is serving on our boards and so it's a good information for us to You know give that to the council, but you're not required to fill it out if you don't want to If you do become a member all of our Board and Commission members are required to Attend an ethics training. It's AB 1234 We hold an ethics training in March of odd numbered years. So We're looking to do that again next year But if you can't make that or you get appointed and you want to just get it done We will send you the link to the Fair Political Practices Commission They have an online training that you can do. It's a two-hour minimum requirement So if you do an online training You are required to stay online for the two hours and then afterwards You'll be issued a certificate that shows you've met that requirement If you finish in an hour and a half and your certificate says an hour and a half You will have to retake it because it has to show you did the two-hour requirement And once you are appointed you will be contacted by the staff liaison of that board for an orientation and information meeting So, but you're always welcome to contact the city clerk's office if you have any questions about Where to meet a hat or I haven't heard from anybody. I'm not sure what I'm doing. We're always happy to help Guide you through that process There are a few boards. We have seven boards that are required to Fill out a conflict of interest form it's called a form 700 and Those are our art and public places committee our board of building regulation Appeals board of public utilities our community advisory board Cultural heritage board design review board and our housing authority And you will if appointed you would have to fill that out within 30 days of taking an of appointment and What that is is you would fill out any economic interest that might Present a conflict for any decisions you might be making on the board And if that is if there is a conflict, it's not that you can't serve It's just that you would have to recuse yourself from any discussion and vote When it comes up on an agenda for that board, so we just it's a public document, but we are required You would be required to fill that form out if you were appointed to one of those boards. I Think I've covered everything under the application process that I can think of are there any questions from anybody She asked if the ethics course is something that you want to do before you apply or after you're appointed I would recommend you do it after you're appointed because if you do it before you're really not doing it for a board and You would on your certificate it There's a place that you are doing it for the culture heritage board that your name is on there, so if once a council member makes announcement that they are appointing you to a board then you'll be Contacted by me with the information on where to do the ethics training if it's in if we do it in March I will give you that date you have up to one year after being appointed to do the ethics training So it's not like if you don't do it right away You're disqualified But I will send you the information and then if you're also appointed to one of the boards that require Statement of economic interests being filed an assuming office statement You'll be contacted by the clerk's office also with that information Any other questions? Okay, thank you Thank you Stephanie So at this time what we're gonna do is we're gonna call and it looks like the Boards commissions and the committees are all in alpha order So we're gonna go ahead and I'm gonna ask if you can come And then at the end of when they do their presentation If you have any questions for them if you can go ahead and ask them at the end of their Presentation and then if there's something that comes up that you have a question that you didn't think about because a lot of them are Gonna leave once they're done with their presentation Just make sure you have your name and email address and then you could always we'll email you and and Or you could always reach us on our city clerk home page and then we'll return Response to you. Okay, so at this time if for art in public places committee Tara Thompson I'm gonna sit down Hi, my name is Tara Thompson I'm the arts coordinator with the city of Santa Rosa the art in public places committee is a committee that was formed in 1996 to oversee public art in Santa Rosa and Right now we are Implementing a relatively new master plan Which the committee undertook a planning process of about two years about a year ago We finished it up and so it's an exciting time on the committee a lot of new projects Lots of smaller projects lots of projects coming up that might be a little bit bigger once courthouse square is finished For instance, we'll be putting some new art in the square. So There's a lot going on with the committee. We've also gone through a recent transition with our membership The committee as Stephanie mentioned used to be a combination of at-large members and representatives from other city boards and commissions Now with a new policy that has been recently amended We have all council appointed members, so there's seven members appointed by individual council members and There is Kind of some criteria for the membership that is established in our policy That members should either possess professional experience related to public art or the arts such as artists arts administrators curators Scholars or teachers or possess experience In environmental design place making Economic development tourism or have a general interest in the arts or background in the arts so that is one specialized thing that that membership that the Council members would be looking for when appointing a member And as I said the purpose of the committee is really to oversee public art in Santa Rosa They Advise the city council the director of recreation and parks and the arts coordinator on matters related to public art including selecting new projects the maintenance of existing projects the placement where projects should go and And they also participate actively in the selection process So we for every project we do we form a selection panel and this the committee members often participate in those on those panels So other than that, you know the meetings are we meet once a month? Usually on the first Monday of the month unless we have a special meeting called The meetings take place at the Finley Community Center at the senior wing complex. So Please if you're curious come sit in on a meeting, of course, they're all public open meetings You're welcome to attend and I would be happy to answer any questions Okay, thank you, and then if I could ask for bicycle and pedestrian advisor of board Rachel Hi, everyone. I'm Rachel Ead. I'm a transit planner with the city's transportation and public works department and the staff liaison to the bicycle and pedestrian advisory Board I'm here with Sean Ralston who is the vice chair of the BPab The BPab is a nine-member board that advises the city council Seven of the members are appointed by the individual city council members and we have two at-large members one representing The older adult community and one representing people with disabilities The role of the board is multifaceted One of the primary roles is to oversee development and update of the city's bicycle and pedestrian master plan And that's the city's policy document that guides development of bike and ped facilities and also prioritizes them and it's something that's that's used all the time to Look at development applications and guide the city staff in multiple departments around bike and pedestrian facilities So it's a living document that gets used quite a bit and it needs to be updated pretty soon So new members to the board that's something that probably will be part of your time a time with us on the bicycle and pedestrian master our Advisory board The board also advises transportation and public work staff on project lists and priorities That are just part of the city's ongoing work There's an annual public works work plan where the city's transportation planner and traffic engineer Define the projects that the city will be planning designing and constructing over the course of the year And the board has a role in shaping and guiding that work plan The board also provides advice on other city programs and initiatives such as the green bike lanes that are being developed around the city What criteria should be used to? Determine locations for those lanes etc. They also review other city plans that intersect with the bike ped master plan So we work frequently with the planning and economic development department to review specific plans The citywide creeks master plan and other plans that might have In an intersection with the bike and past ped master plan or propose amendments or additions to that plan And then finally the role of the board is to be a voice for the community around bike and pet issues Everyone on the board is an active pedestrian or cyclist and brings a lot of personal experience with navigating around Santa Rosa And and all of them have different community connections that they bring to the board In terms of hearing what people are concerned about in the community and bringing that forward to staff as part of our meetings So in terms of logistics, we typically meet every other month Though we'll add a meeting if we need to in between the meetings are on the third Thursday of the month from 4 to 6 p.m It's a really great group of people Really good energy collegial group. It's a really nice group of people to spend a couple hours with every other month So I give a plug for our fantastic board if you're interested in learning more We do have a website on the city's website that you can look at to look at our recent agenda Packages and minutes to get a flavor of the types of issues the board is considering these days Our next meeting is November 17th if you're interested in coming to check it out And I'm gonna turn it over to Sean who's just gonna say a few word from from as vice chair about his perspective Great. Thank you, you know as a as a cyclist in Santa Rosa, and I've lived here for almost 20 years. I I've Really cycled around town and thought well, what can I do that it would actually make an impact and a few years ago I came to one of these meetings that decided to get involved and the It's just completely gratifying. I my day job I'm I work for a large employer in Sonoma County and There is still nothing as gratifying as being involved with city staff and actually Taking a look at the master plan and seeing that it's implemented When new projects come up like the smart train taking a look at how the you interact and intersect with the bikes and pedestrians and there's just something just outstandingly gratifying about Voting on a project bringing something forward to the city council and actually having them put it into fruition and literally Seeing the the outcome of what you've discussed and listening to what the public has to say So just a plug for city government in general it it works and it's really great And I think this is really the only opportunity that a citizen has to Directly interact with staff and and and make a difference. So for what it's worth. That's that's the plug There any questions? Okay, great. Well my contact information is in the packet So if you think of anything later feel free to get in touch with me And I can always connect you with Sean or our chair Beth dadco. Thanks a lot It's like a perfect height for me Everyone else is a little taller So I'm going to ask Nanette to come and speak on board of community service. I'm definitely going to sit pretty far down there Thank you As Daisy said, thank you Nanette's Michael recreation parks director for the city of Santa Rosa and and our Advisory Board you'd never know that probably from its name board of community services Which doesn't show up in our department title But it's recreation parks all things from a to z. It's one advisory group that is going to run the gamut from aquatics sports youth programs senior programs the golf course they look at all the recreation parks issues and and None of the issues are a direct decision making but highly sought after for recommendations the board is our touchstone as staff members to say Community members What do you think? You know sometimes as staff we are way too close to always be seeing things clearly And so this board is absolutely vital to keep us connected to the community To citizens to residents and so that's how The the the charge could be varied at any meeting like I said it runs the gamut but we bring things such as park master plans for Consideration and recommendation that moves on to the city council We even come in and ask about alterations to parks So maybe over the weekend you you read that the pump track is finally being built in northwest community park Well, it is a grassroots led effort But guess what that group came to the board of community services and said here's our idea And so it that idea was vetted with the board of community services So what I would say if you have an interest in in anything Reckon Park That's the group for you, but it's broad So if all you want to talk about is aquatics every meeting that probably won't take place It's it's very very much the big picture and the continuum of all services to the public The group meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 4 p.m we meet at Finley Community Center and As I said it would be great to have your involvement and so if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to hear Okay, next we're gonna go ahead and Ask Let's see the board of building regulations appeals is that mark Sutterland Hi there, I'm mark Sutterland the chief building official for the city of Santa Rosa I'm also the liaison and the secretary to the board of building regulations appeal That we Laughingly referred to as Bobra The purpose of this board is to establish a mechanism that builders developers owners Contractors can Challenge the decision of the building official or the building inspector regarding Ruling's calls orders notices issued as a part of Building permit activity interpretations of the building code calls in the field for Inspections This allows the public an opportunity to disagree with me We don't agree with your interpretation of the code. So we want to provide an appeal the board is the venue that Will hear this appeal and render an interpretation or their opinion regarding the interpretation of the Technical provisions of the building code the board is not authorized to provide any kind of review or interpretation of the administrative provisions of the building code nor Are they empowered to wave any of the provisions of the building code? They just either agree with the building officials interpretation or they agree with the The appellate's interpretation of the code a secondary purpose for the Bobra board is to provide Appeals of notices and orders issued by the code enforcement unit of housing and community services code enforcement Often will issue notices of violation Failure to abate notice of non-compliance and occasionally Notices in order to abate and or vacate a building and if a property owner Disagrees with the action that code enforcement has taken then they have the right to appeal that action Also to the board of building regulation appeals So the board of building regulation appeals has seven members Currently, we only have four so we have three vacancies and are really interested in having people apply to our board We often have a challenge Getting a quorum to show up for our our hearings at this point all four members have to agree to show up In the in the by-laws it stated that Although it is desirable not required but undesirable that the board be made up of a general contractor a structural or civil engineer specializing in structural work a civil engineer an architect an electrical engineer or electrical contractor a Mechanical engineer or a mechanical contractor or a plumbing contractor. We all this is not Absolutely mandated We will consider the council will consider people who have general construction background and experience And if we happen to get four general contractors, we might well consider all of you Members are appointed by the council the initial appointment is for a period of two years and if you're re-appointed Your reappointment is for four years and you can serve for as long as you want I guess or until the council decides they don't want you anymore We do not have a regular schedule of meetings at this point we meet as needed as appeals are filed We are required by a statute to meet at least once a year and that generally is in the month of July So we call meetings as as They are needed. However, one of the agenda items at our meeting tomorrow is to discuss a more regular schedule of our meeting So that's kind of all the technical stuff at this point I'm going to turn it over to David carpenter our acting chair at the moment to talk about his experience on the board Hi everyone first, I'd like to say it's Kind of a civic privilege to be able to help the city in this way and actually I see the board as a check and balance to a Building the department here actually, we have a number of professionals that work in in cities and jurisdictions all over the west and We're always, you know the building code as thick as it is actually has a lot of areas that are up for interpretation A lot of gray areas So it's really important to have Professionals who know the standard of care that's out there in the world besides just here in Santa Rosa that can take an objective look at it and That's that's a purpose we Hold so we were not like a get-together and talk about what could happen Committee where a committee that hears has hearings You know actual cases will come to us for interpret for our opinion But it's an important part of the city. Thank you So any questions from anyone? So I would encourage all of you to step right up and apply to the Boba board and Encourage all your friends to do the same. Thank you So if I could ask for our board of public utilities Linda Reed Good evening I'm Linda Reed. I'm the acting director of Santa Rosa water Santa Rosa water is water distribution waste water collection We manage the regional water reuse plant for Santa Rosa runner Park Katadi Sebastopol and South Park County Sanitation District and Stormwater and creeks is also part of Santa Rosa water the board of public utilities has The press Democrat often prefaces board of public utilities with the powerful board of public utilities And that is because by City Charter it does have a lot of influence and authority It's not an advisory board. It actually makes decisions It is the managing authority for water wastewater and the water reuse plant for contracts for day-to-day operations And it makes recommendations to the city council for rates and fees So anytime we have a rate hearing that has been vetted by the full board of public utilities and recommended so each of The board of public utilities members is appointed by one city council member They do meet on a regular basis the first and third Thursday of the month that 130 here in the council chambers and our regular meetings are televised just like the council meeting is so you can go back and look at previous Board meetings and see what types of things they weigh in on By Charter we do have to have one engineer on the board typically will have an engineer or two We typically also have an attorney or two but the general membership is just people who are interested in serving the community and In providing the water wastewater services. It's an extremely important part of life and It's a I think we have our longest term board member has been with the board for over 20 years It's a commitment that people make in addition to the regular meetings. We do have subcommittees So each board member is typically on a Subcommittee and it could be the budget subcommittee. It could be a water use efficiency subcommittee It could be the contract subcommittee And they do put in a fair amount of hours looking at what it is that they are reviewing So it's it's not to be taken very lightly, but it is really important work and Then we did have a question about you know if you want to be influential in the things that the council is Things is important really homelessness housing cannabis infrastructure Rosalind water is major in all of those The stormwater and Creek section is very very heavily involved in our homelessness situation Near the creeks and waterways as far as housing goes you heard Mayor Sorrell talk about density If that's not how we had built our water and sewer mains What do we need in order to provide the appropriate water and sewer wastewater collection for an increased density in the downtown area? Cannabis of course cannot happen without water And infrastructure is what we're all about so We've been holding a series of town hall meetings Eight of them when you'll hear about those when the cab comes to talk about to you But one the thing we're talking about there is infrastructure and the capital improvement program and water has a very robust capital improvement program and the board is very involved in that so they become experts in groundwater and groundwater sustainability agencies and Emergency supplies and earthquake zones. So there's an awful lot of very interesting things that you would get involved with if you're a member of the board And I think that's what I've got for you and I'd be happy to entertain any questions Well right now we have all seven members Appointed but as you know the council is turning over and so each council member appoints a board member And so there will be new opportunities and one of our board members is running for council So there's that possibility that there will be turnover there as well Okay, so if I can ask community advisory board Danielle Good evening everyone. My name is Danielle ron's house in and I'm the community engagement coordinator for the city as well as the Community advisory board or cab staff liaison Just to give you a little bit of history about cab The cab was created by the city charter in 2003 and the purpose of the cab is really to seek input and feedback From residents throughout the city of Santa Rosa on a variety of city matters The focus area of cab was established by the charter And they're their focus really is on the following which makes up a bulk of their work plan And these are issues of concern to residents of the city Currently this year those there's actually two concerns that the cab is focusing on which includes housing for all and homelessness and the creation of community gardens Another focus area of the cab is budget priorities for capital improvement projects, which Linda actually just talked about the cab's role in this is actually Putting together a series of eight town hall meetings throughout the city, which is happening currently We do have a flyer up there on the table We encourage everyone to take one or take a few and hand them out to your family friends and neighbors We have four left including one coming up this Saturday, October 15th from 12 to 1 30 p.m At the Roseland elementary library in the Roseland neighborhood There's going to be free lunch free child care and free Spanish translation services so we really encourage everyone to come listen to the brief presentation and Participate in an active dialogue with both cab and city staff Another focus area of the cab is participation in neighborhood planning meetings So this is really the community outreach and community engagement Portion of what cab does they attend community events community group and neighborhood association meetings To see what's going on throughout the city and what are concerns of the residents here And then the last two strengthen public involvement process This year the cab is focusing on the open government Work that the open government task force began back in 2014 and helping staff me Review of the draft Open government ordinance that we've been working on and then finally building community Which is really relating to our community improvement grants Which I'm actually going to hand over to our cab chair Tanya to talk a little bit more about and she'll cover membership as well Danielle's gonna put our the city website for the cab up and I as a general Suggestion or recommendation for anyone who's considering joining one of the boards are applying the city's website is a great resource for you So for example when you see the cab webpage, you can see who the members of the board currently are you can see past Meeting agendas and minutes we put information out there about our community improvement grant process when that Process kicks kicks in in the spring So it's a great resource if you're just curious about what is this board all about what? Do they have on their agenda so I would highly recommend that you take a look of course at the cab because I hope that many people will Apply to be a part of our great board But if if water or parks and rec is more of your interest then I'm sure you can check those parts of the website out and get information there A couple other things I wanted to say in terms of the work that we do as a board We tend to be viewed as a sounding board for city staff And so we have the great opportunity to learn a lot about what's happening in the city across all the different departments So for example over the last year we've had presentations made to the board on the Roseland annexation and the planning process that's been underway in Roseland We've heard a lot about the housing for all Initiative and in fact the cab was so excited about what the city is doing around housing that we chose to focus on housing as one of our Issues that we're going to work on doing outreach and gathering feedback and and inputs from community members and sharing those with the council We have we heard a presentation on the neighborhood streets initiative and had a chance to weigh in and provide our inputs to staff in terms of How best to prioritize the funding that was available for that for that initiative? So it was really a great role for the cab to play there And then the grant program is something that is really one of the great joys of being on the board because this is an Annual process that we are responsible for where community members can apply for small grants usually about a thousand dollars up to a thousand dollars For neighborhood improvement projects and the goal of the program is to help community members Realize something that they'd like to see happen in their neighborhood So I love to do tours of the city on on foot and I can see many of the projects that have been funded by cab grants So for example if you walk down, I think it's Maple Avenue near Highway 12 You'll see a beautiful mural there that was funded a number of years ago by a grant We've had community neighborhood groups put up bulletin boards benches Purchase equipment for neighborhood preparedness emergency preparedness So really your imagination is your only limit in terms of the kinds of things that neighborhoods Proposed to to build community and that's a really fun process to be a part of in terms of our Membership were I think one of the larger if not the largest board. We have 14 members when we're fully staffed And seven of those members represent regions of the cities and seven are pointed at large So we represent north northeast northwest south southeast southwest and core Each council member appoints two cab members one regional and one at large and the term of each cab member as with other boards Aligns with the appointing council member so at the end of this year because of the council turnover will have four spots open on the cab and Depending on how the elections turn out. We may have an additional four spots So lots of opportunity to participate on the board and would really encourage everyone to consider it We also meet once per month Although we also have subcommittees. We are a very ambitious board I would say and we have a big work plan for the year so We have subcommittees that have formed to take some of that work and have it happen outside of the regular monthly meeting So we welcome community members You're welcome to come sit in on a meeting We're the fourth Wednesday of the month at 5 30 also at the Finlay Center and I think that's all I wanted to say Daniel one really quick plug for the next cab meeting we will have our Director our IT director Eric McHenry Coming to talk to the cab as well as members of the public who attend about our newly redesigned website So you'll be giving the cabin overview of that and then asking cab for their feedback and recommendations On that so there'll be a really great opportunity See what the city is up to as far as communicating with the public through their their website So now we will turn it over to you for questions I'm gonna ask Patrick a streeter to come down. He's gonna speak on two boards on the cultural heritage board and design review board Thank you. Hi, I'm Patrick Streeter I'm a planner with the Department of Planning and Economic Development here at the city and The cultural heritage board is a decision-making body made up of about or made up of seven members each one pointed by a member of the City Council and the members are typically anyone who's interested in archaeology or has an expertise in archaeology architectural history or cultural resources in general and The board's primary purpose is to review alterations to historic buildings But also changes that happen within the city's many historic preservation districts So Santa Rosa has a rich history for historic neighborhoods and as Mayor Sawyer was talking about earlier A lot of development is taking place in those neighborhoods such as railroad square with the train coming in So it's very important that the board review projects that are in development for how well they tie into the the cultural significance of those distant different districts, but also with the forward thinking vision for the city In addition to reviewing proposed projects and historic districts the culture heritage board also looks at Recommending designation of landmarks as well as additional preservation districts throughout the city and also generally promoting public awareness about preservation issues The meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the month typically But the obligation would involve both the first and the third Wednesday of each month as as Development projects come forward. So when needed we do have two meetings a month Yep, and basically most of the decisions made by the culture heritage board are based on the succinctly named Processing review procedures for owners of historic properties It's a set of guidelines that kind of points points the review of projects in the right direction talking about What's important for for the city as far as the vision that we have for these these cultural resource districts So with that are there any questions about the CHB Right now, I believe we have the full board, but as has been repeated throughout the night We are in the process of council turnover. So openings would appear So moving on to the design review board it is Analogous to the culture heritage board, but it takes place for any any non-exempted projects throughout the city so typically as David Geun said earlier single-family homes wouldn't be subject to design review But most other projects including multi-family homes commercial buildings Those are subject to design review in the city's planning processes. So again, the design review board or the DRB is another seven member board with each member appointed by the council and and the design review board is made up of Architects landscape architects. There's typically an engineer on on board as well as a member of the community at large with some interest in in development within the city so a connection to the construction industry perhaps and The purpose of the design review board is really to implement the city's vision for streetscapes and for superior design So in addition to our zoning regulations, the city also has a general plan Which paints a vision for what the city should look like in the coming years So the design review board is looking at individual projects as they come forward for how well they are consistent with that general plan how they implement the Various means of superior design and how they implement other smaller or more directed plans like the bike and ped master plan That was discussed or the city-wide Creek master plan or we have Specific plans for certain sections of the city that will have an envision Envision a certain certain type of streetscape or certain types of neighborhoods So that's what the design review board is really looking into is how well a proposed development is aligned with those goals and visions for The city and if necessary how the development can be directed in such a way that they do reflect those visions The design review board meets twice a month. It's on the first and third Thursday of the month in the afternoon Typically 1 30 p.m. But it could be later in the afternoon depending on the size of the agenda and as was mentioned the the designer view board looks at individual projects and Specifically they're considering the location the design the configuration of any development as well as the overall effect that that Development would have on surrounding properties and the city in general and Mayor Soria had mentioned earlier certain projects are now becoming Permitted by right so as we have a better idea of what we'd like to see being developed in the city We try to implement those plans through our zoning code so that for instance A commercial building in the downtown area would be permitted by right So it wouldn't have any land use issues It wouldn't need any kind of permitting in that sense But we still want to make sure it's designed in a way that reflects the neighborhood and reflects the vision for the city so the designer view board has a lot of Authority for projects that might not see any other public process as they're being approved So it's a it's an important role to to look at the design of these projects It also ties in with the California Environmental Quality Act So the designer view board would be acting on the environmental review for projects and so it would be the only the only board with a a decision-making discretionary review of a project and On that note, are there any questions related to the design review board? and It is also a full board in case that question was going to come up, but again the turnover is coming up Thank you. Okay. Thank you and housing authority David Hi everybody So the housing authority has seven members five are appointed at large by the council So it's one of those boards where you interview in front of the full council and are appointed rather than individually And then the other two members have to be a tenant commissioner They have to be a recipient of the housing choice voucher program Also go through the interview process appointed by the full council so if you're a person interested in the housing choice voucher program or Affordable housing finance. This is the commission for you. So a voucher is we're basically a contractor of the federal government We receive roughly enough vouchers to help 2,000 households live in Santa Rosa It's a $24 million operation. There's some discretion with the use of the vouchers You can have them be applied to the family so they can go and find their own place to live It could be applied to a development which would be then called project base and it becomes part of the affordable housing finance and the other big Role the housing authority has is with the affordable housing finance So if you're interested in real estate transaction how real properties purchased how it's evaluated by developers to see if it can Be used for affordable housing the different loans that are woven together to create excuse me create the lower-interest loan environment and the developers qualifications property manager qualifications everything and all things about Getting units up to help this community. That would be the affordable housing finance side The department touches a lot of things in the housing for all goal or we're tasked with rent Stabilization we're tasked with homelessness. We're tasked with housing fraud in partnership with Planning and economic development, but the policy board known as the housing authority Current role is in those two areas. I describe vouchers and finance So with that be happy to answer any questions The department would have a role it would be up to the council to decide whether they want to delegate that to the housing authority But currently they it's with the city council The housing authority looks at facilities. So one of the things we do under finance is to look at we call it special needs so we might look at Acquiring or rehabbing facilities to become homeless shelters, but not the operation of or the policy and Phil Olson's here tonight if you have any questions. He's been on the commission now for ten years. So We have a full board like like you just heard from Patrick, but some members are up for a renewal and Encourage everyone to apply Thanks and measure o oversight board. It's a Debbie Lochner. Thank you Good evening. So the measure o oversight board is really An oversight board to make sure that we're spending the measure o taxes according to how the voters authorized us to spend them The measure o is a special tax that was given to us by the voters in 2004 it is split among three programs police fire and gang prevention intervention services and The measure o oversight committee looks at the overall Implementation plan make sure that that is in accordance with the ordinance that was approved by the voters We meet twice a year sometimes more often if we have an implementation plan change but twice a year wants to approve the budget and wants to approve an annual report that goes forward for council the Committee really is just making sure that we are spending the money according to what is outlined in the ordinance So there are seven members each council appoints one So we're likely going to have between two and four new members this coming year. So that's So person outboard Ronda Good evening My name is Rhonda McKinnon. I'm the interim HR director and next to me is the chair of the personnel board Alex Malone You got it, right? Hi everybody, I'm the chairman of the board as you can see from the Documents in front of you. We have five members appointed by the full board two of them are recommended by labor organizations Members within the city typically what we do is hear appeals of grievances either discipline or contract Probably the only piece of information. It's not here that you might be interested in is our hearings by our rules Each side has two hours a piece. So they go about four hours plus deliberation time. That's a maximum So it's usually about half a day The good news is we average about one a year And we've had ours for this year. So we're good There are no openings currently But I expect as everybody else has noted with the changes in the board or the city council or maybe changes on the board Because some of us the terms our terms will be expiring We could use some new faces. I've been on the board 13 years. I am in the middle in terms of seniority so And we have struggled to get people so we certainly encourage people to apply and I'm without it Either of us would be happy to answer any of your questions That's what we thought Thank you And now if I can ask for Planning Commission Claire Hartman Yes, good evening. My name is Claire Hartman I'm the deputy director for planning and planning and economic development And I have the privilege of supporting the planning commission and I have for several years and it never gets old It's always fun, but it is a lot of hard work But we have a team that supports the planning Commission, so luckily I don't have to do this on my own We have an assistant city attorney assigned to support each and every planning commission meeting Sue Gallagher We have Sandy bliss our secretary. She does great support work for our commission And we've had the benefit of having a chair Patty Cisco for many many years supporting the planning Commission and steering the ship Through many many hearings and controversial issues, so It's seven member board each elected by a member of the city council There's no current vacancies, but as others have noted Opportunity is knocking in the future We do meet twice a month regularly in the council chambers here We start at four o'clock and we often work until about eight o'clock Occasionally there's an extra long meeting for more controversial projects or policy issues But we we regularly meet twice a month It's the second and the fourth Thursdays of each month The main purpose of the planning commission is to support the city council in terms of land-use policy So our key policy documents our resources is the general plan our specific plans We have a downtown station area specific plan We also have a north station area specific plan and one of the Specific plans currently going through the process and was recently supported by the planning Commission is the Roseland specific plan another important resource tool for our planning commissioners is the zoning code and the zoning code sets the Identifies where land uses land uses can locate in the city depending on each zoning district It also sets development standards in terms of parking and setbacks and height So in terms of the actions that the planning Commission looks at They act on conditional use permits So conditional use permits are the permit that you need when the land use is conditionally permitted meaning It's likely Supportable, but under certain circumstances or conditions attached to the to the land use. We also look at subdivisions which is basically dividing up a Parcel into many different Smaller parcels in terms of residential development And also some commercial projects or non-residential projects That are either located on hillsides. So hillside development permit or that need a major use permit for the type of use like a community care facility And the the commission also is Engaged in doing amendments to the general plan Occasionally we have requests to do amendments to the general plan or to the zoning code and they also weigh in on that In those cases they are making a recommendation to the city council So they're not the final action on that but they they weigh in and they hold a public hearing and they make a recommendation That then moves on to the city council so this year just to give you an idea of the actions that the commission was responsible for It's been a lot of housing They support council goals in terms of prioritizing housing particularly housing with affordable components to it but several hundreds of housing units were approved by the planning commission Fox hollow stony village Grove Village and The like and also weighing in on several land use policies So I already talked about Rosalind and that's on its way to the city council another action that was of interest and the commission weighed in on was our inner our interim medical cannabis cultivation policy that was passed in April of this year and actually they Just this last week or the week before that they were acting on the very first use permit for medical cannabis Cultivation facility, so you don't only get to make the policy you actually get to implement it sometimes And so they saw a full circle that and also in the future. They will be instrumental in helping shape the comprehensive medical cannabis policy, so that's will be in this this next year Or maybe even by the end of this year some of the policy work that they'll be responsible for It is a lot of work if chair Cisco is here. She wishes she could be here What she wants members to know is that it's a big commitment? We are dedicated to two meetings per month with several hours of each of those hearings. It's a lot to read You get the packets on the Thursday before so one week before And it sometimes has volumes of community input It also has a staff report a lot of technical studies a lot of environmental documents like traffic studies and noise analysis And so you'll spend a good portion of that week reading through your packet And if you have questions, you're we can answer them at the meeting or we you can send them to the Commission support staff and we'll make sure we are as prepared as you are for the public hearing and One of the reasons for that is because this is an action-oriented Commission So when projects and policy decisions come to the Commission the orientation is to act to Hear all that is before you and not ask for more time, but actually Make a decision based on the information that has been provided to you and the time that you have to look at it But because it's a very productive Commission that is that is the orientation of it And a lot of communication this room is often full of the public Pro or again sometimes both and so it's a very engaging process So you don't only get letters, but you you'll get a lot of public comments that you'll weigh through And there's also a lot of communication that happens between staff in the Commission and amongst the Commissioners at the meeting so Words of advice for this Commission is be prepared, but be open as we're all Learning new information sometimes at the hearing So looking at next year or you know opportunities that as a new member you'd be Potentially interested in helping as a Commissioner. We're going to be working on our density bonus ordinance making some amendments to that to see if Under certain circumstances or criteria we could increase the density Beyond 35% bonus looking at second dwelling units and our policies about second units to see if there's a way to we can incentivize them Make add more flexibility in the standards Again the comprehensive medical cannabis policy will be coming before the Planning Commission and Also some reform or I should say refreshing of our hillside development ordinance and design review ordinance and with that will have at least a couple of Joint sessions combined sessions with our design review board So collaborating across different boards to see what are some improvements that we can make toward those existing ordinances That makes it more clear the intent more clear and also the application more consistent And like Patrick had noted does the smart development and courthouse square Renification has really attracted a lot of energy in terms of our investment community our development community So there will be a quite a bit more housing and non residential development in our downtown areas and the Commission may very well Be a part of that We do have two subcommittees waterways committee and the and the subdivision committee the subdivision committee As a as a member of the commissioner is the smaller parcel maps. I think it's more than four Goes to the planning Commission if it's less than that we do it We still have a public hearing, but it's one commissioner the planner and the engineer So that's an opportunity to sit on that subcommittee and also the waterways committee, which you'll hear about next Any other questions or any questions for me? Okay Thank you and waterways advisory committee Lisa Kranz Good evening everyone as indicated. I am Lisa Kranz. I am the liaison to the waterways advisory committee I work in the planning and economic development department the waterways advisory committee was created by council resolution in 1995 and its main purpose is to review development projects and public and private improvement projects adjacent to Santa Rosa's creeks and waterways and one of the main charges of that group is to ensure Consistency with the city's policy documents including the general plan and the citywide Creek master plan In fact one of its main documents that it uses is the citywide Creek master plan And this particular document includes detailed policies regarding Santa Rosa's creeks of which there are about a hundred miles in our city area and It's goal is to ensure that our creeks are healthy that they provide habitat for wildlife Our document also calls for enhancing and restoring creeks and adding recreational opportunities adjacent to creeks in the form of trails and other amenities as well There are nine members on the waterways advisory committee Five of those are elected or appointed officials two of our members are from the city council One member as Claire mentioned is from the planning commission another is from the design review board and Lastly from the board of community services and these representatives are appointed by their individual boards But then we also have four at-large members and those are appointed by the full city council After application and interview so you would be interviewed by the full city council and actually we have one at-large vacancy currently on the waterways advisory committee The meetings are held quarterly or more often if we have a development project That is needing comments from the waterways advisory committee at that point We would meet monthly if we have the need to do so the meetings are on the fourth Thursday of the month at 9 a.m. In room 7 at city hall So that's a conference room that's right across the courtyard here and the committee provides comments on Development projects that it reviews so it provides those comments then to the decision-making body So it doesn't have decision-making authority itself. So it will make Comments on development projects to be considered by the design review board or the planning commission or the city council One of the fun things about the board is we do take field trips In fact, we have a field trip this week where we will be looking at Creeks in terms of the impacts of homeless encampments. So as mentioned, I think by Linda and others one homelessness is an issue and homeless encampments and Trash and impacts on the creek that are left behind by those are real impact So the waterways committee and other committees actually will be getting a hands-on look at those impacts Other resources to the committee Include the general plan the design guidelines the zoning code and the bicycle and pedestrian master plan You've heard about all of those already this evening So all of those are tools that are utilized in the comments that the waterways advisory committee makes on the development projects and other improvement projects that it reviews and Phil Olson was here unfortunately He had to leave he is one member of our Waterways advisory committee in terms of an at-large member and he would tell you that this is one of the more fun committees That you might be a part of at the city So with that are there any questions? Thank you. Okay. Well, thank you so much for being here and Yes Sure Yeah, that's a good question. So agendas and minutes and if there are any supporting Documentations to any of the agenda items It would be provided on the website And we actually went over the process earlier today So I can definitely go through that with you if you're interested To looking at every one of them one of the things that we're looking to do is Centralize our agenda and minutes process so that way we can just go to one link and then you have a list of all the boards commissions and committees and Also have the application process all available in one one site, but yes Any other questions? All right. Well, thank you so much. Have a wonderful night