 Lawn and I were talking about the 49ers and a much different way than Jennifer is talking about the 49ers. Y'all set? You're ready. Thank you. All right, we'll go and call the order. Do you want to call the roll? Yes. Council Member Fleming, Mayor Rogers. Present. And Chair Rogers. Here. He let the record reflect that all council members are present with the exception of council member Fleming. All right, we've got some minutes from December 6th. Did you have any changes to this? Let's go to public comment. See if anybody had any corrections on the minutes from December 6th. All right, seeing none. We'll show those adopted as presented unless there's objection. Let's go to public comment for non agenda items. Yes, I have something. Yeah, please do. Right here. Okay. Yep. My name is Dwayne DeWitt. I'm from Roseland. I've been following these kinds of topics for decades. There's a little shirt to see that University of British Columbia up in Canada. They're big on trees and thinking about this shirt up there. Trees are my life. So over in Roseland, we got some trees left and I've been talking about how to save them for years. This is a US EPA document from 1992 to 32 years ago, pointing out how to do tree planting and light colored surfacing to have cooling our communities. All right. So I picked that up along the way because we were talking about how do we save these trees and then get even more trees in our area. Most of you may not know this, but there actually used to be a scenic roadway in Roseland on Burbank Avenue. And we worked on it for like 20 something years. Got it to be called a scenic roadway about 20 years ago. Then a school district put a school over there and cut down most of the trees and everything's changed up. But the reason I bring it up is because in this document from the EPA 30 something years ago, they pointed out that researchers have found the trees in urban areas can significantly enhance our sense of wellbeing. And that's a really important thing as you go with climate action and climate adaptation. People need to know that they're going to have a spot where they can get a break from the heat. The Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the Regional Climate Protection Authority put out this recent document. And they're looking into funding for climate work and they're doing different things along these ways. Natural climate solutions. It's really kind of basic. How about we just save all the trees we have and plant more and then the ones that come down, we replace them. So we'd really like to see that start to happen over along an area in our neighborhood called Rosen Creek. And basically each of the developments that's coming forward, they're taking the trees down because that's how you develop. They try to clear all the land flat and then go in and put new stuff in and then you plant trees and you wait 30, 40 years to get the positives. I'd like for you folks at this committee to at least look at the idea of saving the trees. There used to actually be some construction methods where they protected trees instead of them cutting them down like they did just now for what they call Burbank Avenue apartments. They destroyed or grow redwoods. Not good. Thank you for your time. Thank you Dwayne. Anybody else for public comment? All right. We'll move on then to department reports. Great. Wanted to let you know from the water department that staff has begun planning for our Earth Day event on April 20th. And it's the usual time from 12 to four in courthouse square and we'll have live performances and talk about ways to go green. There will be the usual kids activities and of course local food and drink. And then in April we'll have staff coming before Council and BPU to provide the full regular presentation with all the wonderful details. So just wanted to give you a heads up that our work has begun on that. Great. Thank you. So if there's any comment on the department report. Yes. We got an Earth Day over in Roseland also and last year the mayor of Santa Rosa came out and spent two hours along Roseland Creek helping us out. That's as rare as chicken's teeth folks. That was amazing. So thank you very much. We'll be doing it again 10 to 12 so anybody can come from there by their bicycle of course over here for your downtown Santa Rosa events. Thank you kindly. Thank you Dwayne. Let's go on to then item 5.1. All right. Great. Today 5.1 we have the parking division electric vehicle projects update and that'll be presented by Chad Hedge the parking manager and finance department. We will need your help. They should have watched you Claire. And then you can use that. Thank you. Good afternoon. Mayor Rogers Councilman Rogers. I'm just going to talk a little bit briefly about the projects that are coming forward with parking regarding the EV implementation. Pretty excited about some things we have going on. So we've got to two major projects going on right now a lot 10 which is a lot right behind Russian Riverbury. We've got a project that's been approved through PG&E been approved through the city attorney's office. We've got the EV chargers ordered and they're on their way and we're waiting on a switch gear but we got approved funding through the PG&E rule 29 program. They're going to pay to upgrade the service put in a new transformer than city staff electrical and parking. We're going to work on getting the EV chargers installed. So we're hoping by maybe mid summer we're going to be able to have 12 or six dual port level to EV chargers in that lot available for public use. So that that's going to be a really really good thing. We originally had a project plan for a lot 10 that we were going to completely redo the lot. But with funding and other concerns and we would end up losing some spaces and then the original plans didn't include any kind of EV infrastructure. We've kind of pivoted to where we work with PG&E and now we're going to redo the lot make it prettier but also have 12 EV chargers that would be a good one. Garage nine which is the garage right here behind us also through PG&E through the EV fleet program. We're able to get some additional resources. They're also going to upgrade the infrastructure install a new transformer and we're going to have once again six dual port level to EV chargers installed in that garage. Those will be specifically for fleet use because it's far to the EV fleet program. But until we have until 2029 to purchase the to replace parking vehicles based on their grants. So until then they can be used for public use but at a certain point they'll be cut off and only be allowed for fleet use. We've been working on this since 2019 where we allocated the funds to redo the entire lot. And once I once again although the engineered plans had conduit in the ground for future EV implementation. They didn't correlate with any of the existing transformers or where we thought we'd want to put the chargers so we ultimately we would have had to dig it all up and start over regardless. And then the garage nine when once again we've had this project jail created for this project we do improvements on the garage as often as possible. But we were able to find the funds to PG&E to go ahead and help us push through with this EV fleet program which is for us huge we parking we only have 13 total vehicles so for us being so small it's going to be really easy. To get our infrastructure in place for our vehicles unlike other departments who have way more than 13 vehicles. And since I spoke started this it actually was been approved. The garage 12 one is not so garage 12 is the Roxy theater garage. I sent over an agreement with with Tesla. It's it's an approver in a being a evaluated right now. So Tesla because they don't have any large. There were any large supercharger stations in the city of Santa Rosa. They would 100% fund the entire project to pay for any kind of PG&E upgrades will do all the application. They'll install all of the chargers. We don't have to do anything but but do city permitting get to that point. So we're kind of seeing if that works if that works and we can go from having right now parking has nine chargers between Courthouse Square. But we can end up with 102 EV public use chargers funded with very little money ready ready to go. Well, I'm keeping up on that one to see how that comes out with everything that's going on. Even if it comes back PG or Tesla and PG&E on their timetable now. So I got to wait till they say they have the time to know schedule these projects but big point we've always tried to do parking as we're talking about these things is we understand the big push is always to reduce the the VMT is the vehicle miles traveled right we understand the GHG reduction strategy. We understand the cities, the county and the state are focusing really hard on the climate action plans and developments are coming in with no parking requirements because we want to try to get more people out on the ground but we also want to try to get more availability for EV chargers before this whole before we get too far down the road. I think some of the things that we were going to benefit by going this direction that kind of tie into the MTC funded study that we're doing. And that what you better utilize them. I don't like talk about that we finally got the grant funding from from MC MTC this week, I just found out about this and so we were notified that a group called Sam Schwartz consulting engineers is going to start in two weeks with this study and evaluation. We didn't know when the money was going to come because last time I spoke with MTC they thought I wouldn't get it started until late summer. So this is exciting for us but this study is going to incorporate everything and I've been talking with TP and W they got a study coming on to add more bike lanes and things like that so we're going to try to do it together but we need to utilize what we have a little bit better especially as all the changes coming in. Downtown whether we're talking about garages lots or street parking, we need to use them better and adjust to the new normal reduce the GHGs and VMTs, ensure the implementation of the EV charger for public and fleet use. If I can get the Tesla thing going I think we're going to be ahead of the curve and we'll be able to focus less on that because we'll be web more than enough facilities. I think we can use our facilities a little bit better. The parking facilities as far as maybe opening up to not just a parking facility, a dark parking facility but maybe community events, maybe spaces for theaters, movie night weekends or a park on top. I think there's tons of options although it doesn't sound exciting when I say it but I think there's a lot of things that we can do with our garages to better suit the city. Streamline operations to improvement to aging facilities. I think everybody in the city is kind of figure out a way how we can improve our facilities and bring them up to current standards and also make sure it's a benefit to the city. The community outreach is going to be significant with this study because of where we're at now compared to three years ago. We don't, we're not, we can utilize our spaces better to accompany what the new focus of the city is going to be. So just going forward and as part of this big MTC study we're doing with the multiple community engagement meetings and stakeholders, city stakeholders, anybody who wants to be involved or needs to be involved. You know we want to really focus on what the concern is regarding parking, right. We want to discuss interactions, guests and business owners, what do they want, what do they look to see when they come downtown, how can we help them out. What's the need and depending on the Tesla thing for more EV chargers and infrastructure upgrades, just because we get some down here. It doesn't touch railroad square doesn't touch anywhere outside of the downtown area which is which is outside of my purview but how can it be incorporated to where this can be a destination to know that there's tons of EV chargers and we have maybe micro mobility station set up more of the scooter bike share set up transit option set up so we can get people down here they'd love to travel around. And then just how how what options when we talk to these community meetings what what's required to gain the support of the businesses and stakeholders and things like that as far as we're going to go and when we start having these bigger, bigger conversations about the study. And then I think yes I'll have my contact information. And that's all I have on that EV implementation. All right, any questions. You come very great news. Good. Love it. Also when you were talking about the better utilization of our existing facilities. The Mary Lou reveal over in the city hall, the parking lot. I was thinking when we have that like why don't we use our facilities more for community events and things like that. Yeah, I think that your department is definitely right on the money. I appreciate a lot of questions I got to get figured out but thank you. For lot 10 you for the other lots you kind of mentioned Tesla was going to be the operator for for their charge stations. Who's the operator going to be for a lot 10 the city park. So we'll be the city and we will own and operate the chargers in those two. And the reason. So Tesla reach out to me I guess that was nine. There's going to be nine chargers there. And a lot 10 there'll be six dual port chargers same and same in garage nine. If we go through with Tesla, I can get up to 120 chargers, but we're probably looking 90 to 120 or we can adjust that down. So will be will the charge stations themselves then be free for people to use? Or is the city going to come up with a mechanism for charging people for the electricity. My assumption because we haven't got anything approved yet from Tesla is that it will be the set up the same as the charge point right now. Oh, no, sorry, I mean for a lot 10. Oh, it'll be the same as it'll be. It'll be paid by the same as the ones in courthouse where I think it's $2 to start your charge and then at first four hours I think is free and then $10 per hour after those four hours. But I think the ones on courthouse where I think are charge point, right? Correct. Yeah, so is so charge points going to do a lot 10 correct. Okay, got you. Rod's nine. Cool. Yeah. Okay. Have you talked with Sonoma Clean Power at all about this yet? Yeah, we've had a lot of conversations with Brandt, talking a lot about that. They're very excited about it. They've helped me apply for different communities and charge grants that could help offset the cost. Great. So they've been a great resource. Cool. And then have you had discussions with the businesses that are served by lot 10 about any potential disruptions or what that timeline might look like? I have. So on the Russian River, we've had a lot of conversations that she brought all the business owners in including the business manager or the facility manager. Back when we started talking about the construction. Yeah. So they're pleased because originally we were going to shut down the entire lot to do a project whereas now there'll be very little impact and they'll get charges out of this. So they're extremely excited. They're glad it's not going this way. The one thing that they asked is make sure I look out for pining the odor and do not disrupt that. I respect that. Yeah. Yeah. Cool. All right. Let's see if there's any questions from the public. All right. All right. Thanks so much. I'm really looking forward to it. I think, I think if we can get to the point where we can boast that we have 100 electric vehicle chargers downtown. So my wife and I, we drive an electric vehicle and there are specific spots that it does lead to economic development when we're on our way to Sacramento and have to stop in Backerville for a few minutes and stop off in the businesses that are there. So I think being able to market downtown as an EV friendly place is a great thing for us. I agree. Thank you very much. Let's go to item 5.2. Item 5.2. FEMA flood risk mapping project. So from a very good item to a probably perhaps a little bit more depressing item. Opportunity. The city to adapt the climate change. So we've got Claire Myers or stormwater and creeks manager from Santa Rosa water and Jesse Oswald, chief building official planning. They're on one economic development department. No, no, one. Oh, that's why. But because each car has a different type of plug. Different types. You can tell I don't have a Tesla. Well test is a third different type. It's its own part. Yeah. So then will other people besides Tesla be able to charge on the hundred and two charging stations or just Tesla. Not on the chargers. So a lot of the companies have just reached an agreement with Tesla, so that their new cars that are coming in will also be able to. Sorry, we're so excited about the charging. Yeah. Well, good afternoon. Thank you so much for joining us today. I'm so excited to be here. And thank you for having us to speak about a topic that has great relevance for climate, climate, climate resilience and adaptation in Santa Rosa. We're here today to discuss FEMA's flood risk mapping project for the Santa Rosa Creek watershed. I'm here with Jesse Oswell today, our floodplain administrator. And today we'll just provide you an overview of the project. What it is. Project benefits and impacts. We'll go over FEMA's project timeline. And also how Santa Rosa water. And then we'll talk about how we can do that. So we'll just provide you an overview of the project. What it is. Project benefits and impacts. We'll go over FEMA's project timeline. And also how Santa Rosa water planning and economic development and communications and intergovernmental relations are working together to ensure a really comprehensive public outreach. So we'll start by explaining the foundation of the project. What is flood risk mapping and simply put it's FEMA's maps that show areas that have a high likelihood of flooding. More specifically, FEMA is using modeling data to identify flood hazard areas that have a 1% chance of flooding, also known as a 100 year flood. And basically the mapping creates a series of statistical lines that identify flood risk on a parcel by parcel basis within a watershed. So for this study. FEMA's developing the maps for the Santa Rosa Creek watershed. As we've said, you can see the boundaries of this watershed on the map that we've provided here. Or within that purple line. The analysis includes Santa Rosa Creek and all its key tributaries, which encompass most of the city, which is the gray outline. And then, as well as some unincorporated areas in Sonoma County. So why is this important because in order for property owners and also for this city to make decisions on how to best mitigate risk we really need to know what that risk is. So areas for high flood risk can help property owners make decisions about things like land use, purchasing appropriate insurance to mitigate losses in a flood event, and helping the city identify capital improvement projects for us to better protect our community. I'm going away now. Because flood risks change over time and new and better data become available. When new flood risks and data identified FEMA will start the process of updating their flood maps. There's no set timeline for revising flood maps, and they typically occur when more accurate engineering information becomes available, either through a FEMA funded restudy or when a community makes new information available to FEMA. So, when it gets more into the details of when this mapping starts happening and at the current point we're definitely preliminary but eventually we're going to have this well defined area of these these 1% or greater chance of flooding. So, when we have that happen they're identified and FEMA has very specific criteria and how they're identified and then what happens afterwards. So, depending on where these properties are, and what someone might do with the property is or talking post map adoption with some of this information here. It becomes much more stringent to develop in a identified flood hazard area and insurance rates do do increase. Fortunately, you both voted on an ordinance less than two years ago that updated our local floodplain administrative ordinance that puts us in very good standing with FEMA. There's a FEMA sponsored insurance rate program. In fact, maps are called flood insurance rate maps. So the city is in a good position to leverage assistance through FEMA for folks that are going to need this insurance. So the insurance possibilities and development requirements will significantly change in those areas. And when we get farther down the road, many folks that will be in those areas are going to have a lot of questions that that will defer to realistically the building division when permitting is needed. Those kinds of things. Also, talking about the the FEMA assistance with insurance flood insurance mortgages, generally speaking, you're in a flood zone require flood insurance so there's private insurance that we hear so much about these days and then FEMA has a program also that can be more beneficial than the private insurance path. And again, we're on a really good path already with FEMA. In fact, we're doing a brand new revised update of our ordinance as we speak. Oddly enough, while this is going on, FEMA reached out to me and said send me your latest ordinance so we can verify it meets the federal and state requirements for all of the laws and requirements. So again, some of these things are not necessarily happening because the others happening. Again, much like what Claire was indicating. It's just some of its FEMA's timeline. So, again, the temporary and ongoing impacts staff workload. Definitely, due to this outreach that is going to continue to be more and more robust we're going to get a lot more questions so we're working on already establishing a webpage and contact information for individuals who can answer the questions and make sure folks that do have these questions get to someone who can walk them through what it really could mean to them now. So the first question is going to be, if I end up with this, what's it going to mean to me and then farther down the road. Okay, now I know I'm in this what does it really mean for me so that that's part of this additional impact and then after adoption, significantly more work is involved in developing in those those areas with the extra documentation that folks that are developing have to do and then city staff have to do to confirm compliance with the federal requirements for what has to be done during development. Yeah, again, along what I was saying, because we're getting this out in front folks that may be contemplating doing additional work to a property of their own or even looking at a property of purchase. This will help them make those decisions with as much information as we can give them at least an idea upfront on what it will mean to them. So, again, it helps us in what we're doing now identify those areas that that are likely going to be impacted how do we project for the city itself how do we project for staffing to address those things that will be will be impacted. And then developers again future development whether it be city alone or private developers have tools to make those decisions with. And overall the whole scope of this is to make sure that the safety of our community and citizens is the ultimate outcome that we're after here. So, as far as FEMA project timeline, the flibbers mapping is a multi step multi your process that includes FEMA coordinating with local officials technical staff and the public. Jesse and I will walk you through each of FEMA steps. It's important to note though that throughout the process the city is also going to be needing to communicate with a large number of our stakeholders as well including FEMA and local officials, regional partners and then our impacted community members. So to help our community navigate FEMA's project is Jesse was saying a comprehensive outreach plan was developed by community or sorry communications and intergovernmental relations office with Santa Rosa water and planning and economic development so the first phase of FEMA's process is called discovery. FEMA is currently wrapping up their discovery phase now. And in this phase FEMA is gathering local flood data and institutional knowledge from local agencies. They do this in close coordination with the community to prioritize future mapping to risk assessment and mitigation planning. So the city of Santa Rosa along with some water and the County of Sonoma have been working closely with FEMA already to provide them with data from the Santa Rosa Creek flood study. That was recently completed. And then FEMA will use the local data, as well as their own data in the next phase of the project. So we are just entering this phase to analysis and mapping. As I was saying during this phase FEMA uses the information they gathered during discovery, along with their own data to develop preliminary flood maps for the Santa Rosa Creek watershed. FEMA won't just use the city's flood study. They will take that information and then do their own analysis to develop these preliminary maps. So the work should begin officially on that this month or it has actually begun and it's estimated to take about a year for this analysis and initial mapping process to happen. So the preliminaries get released so that really more refines the boundaries of what we're going to be discussing. And then with FEMA's engagement, we have more, which you can expect a pretty robust support from the city staff and all the stakeholders as well. Those maps get released, they're publicly consumed, that gives the community an opportunity to review and then provide comments, so to speak, much like we do in any of our adoption type processes. So that is the very specific 90-day period. FEMA does have a very specialized criteria on their commenting that our team will be versed on, on what it means when somebody calls and says I want to provide comment on this. We'll provide the links and tools for them to work through FEMA's tools to make sure that those things are done in the appropriate manner. So people are heard, the community is heard accurately. So that's going to be one of our roles is to again inform the public to make sure those tools are available that they're at the ready for us to provide for folks. And again, summer 2025, we'll hope that FEMA can hold to that timeline and we'll have a lot of work between now and then to be ready for that, but it's going to be ongoing. When FEMA sends essentially after the 90-day period, they have a period of time to where they analyze all the data, respond or actually make official responses to any comments that are properly formatted and that they deem that they are required to respond to. Then the maps are literally provided, which sometimes use the mayor are literally sent things directly from FEMA as the mayor, former mayor as well, directly from FEMA saying we have a final determination and here's where you can find the map. So that's when we have that we're almost at the end and then any of that collected data that may amend the map, we're almost to a point where it has to happen by that last stage. And then, again, that's not, you know, anticipating a mid 2025 finish to an early 2026. So that period is when any changes will be happening to that that last data that appears to be the solidified maps. The timeline that FEMA's provided us is quite a range spring 2026 2027 depending on if there are significant changes or not. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out, especially for a community here that is really, I don't know that we could say enjoyed not being in a flood zone for such a long period of time and with all the changes and weather and the data that Claire referred to on what's imposing it, you know, they're, it's going to make significant changes and it'd be very interesting to see how that plays out through the next sense of two years. This is the the pretty early but pretty robust already list of resources we have to get folks engaged. The information sites phone numbers. And this is a combination or the lead agency FEMA their direct contact information that folks can actually go and look up this project already to see what's happening since it's official. And then the city of Santa Rosa, establishing our site, then newsletters people for folks like many of our initiatives can sign up for it for regular updates those kinds of things and we continue to develop a list of FAQs. The team continues to communicate on what have you heard what's your experience with these types of things and what are you hearing and providing, you know, hopefully as much of a robust list as we can to have people help themselves but also, again the contact information for our team to have somebody to be able to reach out to. This is an easy one for me. I have an awful lot. Um, so thank you very much for representation. We have fire zones we have flood zones like people can be involved like issues a lot going on in our beautiful city. My question is, if your house is determined to be in a flood zone, will it decrease the value of your home or like our other. Like one is very bad three is okay, you know, like because we get emails that say you know I'm in a fire zone I can't get insurance I can't sell my house right right because no one can buy get a mortgage on a house if they can't get the insurance so I'm wondering how this will go with the flood even if we do have the theme insurance. So I'll ask if I'll answer from a theoretical perspective it's not something that we have included in much of our research and preparation, but the realism of that is certainly there when we're experiencing it now with fire insurance. We may consider and the team can correct me that we should have a good conversation with the border realtors in our discussions in what this really means I think that would be a really great resource for us. They would be the pros to be able to answer that question for us I believe. Highway supporter residents. Yeah, and I would add to for some of these questions like that FEMA so far has been a really great partner and has offered their staff have offered to come to some of our public meetings and answers some of those those questions that are a little bit outside the realm of our technical expertise, but where they know the answers and they know what other communities have experienced. And so we'll definitely be inviting the staff to be representing at the meetings. I know, sorry, planning banks the stormwater engineer for Santa Rosa, specifically to the insurance flood insurance is federally operated and handled so we don't have the same concern that because they're identifying the flood risk that they'll be rejected or I know that insurance providers are for fire pulling out of California that's not the same concern, because it's all the main program for it's all administered and operated by the federal government. Thank you. Thank you. Bring the engineer always bring the engineer. I think that was a great question. And the only other thing that I'll add is just thinking Congressman Thompson's office for their work. I know that they've been very engaged with FEMA also throughout this whole process and will continue to be. And I know Congressman Huffman doesn't represent Santa Rosa but his, his team has been involved as well. So just want to thank them for that. Go to the public seat there's any public comments. I'll bring it back to say thank you and I know we're going to get more updates as this moves forward in the coming year, I suppose. We have item six that's future agenda items that we've provided for information. Let's see if there's any public comment on item number six. Seeing none, we'll adjourn the meeting. Thank you everybody.