[0:08] Good evening. I'm calling to order the
[0:11] Town of Fairfax Town Council meeting.
[0:13] Today is Wednesday, August 5th,
[0:18] and um
[0:21] like to call to order. And uh do you
[0:23] want to do a roll call, please?
[0:25] >> Yes, Mayor.
[0:27] Council member Blash
[0:29] >> here. Council member Garangelli
[0:31] >> here.
[0:31] >> Council member Kohler
[0:33] >> here. Vice Mayor Ager. Mayor Helman,
[0:37] >> I'm here.
[0:39] And will you join me with the p for the
[0:41] pledge of allegiance, please?
[0:46] » To of the United States of America and
[0:50] to the republic for which it stands, one
[0:53] nation under God, indivisible, with
[0:56] liberty and justice for all.
[1:02] » Thank you. Okay. Um, we had a closed
[1:05] meeting uh that we began at 4:15 this
[1:09] afternoon and there were no findings or
[1:12] no report nothing to report out. Is that
[1:14] correct Janet? Okay.
[1:17] Um, so before we approve the agenda, I'm
[1:21] thinking we want to make uh a tweak
[1:24] which would be to put the presentation
[1:28] celebrating
[1:29] Linda Neil with a proclamation for her.
[1:33] um
[1:36] before
[1:38] public expression before open time.
[1:40] >> I'll make that motion.
[1:42] >> I'll second.
[1:43] >> All in favor?
[1:46] >> I
[1:46] >> Any nays?
[1:49] >> Hearing none. Motion passes. Okay,
[1:52] moving on. Uh I'll read the land
[1:54] acknowledgement. The town council
[1:56] acknowledges that we are located on the
[1:58] unseated ancestral lands of the coast
[2:00] Miwok people of present-day Marin
[2:03] County. We honor with gratitude the land
[2:06] itself and all of its ancestors, past,
[2:09] present, and emerging.
[2:12] Meeting protocol. The mayor or presiding
[2:15] officer shall maintain order at all
[2:18] council meetings. Council members share
[2:20] responsibility for modeling respectful
[2:22] professional conduct to effectively
[2:25] facilitate the meeting and encourage
[2:28] meaningful civic participation.
[2:30] All participants, including council
[2:32] members, staff, members of the public,
[2:35] and remote attendees are expected to
[2:37] engage respectfully. Profane language,
[2:40] personal attacks, ridicule of character
[2:43] or motives, and discriminatory or
[2:46] harassing conduct are not permitted.
[2:50] To ensure all voices can be heard,
[2:52] disruptive behavior, including shouting,
[2:54] repeated interruptions,
[2:56] etc. is not permitted during public
[2:59] comment or council deliberations.
[3:02] Participants are asked to silence their
[3:05] electronic devices.
[3:09] The mayor or presiding officer may issue
[3:11] a reminder or warning to address
[3:13] disruptions. Meetings will adjourn no
[3:15] later than 11 p.m. And at approximately
[3:18] 9:30 p.m., the council will review the
[3:21] agenda to determine which remaining
[3:23] items may be continued.
[3:26] So with that, we shall proceed. Um,
[3:31] town managers report, please.
[3:35] Thank you, mayor. Um, I wanted to give
[3:37] some construction updates on our
[3:39] roadways.
[3:40] >> A little bit louder, please. How's this?
[3:44] A little better. Is this better? Okay,
[3:47] thank you. Um, we currently um we are
[3:50] currently approximately uh a half of the
[3:53] way through the town's project on Park
[3:56] Road, the storm water improvements and
[3:58] paving project. Um, and that is still
[4:00] scheduled to be completed by the end of
[4:02] September. So, [snorts] you may have
[4:04] seen that um uh construction work um
[4:06] happening. The Ros Valley Sanitary
[4:09] District project is wrapping up on the
[4:11] pro um Park Road section and will
[4:14] continue on Merwin for the next uh few
[4:17] more weeks. The schedule for the
[4:19] downtown section on Broadway is being
[4:22] adjusted and updates will be available
[4:24] as details become available. So, I'll
[4:26] bring that back to a future meeting and
[4:28] we also use the newsletter for updates
[4:31] on that. Um and we do have uh links to
[4:34] the project page on our newsletter.
[4:37] Um the West Bray and Al Lima road areas
[4:40] are scheduled to start in early
[4:42] September and the Oak Road area will be
[4:44] completed by the end of February. Um and
[4:48] then uh the Marin Water uh project that
[4:53] I know um everyone has been looking at
[4:56] is on hold and there's currently no
[4:58] estimate of when it will restart. So,
[5:01] just letting you know that um once the
[5:04] Ross Valley Sanitary District project is
[5:08] uh back in downtown, the work uh may
[5:11] require one-way traffic on Broadway near
[5:14] the Bolinus intersection and possibly a
[5:16] closure near Bank Street. Um with
[5:20] traffic detourred through nearby
[5:22] residential streets or onto Sir Francis
[5:24] Drake. Uh we have informed the
[5:27] contractor that if traffic congestion
[5:30] compromises emergency vehicle access,
[5:33] work would have to be suspended until an
[5:35] acceptable alternative is implemented.
[5:38] And uh one option currently under
[5:41] consideration is performing the work
[5:43] that portion of the work during
[5:45] nighttime hours. And of course that
[5:47] comes with other challenges. So um uh
[5:50] being considered fire station 21's
[5:52] remodel is uh underway. Firefighters are
[5:56] currently living in the temporary
[5:58] quarters at the community center. More
[6:00] information on that later um in our
[6:03] discussion tonight. Uh council met uh as
[6:06] you just mentioned in close session
[6:08] earlier tonight to discuss labor negoti
[6:11] negotiations with SEIU. So that process
[6:14] is ongoing. And then I wanted to give
[6:16] you a little preview for the September
[6:19] 2nd council meeting. Um topics will
[6:22] include a badge pinning ceremony for uh
[6:26] the police department newer employees
[6:28] and people who've been promoted. Uh very
[6:31] proud of that. A presentation from the
[6:33] Marin Emergency Services on the Marin
[6:36] Emergency Operations Plan. I know that's
[6:39] of interest for folks. And then uh uh
[6:43] possibly a presentation on the town's
[6:46] fleet electrification plan that we've
[6:48] been working on. So with that,
[6:50] >> you're saying all three of those will be
[6:52] on the September agenda.
[6:54] >> That's the plan. Of course, subject to
[6:56] discussion with the mayor and vice
[6:57] mayor.
[6:59] >> Um, and so, uh, I'll take any questions
[7:02] if you have or just move along.
[7:07] » Just a question. maybe for Kristen, but
[7:10] school's going to start in about a week
[7:12] and a half. And I know the plan is to do
[7:15] slurry on Glen Drive.
[7:19] That is White Hill School. Plenty of
[7:22] parents do drop off pick off pickup. Are
[7:25] we planning on doing the slurry before
[7:28] school starts?
[7:33] I know that it was the original plan,
[7:36] but I do need to follow up with S and
[7:38] Selmo about the schedule of the project.
[7:42] >> Yeah, I think it's going to be very
[7:43] difficult. We'll get a lot of complaints
[7:45] if school has already started. So, just
[7:48] to the extent that you can work around
[7:50] that, that'd be great.
[7:55] » Were you finished, Heather?
[7:57] >> I think Council Member Blash has a
[7:58] question.
[7:59] >> Okay, go ahead, Lisa. Okay, everyone's
[8:01] asking about this. I'm sure we probably
[8:02] don't know, but do we know why Marin
[8:04] Water hasn't restarted?
[8:08] I do. [laughter]
[8:10] They're still waiting to hear back from
[8:14] the rancheria, the great great as far as
[8:17] where they can
[8:20] um appropriately place the artifacts
[8:24] um on the in the watershed. So, they're
[8:27] having a lot of discussions for that.
[8:29] But, um, yeah.
[8:32] >> Thank you.
[8:34] >> And Heather, did you mention the CA
[8:36] Cascade Canyon Bridge project in your
[8:39] >> No, mayor, I did not, but um that is uh
[8:43] starting Marin um parks is starting that
[8:46] project. uh building the bridges there
[8:48] for um people to use the trails and um
[8:52] we have a link on our website and in our
[8:55] newsletters to their project page.
[8:58] >> Great. And a lot of this information is
[9:02] provided in the newsletter. So if you're
[9:03] not subscribed, I highly recommend that
[9:06] you do that. Um okay,
[9:10] future agenda items. I have a handful. I
[9:14] also have a couple of announcements, but
[9:16] I will go down the line and ask if any
[9:19] of my colleagues have future agenda
[9:21] topics.
[9:23] Go ahead.
[9:25] >> I do. Yes. Thank Thank you, Mayor. Um,
[9:27] you know, school's getting ready to
[9:28] start here and a number of of the of the
[9:31] cities and towns in Marin are lowering
[9:33] speed limits by schools uh down to 15
[9:35] miles an hour and I'm just wondering at
[9:37] what point will we be doing that? The
[9:39] state law gives us until 2031 to to to
[9:43] post 15 mph speed limits in school
[9:46] zones, but um uh that's a if if we don't
[9:49] get it done by the
[9:52] 2031, the state's going to come in and
[9:54] do it for us. So I'm just wondering how
[9:56] do we have it on a schedule to try to
[9:58] we've got
[9:59] >> so every time you see this we talk about
[10:01] the relationship or the relevance with
[10:04] the um bicycle pedestrian advisory
[10:08] commission and I thought
[10:10] >> I don't know I think that project is
[10:11] delayed but when is that going to be on
[10:13] the agenda?
[10:14] >> Yeah we have we have that scheduled to
[10:16] come back to the council in October. Um,
[10:19] so that's our plan. And, um, uh, Vice
[10:22] Mayor Edgar, you did give us a list of
[10:25] streets that you thought would be good
[10:26] candidates for lowering, um, uh, speed
[10:29] limits, and that did get communicated to
[10:32] the bicycle pedestrian committee as
[10:35] well. And, um, then the committee is
[10:38] working with the, um, consultant to
[10:42] prepare the final report and then that
[10:44] report would come to the council. And I
[10:47] did want to mention that uh Manor is
[10:49] already in process of slowing their
[10:51] speed limits because that's in the
[10:52] county's jurisdiction and the countyy's
[10:53] doing it there for the school.
[10:56] So as far as as the state law dealing
[10:59] with speed limits, it's in school
[11:02] locations. Um Ross Valley Charter School
[11:05] is is on the St. Rita's property and and
[11:08] that's going to have to go to 15 miles
[11:10] an hour there. We have a school crossing
[11:12] also right there between the church and the library. Um, White Hill School.
[11:19] Uh, it's it's the it's the middle school
[11:21] and
[11:23] their playing fields at Lefty Gomez
[11:25] Fields. It's all school frontage
[11:28] property and and and
[11:32] to my knowledge that's going to have to
[11:33] be posted 15 miles an hour also that
[11:36] section through there. I don't know if the if the bicycle pedestrian
[11:41] committee is looking at school zones and
[11:45] 15 mph limits, but we're going to have
[11:47] to deal with it pretty soon because
[11:48] school's about to start.
[11:50] >> Um, that's all been included and I
[11:52] forwarded them all of your street
[11:54] segments and have asked that it be
[11:55] included in the report so that we all
[11:57] have it in front of us to to act on.
[12:01] >> Okay. So I know Jeff is here too. So I
[12:04] I've I've asked for you of staff like
[12:08] I'm very much hoping and expecting this
[12:11] to be covered in the recommendation or
[12:14] the proposal that comes from BPAC.
[12:17] >> Oh that that'll be in October. That'll
[12:19] be almost a year and a half from when
[12:20] they started.
[12:21] >> But I don't know. I mean
[12:24] I don't know that Steph has a lead type
[12:26] to do anything sooner.
[12:28] Anything else?
[12:30] >> Okay. Any other future agenda topics?
[12:34] >> Okay, I have a couple and then we will
[12:37] proceed. So
[12:39] um the first is so Mina Kim who leads
[12:44] the uh Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
[12:48] met with town manager Abrams and myself
[12:52] and
[12:54] planning director Jeff Bisoner and Chief
[12:59] Rico Tabberonzo was there and I think uh
[13:04] Christine Foster was there as well.
[13:06] we were talking about, you know,
[13:08] she's doing a lot of downtown
[13:10] um events to create more vibrancy and
[13:16] vitality. And there's a problem with
[13:20] lead time to for small businesses or
[13:24] even in our town properties to like host
[13:27] an event with enough lead time. our our
[13:30] processes requires like two plus months
[13:33] to go through the planning commission
[13:35] and it also costs $2,000 and it's really
[13:38] not
[13:40] uh effective or efficient or fair. Um
[13:44] and so we had a meeting it's really
[13:47] complex. I think all of us would love to
[13:49] just have some term turnkey solution but
[13:51] uh we certainly didn't come up with it
[13:53] in that meeting. So I would like to
[13:55] request a discussion on that. We need a
[13:58] solution so that our downtown businesses
[14:01] and Mina can you know develop a concept
[14:05] and be able to execute on it within you
[14:08] know 60 90 days.
[14:10] So it seems reasonable to me. Does
[14:12] anybody have any questions or is this
[14:15] something that we can ask the planning
[14:17] commission to focus on? I would suggest
[14:20] that you um at the next planning
[14:23] commission meeting have Jeff discuss it
[14:26] with them first because that will also
[14:28] be before our next meeting and
[14:31] >> okay my concern with that is that
[14:32] there's a lot they they already have a
[14:34] pretty long list of things they're
[14:37] trying to t tackle um that haven't come
[14:40] back to council yet including like dark
[14:42] sky you know all sorts of things
[14:44] >> I don't hear it
[14:45] >> so you want to I mean do what is the
[14:48] proto I guess That's what I need to
[14:49] know. Like, can it come here or does it
[14:51] need to go to planning commission?
[14:54] >> Um, mayor, I think we would need to um
[14:58] determine all of the code sections that
[15:01] would need to be changed and then um
[15:04] whether those have to go through the
[15:06] planning commission because they are
[15:08] zoning, which I don't believe they're
[15:11] mostly zoning. I would have to confer
[15:13] with our attorney. Uh right, because
[15:16] zoning has to go through planning before
[15:19] it comes to the council. Um and uh then
[15:22] we could um come back with
[15:26] [clears throat] a a plan of how we would
[15:28] fix those, but um it it it it will take
[15:32] a little time unfortunately.
[15:35] >> Okay.
[15:37] >> I would be interested in starting the
[15:39] process. Um, I'd just like to, you know,
[15:41] if it if it makes sense to do so just
[15:43] because I know they're concerned and
[15:44] they want to put on a lot of events. So,
[15:46] it would be interesting to get it going.
[15:49] >> I Mike is having some comments that I
[15:51] can't hear. So, will you turn your mic?
[15:52] >> I'm sorry.
[15:55] I
[15:55] >> think we should be able to bring things
[15:56] to the council when a council member
[15:58] asks for it. I'm for that. I think
[16:02] things get stuck in these committees and
[16:05] takes too long to get something done.
[16:11] Go ahead, mayor, if if you don't mind.
[16:13] Um, so, uh,
[16:17] again, I'll be corrected if I'm wrong by
[16:19] the attorney, but, um, uh, the council
[16:23] could make a direct referral on some
[16:26] action, but we just we need to make sure
[16:29] we have all of the um sections detailed
[16:34] out. And then also um that zoning, if
[16:38] it's a zoning issue, that really does
[16:40] have to go through planning first.
[16:44] Okay. All right. Um, Janet, I'm going to
[16:48] get with you on what how to how how we
[16:51] can streamline this.
[16:54] It sounds like I mean, it sounds like it
[16:56] could take a year and I'm really trying
[16:58] to help Mina do a good job, which we all
[17:02] want her to be able to do, right? All of
[17:03] us are, I think, aligned on that. If
[17:06] you're talking about code changes and
[17:08] you're talking about changes to the
[17:09] zoning code, it's statemandated. It's
[17:12] required by law that they go through the
[17:14] planning commission first and they have
[17:16] a recommendation to the council. So, and things like we can't notice an item
[17:23] like that for council um until after the
[17:27] planning commission has taken action and
[17:28] it's a 10-day notice. I mean those are
[17:31] the things that are built in that that
[17:33] may take time and there's nothing we can
[17:36] do to shorten that legally.
[17:39] >> Okay.
[17:42] All right. More more to come on that
[17:44] surely. Um I also wanted to um
[17:50] announce to the community if you're not
[17:52] already aware. Um so a lot of uh
[17:55] discussion and announcements have come
[17:57] out of Ross Valley Sanitation District
[18:00] as well as Central Marin Sanitation
[18:02] Agency. Uh recently CMSA
[18:07] um voted to increase our qu our
[18:09] quarterly treatment costs by 50% and
[18:13] that's on top of recent findings that
[18:16] for the past 12 years Ross Valley
[18:18] residents have been overcharged
[18:22] and so they are looking for a solution
[18:25] related to being overcharged for over a
[18:28] decade. Um it sounds like it's going to
[18:31] mediation, but this council does not
[18:35] have a liaison
[18:37] um to the Ross Valley sanitation
[18:40] district and I really think we need more
[18:42] transparency and more engagement with
[18:45] both of those agencies. Um it could on
[18:48] the low end it would be a couple hundred
[18:51] dollars um credit or due to a Fairfax
[18:55] household. So that the the upside the or
[18:57] the the top end could be thousands of
[19:00] dollars because we have so much more
[19:01] storm water in our area. So I would like
[19:04] this council to support two things. One,
[19:08] a presentation
[19:10] um invite Ross Valley Sanitation
[19:13] District, the general manager, Steven
[19:15] Moore, to present on all of the above.
[19:18] And number two, I'd like to see um a
[19:21] designated person on our council to stay
[19:25] connected to what's happening.
[19:28] So I don't know if that's a separate
[19:31] action item to support or deny a
[19:35] liaison, but I personally feel it's
[19:37] really important right now and it could
[19:38] be a temporary thing. But I mean the way
[19:41] I learned about it was,
[19:44] you know, because I have relationships,
[19:46] but I tend to think most of the
[19:47] community is not aware.
[19:50] Um, speaking first to the um, uh, idea
[19:54] of having a presentation from Steve
[19:56] Moore, the um, GM for Ross Valley
[19:59] Sanitation District. Um, I'm happy to
[20:02] reach out to him and arrange that.
[20:03] >> Okay, great. Thank you. Any thoughts
[20:06] about um, the liaison?
[20:09] Are we okay with getting that on the
[20:11] agenda for
[20:13] October?
[20:14] >> I would like to know more what that
[20:15] looks like. It see it's not like sitting
[20:17] on, you know, the TAM board or the fire
[20:18] board. It's like what we would send a
[20:20] sign a council member to
[20:22] >> I mean I'm the leazison for the Ross
[20:23] Valley School District. You stay
[20:26] >> develop those relationships. You read
[20:28] the packets. You know you
[20:30] >> Okay. So you want to you just want to
[20:32] >> accountable for what's going
[20:32] >> a designated liaison for RBSD as like what we rotate every year type of
[20:38] thing.
[20:38] >> Yeah. But we don't have it today and
[20:40] maybe it's a temporary thing and but I
[20:42] think for the next six months or so we need more oversight. So I would
[20:47] suggest that we put it on as a agenda
[20:50] item and I'm just going to throw this
[20:52] out there. Frank, don't kill me. But
[20:54] given that you were on the Ross Valley
[20:57] Sanitary District for a number of years,
[21:00] you might be a great person for that
[21:01] because you already know the system.
[21:04] >> Well, can we appoint Frank right now?
[21:06] >> No, we can't. But just try to put that
[21:09] on the on the September agenda if
[21:11] possible. Sorry. Um, everyone, I'm I am
[21:14] going to move right along. Um, there was
[21:18] one other thing that I had. Uh, as far
[21:20] as announcements, we have bingo night on
[21:22] the 14th. We have sidewalk CPR on the
[21:25] 15th in Bolinus Park. We have the
[21:27] townwide picnic on August 30th.
[21:31] And we have the ribbon cutting for Laf
[21:34] floor uh this Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
[21:38] So with that, I think we're ready for
[21:40] open time for public.
[21:44] Oh, that's right. We changed it. Linda,
[21:47] this is your time. This is the good part
[21:49] of the meeting. There's lots of good
[21:52] parts.
[21:54] Um,
[21:56] so our our dear dear dear Linda Neil has
[22:01] announced her retirement. And when was
[22:02] your last day?
[22:04] July 6th. Okay.
[22:07] Well, I'm really honored to be
[22:09] presenting this to you this evening,
[22:11] Linda. Um,
[22:14] this is a proclamation in recognition of
[22:17] honoring Linda Neil for 40 years of
[22:20] service.
[22:33] Um
[22:38] whereas Linda Neil is a principal
[22:40] planner extraordinaire having devoted
[22:43] more than 40 years of her career to the
[22:46] people of the town of Fairfax.
[22:49] And whereas Linda moved to San Rafale at
[22:52] the age of two, graduated from San
[22:54] Rafale High School in 1979 and from the
[22:58] University of California Davis in 1983
[23:01] and began her planning career with Yolo
[23:04] County before being hired by the town of
[23:06] Fairfax as assistant planner on July
[23:08] 7th, 1986.
[23:11] And she never left.
[23:13] And since childhood, Linda has had a
[23:16] gift for making people feel welcome. As
[23:18] far back as 1968, a young newcomer's
[23:22] family arriving from New York with no
[23:24] friends in the neighborhood found
[23:26] themselves put at ease by a quick-witted
[23:28] girl with a marvelous laugh, the same
[23:31] warmth she would later bring to guiding
[23:33] residents through what can often be a
[23:36] complex, unforgiving planning process.
[23:39] And whereas Linda's arrival at town hall
[23:42] followed one of town manager Charles
[23:45] Kate's earliest and best hiring
[23:47] decisions. appointing a bright young
[23:49] graduate of UC Davis to the town
[23:52] planning department. And the rest, as
[23:54] they say, is history.
[23:57] And Linda knows more about the planning
[24:00] and zoning sections of Fairfax Town Code
[24:02] in her little finger than most learn
[24:05] after studying it for years and
[24:08] understands the town's codes,
[24:10] ordinances, and history better than
[24:13] anyone else. And Linda has always
[24:15] brought a factual, straightforward,
[24:18] non-nonsense approach and an exceptional
[24:21] work ethic to her service. Often the
[24:24] first to arrive, always available to the
[24:26] public and tackling every task with
[24:29] impeccable care.
[24:31] And whereas known throughout town as
[24:34] approachable and fair, Linda built
[24:36] strong relationships across every
[24:38] department and worked patiently
[24:39] alongside residents coming before the
[24:41] planning commission to help shape
[24:44] projects that could win approval. And
[24:47] whereas when called upon, Linda stepped
[24:49] forward to serve as the town's interim
[24:52] planning director director, a role she
[24:55] took on bravely and performed with
[24:57] distinction. And throughout her tenure,
[24:59] she has been quite simply the
[25:01] institutional memory of the town. Even
[25:04] if a flood if a flood were to wash the
[25:07] old paper records down the creek, Linda
[25:09] would still remember the history of
[25:11] seemingly every parcel in Fairfax and
[25:14] the countless planning commission
[25:16] package she prepared over the years
[25:19] would stand taller than the redwoods. If
[25:22] stacked, would stand taller than the
[25:23] redwoods. And whereas across four
[25:26] decades, Linda has been the one constant
[25:29] at town hall as colleagues came and
[25:32] went, working alongside eight town
[25:35] administrators and managers, 11 planning
[25:38] directors, eight public work directors,
[25:41] and six town clerks and deputy clerks,
[25:45] five building officials, five police
[25:48] chiefs, and six front counter
[25:50] administrative assistants. And while she
[25:53] told her sorry and while she and while
[25:57] some told her she was crazy to stay so
[26:00] long, the truth is simply that she is a
[26:03] happy person who genuinely loves the
[26:06] town of Fairfax.
[26:08] And whereas Linda is a consumate
[26:10] professional in an institution in
[26:12] Fairfax, a wonderful person with a great
[26:15] sense of humor, an always ready laugh,
[26:17] and a gift for the entertaining bit of
[26:19] Fairfax color drawn from her decades in
[26:22] town, a warm and easy manner, and a
[26:24] smiling face that all who visited the
[26:27] front counter came to know. And whereas
[26:30] Linda lovingly cared for the town cat
[26:33] root beer for years, taking him to the
[26:36] vet, feeding him well, and playing with
[26:38] him daily, as he lulled about on her
[26:40] desk in a cushioned box by day and
[26:43] hunted by night, dearly loved by all.
[26:46] And whereas Linda took over the care and
[26:49] feeding of the koi and the large
[26:51] goldfish in the little pond in front of
[26:53] town hall, tending to them faithfully
[26:55] and leaving us to wonder who will care
[26:58] for them next.
[27:01] And whereas Linda has cherished the
[27:03] small welcoming charisma of Fairfax and
[27:06] its interesting residents, the fantastic
[27:08] hikes to be had on a 1-hour lunch break
[27:11] and crossing the creek to come back
[27:14] [snorts] to sorry and crossing the creek
[27:16] to come face to face with owls,
[27:18] raccoons, deer, and fawns while entering
[27:21] through the town hall back door along
[27:23] with small kindnesses like police
[27:26] dispatcher Vanessa's smile at a gift of
[27:29] homegrown tomatoes and finding meaning
[27:31] in public service even when the work is
[27:34] exhausting and can feel thankless
[27:36] because serving the public is its own
[27:39] reward.
[27:41] And whereas beyond town hall, Linda
[27:42] treasures her family and delights in
[27:44] spending time with them and is known to
[27:46] enjoy Marin County Fair and its carnival
[27:49] rides. And whereas Linda's commitment,
[27:52] knowledge, and service have left la left
[27:55] a lasting impact on our community, and
[27:58] she will be dearly missed by staff, the
[28:01] town council, planning commissioners,
[28:03] and the many, many residents and
[28:05] applicants who had the good fortune to
[28:07] work with her. And whereas it is now
[28:11] time for Linda to move on to her
[28:13] welldeserved retirement.
[28:16] Now therefore be it proclaimed that in
[28:18] acknowledgment of more than 40 years of
[28:22] hard work, dedication, and tremendous
[28:24] service to Fairfax and the larger
[28:27] community, the town council of the town
[28:29] of Fairfax extends its deepest
[28:32] gratitude, appreciation, and admiration
[28:36] to Linda Neil. And be it further
[28:38] proclaimed that the town of Fairfax is
[28:40] in a far better place because Linda Neil
[28:43] came to work as our planner in 1986
[28:47] and that August 5th, 2026 is hereby
[28:51] proclaimed Linda Neil Day in the town of
[28:55] Fairfax.
[29:00] We love you, Linda.
[29:02] Do you want to say a few words?
[29:05] We'd
[29:07] love to you to say a few words. Yeah,
[29:09] they have a
[29:11] >> picture.
[29:12] >> Yeah, I will.
[29:17] » You have
[29:19] >> I have to get real close. Okay. I've
[29:20] never used one of these. I always have
[29:21] the ones that are hooked up. So, as the
[29:24] reszo said, I did start coming to
[29:25] Fairfax when I was two because my
[29:27] parents loved hiking in the lakes above
[29:29] Fairfax. So, the first time I was in a
[29:30] baby backpack at the age of two, right?
[29:33] Then one of my other favorite memories
[29:35] is going to the Sleeping Lady Cafe,
[29:37] which was a great music v venue right um
[29:40] by the car repair place. And we were so
[29:42] stupid, all these high school kids. We
[29:44] park at the park right by the car place.
[29:48] We crack open our beers and we hear this
[29:49] little tap tap tap and this hand's going
[29:51] like this. And a Fairfax police officer
[29:54] told us right by town hall, "Get out of
[29:58] the car, ladies, and pour out your beer,
[30:00] right?" And we're all we're going to be
[30:02] arrested, freaking out. He says, "Lock
[30:05] the door, go to the cafe, and remember,
[30:07] drinking and driving is dangerous." So
[30:09] that was my high school in Fairfax,
[30:11] right? High school time. And then, of
[30:13] course, when my dad um got to be 102, we
[30:16] still were bringing him to the lakes
[30:18] because he loved going there. And so
[30:20] it's I've been coming to Fairfax for a
[30:21] long long time. Almost my whole life.
[30:23] And I'm going to miss everybody.
[30:26] Thanks for having me though.
[31:42] I know I know that all of us have
[31:44] comments and then we'll take public
[31:45] comment as well. It sounds like
[31:48] Heather's
[31:49] giving a little
[31:51] parting gift.
[31:52] >> So, our No, but don't don't drop it.
[31:56] [laughter]
[31:57] Um, so we started a tradition a few
[32:00] years ago here in Fairfax of giving um a
[32:03] handmade platter from a local artist
[32:07] with um the retirees
[32:10] um information on it and a um artist
[32:14] rendering of the town seal. So that's
[32:17] what's inside.
[32:20] >> Thank you, Linda.
[32:21] >> Very nice.
[32:24] >> Who wants to speak first? Okay. Deep
[32:27] breath, Bobs.
[32:28] >> Be brief. Okay.
[32:31] I just want to say one thing
[32:33] before I start that Linda told me that
[32:36] she ate her first taco as a little girl
[32:39] at Michael Macintosh's house. So,
[32:44] I remember that. Um, I just want to say,
[32:47] Linda, you've been such a fountain of
[32:49] knowledge and um I can't believe you're
[32:54] gone. Um,
[32:58] yeah. And I think Mark is still
[33:00] processing it too. We all are. But I
[33:03] just want to say you've been just an
[33:06] amazing,
[33:07] you know, encyclopedia for all of us.
[33:11] Um, just going to you when we have
[33:13] questions.
[33:14] You seem to know everything and we love
[33:18] that. and hopefully um some people
[33:22] absorb that um in your last three
[33:24] months. I also want to say you've been a
[33:26] dear friend to me and to my wonderful
[33:29] cat Michelle who misses you dearly.
[33:31] Michelle take um takes care of Linda
[33:34] when I'm away and um just Linda you've
[33:37] just been such a wonderful employee and
[33:43] 40 plus years it's closer to 41 years.
[33:46] So, thank you for all your contributions
[33:48] to our town. We will miss you dearly.
[33:51] Thank you.
[33:58] » Well, I'll speak. I'll You want to go?
[34:00] >> Sure.
[34:02] This was a while back before I was
[34:04] elected to the town council and uh when
[34:06] was that? 2024. and I was at a planning
[34:08] commission meeting and uh you know what
[34:11] we're going to miss most about Linda not
[34:14] being here is her institutional memory.
[34:17] We may have to hire her back under under
[34:19] contract to bring her in from time to to to go through our records and
[34:23] help us out. But uh I was at a plan, you
[34:25] know, it's being that she was really the
[34:29] planning director. Whatever whatever you
[34:30] want to call it, she was the planning
[34:32] director and and had to make some really
[34:34] tough decisions. Sometimes we would red
[34:36] tag someone for zoning violations. So I
[34:39] was in the audience. This is a few years
[34:40] ago out here. And uh there's a there's
[34:43] an applicant who's really upset. He got
[34:46] red he was red tagged. This is up on uh
[34:48] Wood Lane. And uh and and he was he had
[34:52] permits to build a a lot of stuff, but
[34:56] he was just going off building his own
[34:58] thing that he wanted. He wasn't
[34:59] following his plans. And and so he got
[35:01] redtagged. So he's he's ranting and
[35:04] raving here at the meeting telling about
[35:06] how terrible it is dealing with Fairfax.
[35:07] He said, "Yeah, between Linda Neil and
[35:11] Frank Agger, it's really tough around
[35:12] here." Oh my gosh. So here was Linda and Frank. We were in the same
[35:16] bag. How about that, huh? Anyway, Linda,
[35:19] thank you so very much. Rita is going to
[35:21] miss you, too.
[35:26] » I'll just say something quick. I didn't
[35:28] get to work with you as much as I would
[35:30] have liked to, but um I so enjoyed your
[35:32] um spirit in the office and your sort of
[35:34] cand do attitude. And I just remember we
[35:36] were trying to tour some possible open
[35:38] space acquisitions and it's like you
[35:41] knew totally knew the area, you knew all
[35:42] the neighbors and you were like, let's
[35:44] just like crawl down that bank and into
[35:46] the creek and through the water and um I
[35:48] just was like, yeah, let's do it. This
[35:49] is like awesome. I can't believe we have
[35:51] a town employee who's just like can do
[35:53] this. So anyway, you're just uh
[35:55] appreciated for um you know, like people
[35:57] said, both your institutional knowledge,
[35:59] but I just think also you just like a
[36:00] spirit of adventure. So it was really
[36:02] nice.
[36:05] >> Do you want No, no, you
[36:07] >> Yeah. Well, Fairfax,
[36:11] one of the luckiest days for Fairfax is
[36:13] when Linda Neil started that job. And
[36:16] I've always pictured
[36:19] people who work for Fairfax are people
[36:21] who also know our community really well,
[36:24] like like Linda did. Not only was she
[36:26] great in town hall, but she knew so many
[36:29] people outside of town hall. She was
[36:31] literally friends with so many people.
[36:34] Um, and I think that is a quality that
[36:39] um is you just can't find these days.
[36:42] And I and um I think that's a you're
[36:46] irreplaceable.
[36:48] And um I appreciate the time that all
[36:50] the times you told me I was doing
[36:52] something wrong and uh but all all that
[36:55] aside,
[36:57] congratulations and um and it's welld
[37:01] deserved and hope to see you around.
[37:04] Thank you.
[37:06] You're such a lovely human being and I'm
[37:08] just so really appreciative of getting
[37:10] to know you these past few years and
[37:12] even with all of the, you know, the
[37:13] craziness that the town experiences, you
[37:16] just stay the course and you're very
[37:18] positive and um the times that I've gone
[37:21] out to you on sites have just been I
[37:24] mean what you contain is is you're just
[37:27] brilliant and it's the word is
[37:29] absolutely you are irreplaceable. It's a
[37:32] huge loss. Um but I'm also really really
[37:35] happy for you and I also want to just
[37:37] name the fact that you know early in my
[37:39] tenure on the council
[37:42] um you really to me showed a lot of
[37:45] leadership that I learned from in terms
[37:49] of you know when you presented something
[37:50] and if I didn't necessarily vote in
[37:53] alignment with your recommendation you know didn't take it personally I was
[37:57] like worried that it would hurt our
[37:59] relationship and it was never like that.
[38:01] is very very professional and I just
[38:04] really admire that about you because I
[38:05] know you put in so much energy and time
[38:08] and care into your your work. Um, and
[38:13] I'm going to miss you dearly just
[38:14] walking around. I remember the first
[38:16] time I saw you walking up Manor Hill.
[38:18] I'm like, are you are you like what what
[38:20] are you doing? You why are you walking
[38:23] up scenic? It's so hot. And you're like,
[38:25] no, no, I like I like to do that. So, I
[38:28] just think it's I think you're wonderful
[38:30] and beautiful. And I also wanted to
[38:32] thank all the people who contributed to
[38:34] the proclamation, namely Mimi Newton, um
[38:38] who's a big fan of yours, as I'm sure
[38:40] you know. And um with that we will open
[38:43] the public comment.
[38:57] This is a public comment on the Linda
[39:00] Neil proclamation.
[39:08] So, some of this has been said already,
[39:10] but Linda has spent 40 years serving
[39:12] this community. 40 years,
[39:16] sorry, 40 years
[39:19] knowing the history and mapping of the
[39:22] town. During that time, she has no doubt
[39:24] walked every road, looked at every
[39:27] parcel more than once. That 40 years
[39:30] also includes volunteer service to the
[39:33] community. When Fairfax had a vibrant
[39:36] volunteer organization, she volunteered
[39:38] on the First Creek Cleanup effort, and
[39:41] there are pictures.
[39:43] Her love of the community included
[39:45] taking care of the fish out in the pond
[39:47] in front of the town hall, as well as
[39:50] sharing her office space with the town's
[39:53] rodent control officer. I recently spoke
[39:56] with an individual that had a business
[39:58] in town many years ago and still
[40:01] remembers the help that Linda provided
[40:03] her when she opened her business. Linda
[40:06] believes strongly in customer service.
[40:09] So, I want to congratulate Linda on her
[40:12] retirement and acknowledge all we have
[40:15] lost with her retirement.
[40:23] I don't have anything too helpful to
[40:25] add, but
[40:29] Hi, Linda. I just wanted to let you guys
[40:32] know that I'm going to be Linda's
[40:34] campaign manager, and now she can be on
[40:36] town council.
[40:41] Um, I'd like to start by saying,
[40:43] Stephanie, thank you very much for the
[40:44] lovely proclamation. She is certainly
[40:46] worthy of all the praise that you
[40:48] brought forth tonight. and I personally
[40:50] really appreciate it. Obviously, I've
[40:52] known Linda for a long time and I've
[40:54] known her as little kids, you know,
[40:56] playing with snakes and everything else.
[40:58] And all I can say is we'll certainly
[41:00] miss her. I hope when our town reviews
[41:03] pensions and everything else, she is the
[41:06] person that's worthy of the largest
[41:08] pensions that we can give to our
[41:10] employees. She's been here for
[41:11] everybody. She's been consistent. She's
[41:14] a lovely person. And even if she
[41:16] retires, I'm sure she'll still be back
[41:18] here to help us. So to everybody, thank
[41:21] you very much for the compliment you've
[41:22] given her tonight.
[41:31] » Okay.
[41:32] >> Well,
[41:34] >> this event kind of got me
[41:36] [clears throat and cough]
[41:37] all poetic.
[41:39] Okay. I decided I would read a limmerick
[41:43] I have written for you.
[41:48] In Fairfax, there toiled a planner named
[41:51] Neil, processing projects with an odd
[41:55] kind of zeal. She was nice with advice.
[41:59] You'd go back for it twice. That was
[42:02] just how good she made everyone feel.
[42:09] Um, I also wrote you an ode which is a
[42:12] little longer and I the town had it
[42:15] framed for you. So I'm going to give you
[42:18] my ode as well. And there was a ha coup
[42:21] but that's far too long a time to get
[42:24] into the haiku too. there. Yeah.
[42:35] » So, uh I want to thank Linda. Um missing
[42:39] from the proclamation are the dozens of
[42:42] town council members who you've put up
[42:44] with over the last 40 years. So, and uh
[42:48] I for one really appreciated it both as
[42:51] a member of the council and also as a
[42:53] resident cuz we did a couple building
[42:55] projects that you helped us with and you
[42:58] know treated us fairly and worked with
[43:01] us and just you know so she is really
[43:06] irreplaceable because she not only knows
[43:09] the codes but she helped write the codes
[43:13] and implement the codes. So, you're
[43:17] really irreplaceable.
[43:19] And on a on a more serious note, with
[43:22] the new state housing mandate,
[43:25] many of the characteristics of Fairfax,
[43:29] the planning and zoning characteristics
[43:31] are going to be overridden and have been
[43:33] overridden by the state. So, some of the
[43:37] work that she's done that's helped
[43:39] create Fairfax, the physical environment
[43:42] in Fairfax,
[43:44] you know, this may be the fork in the
[43:46] road when you leave,
[43:48] but uh one thing is when you walk
[43:51] through town, I hope you appreciate the
[43:53] look and the feel of the town as we all
[43:56] should. So, thanks. Thanks again, Linda,
[43:59] and I'll see you around. Thank you.
[44:06] Hi, Mayor and Council. Hi, Linda. I came
[44:10] down here tonight to speak in support of
[44:12] the proclamation, which is obviously
[44:14] going to be unanimous. And um to thank
[44:18] Linda for being a great colleague,
[44:20] former colleague, a great as a resident,
[44:24] you've been great keeping our town where
[44:26] it should be. Um Linda's a lot of fun.
[44:30] We laughed a lot together. [laughter]
[44:34] Many laughs. Linda's also an amazing
[44:36] gardener and has a magic lemon tree.
[44:42] That's Gary. [laughter]
[44:44] Okay. Thank you, Gary.
[44:47] Okay. Yeah, that's and that's the hard
[44:49] part.
[44:50] And uh anyway, I just I don't know what
[44:54] you guys are going to do without Linda,
[44:55] actually.
[44:57] Congratulations.
[45:07] It was about 25 years ago. I got myself
[45:10] set up as my practice as an architect on
[45:13] Blanus Road. And uh one day shortly
[45:16] thereafter, I went over to the planning
[45:19] department to introduce myself and I met
[45:23] Linda
[45:24] [snorts] and uh described what I had in
[45:28] mind. And Linda looked at me and said,
[45:29] "Oh, you're the person that set up an
[45:32] office on the ground floor, which flies
[45:36] in the face of a very obscure section of
[45:40] the code,
[45:42] which
[45:46] and when I tried to resolve that, it
[45:48] involved the variance and at that time
[45:51] you couldn't get variances in downtown
[45:54] Fairfax.
[45:55] So we had to go through a few changes
[45:57] there. But anyway, there was another
[46:00] thing that very few people know about in
[46:02] this town is there was a period, I don't
[46:05] know if it was two or three years when
[46:07] there was no planning director and Linda
[46:11] was left with the task of trying to make
[46:14] a call on all these various problems
[46:17] that came up. And few people know that
[46:22] she really relied upon
[46:25] this monkey to make a lot of the
[46:28] decisions
[46:30] for the planning department.
[46:32] And often you would have to
[46:37] state your case and then she would throw
[46:41] the monkey at you and the monkey would
[46:45] express its feeling. Now that my got a
[46:49] little old I don't know if you can hear
[46:50] her but she go like this
[46:59] » and hold on. So I just I would just say
[47:03] no no it's
[47:05] >> the key
[47:05] >> yours to play
[47:06] >> the other one.
[47:07] >> Yes. This there two of them. She wanted to get two opinions on
[47:14] everything. So, she had two monkeys, one
[47:16] of her own and that one. In any event,
[47:21] it all seems to worked out pretty well.
[47:24] And uh I've really had quite a
[47:28] meaningful relationship
[47:30] uh with Linda and the town. Should be
[47:34] very thankful for having all of her
[47:36] efforts for so many years.
[47:42] » Thank you. Next speaker.
[47:46] Um, I have had the opportunity to walk
[47:50] into Linda's office, both as a member of
[47:53] the tree committee with questions about
[47:56] plans and also as a resident with
[47:59] questions about projects. And she has
[48:01] always been welcoming with a big smile.
[48:05] And uh, I'll never forget the wall of
[48:08] folders opposite her desk. and if I
[48:11] asked of something in history, she
[48:13] reached out. She knew exactly which
[48:15] folder to pick out. Um, I think not only
[48:18] has she been through many planning
[48:20] directors, but she's really trained
[48:22] planning directors and she is the she is
[48:25] the person at planning commission
[48:27] meetings if members of the commission
[48:30] are going in a direction that's not uh
[48:33] according to code, the person who brings
[48:36] them back and and knows the code. So, I
[48:39] don't know what we're going to do
[48:40] without you, but I'll certainly miss
[48:42] you.
[48:50] Um, Linda, there are there are some
[48:55] people um that you have to say goodbye
[48:59] to.
[49:01] And if you don't get to say goodbye, it
[49:04] just seems like the pass passage is
[49:07] incomplete.
[49:08] Uh, and when I found out that Linda was
[49:12] last day was when it was, I was
[49:15] compelled to be here because I could not
[49:19] leave the the path that Linda and I have
[49:23] shared in Fairfax and what Linda has
[49:26] done for Fairfax without thanking her
[49:29] and saying goodbye. Thank you. You're
[49:31] going to be a tough act to follow. Thank
[49:34] you.
[49:46] » Indeed, you are loved. Linda, is there
[49:49] any hands raised?
[49:50] >> We have one raised hand on Zoom. Mina,
[49:53] you are unmuted. You may now unmute
[49:55] yourself.
[49:57] >> Hi. Can you hear me?
[49:59] >> Yes. Um, I also wanted to say something
[50:03] and uh recognize Linda Neil on her
[50:05] retirement. Listening to everyone's
[50:07] stories tonight. It's clear just how
[50:09] many lives she's touched over these last
[50:11] 40 years. Um, Linda's truly been a part
[50:14] of the fabric of Fairfax for decades. 40
[50:17] years of service is remarkable and with
[50:18] that comes an incredible amount of
[50:20] institutional knowledge that simply
[50:22] can't be replaced. From the chamber's
[50:24] perspective, Linda was always helpful.
[50:26] She knew the town processes inside and
[50:28] out. And while she was a careful steward
[50:30] of the rules, she was also someone you
[50:32] could call, ask questions, and count on
[50:34] to help you understand how to get things
[50:36] done the right way. I can't tell you how
[50:39] many businesses have commended Linda on
[50:42] her professionalism, consistency, and
[50:45] dedication. And I know that she's had a
[50:47] positive impact on anyone she's probably
[50:51] come in contact with, residents,
[50:52] businesses, staff, volunteers, me. Um,
[50:56] on behalf of the Fairfax Chamber of
[50:57] Commerce and the wider business
[50:58] community, thank you, Linda, so much for
[51:01] your decades of service to Fairfax. We
[51:03] wish you all the best in your retirement
[51:05] and hope to see you around town. Thank
[51:07] you.
[51:10] >> We have one more raised hand on Zoom.
[51:15] Mark. Mark, you are unmuted. You may now
[51:18] unmute yourself.
[51:20] >> Can you hear me?
[51:22] >> Yes. I just want to say it's been a
[51:24] wonderful 20 years uh working with
[51:26] Linda. Uh I miss her greatly and uh you
[51:31] know whenever I had uh some horrible
[51:33] dilemma that would come up I'd always
[51:36] say hey you know what do I do? What do I
[51:38] do? And one example was you know I
[51:42] get items from Amazon every once in a
[51:44] while. I got this Amazon box and it was
[51:47] on my desk. I open it up and it's a bra
[51:50] and panties
[51:52] and it's to one of our co-workers, one
[51:55] of our gentleman co-workers. I said,
[51:57] "Linda, what do I do? What do I do? I
[51:58] don't know what to do with this." And
[52:00] she was calm and she said, "We'll just
[52:02] tape it up, put it on their desk. When
[52:04] they're not looking, we don't say
[52:05] anything. They won't say anything."
[52:08] Anyway, thank you so much for a
[52:10] wonderful 20 years, Linda.
[52:17] Oh my god.
[52:20] Okay. Oh, should we take a break? Should
[52:22] we take a break?
[52:23] >> Yeah, we're gonna take a five minute
[52:25] break so we can all give hugs and
[52:27] there's cookies and celebrating. We're
[52:28] going to con What time is it? It's We're
[52:31] going to reconvene in five minutes, but
[52:33] I think all of us want to say it
[52:37] farewell. Okay.
[52:43] Get your goodies and take a seat.
[52:45] We're going to resume. We've got couple
[52:50] of big items
[52:52] and I want to be in bed by what's what's
[52:54] the bet? 9:30
[53:15] Okay. Well, that was really wonderful
[53:18] and there's still some treats and some
[53:20] coffee. Um, we are now moving on to open
[53:26] time for public
[53:28] expression.
[53:30] And this is the time for the public to
[53:32] address the council on matters not on
[53:34] the agenda.
[53:36] Each speaker is limited to two minutes.
[53:38] The council cannot take action or
[53:40] discuss items that are not on the agenda
[53:42] as restricted by state law. If there are
[53:45] more speakers after 30 minutes, open
[53:47] time will continue at the end of the
[53:49] agenda.
[53:51] Okay, let's try to keep the chatter to a
[53:53] minimum. And with that, first speaker.
[53:55] Thank you.
[53:57] >> Good evening. I'm Michael Ardo, resident
[53:59] of Fairfax since birth in 1953. I'm here
[54:03] tonight to announce that the last
[54:04] weekend of August, the community will be
[54:07] celebrating the 75th anniversary diamond
[54:10] jubilee of our public high school since
[54:13] 1951. Sir Francis Drake, now Archie
[54:15] Williams. as a proud Drake graduate when
[54:18] Archie Williams was my output teacher
[54:20] and track coach and a Septu teacher at
[54:23] the high school since 2017. This year
[54:25] I'm one of the people working diligently
[54:27] to help bring our community together to
[54:30] celebrate the school's milestone. The
[54:32] last Friday of August will be the golf
[54:34] tournament and that night school alumni
[54:36] music performance will be at various
[54:38] venues in the Ross and San Donimo
[54:40] valleys. On Sunday afternoon, August
[54:43] 30th, there will be a Day on the Green
[54:45] picnic on campus with music. There will
[54:47] be historical displays in the student
[54:49] center, speaker presentations, and
[54:52] celebration cupcakes and ice cream while
[54:54] supplies last. Vintage Drake pirate
[54:57] athletic wear that will that we rescued
[55:00] from the school's athletic fieldhouse
[55:02] before demolition will be available on
[55:04] campus the last weekend of the month.
[55:06] The hundreds and hundreds of athletic
[55:08] clothing are worth thousands upon
[55:10] thousands of dollars. In lie of a small
[55:12] donation for the athletic wear, people
[55:14] can receive items for free by
[55:17] participating later this month in the
[55:19] passport puzzle program. Large green
[55:22] capital letters will be in storefront or
[55:24] restaurant windows in Fairfax and San
[55:26] Samo
[55:27] similar to the annual hunt for the
[55:29] Fairfax art walk. Please look for the
[55:32] green diamond emblem. The weekend will
[55:34] culminate on Monday night, August 31st
[55:37] with the second annual Drake Archery
[55:39] Williams Athletic Hall of Fame dinner at
[55:41] Deer Park Villa. Everyone can
[55:43] participate the last weekend of August
[55:45] by wearing the school colors of green
[55:47] with white or black. As clues for the
[55:49] puzzle, next Thursday, August 13th, the
[55:51] new California historical landmark pot
[55:52] for Drake and the Golden Hinds landing
[55:54] in 1579 will be decim. This Sunday,
[55:57] August 9th, is the 9th anniversary of
[55:58] Archie Williams winning the Olympic gold
[56:00] medal in 1936. Thank you.
[56:02] >> Wonderful. Well, thank you. Next
[56:05] speaker, please.
[56:07] >> Yes. My my name is Steve Werman. I live
[56:09] at One Meadow Way. I'm here to talk
[56:12] about my concern regarding the Meadowway
[56:14] Bridge utilities. Nancy and I agreed to
[56:16] a temporary easement agreement back in
[56:19] March. This July, your attorneys
[56:21] provided us with a new revised agreement
[56:23] after PG& asked for and got revisions.
[56:26] We requested what PG's revisions were,
[56:29] but haven't gotten a response. We added
[56:32] two sentences to protect our property,
[56:34] our pool area and solar panels. I don't
[56:38] trust PG&E. I understand that all the
[56:41] utility lines are to be placed
[56:42] underground permanently. We've had
[56:45] numerous meetings at the bridge with
[56:47] your with representatives from the town
[56:49] and utilities and that's what we've been
[56:51] told. We put in solar panels in October
[56:54] of 2015 to do our part for climate
[56:57] change. In April 2018, PG Gen without
[57:00] notice to us tried to put a 60 ft
[57:02] utility pole which it would have blocked
[57:04] our panels. That's picture one. And it
[57:07] shows our house and it shows where where
[57:08] their um pole would have been. It took a
[57:11] year to get an anchor placed across
[57:13] Cascade. Just because PG says something
[57:17] doesn't mean it's true. In July, this
[57:20] last July, PG& without again notice put
[57:23] a taller utility pole on the north side
[57:25] of the Meadowway Bridge. It added a
[57:28] trans transformer type item. Picture two
[57:30] is the old pole and the new pole. You
[57:33] can see how tall it is. Picture three
[57:36] shows this transformer type item. I'm
[57:38] sure that down the line PG& will say
[57:40] that the utility wires have to be put
[57:42] back up, not underground because of this
[57:45] new pole. We have advised PG&E numerous
[57:48] times that it is silly and a waste of
[57:50] money to put new poles up when all the
[57:54] utilities are going to be going
[57:55] underground. You have seen TV ads with
[57:58] the woman of uh CEO of PG saying that
[58:01] they want to put them underground
[58:03] because it's a fire hazard and Cascade
[58:05] Canyon is a fire hazard. Thank Thank
[58:08] you. [music]
[58:13] » Hi, I'm Nancy Wasserman. Um, I'm a
[58:16] Fairfax resident who's lived on
[58:18] Meadowway for 41 years and on Cascade
[58:21] for seven for a total of 48 years in
[58:24] Cascades. And I've never talked to the
[58:26] council before. This is my first time.
[58:29] Um, I would like to speak also about the
[58:31] Meadowway Bridge, a little bit different
[58:33] from what Steve was talking about. With
[58:36] environmental studies starting in 2013
[58:39] and design changes and negotiations
[58:41] along the way, we still have no bridge.
[58:44] I live at the edge of the bridge and
[58:46] hear every car that crosses it. I have
[58:48] huge concerns for my neighbors and
[58:50] emergency vehicles driving over it. The
[58:53] Canyon Bridge went up in a month. The
[58:55] Bicycle Coalition, as you mentioned
[58:58] earlier, is beginning the Elliot
[59:00] Preserve bridges after one year of
[59:02] planning and we still don't have a
[59:04] bridge. They have fishing game and
[59:06] environmental issues just as we do. PG&E
[59:10] promised that with the bridge, our
[59:12] utility wires would go underground
[59:13] permanently. Now they are reigging and
[59:16] reversing their position. We have agreed
[59:18] to everything up until now. I urged the
[59:21] town council to stand up for our
[59:24] neighborhood welfare and fight on our
[59:26] behalf for fire safety for a swifter
[59:30] resolution to the bridge issues with
[59:32] PG&E and get this bridge project
[59:35] completed before another rainy season
[59:38] passes. It is shameful that PG&E appears
[59:41] to have the last word on this project
[59:45] and the Fairfax City Council does not.
[59:48] Thank you.
[59:55] Sierra Salem, I have a slogan for
[59:57] Fairfax.
[59:59] Let's change Fairfax.
[1:00:01] And perhaps we can add something to the
[1:00:03] end of it for the better or for the
[1:00:06] worse. I saw a line of cars stretching
[1:00:09] from the Fairfax Community Church to St.
[1:00:11] Rita's on Saturday morning for the food
[1:00:13] bank.
[1:00:14] I wonder why that's getting longer,
[1:00:16] especially with all the affordable
[1:00:18] housing that we're building in Marin.
[1:00:20] Um, I talk to people and ask them,
[1:00:23] people that have been here a long time
[1:00:24] that live here that are locals, some
[1:00:27] many of which grew up here, how much
[1:00:28] they make a year working at the Good
[1:00:30] Earth or any pretty much any business in
[1:00:32] town or lots of other businesses.
[1:00:35] And most of the people in the locals
[1:00:37] that work in any local businesses make
[1:00:39] well under $50,000 a year.
[1:00:43] Think about that. We're building housing
[1:00:45] pegged at $120,000 a year. We're getting
[1:00:48] two extra stories of bonus bonus bonus
[1:00:51] extra bonus units at $120,000 a year.
[1:00:56] Who is that serving? It's not serving
[1:00:59] anybody that lives here, that is here,
[1:01:01] that's from here, that works here.
[1:01:04] Let's change Fairfax, right? That
[1:01:08] building is going to change Fairfax. I
[1:01:10] don't think it's going to be for the
[1:01:11] better.
[1:01:12] I'm willing to chain myself to to the
[1:01:14] equipment. I'm willing to have my car
[1:01:16] break during rush hour on Sir Francis
[1:01:19] Draker Center and maybe everybody else's
[1:01:21] cars will break on center too during
[1:01:23] rush hours. We've got a traffic problem.
[1:01:26] We've got a water problem. We've got
[1:01:28] lots of problems. We don't have any
[1:01:30] solutions that were actually our
[1:01:32] solutions. Affordable housing for
[1:01:34] $120,000 is not a solution. It's kicking
[1:01:38] the can down the road and making things
[1:01:39] worse.
[1:01:41] Um, I've got 14 seconds left. What are
[1:01:45] we doing for the environments to make
[1:01:46] things better? And yes, I do feel like a
[1:01:49] hypocrite because I just went out and
[1:01:50] bought a new refrigerator rather than
[1:01:52] fixing one that was 22 years old. And I
[1:01:55] wish that things were made so that we
[1:01:56] could repair them. [music]
[1:01:59] >> Thank you.
[1:02:04] » Not as tall. Deborah Benson, Cascade
[1:02:07] Drive. Um, I would like to speak to the
[1:02:09] council about
[1:02:12] uh
[1:02:14] getting along. I attended last council
[1:02:17] meeting via Zoom and some of what I saw
[1:02:20] with council members being cut off and
[1:02:23] then breaks and
[1:02:26] interactions was really kind of
[1:02:28] appalling. Um I I don't know if you guys
[1:02:32] remember Diane Huffman, but she was a
[1:02:34] person who was involved in in town
[1:02:36] politics. And I remember her saying once
[1:02:39] we get we did get three minutes to talk
[1:02:42] and you guys sit up there and you go on
[1:02:44] and on and on. Sometimes that's the way
[1:02:48] to reach consensus.
[1:02:50] Sometimes it's going to be a little bit
[1:02:52] off topic, sometimes not. I know you you
[1:02:55] have to stick to the agenda and what's
[1:02:56] on the agenda, but um I would like to
[1:03:00] see some of the spirit that we just saw
[1:03:02] between all five of you in regards to
[1:03:05] our our dear person who's leaving um
[1:03:09] extend to your your everyday
[1:03:11] interactions with each other. I'd like
[1:03:13] to see a line of of smoothness going
[1:03:16] between all of you instead of a line of
[1:03:18] fractiousness. Um, it used to be a lot
[1:03:21] friendlier here with each other and with
[1:03:26] the council and the people and uh I'm
[1:03:29] not up there. It's a difficult job, but
[1:03:31] I'd like you guys to work on that. Thank
[1:03:34] you.
[1:03:39] » Next speaker.
[1:03:40] >> Hi, Todd Greenberg.
[1:03:44] You know, Fairfax used to be more about
[1:03:48] peace, love, tie-dye,
[1:03:53] music, art, and community.
[1:03:58] But what many of us see
[1:04:02] many [clears throat] members of this
[1:04:03] council repeatedly doing is bringing
[1:04:05] controversy to Fairfax.
[1:04:07] Now it's about tasers,
[1:04:12] automated license plate readers, and
[1:04:14] approving high-rise highdensity
[1:04:15] buildings. And now you're considering
[1:04:18] unlimited
[1:04:20] unspecified pesticide use later on at
[1:04:24] this meeting.
[1:04:27] The mayor and other members frequently
[1:04:30] condemn public speakers for what they
[1:04:33] say.
[1:04:36] They rely upon stated rules of decorum,
[1:04:40] but yet they violate those stated rules
[1:04:43] of decorum.
[1:04:45] It's not
[1:04:47] equally applied.
[1:04:49] And in fact, the law
[1:04:52] allows criticism of town council
[1:04:55] members. So, I suggest that you revise
[1:04:59] your rules of decorum and until you
[1:05:01] revise them, that you actually adhere to
[1:05:04] the law and you quit badmouthing and
[1:05:09] publicly insulting speakers and cutting
[1:05:11] them off and cutting off town council
[1:05:13] members. I suggest that you adhere to
[1:05:16] the Brown Act and that you adhere to
[1:05:20] what Fire Town Council's adopted as the
[1:05:22] rules of order, namely Robert's rules of
[1:05:25] order, which the mayor consistently
[1:05:27] breaks.
[1:05:29] You need to have a vote before you
[1:05:31] adjourn a meeting abruptly. And then
[1:05:34] when you adjourn the meeting,
[1:05:37] you need to return the floor to the
[1:05:38] council member who is speaking.
[1:05:41] Please.
[1:05:47] » I certainly think Todd read the laws
[1:05:49] because he is correct. I am one of those
[1:05:52] people that were cut off last time.
[1:05:55] I think the reason I get cut off is
[1:05:57] because our mayor does not want to hear
[1:05:59] a difference of opinion. But what
[1:06:02] prompted all this was when our council
[1:06:04] member that represents different points
[1:06:06] of view, Michael Giranelli, got abruptly
[1:06:10] cut off, tried to interfere with his his
[1:06:13] thinking, and then the meeting is
[1:06:15] adjourned. That's not correct. I've seen
[1:06:18] the same poor attitude towards Council
[1:06:23] Member Edgar regarding hearing aids and
[1:06:26] different things. Where is that allowed
[1:06:29] in any group? I would also like to say
[1:06:33] that I have found the current council to
[1:06:35] be as divisive as I have seen in the 24
[1:06:40] years I've been coming to this meetings.
[1:06:43] Leisel has always been polite, has
[1:06:46] always represented people. She may not
[1:06:48] have the same opinion that I do, but
[1:06:50] she's always been willing to sit down
[1:06:52] and discuss that. I find the same of
[1:06:54] Michael and Frank. I would encourage the
[1:06:57] mayor to take that same behavior because
[1:07:00] I've seen our mayor stick her tongue out
[1:07:03] to people, flip people off, take papers
[1:07:06] off desk and throw them on the ground
[1:07:07] which is recorded. And I would
[1:07:10] appreciate if maybe she reflected upon
[1:07:13] those actions and thought of a better
[1:07:16] way to represent her town and bring
[1:07:18] forth a little continuity and welcome
[1:07:21] the value of diversity of opinions to
[1:07:23] get to a better place. Thank you.
[1:07:27] Any other speakers in the
[1:07:29] room? Okay, seeing none, are there any
[1:07:33] hands raised?
[1:07:34] >> We have two raised hands on Zoom. The
[1:07:37] first speaker is Cindy, followed by
[1:07:39] Jodie. Cindy, you are unmuted. You may
[1:07:41] now unmute yourself.
[1:07:45] >> Um, hi, good evening. Cindy Ross, um,
[1:07:49] longtime Fairfax resident. I live on
[1:07:51] Lansdale Avenue and a few a couple of
[1:07:55] weeks ago or so on Next Door online, I
[1:07:59] saw a thread about my street that um at
[1:08:03] first I thought was kind of funny, sort
[1:08:06] of interesting, but it's it's given me a
[1:08:09] lot to think about and I realized that I would like to see if we could work
[1:08:13] towards some solutions. Um, what what
[1:08:16] came up online was that Lansdale Avenue
[1:08:21] apparently has been designated voerf,
[1:08:25] which I've come to learn is um I think
[1:08:29] it means living street. Um, it's it's an
[1:08:33] attempt to share the road. It's it's a
[1:08:36] program that was implemented
[1:08:39] in um Holland first and several other
[1:08:42] cities in in Europe to try to calm down
[1:08:45] traffic.
[1:08:47] And the thread on Next Door was kind of
[1:08:50] interesting because not only did people
[1:08:54] most people not know that those signs
[1:08:56] were there, apparently they've been
[1:08:57] there maybe 10 years. Um but you know
[1:09:01] there was lots of speculation. you know,
[1:09:03] they they seemed really silly. Nobody
[1:09:05] knew what they meant. And, you know, I I
[1:09:09] get the concept of trying to to share
[1:09:12] the road, but on Lansdale Avenue and
[1:09:16] also um the other street that I live
[1:09:18] closest to, Pastori Avenue,
[1:09:22] um it it's it's ridiculous to to put up
[1:09:25] a sign and think that it's going to make
[1:09:27] a difference. We have a road that is not
[1:09:31] wide enough for two-way traffic and
[1:09:33] parking. Um, we have people on bicycles
[1:09:38] and in cars that don't pay attention to
[1:09:40] all the stop signs and other traffic
[1:09:42] safety. Um, we have people that cut
[1:09:46] through the Fairfax PL Oh, okay. Well,
[1:09:52] the next speaker is Jod. Jody, you are
[1:09:55] unmuted. You may now unmute yourself.
[1:09:58] Okay, I don't see a Thank you. I don't
[1:10:00] see a a clock, but I'll try to get this
[1:10:02] in my two minutes. Good evening, mayor,
[1:10:03] council members, staff, and fellow
[1:10:05] community members. Jod Tims, Cascade
[1:10:07] Drive. Just a few climate related items.
[1:10:10] First, many thanks to those who came out
[1:10:12] on July 24th to the Fairfax Climate
[1:10:15] Action Committee's Climate Future Film
[1:10:17] Festival that was held in the Women's
[1:10:19] Club. We had about 50 folks join us to
[1:10:22] watch 13 international documentary films
[1:10:24] with tableabling by Resilient
[1:10:26] Neighborhoods and the county's
[1:10:28] sustainability staff. I think most of us
[1:10:30] in Fairfax also recently received a
[1:10:33] letter from the county's new climate and
[1:10:35] sustainability department regarding the
[1:10:37] Bay Ren Ease program for possible home
[1:10:41] upgrades. The letter detailed what the
[1:10:43] program covers and what it costs, a
[1:10:45] maximum of up to $2,000. It includes
[1:10:49] insulation, air and duct ceiling or
[1:10:51] replacement, induction, cooking
[1:10:53] installation, etc. I took advantage of
[1:10:56] this program a while back and I highly
[1:10:58] recommend it. On September 12th from 1
[1:11:01] to 4, the Reuse Alliance and the town
[1:11:04] will host another repair fair at the
[1:11:06] library. So, bring your broken
[1:11:08] appliances and gadgets to see if they
[1:11:10] can be fixed and reused. And finally,
[1:11:12] regarding the topic of dark skies, I
[1:11:15] know the planning commission has been
[1:11:16] mulling this over for some time, and
[1:11:18] this morning I attended a Marin
[1:11:20] Conservation League meeting and heard
[1:11:22] about their dark sky policy. As you
[1:11:25] likely know, light pollution destroys
[1:11:27] critical wildlife habitat. It wastes
[1:11:30] money and energy. It harms human health.
[1:11:34] It can actually decrease safety and
[1:11:36] security. And it robs us of our
[1:11:39] beautiful night sky. So given that
[1:11:41] writing an ordinance can take a long
[1:11:43] time, I'd love to propose that in the
[1:11:45] meantime, the council consider drafting
[1:11:47] a town resolution or proclamation with
[1:11:50] our intention to address light pollution
[1:11:53] through responsible outdoor lighting.
[1:11:56] Thank you for all you do. Community
[1:11:58] members, staff, and council.
[1:12:02] >> There are no more speakers on Zoom.
[1:12:04] >> Okay, terrific. Thank you. You're
[1:12:07] closing.
[1:12:08] Can I just say a couple words quick
[1:12:10] about Drake?
[1:12:12] >> Uh yeah, let me just close open time for
[1:12:14] public expression and then quickly go
[1:12:16] ahead.
[1:12:18] >> Okay. Um
[1:12:21] 75th uh Diamond Ju Jubilee anniversary
[1:12:25] is quite a big deal and uh thank thanks
[1:12:27] to Mike Ardo, our open space committee
[1:12:30] member for coming tonight and reminding
[1:12:32] us of that what's coming up. Um,
[1:12:36] our daughter Lori uh graduated from
[1:12:38] Drake in 1978. And, uh, Archie Williams
[1:12:40] was her math teacher, so we had a
[1:12:43] connection. And I do actually have a
[1:12:45] little further back connection. And, um,
[1:12:48] 70 years ago, it was in 1956. I was a
[1:12:51] senior at SI on the championship
[1:12:53] swimming team. And we came over here and
[1:12:55] swam Drake High School in our brand new
[1:12:57] pool there. Um I I had I had never been
[1:13:01] to Drake High School or seen it, but it
[1:13:03] they had a brand new pool. Boy, that was
[1:13:05] something. And so we got to come over
[1:13:06] here and and swim Drake High. Anyway,
[1:13:09] that's my connection to Drake. Thanks.
[1:13:12] Well, one one last quick thing. Uh we
[1:13:14] heard we heard neighbors of on
[1:13:17] Meadowway. It's my understanding PG& is
[1:13:20] going to underground.
[1:13:22] >> Frank,
[1:13:24] >> you know, people come down and they ask
[1:13:25] us make a comment. No, but you have a
[1:13:28] >> I'm not I'm not
[1:13:29] >> Frank. I was going to I was going to say
[1:13:30] something.
[1:13:31] >> I was going to tell you the PGD is going
[1:13:32] to underground from Cascade Drive to the
[1:13:35] Meadowway. That's what we've been told.
[1:13:38] >> That's all.
[1:13:38] >> Well, that's reiterating what I think
[1:13:40] what the Wermans were saying, but I'm I
[1:13:42] want to appreciate I want to acknowledge
[1:13:45] your concerns and I hope that we can
[1:13:47] help you get the answers you're seeking.
[1:13:52] Moving on, we are now on to the regular
[1:13:55] agenda. Item number two, pesticide
[1:13:58] ordinance exception request. Adopt a
[1:14:01] resolution authorizing an an exception
[1:14:04] to the town's pesticide ordinance for
[1:14:06] targeted flea treatment beneath the
[1:14:08] temporary fire station. And we have
[1:14:12] our director of public works, Kristen
[1:14:15] Arnold, here. Take it away.
[1:14:19] >> Thank you.
[1:14:23] Did you promote me?
[1:14:40] Almost there.
[1:14:47] Share. Oh.
[1:14:52] says someone else is sharing.
[1:15:17] Almost there. There we go.
[1:15:20] Okay, [laughter]
[1:15:22] [sighs]
[1:15:25] good evening. I'm Kristen Arnold, public
[1:15:28] works. I'm here to talk about an
[1:15:31] exception to the pestanite pesticide
[1:15:33] ordinance for the temporary fire
[1:15:36] station. Um, specifically underneath the
[1:15:38] building
[1:15:40] in early July
[1:15:44] or I'm sorry, late July. Um staff was
[1:15:50] told about um a flea infestation in the
[1:15:52] playground. Um we subsequently closed
[1:15:55] the playground while we started
[1:15:58] evaluating what our options are and what
[1:16:00] we could do about it. Um
[1:16:06] so our first focus was on the
[1:16:08] playground. Um, we discovered that
[1:16:13] animals were able to access underneath
[1:16:16] the deck area in the playground. Um, and
[1:16:20] so while we were excluding that area, we
[1:16:23] found openings
[1:16:25] into the temporary fire station, which
[1:16:28] is currently at the community center,
[1:16:30] which borders the playground. Um, so we
[1:16:33] were able to block off all of those
[1:16:35] accesses.
[1:16:36] for the playground. We
[1:16:40] from talking with a few different
[1:16:41] agencies um we determined that an
[1:16:45] agricultural steam treatment um looked
[1:16:49] like a really good option to treat the
[1:16:51] fleas in the playground. Um that has
[1:16:54] been completed now and it uh does appear
[1:16:57] that it had a significant impact. Um, so
[1:17:02] we'll continue monitoring and raking the
[1:17:05] sand to evaluate how the playground site
[1:17:08] is going.
[1:17:10] However,
[1:17:12] this leaves fleas
[1:17:15] um underneath the crawl space of the
[1:17:17] temporary fire station. The crawl space
[1:17:21] is um
[1:17:24] like a solid perimeter concrete
[1:17:26] foundation. So, it completely circles
[1:17:28] the underneath of the building and that
[1:17:31] is now blocked off from wildlife being
[1:17:34] able to access it. Um
[1:17:38] so we were reviewing the ordinance to go
[1:17:41] through our options of how do we treat
[1:17:44] underneath the building. Um
[1:17:47] granular pesticides that are ground
[1:17:49] applied are allowed by the ordinance.
[1:17:52] However, they need to be watered to
[1:17:55] activate
[1:17:56] any um pesticide or insecticide.
[1:18:00] And
[1:18:01] hosing down underneath a woodframe
[1:18:04] building is not an ideal situation. It
[1:18:07] can create rot and mold and generally
[1:18:09] you want to avoid it. Um, we did add
[1:18:13] boric acid underneath the building.
[1:18:16] However, it's not really an effective
[1:18:20] flea treatment, especially through all
[1:18:22] stages of a fleas's life cycle.
[1:18:25] um and is not an effective means to
[1:18:29] control the situation that we're in. Um
[1:18:32] the ordinance also allows spraying 9
[1:18:35] square feet once per year, but
[1:18:38] underneath the building is roughly 1,900
[1:18:40] square ft. Um and we did talk to
[1:18:46] um Dominican University about steaming
[1:18:48] under the building, but it was the same
[1:18:49] situation. It adds too much water. Um,
[1:18:52] and you may ask the question, why didn't
[1:18:54] we, you know, just use the granular
[1:18:57] pesticides anyways and just try to use a
[1:18:59] little bit of water? It's also against
[1:19:02] like federal law prohibits using a
[1:19:04] pesticide inconsistently with its label
[1:19:08] and granular pesticides
[1:19:12] um are specifically
[1:19:15] marketed for outside landscaped areas um
[1:19:20] or like a lawn area.
[1:19:25] Um so the last option in the ordinance
[1:19:28] is to request council to authorize an
[1:19:33] exception when the following three
[1:19:35] conditions are present. Health and
[1:19:37] safety impacts, no reasonable
[1:19:40] alternative and adverse town impacts. Um
[1:19:44] so the infestation can impact the fire
[1:19:47] station staff and fleas can carry
[1:19:50] disease. Um the ordinance compliant
[1:19:54] measures
[1:19:56] will not control the fleas beneath the
[1:19:58] building.
[1:20:00] And if fleas start finding their way
[1:20:02] into the fire station, there is a
[1:20:04] potential that we would need to relocate
[1:20:07] the fire station which would increase
[1:20:10] emergency response times.
[1:20:23] After coming to this determination,
[1:20:27] staff met with three different pest
[1:20:29] control companies and has been
[1:20:30] consulting with the county department of
[1:20:32] agriculture to find a recommended
[1:20:35] solution.
[1:20:38] The recommended treatment approach is to
[1:20:41] spray an insecticide and a growth
[1:20:43] regulator under the temporary fire
[1:20:46] station
[1:20:50] to treat this infestation.
[1:20:59] It's a type of insecticide
[1:21:02] that um
[1:21:06] I asked what a growth regulator is.
[1:21:10] >> It basically breaks the life life cycle.
[1:21:13] >> Yeah. [laughter]
[1:21:14] I am not an expert in all of the
[1:21:19] pesticides, but I've been doing as much
[1:21:22] homework as I can. Um, and so both of
[1:21:26] these products
[1:21:29] um are labeled for use in schools and
[1:21:32] other institutional buildings. They're
[1:21:35] also
[1:21:36] labeled for recreational areas,
[1:21:39] outdoors.
[1:21:41] They are labeled as safe to use around
[1:21:46] animals.
[1:21:47] Um, and they can be used inside of homes
[1:21:51] and outside. Um, they are
[1:21:55] California registered products, meaning
[1:21:57] they're acceptable products to use in
[1:21:59] California.
[1:22:01] Um,
[1:22:02] and the Alpine uh WSG stands for water
[1:22:08] soluble granular. Um the alpine
[1:22:12] insecticide is
[1:22:17] um it has EPA granted reduce risk status
[1:22:22] which means that
[1:22:24] for certain
[1:22:26] um
[1:22:30] pest control options the EPA has found
[1:22:33] that there's low risk to people applying
[1:22:36] it
[1:22:38] and occupying the treated building. Um,
[1:22:43] it's also low risk to non-target
[1:22:46] organisms and the environment,
[1:22:50] but they've also determined that it
[1:22:52] still has an effectiveness that may
[1:22:55] reduce repeated applications
[1:22:58] and help eliminate the issue. Um,
[1:23:03] so we would do an initial application
[1:23:05] and then we'd inspect within the first
[1:23:09] week. Um, it would likely need to be
[1:23:11] reapplied and then we would continue
[1:23:14] inspection through there um to ensure
[1:23:17] that the issue has been controlled.
[1:23:22] So with that, staff recommends that the
[1:23:25] town council authorize an exception to
[1:23:28] chapter 8.52 of the Fairfax Town Code to
[1:23:32] allow a licensed pest control operator
[1:23:34] to apply and reapply as necessary a
[1:23:38] California registered flea control
[1:23:40] treatments beneath the temporary fire
[1:23:42] station in accordance with all
[1:23:44] applicable laws and product label
[1:23:46] requirements until the infestation is
[1:23:49] controlled. and I'm happy to answer any
[1:23:52] questions.
[1:23:55] » Thank you. And I just know that this
[1:23:58] came out of left field for you and how
[1:24:00] much time and attention it's required of
[1:24:03] you on top of all the many many DPW
[1:24:06] projects. So, I'm sorry and thank you.
[1:24:10] Um any I know I have questions, but I'm
[1:24:14] going to go down the line. Go ahead,
[1:24:15] Council Member Blash.
[1:24:17] >> Yeah. So, um I understand that this
[1:24:19] would go under the building. It's an
[1:24:21] enclosed space. Um I, you know, like
[1:24:23] many pesticides, both of these have, I
[1:24:25] think, acute toxicity to aquatic life
[1:24:28] and um we're very near our creek. Um but
[1:24:31] I think the concept is the the water is
[1:24:33] not going under there, right? So, it's
[1:24:34] not soaking into the uh watershed. Um
[1:24:38] should we ever take down that building
[1:24:39] or rebuild it? Is it does it remain? Do
[1:24:42] you know if it this there's a life um of
[1:24:45] that product that it eventually stops
[1:24:47] being toxic or is it going to keep the
[1:24:49] soil under there problematic for the
[1:24:51] future?
[1:24:58] » So I mean the treatments have to be
[1:25:00] reapplied.
[1:25:02] So that means that they can't have like
[1:25:06] lingering long-term effects cuz if we do
[1:25:08] it once, that doesn't mean that nothing
[1:25:11] will ever get under the building or we
[1:25:13] won't have other pests. Um so that it
[1:25:16] seems like it dissipates after a certain
[1:25:20] amount of time.
[1:25:24] I I just have a couple clarifying
[1:25:25] questions if that's okay. So
[1:25:29] we've gotten the playground under
[1:25:31] control. It's still essentially blocked
[1:25:34] off, quarantined,
[1:25:36] and you're checking it. You're wrecking
[1:25:38] it regularly, and you're seeing that
[1:25:40] it's it's working, and you might need to
[1:25:44] do more steaming, but it's working thus
[1:25:46] far, right?
[1:25:48] I would say it's potentially under
[1:25:51] control. I We saw a drastic change after
[1:25:55] the first steaming. Um, but fleas do lay
[1:25:58] a lot of eggs every day.
[1:26:01] Um, so until we monitor for I would say
[1:26:05] at least a week or two.
[1:26:07] >> Yeah. Yeah.
[1:26:10] >> This is what I'm kind of getting because
[1:26:11] they I know they they so gross but we
[1:26:15] have to get into it. So they they lay
[1:26:18] eggs but they can't survive unless they
[1:26:20] eat.
[1:26:21] >> Correct.
[1:26:22] >> And so we have the whole we have
[1:26:24] everything we have it blocked off. And
[1:26:27] so unless like some critters are
[1:26:30] obviously can still get in there, right?
[1:26:33] >> There are air vents to the crawl space.
[1:26:37] Um and so generally what happens is when
[1:26:40] a flea loses its host, so that would you
[1:26:44] know be the raccoon living under the
[1:26:45] building.
[1:26:46] >> The fleas then move towards vibrations.
[1:26:51] Um
[1:26:54] » oh gosh, I want to say CO2. Um, and like
[1:26:59] they move towards ventilated areas is
[1:27:01] the gist of it.
[1:27:02] >> Okay. But so the you've got the
[1:27:05] playground, then you've got you've got
[1:27:07] the deck, and then you have the
[1:27:09] community center,
[1:27:12] and you've you've
[1:27:14] closed off any access to below the deck,
[1:27:18] so nobody no critters can live or access
[1:27:20] that anymore. And the concern is that
[1:27:23] underneath there is and underneath the community center building is where
[1:27:28] we have to treat, right?
[1:27:30] >> Yes.
[1:27:31] >> Okay. And but if they I mean by my
[1:27:35] question is by just uh time just just by
[1:27:40] quarantining
[1:27:42] for a couple of weeks wouldn't would
[1:27:44] that work just because they they don't
[1:27:46] have they won't be able to access a
[1:27:48] host. So generally once the host leaves
[1:27:51] that's when the fleas really start
[1:27:54] coming out to go search for food. So
[1:27:57] they will
[1:27:59] move towards out they will move out from
[1:28:03] under the building and that is when they
[1:28:06] are very likely to start finding the
[1:28:09] fire personnel that are
[1:28:11] >> okay. And there and there's no evidence
[1:28:13] yet um like the firefighters haven't
[1:28:15] seen any evidence yet. Is that true?
[1:28:20] Not yet.
[1:28:21] >> Um, [laughter]
[1:28:23] but did you get some information today?
[1:28:26] I I would say we need more information.
[1:28:29] Okay.
[1:28:30] >> Um, yeah.
[1:28:31] >> Okay. Um, Mike, did you have a question?
[1:28:34] >> Sure. Um,
[1:28:36] did did we capture a raccoon and check
[1:28:38] it for fleas? How do we know they came
[1:28:40] from the raccoon?
[1:28:41] I mean, we suspect um
[1:28:46] the fire personnel living in the
[1:28:48] building has seen multiple raccoons.
[1:28:52] I mean, we know there's a lot of
[1:28:53] raccoons in the area. This is not the
[1:28:56] first time we've gotten them out of um
[1:28:59] different buildings. Um, and
[1:29:03] when we were
[1:29:06] looking at some of the vents around the
[1:29:09] building to try to make sure everything
[1:29:11] was blocked off, there was a family of
[1:29:14] raccoons staring at us
[1:29:17] from right behind the building. Um,
[1:29:21] we've also had other reports of other
[1:29:23] people seeing raccoons in the area.
[1:29:27] Yeah. So, I I I I sit on a nonprofit
[1:29:31] board, Marin's Pesticide Free Zone, and
[1:29:34] we use the Northwest Center for
[1:29:36] Alternatives to pesticide zone, and we
[1:29:38] use their their uh material safety data
[1:29:41] sheets to determine whether or not the
[1:29:44] pesticide that's being used uh would
[1:29:48] have an adverse impact on people or
[1:29:50] children.
[1:29:52] Do do we know the actual name of that
[1:29:54] pesticide that we could check the
[1:29:55] material safety data sheet?
[1:29:58] >> I did forget to print out the um the data sheets. I have um the like all
[1:30:08] the label information.
[1:30:12] >> Okay. So I
[1:30:13] >> I can provide those. I do know the two
[1:30:17] um
[1:30:19] insecticides that we plan to use. That's
[1:30:21] the Alpine WSG and then the Techco Pro.
[1:30:27] >> Okay. I I went to the Northwest Center
[1:30:30] for um for alternatives to pesticides
[1:30:33] and uh they've got a whole a whole uh uh
[1:30:37] section managing fleas without
[1:30:39] pesticides.
[1:30:41] Um so there there are some alternatives.
[1:30:43] I'm I'm I'm wondering if we've really
[1:30:46] used all tried everything else before
[1:30:49] going to the pesticide.
[1:30:51] >> Well, I tried everything that was
[1:30:53] allowed by the ordinance.
[1:30:56] Um,
[1:30:59] and I needed help with
[1:31:03] the infestation. So I called pest
[1:31:07] control companies
[1:31:10] and we went through different options
[1:31:14] but this is what they recommend to
[1:31:17] ensure that we eliminate the problem
[1:31:20] efficiently and effectively
[1:31:23] so that we don't put the fire station at
[1:31:25] risk.
[1:31:28] >> I have a question.
[1:31:29] >> Go ahead, Mike. If we approve this
[1:31:31] tonight, which I will be voting forward
[1:31:34] to approving it, um how quick can you
[1:31:37] get to the job? When will it start?
[1:31:41] >> I was hoping to have an answer for that
[1:31:44] by tonight. Um but the pest control
[1:31:46] company um didn't get back to me today.
[1:31:49] Um I asked if we could set up scheduling
[1:31:52] for Thursday or Friday. Um
[1:31:55] >> Okay.
[1:31:56] >> But I I don't know for sure if it can
[1:31:58] happen that yet. But quickly though.
[1:32:00] >> Yes.
[1:32:00] >> Thank you,
[1:32:01] >> Council Member Kohler.
[1:32:02] >> Yeah, I think it's more of a comment.
[1:32:04] So, I had brought so I'm an
[1:32:06] entomologist, have a master's degree in
[1:32:08] entomology and formally trained in all
[1:32:10] that. And what I brought up after I read
[1:32:13] this was um so pesticides don't kill the
[1:32:17] eggs. I'm not sure about steam cleaning
[1:32:19] because that's a newer thing. It's been
[1:32:23] several years, but I that's why I asked
[1:32:26] that we be able to reapply because the
[1:32:28] life cycle you don't kill the eggs and
[1:32:31] the life cycle is usually within 10
[1:32:33] days. So, you got to go back and
[1:32:35] probably reapply and because you have a
[1:32:38] growth regulator, what that means is
[1:32:40] they can't go through the stages of
[1:32:43] life. But so, if we can get those eggs
[1:32:46] as they first hatch. So that's why I had
[1:32:49] asked that we make a change to the
[1:32:51] resolution to allow us to reapply. And
[1:32:54] while I'm not a fan of pesticides, I
[1:32:57] think this is really important that we
[1:32:59] get moving on this very quickly. And you
[1:33:02] know, we don't want to have to move
[1:33:04] those firefighters out and we need to
[1:33:07] take care of this very quickly as well
[1:33:09] as continuing the monitoring of the
[1:33:12] actual children's area. Thank you. Thank
[1:33:15] you for all your efforts here. Let's
[1:33:17] open public comment.
[1:33:29] » Hi Todd Greenberg. This building that
[1:33:31] you're concerned about is in a flood
[1:33:33] zone. The staff report identifies a
[1:33:36] legitimate concern protecting
[1:33:37] firefighters and keeping the temporary
[1:33:39] fire station operational. It also
[1:33:40] confirms that the town has already begun
[1:33:43] non-pesticide measures, including
[1:33:45] wildlife exclusion, boric acid, and
[1:33:47] steam treatment, but the public has not
[1:33:49] received adequate notice of the plan.
[1:33:51] Now, before you, the original staff
[1:33:53] report describes a one-time limited
[1:33:56] exemption. The supplemental resolution
[1:33:58] instead authorizes the town to apply and
[1:34:00] reapply unspecified pestifi pesticide
[1:34:04] treatments until tonight during this
[1:34:06] meeting until the infestation is
[1:34:08] considered controlled. That is a
[1:34:11] material expansion and the public still
[1:34:13] does not know the product active
[1:34:14] ingredient application method, number of
[1:34:17] treatment, safety precautions,
[1:34:18] monitoring plan, expiration date or
[1:34:20] definition of success. I ask the council
[1:34:22] to take three clear actions tonight.
[1:34:24] First, continue the item to a later
[1:34:26] meeting rather than approving open-ended
[1:34:28] authority through a lastm minute
[1:34:30] supplement. Second, direct staff to
[1:34:32] continue monitoring non-pesticide
[1:34:34] measures including wildlife exclusion,
[1:34:36] boric acid where permitted, steam
[1:34:38] treatment, sanitation, removal or
[1:34:40] replacement of affected material where
[1:34:42] necessary, and repeated flea checks in
[1:34:44] both the crawl space and the playground.
[1:34:46] Because flea pupy can remain protected
[1:34:48] and emerge later, monitoring over time
[1:34:50] is essential before declaring these
[1:34:52] measures unsuccessful. Third, require
[1:34:54] any future pesticide proposal to
[1:34:56] identify the exact product and active
[1:34:59] ingredient. Provide the label and safety
[1:35:01] information, limit treatment to a
[1:35:02] defined area and number of applications,
[1:35:05] establish an expiration date, require
[1:35:07] marine county inspection, and define
[1:35:09] measurable criteria for when the
[1:35:11] infestation is controlled. Only after
[1:35:13] that plan is publicly posted with
[1:35:15] adequate advanced notice should the
[1:35:16] council consider a pesticide exception
[1:35:19] at a subsequent meeting. Please protect
[1:35:21] firefighters and the public, but also
[1:35:23] protect meaningful public participation
[1:35:25] and the integrity of Fairfax's pesticide
[1:35:28] ordinance.
[1:35:37] » Next speaker, Deborah Benson, Catscape
[1:35:39] Drive. Um, over a week ago, I emailed
[1:35:42] town staff suggesting we try
[1:35:45] dietimmacous earth, which is a proven
[1:35:49] killer of fleas. It's a it's a non-toxic
[1:35:53] um like a clay, a pulverized clay that
[1:35:56] you can spread both outside and inside a
[1:36:00] thin layer and when the fleas crawl on
[1:36:02] it, it sucks the moisture out of them.
[1:36:05] They crack and they die. So, I'm
[1:36:07] wondering,
[1:36:08] >> we used it.
[1:36:09] >> Pardon? We used it. We applied it. Yes.
[1:36:11] Oh, thank you. Yeah, it didn't work.
[1:36:16] >> I can't answer that question.
[1:36:21] » Thought you said we did use it.
[1:36:23] >> We used brick acid. Um, dietmacous earth
[1:36:28] >> from how I've been reading the ordinance
[1:36:30] is not allowed.
[1:36:31] >> Oh, okay.
[1:36:33] >> My mistake. I understood we did use it.
[1:36:36] It's clay. It's not. It has no
[1:36:38] insecticide in it. I I'm not
[1:36:41] understanding why it wouldn't be
[1:36:42] allowed. Anyway, that's my suggestion
[1:36:46] that we try that before we use
[1:36:47] insecticides because it's proven both
[1:36:49] inside and outside. If it's going to be
[1:36:51] in the playground, it should be food
[1:36:53] grade, but if it's underneath the uh
[1:36:56] fire station, it could be the kind you
[1:36:59] get from the hardware store, which is
[1:37:01] less expensive. So, I'd like to see try
[1:37:03] that.
[1:37:05] Actually,
[1:37:13] I was also going to speak about
[1:37:15] dietmacious earth. Um, not sure that it
[1:37:18] would work and I concur with staff's u
[1:37:22] [gasps]
[1:37:23] understanding that it might not work in
[1:37:25] this circumstance getting under the
[1:37:27] building, but it might work in other
[1:37:28] circumstances such as if the
[1:37:31] firefighters wanted to put it around the
[1:37:33] baseboards in the building inside the
[1:37:35] building to just prevent an infestation.
[1:37:38] What dietmacious earth actually is is
[1:37:40] it's not exactly clay. It's it's
[1:37:43] actually like the white cliffs of Dover
[1:37:46] are made of these microorganisms,
[1:37:49] datoms that have a silica
[1:37:52] skeleton as it were on this very
[1:37:54] microscopic scale. And when that's
[1:37:56] ground up, uh that makes these very
[1:37:59] pointy little silica pieces which
[1:38:03] mechanically pierce the adult insects
[1:38:07] exoskeleton. only works on the adults
[1:38:10] and maybe the larvae but not on the eggs
[1:38:13] certainly. Anyway, I'm not suggesting
[1:38:15] dietimmacous earth for this application
[1:38:18] under the under the the uh uh building
[1:38:23] but I would suggest
[1:38:25] that and I'm
[1:38:28] well I thought I had this on my phone
[1:38:30] but I don't. Um, I have actually emailed
[1:38:33] these suggestions that two specific
[1:38:36] places in the ordinance that you might
[1:38:39] consider in a future agenda item
[1:38:42] modifying to allow dietmacious earth
[1:38:45] because I would concur it doesn't seem
[1:38:47] to allow it right now, but I think it
[1:38:49] should. Um it the ordinance could say
[1:38:52] that it uh it's directed not at
[1:38:57] mechanical the things that have a
[1:38:59] mechanical action but no chemical
[1:39:01] action. That's one thing that could be
[1:39:03] put in the ordinance and then in under
[1:39:05] exceptions a specific exception for
[1:39:08] dietenimatious earth. So I would
[1:39:10] recommend on a future agenda item that
[1:39:12] you take that up. Thanks.
[1:39:17] » Hello. I also agree and it's for the
[1:39:19] adult period. So when they're migrating
[1:39:21] the diet dietmatous earth actually is a
[1:39:25] good thing. It actually from breaking up
[1:39:27] the silica it's like little knives that
[1:39:29] cut their legs and it'll kill them. When
[1:39:32] in the good old days when Linda and I
[1:39:34] were in our little babysitting group and
[1:39:36] dragging our dogs home, we employed uh
[1:39:39] eucalyptus berries and eucalyptus oil.
[1:39:42] That's another natural product. But the
[1:39:44] reason I came up to speak is not to
[1:39:47] discourage or encourage because I hope
[1:39:49] that everybody's looking at this. But if
[1:39:52] you allow an exemption, I would
[1:39:54] encourage you to go back to our
[1:39:55] ordinance and come up with a criteria of
[1:39:58] why this is allowed. So it's a uniform
[1:40:01] application for everybody and we don't
[1:40:03] need to address this each time. So if we
[1:40:05] have a serious infestation, our
[1:40:08] ordinance should allow other options
[1:40:10] that we can address and move forward. So
[1:40:13] that way this could be our
[1:40:15] [clears throat] kind of like test site
[1:40:17] of how to modify something. So it
[1:40:19] doesn't just give a blanket where people
[1:40:22] can go forward and use pest sides, but
[1:40:24] it gives us guard rails of how when
[1:40:27] something might be necessary to go to a
[1:40:30] better level. Thank you.
[1:40:36] » Good good evening, council members, uh
[1:40:39] town staff, and community members. My
[1:40:41] name is Jake Peterson. I'm the acting
[1:40:43] fire chief for the Ross Valley Fire
[1:40:45] Department and I am here representing
[1:40:47] all the members of the fire department.
[1:40:49] Um I understand everyone's concerns
[1:40:52] about using pesticides. I really do. I I
[1:40:55] am concerned about it too, but my job
[1:40:58] here is to protect the firefighters that
[1:41:00] are living in that temporary quarters
[1:41:02] and make sure that they are uh safe and
[1:41:04] healthy and don't get bitten by fleas.
[1:41:07] So that's why I'm here um
[1:41:10] talking to everybody and um doing my own
[1:41:14] bit of research. I feel like at this
[1:41:16] point the pesticide use is the best way
[1:41:19] to go down and to use to uh make sure
[1:41:22] that this doesn't emphasize and get even
[1:41:25] worse and make the problem worse. And so
[1:41:28] that's I think where we're at. Um, I
[1:41:30] look forward to uh working
[1:41:32] collaboratively with the town. And I
[1:41:34] will say I've been very lucky to work
[1:41:37] with Kristen over the last year over the
[1:41:41] rebuilding of the the town um fire
[1:41:43] station and also the temporary quarters
[1:41:45] and there was a lot of issues that came
[1:41:47] up and we work really well as a team. So
[1:41:50] I don't expect that to change and um
[1:41:53] continue to make sure that the fleas get
[1:41:56] out and all the firefighters are safe
[1:41:58] and healthy. So, um, with that,
[1:42:01] appreciate all your time. Thank you. And
[1:42:04] I'll be, uh, retiring December. So, um,
[1:42:07] this is probably my one and only council
[1:42:10] meeting that I get to speak at. So,
[1:42:12] thank you so much, everyone.
[1:42:13] >> Thank you. Thanks for being here.
[1:42:19] » Any hands raised?
[1:42:20] >> We have one raised hand on Zoom. Cindy,
[1:42:24] you are unmuted. You may now unmute
[1:42:26] yourself.
[1:42:27] >> Yes. Hi, Cindy Ross again. Thank you.
[1:42:30] Um, I just wanted to say that I'm really
[1:42:33] opposed to making exceptions to the
[1:42:36] pesticide ordinance. Um, I understand
[1:42:39] that we need to keep the fire uh crew
[1:42:42] safe, but we also need to keep everybody
[1:42:44] safe. And I I don't have enough
[1:42:48] information right now about um the the
[1:42:52] pesticides that are being proposed, but
[1:42:54] it as as Lisel said, it's my
[1:42:56] understanding that alpine WSG is very
[1:42:59] toxic to aquatic life. It it also can be
[1:43:03] harmful to pollinators. Um I read
[1:43:06] something very briefly that ironically
[1:43:08] said something about hazards during
[1:43:10] firefighting.
[1:43:12] Um, as far as Tech Pro, I don't know
[1:43:15] anything about it, but I understand it doesn't address adult fleas either. I
[1:43:21] would like to see if there is some way
[1:43:23] to look back into using something like
[1:43:26] dietmacious earth. Um, or I, you know,
[1:43:30] I'm just putting this out there. I don't
[1:43:32] know anything about it personally, but
[1:43:34] it's my understanding that certain cat
[1:43:36] flee medications can be used for
[1:43:38] raccoons.
[1:43:40] And I'm wondering if there might be some
[1:43:42] way to maybe feed the raccoons, you
[1:43:45] know, medication that would not be
[1:43:47] harmful to them, that would help break
[1:43:49] the cycle, you know, and and would cause
[1:43:52] less toxicity overall. Um, so anyway, I
[1:43:57] encourage you to find non-toxic,
[1:43:58] non-pesticide solutions. Thank you.
[1:44:02] >> Thank you. Next speaker.
[1:44:03] >> There are no more speakers on Zoom.
[1:44:05] >> Okay. Closing public comment on this
[1:44:07] item. Thank you for all who shared and
[1:44:11] to Kristen. Um,
[1:44:14] any other comments before we entertain
[1:44:18] a motion?
[1:44:20] >> I would like to make a motion. First of
[1:44:21] all, I want to thank everyone for
[1:44:22] sharing your thoughts. Um, and I think
[1:44:25] in the future maybe we look at this.
[1:44:27] >> It looks like council member Blash has a
[1:44:29] comment.
[1:44:31] I just wanted to revisit the um, two
[1:44:33] things. So, we're already using boric
[1:44:35] acid. I've always been confused about
[1:44:37] the difference between boric acid and
[1:44:39] dietimmacous earth, but okay. Um,
[1:44:43] so people are suggesting I just want to
[1:44:45] put it out there. People are suggesting
[1:44:46] dietimmacous earth. Um, and it's not
[1:44:49] something that's allowed in our
[1:44:50] pesticide ordinance, but it seems like
[1:44:51] something that could be applied under an
[1:44:53] exemption. But what are the pros and
[1:44:55] cons of using dietimmacous earth?
[1:45:02] The
[1:45:04] it will not kill the eggs. um as long as
[1:45:08] it stays dry. My understanding is it can
[1:45:10] have effects on them once they hatch. Um
[1:45:14] but it's a slow process
[1:45:17] and it doesn't help guarantee that fleas
[1:45:21] aren't going to get inside the building.
[1:45:24] Um
[1:45:27] the pros is that it is
[1:45:30] a natural substance.
[1:45:33] Well, I don't know if natural is the
[1:45:35] right word, but
[1:45:38] it's not classified as a pesticide or
[1:45:41] insecticide. Um,
[1:45:44] but it can be very dangerous to breathe
[1:45:47] it in. Although, weirdly, you can eat
[1:45:49] it. So, it's a strange product. Um, but
[1:45:53] it is known to help control fleas
[1:45:58] over time. Um, and so my my biggest
[1:46:04] concern with asking for the exception to
[1:46:07] use dietimmacous earth was that we would
[1:46:10] still be waiting
[1:46:13] weeks and just hoping that fleas weren't
[1:46:16] going to get into the fire station.
[1:46:19] >> Okay, so that was one question. Um,
[1:46:21] boric acid apparently doesn't kill the
[1:46:24] eggs and then we'd have sort of some of
[1:46:26] the same issue, right? like we'd be
[1:46:28] waiting for them to hatch and then
[1:46:29] hoping that the boric acid would kill
[1:46:30] them after they hatch and they could
[1:46:31] still get in the building. And um I'm
[1:46:33] assuming that's the case, right? That's
[1:46:35] it's about the same issue. It's just a
[1:46:37] different I know it's a different
[1:46:38] mechanism of killing them, but it sounds
[1:46:39] like it has the same slow
[1:46:43] uh
[1:46:44] >> Yeah. And there's very um mixed
[1:46:47] consensus on if it actually is that
[1:46:49] effective for fleas. Um
[1:46:54] it will like dehydrate the larvae if
[1:46:58] they come across it or
[1:47:02] uh they actually they may have to eat
[1:47:03] that one and then if they come across
[1:47:06] the dietmacious earth that's more of
[1:47:10] like a body contact. Okay. And then
[1:47:14] Okay. So sorry my final thing just
[1:47:15] because I'm listening to what people are
[1:47:16] saying and also just really curious
[1:47:18] about some of these things. um
[1:47:21] this is in a flood zone. I think uh Mr.
[1:47:23] Greenberg was right. I mean it sounds
[1:47:25] like we think and I'd love more clarity
[1:47:28] on this um that the effects dissipate
[1:47:30] over time, right? So the effects of it
[1:47:32] that's why you have to keep reapplying
[1:47:33] it. And so my just my main concern is
[1:47:36] that there not be some instance in which
[1:47:39] um you know and maybe it's so little it
[1:47:41] doesn't it's not going to be that big a
[1:47:42] deal but you know where we have some
[1:47:44] massive flooding like in an El Nino year
[1:47:46] and it like washes this all out from
[1:47:48] under the building and get puts it in
[1:47:50] the creek. Um I don't know how concerned
[1:47:52] to be about that.
[1:47:55] >> I think with that amount of water it
[1:47:58] would get
[1:47:59] very diluted. I mean we would have I
[1:48:02] think much bigger problems going on if
[1:48:05] >> so I'm I'm ready to make a motion. I
[1:48:07] just want to make a comment.
[1:48:08] [clears throat] Dietimmacous earth as
[1:48:10] you mentioned these very small
[1:48:12] particullet which can get into the avi
[1:48:15] of the lungs can be very dangerous for
[1:48:18] humans. Boric acid can be dangerous for
[1:48:20] pets. So if you use boric acid in your
[1:48:23] home and you have cats or dogs it can be
[1:48:26] very dangerous for them. So these
[1:48:29] things, even though they sound natural
[1:48:31] to us, they're not so natural and
[1:48:34] arsenic is natural and can kill you. So
[1:48:37] I would make a motion to say adopt a
[1:48:39] resolution and the supplemental
[1:48:41] resolution authorizing an exception to
[1:48:44] the town's pesticide ordinance for
[1:48:46] targeted flea treatment beneath the
[1:48:48] temporary fire station.
[1:48:53] » Second.
[1:48:56] We have a
[1:48:57] >> I'd like to make a comment. I I asked a
[1:48:58] couple questions early on. I haven't
[1:49:00] commented yet. Um
[1:49:04] I work with groups and we do pesticide
[1:49:06] litigation regularly. We've gone all the
[1:49:09] way to the California Supreme Court and
[1:49:11] the US Supreme Court on pesticides. So
[1:49:13] I'm really concerned about our
[1:49:15] firefighter safety. you know, they're constantly threatened with with
[1:49:19] toxics from the clothing they wear for for for to try to wear clothing that
[1:49:24] won't burn on them to to the plastics
[1:49:27] where they enter a uh you enter a fire
[1:49:29] area and and I'm not sure they really
[1:49:32] want to spend a night in that fire in
[1:49:34] that temporary fire house uh that's been
[1:49:37] sprayed with some kind of a pesticide.
[1:49:39] I' I'd rather seek an alternative. I'd
[1:49:41] come back next I'd come back in a couple
[1:49:43] days for another meeting if we can find
[1:49:45] an alternative. Thank you.
[1:49:48] >> We have a motion from Council Member
[1:49:50] Kohler and a second from Council Member
[1:49:53] Garangelli, Council Member Blash.
[1:50:02] I actually can't make up my mind. Um,
[1:50:05] can I pass? [laughter]
[1:50:08] I think you abstain rather.
[1:50:10] >> All right, I'm going to abstain.
[1:50:12] >> Council member Garangelli,
[1:50:13] >> yes.
[1:50:14] >> Council member Kohler,
[1:50:15] >> yes.
[1:50:16] >> Vice Mayor Agger,
[1:50:18] >> no.
[1:50:18] >> Mayor Helman,
[1:50:20] >> yes.
[1:50:20] >> Motion carries.
[1:50:22] >> Well, I thought we needed a super
[1:50:23] majority.
[1:50:26] » Excuse me. Yes, we do. Thank you for
[1:50:29] correcting.
[1:50:29] >> You're welcome. Um, that's
[1:50:37] » I wasn't sure how you vote. How How did
[1:50:39] Council Member Blash vote?
[1:50:40] >> She abstained. I Well, I forgot about
[1:50:43] the super majority thing. Um, so if
[1:50:46] somebody abstains, then is it a super
[1:50:48] majority of those who vote or you just
[1:50:50] need a supermajority of the whole
[1:50:51] council?
[1:50:54] >> I super majority will be four
[1:50:55] affirmative votes.
[1:50:57] >> Okay. I'm I'm just a little I I don't
[1:51:00] I'm still a little concerned about this
[1:51:01] issue just because the firefighters have
[1:51:03] asked. I mean, we can Can I change my
[1:51:05] vote? Is it over?
[1:51:06] >> The firemen are actually asking for it.
[1:51:09] >> Yeah, you can change your vote if we
[1:51:10] want to go through it again. Let's just
[1:51:12] go through a new vote.
[1:51:13] >> Okay. There'll be a new motion.
[1:51:16] >> So, I make the motion to adopt the
[1:51:19] supplemental resolution authorizing an
[1:51:22] exception to the town's pesticide
[1:51:24] ordinance for targeted flea treatment
[1:51:27] beneath the temporary fire station.
[1:51:31] Second.
[1:51:31] >> Second.
[1:51:34] >> We have a motion from Council Member
[1:51:35] Kohler and a second from Council Member
[1:51:37] Garen Gelli. Council member Blash. Okay.
[1:51:40] I'm just going to say yes because the
[1:51:41] firefighters did ask for it. Council
[1:51:44] member Garenelli.
[1:51:45] >> I'm going to say yes for that same
[1:51:48] reason.
[1:51:49] >> Council member Kohler.
[1:51:50] >> Yes.
[1:51:51] >> Vice Mayor Ager.
[1:51:52] >> No.
[1:51:53] >> Mayor Helman.
[1:51:54] >> Yes.
[1:51:56] >> Motion carries.
[1:51:57] >> Thank you.
[1:52:01] All right, moving along to item number
[1:52:05] three. This is a micro grid concept
[1:52:08] discussion. We will be receiving a
[1:52:12] presentation on the municipal micro grid
[1:52:17] project for the town of Fairfax
[1:52:20] facilities and provide direction to
[1:52:23] staff. There is a staff report and a
[1:52:27] presentation that Bridget Whipler will
[1:52:29] be providing.
[1:53:08] Mayor, would you mind if we take a
[1:53:11] twominut bio break while we resolve our
[1:53:13] technical difficulties?
[1:53:15] >> Sure. Thank you.
[1:53:18] Okay, let's resume.
[1:53:25] Okay, this is something I've been
[1:53:27] looking forward to. And
[1:53:30] Bridget, please take it away.
[1:53:34] >> Thank you. Um, my name is Bridget
[1:53:35] Whitler. I'm the climate action
[1:53:37] coordinator for the town of Fairfax.
[1:53:39] Happy to be here and thanks for closer
[1:53:41] to the mic.
[1:53:42] >> Of course. Is this better? Cool.
[1:53:46] My name is Bridget Whitler. Happy to be
[1:53:48] here. I'll be speaking about the
[1:53:50] conceptual municipal micro grid con
[1:53:53] concept today and to start just the
[1:53:56] purpose of today's presentation is to
[1:53:58] provide information on um solar battery
[1:54:01] and micro grid systems for Fairfax and
[1:54:04] what that would look like as well as
[1:54:06] receive town council direction on how to
[1:54:08] proceed.
[1:54:09] topics that we'll discuss today are how
[1:54:13] Fairfax can have resilient buildings, um
[1:54:15] what we might do to get there, as well
[1:54:18] as current the current state of our
[1:54:20] solar infrastructure and how state laws
[1:54:23] change solar incentives for batteries as
[1:54:26] well as um what conceptual micro grids
[1:54:30] would look like and next steps.
[1:54:33] So, a question of why would we want to
[1:54:36] have resilient town buildings? Why are
[1:54:38] we having this conversation? Um, so the
[1:54:41] town has experienced many outages. Uh,
[1:54:44] for example, between 2021 and 2024,
[1:54:47] there were 13 outages for an average of
[1:54:51] 3 and 1/2 hours. And what that would
[1:54:53] mean for the town would be meetings like
[1:54:56] this canled due to those outages. uh
[1:55:00] staff in the courtyard and without safe
[1:55:04] working conditions,
[1:55:06] police department EV chargers unusable
[1:55:10] uh and other conditions related to
[1:55:14] outages.
[1:55:16] Benefits of resilience during those
[1:55:20] outages as well as other extreme weather
[1:55:23] events would be ensuring safety and
[1:55:25] comfort for staff and residents as well
[1:55:28] as reducing repair costs and making sure
[1:55:31] that staff are able to work during those
[1:55:33] outages and um providing support for the
[1:55:37] community through resources and uh
[1:55:40] spaces like the pavilion. Uh and and I
[1:55:44] know that the town has done this um but
[1:55:46] provide power during outages so people
[1:55:48] can come and charge their phone um or
[1:55:51] other necessities.
[1:55:55] So how might we make our buildings more
[1:55:57] functional uh and also reduce energy
[1:55:59] costs while we're at it?
[1:56:02] And just to make sure that everyone's on
[1:56:04] the same page, uh because a lot of these
[1:56:06] are words that might not come up in
[1:56:09] every day is that a micro grid is one or
[1:56:12] more solar systems. So we have solar
[1:56:15] panels on our pavilion right now and
[1:56:17] that would be more similar to a solar
[1:56:19] and uh a solar and battery system. We
[1:56:21] don't have a battery. But a one:one
[1:56:23] system is more like solar battery. But a
[1:56:25] micro grid system is just one or more
[1:56:28] solar panel systems connected to
[1:56:30] multiple buildings.
[1:56:32] And I'll be talking about net energy
[1:56:35] metering. And what that means is is a
[1:56:39] contract with a utility, in this case
[1:56:40] PG& regarding how they bill us for the
[1:56:43] energy that we both produce and consume.
[1:56:47] And when I say resilience, I mostly just
[1:56:50] mean reliability um and dependability
[1:56:53] during disruption.
[1:56:55] So our current system, we are under net
[1:56:58] energy metering one and we are in this
[1:57:02] contract because we have solar panels.
[1:57:03] They were installed in 2009. Um and when
[1:57:08] we produce solar for our town buildings,
[1:57:11] we also produce a little excess. And
[1:57:14] when we aren't using all of that power,
[1:57:18] the grid and PG& buys that power from us
[1:57:21] at 47 around 47 cents per kilowatt
[1:57:24] hours. Uh and so that turns into revenue
[1:57:27] for the town that we then don't pay for
[1:57:30] the energy. Uh so it's a great savings
[1:57:34] and incentive tool for solar
[1:57:38] as well as and so currently some of our
[1:57:40] town buildings, our town hall and police
[1:57:42] as well as our fire station have backup
[1:57:44] generators uh which serve as a great
[1:57:47] tool during um outages.
[1:57:50] But
[1:57:51] when those fail, they are very
[1:57:53] expensive. Um and having different types
[1:57:57] of backup is a is a form of resilience.
[1:58:01] So, what's going to change is that come
[1:58:04] next year, our net energy metering is
[1:58:07] going to change to I'll I'm going to say
[1:58:10] NEM 3 and I'll direct your focus to the
[1:58:15] bottom left of this slide. And so our
[1:58:17] solar panels regardless of what we end
[1:58:20] up doing either add or adding not adding
[1:58:24] whatever we do we will our contract will
[1:58:27] ex our ne one contract will expire. And
[1:58:30] what that means is that this new
[1:58:32] contract nema 3 will reduce the profit
[1:58:36] that we make on the energy sold back to
[1:58:38] the grid by tfold or reducing it by
[1:58:43] 10fold. So instead of around 50 cents
[1:58:45] per kilowatt hours we we will be making
[1:58:48] 5 cents around 5 cents per kilowatt
[1:58:50] hours. Uh and so the energy that we are
[1:58:53] not using will be
[1:58:58] more or less wasted and the revenue that
[1:59:01] we were making will be lost um under
[1:59:05] this new contract. And so what that is
[1:59:07] incentivizing is for us to be able to
[1:59:10] store the energy that we make so we it
[1:59:12] doesn't get um kind of lost back to the
[1:59:14] grid because we're not making any
[1:59:16] revenue from putting it back into the
[1:59:19] grid.
[1:59:22] This is just a summary of what I was
[1:59:25] explaining. Under NEM1,
[1:59:28] our excess solar is allowed to be sold
[1:59:31] back to the grid at full retail rates.
[1:59:34] And that's 20 years ago. This contract was made to in incentivize
[1:59:40] solar, but now California has a lot of
[1:59:42] solar. We are very used to it. And so
[1:59:44] what they're trying to do is incentivize
[1:59:46] batteries with this new um NEM3
[1:59:48] contract. And this so this favors
[1:59:51] battery so that you can consume the the
[1:59:54] energy that you use.
[1:59:58] So a potential micro grid would look
[2:00:02] like
[2:00:04] solar panels on roof and
[2:00:07] less reliance on grid and generators and
[2:00:11] more battery storage so that we are
[2:00:13] using the energy that we make um and
[2:00:16] being able to save money on the energy
[2:00:19] that we would be buying um late at
[2:00:22] night. uh that is usually at a higher
[2:00:25] cost because energy during the daytime
[2:00:27] is much more prolific and much um at a
[2:00:31] lower cost.
[2:00:34] And in this situation, because we have
[2:00:38] solar um charged batteries, if there was
[2:00:42] an outage, uh we would not have to rely
[2:00:46] on our generators. We could still have
[2:00:47] them there if needed. Um but we wouldn't
[2:00:51] be paying um for this extra solar and we
[2:00:54] would also have more energy during those
[2:00:57] outages to cover a lot of the resources
[2:00:59] that I mentioned earlier.
[2:01:04] So, this new this potential system with
[2:01:08] batteries and updated solar comes at a
[2:01:12] good time because our pavilion roof
[2:01:14] needs replacing and our pavilion roof
[2:01:17] has these uh almost 20-year-old solar
[2:01:20] panels. Uh and while replacing the roof,
[2:01:23] it would be a convenient time to also
[2:01:26] update those panels. Um because
[2:01:30] in the span of 20 years, solar
[2:01:32] technology has greatly uh improved and
[2:01:35] we can produce a lot more energy on the
[2:01:39] space of the pavilion, if not space on
[2:01:42] whatever roof we could decide that works
[2:01:44] well for Fairfax. Um and produces much
[2:01:48] more energy than we are right now. And
[2:01:51] like I said, under NEM3, we would save a
[2:01:53] lot more money by using the the the
[2:01:56] energy that we
[2:01:59] uh create. And um while adding these
[2:02:05] batteries, they could provide backup
[2:02:08] power for our police department vehicles
[2:02:10] and future police um or public work
[2:02:13] vehicles at cost effective um prices.
[2:02:21] And there are many precedents that
[2:02:25] support no upfront town capital options
[2:02:29] for
[2:02:31] providers that could support us in this
[2:02:34] project. So there are options that have
[2:02:37] third-party providers financing projects
[2:02:40] upfront and maintaining the
[2:02:42] infrastructure
[2:02:44] until we until the town owns it over
[2:02:47] time. Um, and different models have
[2:02:51] different timelines for how much the
[2:02:54] town would owe or and over what amount
[2:02:56] of time. Um, but it would relieve the
[2:03:01] town of that upfront cost. um and help
[2:03:05] the town have a little bit of safety for
[2:03:10] any technical risk with technology of
[2:03:13] either the battery
[2:03:16] um and would yeah have some more
[2:03:19] flexibility there
[2:03:22] and like I said reduce utility costs
[2:03:25] offset um payments to provider which
[2:03:27] would mean savings over time as well as
[2:03:30] we wouldn't have to pay for expensive of
[2:03:33] nighttime energy because we would
[2:03:35] produce solar powered energy during the
[2:03:38] day.
[2:03:41] So, a quick summary and um our town
[2:03:45] services are affected by outages. Our
[2:03:47] public meetings um are affected by
[2:03:49] outages. Residents need reliable places
[2:03:51] for shelter, energy, and resources.
[2:03:55] Um currently we don't ha these projects
[2:03:59] cost money and um we don't have the
[2:04:02] current upfront finances for that. Uh
[2:04:05] and with NE3 our energy bills will
[2:04:08] increase um because
[2:04:12] the drastic reduction of the revenue
[2:04:15] that we that we make through our solar
[2:04:17] energy uh incentivizes us to capture
[2:04:20] that energy to be able to use that
[2:04:22] another time. um whether that's at
[2:04:25] nighttime or during these outages. And
[2:04:27] we cannot access certain incentives for
[2:04:31] batteries or updated solar um that third
[2:04:34] party providers can access um to make it
[2:04:37] an even more cost-effective project.
[2:04:42] And currently infrastructure needs like
[2:04:44] the pivilian roof, updating our
[2:04:46] electrical panels because we are hoping
[2:04:48] to electrify more of our fleet um as
[2:04:52] well as old solar panels all kind of
[2:04:55] combine for a potential holistic
[2:04:58] solution.
[2:05:00] And a summary a summary of town benefits
[2:05:04] include reliable town services
[2:05:07] operationable operational during outages
[2:05:09] as well as potential community centers
[2:05:12] when the grid goes down. Um like I said
[2:05:15] no upfront potential no upfront capital
[2:05:17] costs um when a third party provider
[2:05:21] funds the project. Um and they can
[2:05:23] access those tax incentives. Um
[2:05:27] this also third party provider would
[2:05:29] maintain until the town ownership and um
[2:05:32] long-term utility costs would would
[2:05:35] ultimately be lowered uh and avoiding
[2:05:37] that nighttime power like I said. And
[2:05:41] just to summarize, uh this timing
[2:05:46] co uh collides with pavilion roof
[2:05:48] replacement, avoiding another retrofit
[2:05:50] if we choose to update our solar at a
[2:05:52] different time. Uh as well as updating
[2:05:54] our electric and uh fleet. And if we
[2:05:58] were to update our solar panels, they
[2:06:00] would be much more efficient um at
[2:06:03] producing power. So what we need from
[2:06:06] you today is that staff recommend uh or
[2:06:09] that council direct staff to continue
[2:06:11] pursuing a micro grid solution and what
[2:06:14] that would look like is to continue
[2:06:16] research of what these mic technologies
[2:06:19] uh might look like specifically for
[2:06:20] Fairfax as well as those financing
[2:06:22] options that I mentioned um and issue an
[2:06:26] RFP, RFQ or IFI depending on what staff
[2:06:30] determine is the best way forward and we
[2:06:33] would return to council with a proposal.
[2:06:36] And so what those private partners will
[2:06:37] do is develop technical and financial
[2:06:39] proposals, uh present financing options
[2:06:42] that minimize municipal financial risk
[2:06:44] and quantify expected energy savings,
[2:06:47] resilience benefits, and life cycle
[2:06:49] costs. We will then present those
[2:06:51] proposals um to you all.
[2:06:54] And that's all I have um and obviously
[2:06:57] here to answer any questions you have.
[2:07:00] >> Great. Thank you, Bridget. I have some
[2:07:03] questions and comments, but go ahead
[2:07:04] Barbara Culler.
[2:07:07] >> Thank you, Stephanie Helman.
[2:07:11] Um, just thank you, Bridget. That was
[2:07:13] really good. And thanks to folks like
[2:07:15] Bruce who've been working on this with
[2:07:17] you and others and Kristen. Um, just a
[2:07:21] couple of questions on the upfront
[2:07:23] financing. So, I understand the idea of
[2:07:26] a third-party provider
[2:07:29] um paying for potentially solar. Um I
[2:07:33] don't understand a third party provider
[2:07:36] being willing to change the roof on the
[2:07:38] pavilion, which is quite expensive.
[2:07:41] And I just want to ask you if that's
[2:07:44] been discussed, but the second part is
[2:07:46] one thing I didn't understand is how
[2:07:49] does the payback work over time? Is it I
[2:07:53] mean I realize a lot of this is
[2:07:56] continuing to research and all that but
[2:07:58] is there sort of a what you've seen of
[2:08:01] how the payback works is do we pay on a
[2:08:05] monthly basis a yearly basis until
[2:08:07] eventually we pay it off. So two
[2:08:10] questions for you. Thank you Bridget.
[2:08:12] >> Yeah. So your first question was about
[2:08:14] who would want to even touch the roof
[2:08:16] and pay for that because that's
[2:08:17] expensive. Um, and there are, and that's
[2:08:19] what we also had questions of, um, but
[2:08:23] there are certain, um, thirdparty
[2:08:26] providers out there that are willing to
[2:08:28] include,
[2:08:30] um,
[2:08:32] aspects of in uh, infrastructure updates
[2:08:35] in order to apply more solar and
[2:08:38] battery. And so their
[2:08:42] initial interest in working with um
[2:08:45] towns or whoever they're working with is
[2:08:48] to update um solar and battery. And when
[2:08:52] clients need certain other
[2:08:54] infrastructure updates, they are willing
[2:08:56] to help cover those costs as well. Um
[2:09:00] not all but some 30 third party
[2:09:03] providers.
[2:09:04] >> Okay. And then um I have a question for
[2:09:06] Kristen and then I'll ask you the second
[2:09:09] question I asked which is you know with
[2:09:12] an old building it's like one of those
[2:09:14] things where you get into change an
[2:09:17] electrical outlet and all of a sudden
[2:09:18] you're redoing electricity.
[2:09:21] Is there a fear of the same kind of
[2:09:24] thing with the roof? Let let's say we do
[2:09:27] get a third party provider who's willing
[2:09:30] to pay for upfront the roof which is a
[2:09:33] lot of money 800,000 maybe more. Um I
[2:09:36] don't know I remember it was a lot but
[2:09:40] anyway and then the solar but is there a
[2:09:43] fear that once you get into the roof
[2:09:45] you're getting into other things that
[2:09:48] weren't anticipated? Do you see that
[2:09:51] with the pavilion or is it simple that
[2:09:54] once you take the roof off you just
[2:09:56] replace the roof?
[2:09:59] >> There's a risk that they could find more
[2:10:01] rot than expected. Usually how you
[2:10:04] combat that is by having I mean one
[2:10:08] planning for a certain amount of rot and
[2:10:10] then having contingency in the project.
[2:10:13] >> Okay.
[2:10:13] >> To
[2:10:14] >> All right. In going back to my second
[2:10:16] question for Bridget, how is how does
[2:10:20] just the companies that you've talked
[2:10:21] to, how does the payback work? Is it
[2:10:24] like for 20 years? Is it like a
[2:10:26] mortgage? How does that work?
[2:10:28] >> Yeah. So it it can be explained
[2:10:30] similarly to on bill financing which we
[2:10:32] were doing for solar where we would pay
[2:10:35] slowly over time um depending on the
[2:10:39] model whether that's monthly or annually
[2:10:42] but we would pay the amount that we were
[2:10:45] saving um to pay off for the solar um
[2:10:48] like that's a similar system as some
[2:10:52] would do so slowly over time um and
[2:10:55] that's how just a few years ago we are
[2:10:57] fully owners of the solar now. Um, and
[2:11:00] so we didn't pay for that solar upfront.
[2:11:02] We did it slowly over time through the
[2:11:05] savings um, or like back through to P
[2:11:09] Gen of what we were saving. And so there
[2:11:12] are multiple financial models. Some are
[2:11:16] called energy as a service. Um, and so
[2:11:19] what that would mean is that we generate
[2:11:21] around $25,000
[2:11:23] per year of energy. um or and that's
[2:11:28] what we make the revenue that I was
[2:11:30] talking about for 477 cents on the um
[2:11:34] the kilowatt hour and
[2:11:37] what third party providers would ask is
[2:11:40] that what we are generating um
[2:11:45] we would then pay a small small amount
[2:11:50] for their like slowly over time pay
[2:11:55] the like battery um and solar costs
[2:12:01] through those savings. Um so instead of
[2:12:04] them going to PG& they would go to the
[2:12:07] third party provider um because we would
[2:12:11] have paid PG& for our utility um bills
[2:12:15] but [clears throat] then they then
[2:12:16] instead go to third party. Yeah.
[2:12:18] >> Does that make sense?
[2:12:19] >> Yeah. I mean I think some of the details
[2:12:21] have to be worked out but thank you for
[2:12:23] that explanation. appreciate it.
[2:12:25] >> Yeah,
[2:12:27] >> great mic.
[2:12:28] >> Oh, thank you. Um, as always, a great
[2:12:31] presentation. So, appreciate that. Um,
[2:12:36] I would imagine
[2:12:38] Barbara Kohler mentioned
[2:12:41] that the um the roof replacement, right?
[2:12:45] But I imagine that you're replacing lots
[2:12:48] of things, electrical to handle this
[2:12:50] micro grid. I would just imagine
[2:12:52] everything has to be redone in my mind.
[2:12:55] But either way, it doesn't matter to me
[2:12:56] right now.
[2:12:57] >> I will be voting or recommending to
[2:13:01] along with the I'm sure the rest of the
[2:13:04] uh council that we keep pushing forward
[2:13:06] and see what else we can learn.
[2:13:09] >> Thank you.
[2:13:09] >> I appreciate that.
[2:13:12] >> Any other This is This is questions.
[2:13:14] >> Question questions. Sure. Yeah. Uh I'm
[2:13:16] trying to figure out how old that roof
[2:13:17] is.
[2:13:19] it Is it 17 years old? Do we know?
[2:13:24] >> I don't have the answer to that right
[2:13:25] now. I think we could look back into the
[2:13:27] facility condition assessment and get
[2:13:30] that information out.
[2:13:32] >> We recently replaced the roof is $42,000
[2:13:34] for a house.
[2:13:36] Do don't we have an estimate for the for
[2:13:39] cost to replace that roof? We we did
[2:13:42] have a rough estimate and it's in the
[2:13:44] hundreds of thousands of dollars and um
[2:13:47] uh council member Kler remembered about
[2:13:50] 800,000. That's a number that I remember
[2:13:53] as well. Um it it may be that may be a
[2:13:56] little high um because the building is,
[2:14:00] you know, needs a lot of work, but um
[2:14:03] it's a significant roofing job.
[2:14:07] Um, is this will this be a Tesla battery
[2:14:10] program? Uh,
[2:14:12] >> uh, it would depend on what proposals we
[2:14:15] receive. I would I would assume that
[2:14:17] different um different providers might
[2:14:21] recommend different types of batteries.
[2:14:23] So, I think that could be an option that
[2:14:24] we receive, but there's also non-thium
[2:14:27] and solid state batteries or lithium
[2:14:29] batteries. So, it would really depend on
[2:14:32] um what proposals we we receive. Yeah.
[2:14:36] So, at what point would it be that
[2:14:39] I'm just concerned that if we've got a
[2:14:42] huge bill to replace that roof, I don't
[2:14:44] know what where the funds are going to
[2:14:46] come from. And I mean, I'm I'm
[2:14:48] supportive of the program, but but
[2:14:51] three months from now, I don't want to
[2:14:53] find out we're going to put out
[2:14:56] a half a million dollars on a new roof.
[2:14:59] If I if I may just jump in. Um the
[2:15:02] concept here is that we um continue
[2:15:06] exploring this option and that um the
[2:15:10] hope is that the cost of replacing the
[2:15:13] roof would come under this program so
[2:15:16] that we would not as the town have to
[2:15:19] put a capital out immediately for that.
[2:15:22] we would use the savings to pay off the
[2:15:26] um the capital of the roof which is
[2:15:29] needed in order to support new solar. In
[2:15:33] other words,
[2:15:35] it would be a crit if I don't really
[2:15:37] understand the difference between an RFP
[2:15:38] and RFQ and RFI, but I know what an RFP
[2:15:41] is. So, in other words, that would be
[2:15:42] the criteria that would be within the
[2:15:45] criteria that you send out to to bid
[2:15:47] essentially.
[2:15:49] >> Yes. that there's no capital outlay from
[2:15:51] the town.
[2:15:52] >> Yes, that would be a criteria. And we
[2:15:55] could also to um answer an another part
[2:15:59] of your question, Vice Mayor Edgar, is
[2:16:01] um it's potential that we could specify
[2:16:06] a type a class of battery if we have a
[2:16:10] preference. For example, if we are
[2:16:12] concerned about um fire risk in a
[2:16:16] certain like lithium ion battery as an
[2:16:18] example,
[2:16:20] Fairfax sold bonds on some of our
[2:16:22] buildings to to do some refinancing. Was
[2:16:25] the pavilion one of the buildings that
[2:16:27] was bonds were sold on put up for
[2:16:29] collateral.
[2:16:33] That was for the refi of we we did some
[2:16:37] when we refied the pension obligations,
[2:16:40] we did use some collateral of certain
[2:16:43] town buildings.
[2:16:45] That's my recollection.
[2:16:46] >> Okay. Um I'd be happy to check with our
[2:16:49] finance that was before you about that.
[2:16:51] I mean that is in fact the the purpose
[2:16:54] of this discussion is really to just um
[2:16:57] do you want us to continue
[2:17:00] spending effort to move forward?
[2:17:02] >> I'm concerned if if if if if we've
[2:17:04] already bond bonded the value of the
[2:17:08] building or are we going to be able to
[2:17:12] take in effect take a loan to replace
[2:17:14] the roof on that building that's that we
[2:17:16] don't own really.
[2:17:18] >> We can explore that. That's a good
[2:17:20] question.
[2:17:20] >> Yeah. I I understand.
[2:17:22] >> Um, Bridget, I have a question. So,
[2:17:24] because one thing I learned and I've
[2:17:26] been digging into this quite a bit. So,
[2:17:28] from what you presented, if we do
[2:17:31] nothing, so NEM1's moving to NEM3, no
[2:17:34] matter what, we're going to lose
[2:17:37] revenue.
[2:17:40] And so it really creates the
[2:17:42] circumstances for doing something and
[2:17:45] becoming more obviously resilient, but
[2:17:48] also financially resilient, too, because
[2:17:50] we're going to have to we we're not
[2:17:51] going to have it. We're not going to be
[2:17:53] making as much money. It's obviously not
[2:17:54] a huge revenue stream, but it will be
[2:17:57] more expensive for us if we do nothing.
[2:17:59] Is that correct?
[2:18:00] >> That's correct.
[2:18:02] >> Okay.
[2:18:02] >> Mhm.
[2:18:03] >> Okay, that's helpful. Thank you. Um
[2:18:09] I'm just looking at my notes and then is
[2:18:11] there in scope for this or is this
[2:18:14] something that you're exploring as far
[2:18:15] as EV chargers?
[2:18:18] So like I said how the roof
[2:18:22] infrastructure would be an incentive for
[2:18:24] third party prov or incentivize for
[2:18:27] third party providers to also cover the
[2:18:30] cost of that. Um, some providers have
[2:18:33] said that they could cover the cost of
[2:18:35] some EV chargers as well as battery um,
[2:18:39] and updated solar in order to help us do
[2:18:43] that. Um,
[2:18:45] and because we are hoping to update our
[2:18:50] or we are hoping to electrify more
[2:18:53] vehicles of our fleet. Um, we do need to
[2:18:56] look at our electric capacity. Um, and
[2:19:00] being able to plan for
[2:19:02] all of these things at once is helpful
[2:19:05] rather than updating our electricity
[2:19:07] panel
[2:19:08] >> peace meal. Yeah.
[2:19:09] >> Yeah. Two different times. So,
[2:19:10] >> yeah. To have a holistic plan related to
[2:19:13] that.
[2:19:13] >> And there's options for certain types of
[2:19:16] batteries to be birectional. um where
[2:19:21] electric vehicles can be charged um by
[2:19:25] those batteries and vice versa.
[2:19:28] >> Amazing. Okay. Sorry, Council Member
[2:19:30] Blash.
[2:19:31] >> It's okay. Um so I mean I seeing San and
[2:19:34] Selma put up solar has put up solar
[2:19:36] panels above their parking area. Um is
[2:19:38] that a do they technically have a micro
[2:19:41] grid or are they still in process? Yeah,
[2:19:44] because that um and like I said, the
[2:19:47] vocabulary can get muddled. So, they're
[2:19:49] calling that a resilience hub. Um, and
[2:19:52] it's it's just kind of a matter of
[2:19:53] branding sometimes. So, that those solar
[2:19:57] panels are directly powered to just the
[2:19:59] town hall. So, I would define that more
[2:20:02] as just like a solar and battery
[2:20:04] project. Um but it's a similar concept
[2:20:07] uh that they are adding solar and
[2:20:09] battery that power um a town building
[2:20:12] >> and are they using like a vendor that is
[2:20:14] paying for the installation of those um
[2:20:20] panels above the parking lot? the their
[2:20:24] model they used um a company called
[2:20:27] Gridscape and their financial um
[2:20:33] planning I think looks a little bit
[2:20:34] different where it was a little bit more
[2:20:36] of an upfront cost to the town but that
[2:20:38] was just how they wanted to um do the
[2:20:41] project. they wanted to m they wanted to
[2:20:44] own the infrastructure right away um as
[2:20:48] opposed to not owning it right away but
[2:20:51] being able to pay it off over time.
[2:20:53] >> Okay. Because that's it's really
[2:20:54] interesting the different ways that we
[2:20:55] could implement and um and I guess you
[2:20:58] if we say go ahead you'll go ahead and
[2:21:00] research the different ways we could
[2:21:01] implement. Um the other question I had
[2:21:03] is about the batteries. Um you know I
[2:21:06] know people are like some people are
[2:21:07] really worried about different types of
[2:21:08] batteries being flammable. you know, I
[2:21:09] have a little concern just cuz they'd go
[2:21:11] into into this big wood building. Um,
[2:21:15] and it seems like Graange halls are
[2:21:16] infamous for burning down. Anyway,
[2:21:18] there's an area where the batteries I
[2:21:20] think we were thought to go, which is
[2:21:22] maybe the uh lower
[2:21:24] right corner of the building, and I'm
[2:21:27] just wondering, is there part of this
[2:21:28] deal? Is there something should rebuild
[2:21:30] the area where the batteries are stored
[2:21:31] because um, you know, it's kind of ratty
[2:21:34] right now? Right now we can include in
[2:21:37] any criteria um that the location of the
[2:21:40] batteries are in a preferable place
[2:21:43] whatever we determine that is um
[2:21:48] but I I don't know. Um it would I think
[2:21:50] it would just need more research and we
[2:21:52] could certainly put that as criteria of
[2:21:54] whatever we end up preferring.
[2:21:56] >> Yeah. Because it just seems like if we
[2:21:58] have this lovely new roof and a lovely
[2:22:00] new solar system, we want to make sure
[2:22:01] that the batteries that they feed into
[2:22:03] are also somewhere that's safe. Totally.
[2:22:05] >> Yeah. Okay.
[2:22:09] » All right. Let's move to public comment
[2:22:10] on this.
[2:22:20] » Um, thank you, Bridget. And uh I just
[2:22:23] wanted to first profoundly thank staff
[2:22:27] uh for a lot of work in investigating
[2:22:31] this opportunity and to council for
[2:22:34] directing that investigation to begin.
[2:22:37] Um I just wanted to say and this might
[2:22:41] help to address uh council member
[2:22:43] Coler's questions that there are I see
[2:22:46] there on the larger level as being two
[2:22:49] reasons why this kind of opportunity is
[2:22:52] before us at this point. First of all
[2:22:54] our actual infrastructure here u a lot
[2:22:58] of the work is already done. Uh,
[2:23:01] amazingly enough, this is kind of where
[2:23:03] this concept came from years ago was
[2:23:05] realizing thanks to a prior council uh
[2:23:10] deciding to install solar on the
[2:23:12] pavilion that involve bringing
[2:23:14] underground wiring and conduit down to
[2:23:17] two other buildings, the fire station
[2:23:19] and the police and town hall. So, that's
[2:23:22] all done. and then a public works
[2:23:25] director at that time, I believe it was
[2:23:27] Kathy Wilkkey, uh brought conduit all
[2:23:31] the way from the fire station through
[2:23:34] the community center and to this
[2:23:35] building. It comes right back there to
[2:23:37] that corner. Uh John Tierney showed me
[2:23:40] that uh that is an amazing piece of
[2:23:45] infrastructure because if we thought
[2:23:47] about bringing underground wiring
[2:23:49] through the entire campus now with all
[2:23:51] the redwoods, we wouldn't be talking
[2:23:54] about this. So that's the first amazing
[2:23:56] opportunity. The second one is that u
[2:23:59] the future that was envisioned by Kathy
[2:24:02] Wilkey, I believe it was, is now here.
[2:24:05] Uh the the industry has obviously gone
[2:24:09] through incredible
[2:24:11] growth and changes in the last 20 years
[2:24:14] and uh we now it now we have reached a
[2:24:18] point at which it's a reasonable
[2:24:21] business model for a business to answer
[2:24:25] our request and be able to put something
[2:24:27] like this together.
[2:24:28] >> I'm going to let you continue because
[2:24:31] you are technically part of the the team
[2:24:34] working on this. It's helpful. Um, so
[2:24:36] yeah, I think that we it's now possible
[2:24:40] and you you know that there's solar on
[2:24:44] many many many many California houses
[2:24:46] roofs and a lot of that was done through
[2:24:49] a similar business model on a smaller
[2:24:51] scale. Sunun was one of the companies
[2:24:53] that would put solar on your roof and it
[2:24:57] wouldn't cost you anything but they
[2:24:59] actually owned the array and they shared
[2:25:02] in the savings with you. That was their
[2:25:03] business model. One little issue with
[2:25:06] that business model was they continue to
[2:25:08] own the array forever. And some people
[2:25:11] that I know are a little that turns into
[2:25:14] a little bit of a problem that they have
[2:25:15] this array that is on their roof that
[2:25:18] they don't own. This would be what we
[2:25:20] would certainly specify as a business
[2:25:22] model in which we after we paid it off,
[2:25:25] we would complete ownership of it. Um,
[2:25:29] so I'll leave it at that and just uh ask
[2:25:33] that council
[2:25:35] uh direct staff to continue pursuing
[2:25:37] this and and uh find vendors and bring some detail back. Thank you.
[2:25:44] >> Thank you.
[2:25:47] >> Um, a few points in the last one that
[2:25:48] Bruce just brought up is a very valid
[2:25:51] point. Um, I also know people that when
[2:25:53] they have sold their home, they had a
[2:25:55] pre-existing contract and there's a lot
[2:25:57] of debate and it costs money. So, I
[2:25:59] think it'd be prudent for the town once
[2:26:01] these panels go up to actually make sure
[2:26:04] that we have a shorter buyout period
[2:26:06] that we own them so we have the right to
[2:26:08] change, alter go in a different
[2:26:10] direction. Um, one, I think that micro
[2:26:13] grids for all towns I hope are the
[2:26:16] future because they're more efficient.
[2:26:18] you don't lose so much heat and energy
[2:26:20] in long uh transfer lines.
[2:26:24] But what I would encourage at the same
[2:26:26] time,
[2:26:28] the employment of sulfuric acid or
[2:26:32] lithium batteries, these are tremendous
[2:26:34] fire hazards that we don't need. There
[2:26:37] are many patents right now into
[2:26:39] interstitial space of crystals such as
[2:26:42] garnets and um what is it?
[2:26:47] Um,
[2:26:49] the engineering department of Maryland
[2:26:51] back in Baltimore is run by a person
[2:26:54] from Samurfel, California, Dr. Eric
[2:26:57] Waxman. He currently holds patents in
[2:27:00] the interstitial space of garnet
[2:27:02] crystals that have a faster degregation
[2:27:05] and a faster recharge rate. So this
[2:27:08] might be an opportunity of partnering or
[2:27:10] pairing that he'd like to see these type
[2:27:13] of patents employed which are more fire
[2:27:15] resilient. They're safer. They're
[2:27:17] smaller and they don't generate that
[2:27:19] same heat. So if we're going to make
[2:27:21] this correct move to the future and look
[2:27:24] at a micro grid, this might be an
[2:27:26] opportunity that we don't have to spend
[2:27:28] extra money and we can set an example.
[2:27:30] Thank you.
[2:27:32] >> Thank you. Next speaker.
[2:27:36] Good evening. Thank you, Bruce. And
[2:27:39] wonderful presentation, Bridget. Um,
[2:27:42] you know, one of the things that I
[2:27:43] thought about during this presentation
[2:27:44] was
[2:27:46] the idea of calling it a resilient hub
[2:27:49] over in in Sanelmo. It it would be
[2:27:51] great, of course, the way that this is
[2:27:53] presented moving forward for Fairfax.
[2:27:55] Uh, should it pass the infrastructure
[2:27:58] issues that we saw at the last couple of
[2:28:00] meetings with that building altogether.
[2:28:02] Uh but what I thought about was you know
[2:28:05] maybe one of the ways which Fairfax can
[2:28:07] look at this is through uh calling it
[2:28:10] something else like over in Sano called
[2:28:12] resiliency hub. Maybe it's can be growth
[2:28:15] related to the housing elements and plan
[2:28:18] Bay Area 2050 or plan Bay Area 2070 and
[2:28:22] maybe some research can be done with the
[2:28:25] association of Bay Area governments to
[2:28:26] find out if there are any of these types
[2:28:29] of grant funding streams that could be
[2:28:31] made available for the purposes of
[2:28:33] growth in the town infrastructure as
[2:28:36] much of it is uh for those very
[2:28:38] purposes. Thank you.
[2:28:49] Hi, Todd Greenberg. I support exploring
[2:28:53] a municipal micro grid and I appreciate
[2:28:56] Bridget's hard work on this and I hope
[2:28:59] we find a way to make this happen, but
[2:29:01] decisions need to be made based on good
[2:29:04] information.
[2:29:07] The staff report leaves out important
[2:29:09] financial and liability questions
[2:29:10] unanswered. The report says the pavilion
[2:29:12] solar panels were installed in 2009, yet
[2:29:14] also says the town's 20-year NEM1 period
[2:29:17] expires next year. Those dates do not
[2:29:20] appear to match. Before replacing or
[2:29:22] materially modifying the system, staff
[2:29:24] should produce P Gen permission to
[2:29:25] operate interconnection agreement,
[2:29:28] tariff designation, and grandfathering
[2:29:30] expiration date. The council should know
[2:29:33] the value of any remaining NEM1 benefits
[2:29:35] before approving changes that could move
[2:29:37] the town to less favorable solar billing
[2:29:40] plan. The report mentions Fairfax is an
[2:29:43] MCE customer but not meaningfully
[2:29:46] evaluate MCE assistance. Council member
[2:29:49] Barbara Kohler represents Fairfax on
[2:29:51] MCE's board and chairs its executive
[2:29:54] committee. I asked council member Kohler
[2:29:55] to help Fairfax identify and secure
[2:29:58] every available MCE grant incentive,
[2:30:00] technical assistance program, resilience
[2:30:02] resource, and compatible outside funding
[2:30:05] source before the town commits to a
[2:30:07] private financing provider. The report
[2:30:09] also says the pavilion roof must be
[2:30:11] replaced, but does not address the leaks
[2:30:12] or whether the original installer, later
[2:30:15] contractors, warranties, or insurance
[2:30:17] may cover some of the cost before
[2:30:18] removing the panels. A town should
[2:30:20] preserve evidence, inspect the
[2:30:21] penetrations and flashing, review
[2:30:23] contracts and warranties, and determine
[2:30:25] whether costs can be recovered. Please
[2:30:27] require a documented NEM analysis, an
[2:30:29] MCE funding assessment, and an
[2:30:31] independent roof cause and liability
[2:30:33] investigation before proceeding. Thank
[2:30:35] you.
[2:30:39] » Thank you. Are there any hands?
[2:30:41] >> We have one raised hand on Zoom.
[2:30:43] >> Okay, great.
[2:30:44] >> Jody, you are unmuted. You may now
[2:30:46] unmute yourself.
[2:30:49] Uh good evening council. Um thank you
[2:30:51] very much Bridget for an outstanding
[2:30:53] presentation. Uh on behalf of the
[2:30:55] Fairfax Climate Action Committee, I just
[2:30:57] want to encourage the council to move
[2:31:00] forward. At this point, this is a um
[2:31:03] direction to staff to continue to
[2:31:05] explore funding options and arrangements
[2:31:08] for the whole micro grid/resilience
[2:31:11] hub. It will serve both purposes. Um,
[2:31:14] Bridget has been in constant contact
[2:31:16] with us in the Fairfax Climate Action
[2:31:18] Committee every single month. We all
[2:31:20] have been thinking about this and as
[2:31:22] Bruce has said, talking about it for
[2:31:23] years and years and years. Um, several
[2:31:26] of us have our own little micro grids in
[2:31:28] our homes in terms of solar and battery
[2:31:31] and backup and connections. So, um, I I
[2:31:34] there's no harm in moving this forward.
[2:31:36] It's it is a solution, one of the 10
[2:31:39] solutions across the county for energy
[2:31:42] efficiency. Um, and I just really
[2:31:44] encourage you to support the further
[2:31:46] investigation. Everything will come back
[2:31:49] to the council with lots more discussion
[2:31:51] and debate around financial arrangements
[2:31:53] and products. Um, but uh, I think it's a
[2:31:56] fabulous we're so happy to be at this
[2:31:59] point and I really encourage you to give
[2:32:01] direction to the staff to continue to
[2:32:03] pursue um, these various options. Thanks
[2:32:06] so very much.
[2:32:09] » There are no more raised hands on Zoom.
[2:32:12] Go ahead. Council member Kohler has
[2:32:14] >> Yeah, I just want to say I think we
[2:32:16] definitely need to continue to pursue
[2:32:17] this. And just to answer Mr. Greenberg,
[2:32:21] um I have connected Bruce Arian uh with
[2:32:25] MCE staff. In fact, one of our uh highle
[2:32:29] managers who does the virtual power
[2:32:31] plant lives a couple doors down from
[2:32:33] Bruce. So, we're already made those
[2:32:35] connections and Bruce was my alternate
[2:32:38] and has a lot of connections. So, I can
[2:32:40] certainly help, but at this time, we
[2:32:42] don't have specific grants. So, um,
[2:32:45] thanks for your feedback and thank you
[2:32:47] guys. I want to also thank Dan
[2:32:48] Cardardoso who's been working very
[2:32:50] closely and I know others on the climate
[2:32:52] action committee, Kristen, Bridget, you
[2:32:55] guys. Bruce has been doing this. Who?
[2:32:59] >> No, I just said let's do it.
[2:33:00] >> Yeah, been working too.
[2:33:05] » Any other comments?
[2:33:07] >> I'm ready to vote.
[2:33:08] >> Okay. I just want to say it's been an
[2:33:10] absolute thrill to be working on this. I
[2:33:13] have worked hard on this as well and
[2:33:15] that has not been mentioned by anyone.
[2:33:17] Um,
[2:33:18] >> thank you, Mayor H.
[2:33:19] >> Yeah, and it's been premature until this
[2:33:21] point to meet with MC, but I think now
[2:33:24] after this vote, it would be a good time
[2:33:27] to do that. Um, so I would actually like
[2:33:30] to make the motion if I may.
[2:33:33] >> Yeah, we need to give direction to
[2:33:35] staff.
[2:33:37] It just says receive a presentation.
[2:33:39] >> Okay. Well, let's formally give No,
[2:33:42] there's a recommendation if you remember
[2:33:44] the last slide to give direction to
[2:33:46] staff as far as staff will determine the
[2:33:50] recommended approach whether it's RFI,
[2:33:52] RFP, RFQ. Is that right? And then come
[2:33:56] back with a proposal set.
[2:34:00] >> Yep.
[2:34:01] >> Does that sound right?
[2:34:03] I'm seeing
[2:34:05] >> I think we all are in agreement on that.
[2:34:07] I could be wrong.
[2:34:08] >> Okay. Is there any
[2:34:13] » I don't think it's a vote, right? We
[2:34:14] just
[2:34:14] >> It's not a vote, but does anyone have
[2:34:16] any issues with that direction?
[2:34:17] >> No, let's do it.
[2:34:18] >> Okay. Thank you.
[2:34:25] Um going to find my agenda.
[2:34:30] We are moving forward and thank you
[2:34:32] Bridget.
[2:34:33] >> Thank you.
[2:34:34] >> Well done.
[2:34:36] >> Moving forward with item number four,
[2:34:38] consent calendar. The council can
[2:34:40] approve all items on the consent
[2:34:42] calendar in one action. Alternatively,
[2:34:44] any council or staff member can remove
[2:34:46] items for separate discussion and
[2:34:49] voting. Public comments for consent
[2:34:51] calendar items are taken collectively,
[2:34:53] not item by item.
[2:34:56] During this period, speakers may address
[2:34:58] any item on the consent calendar with
[2:35:00] each speaker allotted up to two minutes
[2:35:03] and limited to one comment section.
[2:35:06] Okay. Does anyone have any items to
[2:35:08] pull?
[2:35:09] >> I don't, but I just want to mention that
[2:35:11] there's a supplement for item 4G.
[2:35:14] >> For G. Yeah, we all got that.
[2:35:17] >> All right. I have two.
[2:35:19] >> Okay. You have comments or do you want
[2:35:21] to pull items? Just
[2:35:22] >> pull two. Just pull two. Quick. Quick.
[2:35:24] Be quick. Identify them please.
[2:35:26] >> Uh items um
[2:35:31] item A, the financial statement, and
[2:35:35] item E, the minutes. Just those two.
[2:35:39] >> Okay. I mean, if you have comments on
[2:35:40] the minutes, you can just send them to
[2:35:42] Christine,
[2:35:43] but do you really need to pull it?
[2:35:46] >> Well, well, um I want to I wanted to put
[2:35:49] something in the minutes that I said
[2:35:51] that's not in the minutes. So, how how
[2:35:53] you know what's the best way to do that?
[2:35:55] >> Well, in the future, you could email
[2:35:58] Christine, but um yeah, just say what
[2:36:02] you want to add there. Add
[2:36:04] >> it. It's it that it's only one line. Not
[2:36:06] a big deal.
[2:36:07] >> Say what the line is.
[2:36:08] >> Should I tell you now? Okay. So, on the minutes, it was on the minutes
[2:36:12] dealing uh with uh with the the cannabis
[2:36:16] uh operation on Binus Road and and the
[2:36:19] minutes are correct. They show the vote.
[2:36:21] It was uh 311 on the vote to deny. Um
[2:36:25] but there's but uh there's comments in
[2:36:28] it for people, but my comments aren't
[2:36:29] in. I had suggested
[2:36:32] a a a a permit for for just for one-year
[2:36:36] trial to see if to see if it could work.
[2:36:40] And I I would just like to have that in
[2:36:42] the minutes. Maybe Christine can find
[2:36:44] the exact words. Just that that was that
[2:36:46] was all I want to add to the minutes.
[2:36:48] >> Okay, great. And then you want to pull
[2:36:51] >> just to pull the yes the financial
[2:36:53] quickly.
[2:36:53] >> Okay. So let's pull
[2:36:56] >> what?
[2:36:57] >> Yeah. Let's pull item A and then let's
[2:36:59] take a vote on um consent minus A.
[2:37:10] » So I I think we can go to public comment
[2:37:12] because
[2:37:13] >> I thought we were going to vote on the
[2:37:15] >> Well, we have to go to public comment on
[2:37:16] the rest of the consent.
[2:37:17] >> Oh, right, right, right, right. Sorry.
[2:37:19] Um,
[2:37:21] okay. We are taking public comment on
[2:37:23] all of consent. Um, with the exception
[2:37:26] of 4A.
[2:37:33] » Hi, good evening. Todd Greenberg
[2:37:35] commenting on the consent calendar this
[2:37:37] evening.
[2:37:38] You know, it's odd that there's so many
[2:37:43] consistently
[2:37:44] outnumbering consent calendar items that
[2:37:48] limit the public's comment to seconds
[2:37:51] per item.
[2:37:53] It's noted time and time again that the
[2:37:56] minutes are inaccurate
[2:37:59] and uh incomplete.
[2:38:02] I would ask this council to someone
[2:38:06] there to make a motion and reconsider
[2:38:08] and pull agenda item G which talks about
[2:38:11] MCE and the council's response to
[2:38:17] MCE, the civil grand jury report on MCE
[2:38:21] and the last minute supplement that
[2:38:23] apparently is pinned by Barbara Kohler
[2:38:26] that talks about her involvement with uh
[2:38:29] receiving compensation from other
[2:38:32] entities or at least that's the way I
[2:38:33] read it. So I want to know what the
[2:38:36] conflicts of interest are and I want to
[2:38:40] point this council to Sanelmo's
[2:38:43] council rotation policy that got
[2:38:46] developed over many meetings after a
[2:38:48] council member was unwilling to
[2:38:51] let go of their position. It behooves
[2:38:54] the council to rotate positions so that
[2:38:58] the council is stronger and other
[2:39:00] members are more informed. There is a
[2:39:02] lot of controversy going on at MC and I
[2:39:04] understand that Kohler has a lot of
[2:39:06] experience. We don't want to lose that
[2:39:09] but I also understand that she has
[2:39:10] motioned for ad hoc committees which are
[2:39:15] not subject to the Brown Act and it's
[2:39:16] quite a concern to me and others. Uh,
[2:39:19] and she was against a finance committee,
[2:39:21] a standing finance committee that would
[2:39:23] be transparent. Fairfax and I, as an MCE
[2:39:26] customer, deserve to know what's going
[2:39:29] on there. So, I would ask that you pull
[2:39:31] that item for further public comment.
[2:39:34] [music]
[2:39:36] >> So, um, Mayor Helman, I just
[2:39:38] >> just No, I just want to stay
[2:39:42] one raised hand on Zoom.
[2:39:44] >> I get no compensation. The discussion in
[2:39:47] item G was that members of PG and other
[2:39:51] investorowned utilities get
[2:39:53] compensation.
[2:39:54] >> Okay. Are there any other
[2:39:56] >> I have one raised hand on Zoom. Jody,
[2:39:58] you are unmuted. You may now unmute
[2:40:00] yourself.
[2:40:02] >> Good evening, council members and mayor.
[2:40:04] Again, I just want to thank Bridget very
[2:40:06] much for her help and support around um
[2:40:09] item H. Every year the climate action
[2:40:12] committee does come up with a work plan.
[2:40:14] uh what we intend to try to accomplish.
[2:40:16] She helped to pull that all together.
[2:40:18] So, what you have in item eight is a
[2:40:21] report on what we set um out to do last
[2:40:24] year as well as our plan for this next
[2:40:26] year. So, I just want to encourage
[2:40:28] council members if you have any
[2:40:30] questions or input or or any anything
[2:40:32] you'd like to talk with us about at the
[2:40:34] climate action committee to please reach
[2:40:36] out to me in terms of our report. But
[2:40:38] thank you very much Bridget and also for
[2:40:40] your support in working to set a new
[2:40:44] meeting day and time for all of us so
[2:40:46] that we can accommodate the whole
[2:40:48] committee and work with the town's
[2:40:50] schedule as well. So thanks very very
[2:40:52] much for both of those.
[2:40:54] >> Thank you.
[2:40:54] >> There are no more speakers on Zoom.
[2:40:56] >> Okay. Closing public comment on consent.
[2:40:59] >> Can I move the consent calendar minus uh
[2:41:03] letter uh 4A?
[2:41:06] >> I'll second that.
[2:41:08] All in favor.
[2:41:11] >> What was that motion to?
[2:41:12] >> Can I do an all in favor?
[2:41:14] >> I consent.
[2:41:15] >> Can you please know what I
[2:41:18] >> Any nays?
[2:41:20] >> Okay. Moving forward with
[2:41:23] >> Moving forward with consent calendar
[2:41:25] item A.
[2:41:28] >> Okay, let me just just two is two two
[2:41:30] issues. They're pretty easy. um on a
[2:41:33] dispersement report. Uh it's it's page
[2:41:36] two. A and um about halfway down, it's
[2:41:40] the first American title company. It was
[2:41:42] a paid on June 8th, 2026.
[2:41:46] Uh we paid $75,000
[2:41:49] and and I'm just wondering why we paid
[2:41:53] First American Title Company $75,000.
[2:41:56] So,
[2:41:57] >> um if I [clears throat] may, so um the
[2:42:00] council uh um voted to make a donation
[2:42:04] for the Sky Ranch NLES.
[2:42:08] Um and that is the $75,000 amount that
[2:42:12] the council voted to make that donation
[2:42:16] for.
[2:42:16] >> That's the escrow company that was
[2:42:18] holding the
[2:42:20] >> So, that's how we made the donation. And
[2:42:21] we paid off. We paid a
[2:42:24] >> all of the
[2:42:24] >> the title research.
[2:42:27] >> Um
[2:42:27] >> Oh, it was the escrow company that she
[2:42:29] paid into.
[2:42:32] >> Yes. So, um when property is purchased,
[2:42:35] typically money goes into an escrow
[2:42:37] account. So, we we made that deposit
[2:42:41] into the escrow account for that
[2:42:42] property.
[2:42:43] >> Right. Santa bought the property. Is it
[2:42:46] is but is it
[2:42:48] we paid our $75,000
[2:42:52] rather than give Santa $75,000.
[2:42:55] We paid we paid an escrow account.
[2:42:58] >> No, most bought the property and there
[2:43:00] was an escrow account for the property.
[2:43:03] Sanl did not buy the property. It was
[2:43:06] the money went to most and it got it's getting transferred hopefully to
[2:43:12] the county.
[2:43:14] >> Okay. But we're paying for the for the title report.
[2:43:19] >> No, we're not paying for the title
[2:43:20] report. The funds for the purchase, the
[2:43:24] entire purchase of Sky Ranch Null was in
[2:43:27] an escrow account. So, our donation went
[2:43:30] into that escrow account. That's where
[2:43:32] all the funds are.
[2:43:35] >> Oh, okay. We didn't write a check for
[2:43:36] First American Title.
[2:43:37] >> No, no, it's it goes they for the escrow
[2:43:40] company.
[2:43:41] >> I I just read what's what's in a report.
[2:43:43] >> Okay. That's the escrow company.
[2:43:45] >> Okay.
[2:43:46] >> Thank you.
[2:43:47] >> And then the other question is, you
[2:43:48] know, I we've been tracking uh the uh
[2:43:52] the cost for for legal and um
[2:43:56] [clears throat]
[2:43:57] we're we're in August now. I thought we
[2:43:58] would have a final for May and June for
[2:44:00] our for our legal costs, but uh public
[2:44:03] agency law there's there's no final in
[2:44:06] there. So what we did is we kept we kept
[2:44:11] legal under a million dollars 974,683
[2:44:16] but there's no charges for for May and
[2:44:18] June for uh for for our town attorney.
[2:44:23] When will those charges show up a as as
[2:44:26] an expense for the year?
[2:44:29] We paid in July
[2:44:32] the bill for May. We have yet to receive
[2:44:34] a bill for June. So, well, May doesn't
[2:44:38] show up here, though. I'm looking at it
[2:44:40] right now. Does May show up?
[2:44:42] >> This report was issued before we got and
[2:44:45] paid the bill.
[2:44:47] >> This is I'm looking right. Nothing for
[2:44:49] May. How much is May for for for
[2:44:52] >> It was about 21,000 for May.
[2:44:55] >> That says best of Creger, doesn't it?
[2:44:59] >> The 21,000 is not on the report.
[2:45:03] >> Okay. I'm looking at the report. It says
[2:45:05] $21,954
[2:45:07] was paid to to Best Bessa Creger.
[2:45:12] >> Your question your question was whether
[2:45:15] public agency had submitted a bill and
[2:45:18] it had been paid for May and June.
[2:45:21] >> Yeah. Yes.
[2:45:22] >> We we did get a bill for May and have
[2:45:25] paid it.
[2:45:26] >> Okay.
[2:45:26] >> How come does it show? because this
[2:45:29] report was issued
[2:45:30] >> last week and now we have received the
[2:45:33] bill after this agenda item was posted
[2:45:37] and so I know what the amount is but
[2:45:40] this report only includes what I knew of
[2:45:44] as of when I did the report.
[2:45:46] >> Okay. So, so when will we get a final on
[2:45:48] our legal cost for the for the year?
[2:45:51] >> When we received the bill for June.
[2:45:55] But how come it's blank under under
[2:45:57] public agency law for May?
[2:46:00] >> We haven't received a bill. I can't
[2:46:02] predict what the amount is.
[2:46:03] >> I thought you said you paid May.
[2:46:05] >> I paid May but not June.
[2:46:07] >> Well, you said you paid May after this
[2:46:10] period. Correct.
[2:46:12] >> This period
[2:46:13] >> in July or August?
[2:46:14] >> If I if I may. Um so um because of the
[2:46:19] posting deadlines for a um packet,
[2:46:24] we want reports
[2:46:27] before the last day that we're going to
[2:46:29] post. And so Michael prepared those
[2:46:33] reports um and let's say they were
[2:46:36] finalized on Wednesday last week as an
[2:46:40] example, preferably the actually the
[2:46:43] Wednesday before.
[2:46:44] >> Okay. So I'm just wondering when we're
[2:46:45] going to see the total cost. So that
[2:46:48] >> understood. So if I if I may just get
[2:46:51] there one one step at a time. So if
[2:46:54] Michael um finalized this report last
[2:46:59] week on Wednesday and we got um public
[2:47:02] agency laws invoice on Friday
[2:47:07] um it it is not reflected here. That's
[2:47:11] for May. We are still expecting the
[2:47:14] invoice for June and assuming we get
[2:47:19] that uh before the books are completely
[2:47:22] closed, which we do assume, then you'll
[2:47:25] see the full amounts when all of the
[2:47:28] books for the recently um ended fiscal
[2:47:33] year come to you. So, it's going to show
[2:47:36] up on a September report.
[2:47:42] Typically, I do this report on a fiscal
[2:47:45] year basis. So, I can continue to finish
[2:47:49] out this report and put it in with the
[2:47:51] attorney bills if you like.
[2:47:54] >> Okay. Thank you.
[2:47:58] question about since we're asking um
[2:48:03] on non-dep departmental 715
[2:48:07] it's 1,140,000
[2:48:10] with some change
[2:48:12] um
[2:48:15] >> yeah
[2:48:20] how much of that is related to
[2:48:23] um attorney bills or litigation costs
[2:48:30] on the report which is a detail report
[2:48:33] for the income statement we show that
[2:48:36] the litigation expense for
[2:48:39] um June June was 37,000 and for year-to-
[2:48:44] date was 472,000.
[2:48:52] It's under the header litigation which
[2:48:54] is 01715
[2:48:57] 892.
[2:48:58] >> Okay. Well, I'm looking at all all of
[2:49:01] 715 non department
[2:49:03] >> on the detail or on the summary
[2:49:05] >> healthcare professional services special
[2:49:10] >> I'm sorry. Yeah. What? I don't know.
[2:49:12] It's hard to read. Um I can hardly see
[2:49:15] it. Eight of 17 maybe
[2:49:17] >> the second from the bottom.
[2:49:19] >> It's not legend. You can't see it. It's
[2:49:21] written too lightly.
[2:49:23] >> The the spec from the bottom says
[2:49:25] litigation.
[2:49:27] >> It's um department 715 non-EP
[2:49:30] departmental.
[2:49:32] >> Mhm.
[2:49:33] >> And it's covers a bunch of things.
[2:49:36] Insurance for instance, special
[2:49:38] services, miscellaneous,
[2:49:40] claim settlements, litigation,
[2:49:44] other things. are are those how many of
[2:49:47] those items that are listed are related
[2:49:49] to
[2:49:52] litigation or attorney bills?
[2:49:55] >> The one line that says litigation,
[2:49:57] >> that's it,
[2:49:58] >> is the amount that we pay for for
[2:50:00] attorneys. That's bad. There can be
[2:50:03] attorney bills that Bay Cities uses and
[2:50:06] bills us for for claim settlements and
[2:50:10] that sort of thing for attorneys that
[2:50:12] are uh used by Bay Cities to uh deal
[2:50:18] with uh settling workers comp claims and
[2:50:21] other things. But those those are out of
[2:50:23] our um
[2:50:26] >> what falls under professional services.
[2:50:31] » Professional services is uh a number of
[2:50:34] uh categories including the the uh
[2:50:38] general services bills that we pay to
[2:50:41] the county for for animal services.
[2:50:44] Um it it covers uh amount that we're
[2:50:49] paying to the chamber of commerce. It
[2:50:51] covers, if you look in the budget uh for
[2:50:54] that page, it details about a dozen
[2:50:56] different uh
[2:51:00] line items of of uh
[2:51:04] detail for that uh category. Thank you.
[2:51:13] » Okay. Opening public comment.
[2:51:24] I too am, my name is Todd Greenberg. I
[2:51:26] too am very concerned about Fairfax's
[2:51:28] legal costs, which have been
[2:51:30] significantly over budget for years now.
[2:51:33] Yet, the council and public still do not
[2:51:35] receive complete and timely monthly
[2:51:38] reporting. The June report shows nearly
[2:51:41] $975,000
[2:51:43] in attorney expenses for fiscal year
[2:51:46] 2025 2026, about $317,000
[2:51:49] for quote general services, $470,000 for
[2:51:53] special or litigation services, nearly
[2:51:56] $188,000 charged to the Meadowway Bridge
[2:51:58] project. The ledger also shows
[2:52:00] litigation was budgeted at $100,000 but
[2:52:03] reached approximately $473,000.
[2:52:05] Claims and settlements added almost
[2:52:08] $170,000. Even at year end, the attorney
[2:52:11] schedule still contains blank months for
[2:52:13] some firms and matters. So, the final
[2:52:15] total may and will be higher. Why are
[2:52:18] legal bills, acred legal costs, and
[2:52:20] budget overruns not presented to the
[2:52:22] council every month on a timely basis
[2:52:24] while there is still time to control
[2:52:26] spending? Government finance best
[2:52:28] practices call for regular budget to
[2:52:30] actual monitoring and prompt disclosure
[2:52:33] of significant variances. Attorney
[2:52:35] client privilege may justify redacting
[2:52:37] sensitive descriptions, but it should
[2:52:39] not prevent disclosure of aggregate
[2:52:41] spending, vendor totals, account
[2:52:44] charges, or budget variances. Please
[2:52:47] require one consolidated monthly report
[2:52:50] showing every law firm fund account and
[2:52:53] project amounts build and acred, the
[2:52:55] adopted budget, the variance, the
[2:52:58] projected year-end total, and who
[2:53:00] authorized spending beyond budget. The
[2:53:02] public should not learn months later
[2:53:05] that legal expenses exceeded budget by
[2:53:07] hundreds of thousands of dollars. The
[2:53:08] council needs this information before
[2:53:10] costs escalate, not after the fiscal
[2:53:13] year ends. Please
[2:53:16] get all of the legal bills in one place
[2:53:20] and quit hiding them in uncatategorized
[2:53:22] and other sections. Legal belongs in
[2:53:25] legal clearly discernable to everybody.
[2:53:29] >> Thank you. Any other speakers? Okay.
[2:53:33] Closing public comment on this item. Can
[2:53:36] I have a motion, please?
[2:53:37] >> I move uh
[2:53:39] >> accept the financials.
[2:53:40] >> Uh I'll second.
[2:53:43] >> All in favor?
[2:53:45] >> I.
[2:53:46] >> Any naysay?
[2:53:47] >> No.
[2:53:49] >> Oh, we have one nay.
[2:53:54] >> One no.
[2:53:54] >> No. Mike said no.
[2:53:56] >> Two.
[2:53:56] >> Okay. Oh, I
[2:53:58] >> I'm just We got to get a handle on this
[2:54:00] litigation course.
[2:54:01] >> Okay, so let's move on.
[2:54:03] >> Okay. Um,
[2:54:07] we are jouring in honor of John
[2:54:10] Sergeant. And with that, good night.