[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.

Town Council Meeting: August 5, 2026

Agenda

Transcript