Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Presiding: Mayor Tom Butt · Called to order: 6:31 p.m. · 10 items · 20 votes · 19 public comments
What happened
- Received the proposed 2019-20 city budget with 5 public comments but took no vote.
- Rejected appointments to Rent Board, Police Review Commission, and Planning Commission 6-1 (Butt dissenting).
- Rejected increasing payment limit to $240,000 for Point Molate environmental law firm with multiple abstentions.
- Approved consent calendar including $1.02 million bike share grant and $54,000 environmental grants to nonprofits.
- Approved weekly budget meetings to eliminate deficit and reestablishing school district coordination committee.
Auto-generated summary from agenda items and vote records
View official: MinutesAttendance
Appointments(1 item)
Appoint members to Rent Board, Police Review Commission, and Planning Commission
In Plain English
The city fills vacant seats on 3 boards that help govern Richmond. The Rent Board handles tenant-landlord disputes and sets rent control rules. The Police Review Commission investigates complaints against officers. The Planning Commission reviews new development projects and zoning changes.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
to approve all of the appointments
3 to 3
to appoint members of the Community Police Review Commission and the reappointments to the Rent Board
5 to 1
to approve appointments to members of the Community Police Review Commission
6 to 1
to approve the appointments to the Community Police Review Commission and all of the reappointments to the other commissions
6 to 1
Governance(3 items)
Create master list of all city fees in one law
In Plain English
The city currently has fees scattered across different laws and departments. This creates a single document listing all fees the city charges for permits, licenses, and services. If approved, residents and businesses can find all fee information in one place instead of searching multiple sources.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
adopted Ordinance No. 8-19 N.S.
7 to 0
Change quorum rules for Citizens Police Review Commission meetings
In Plain English
The Citizens Police Review Commission currently cannot meet when commissioner seats are vacant because quorum rules require a fixed number of members. The proposed change calculates quorum based on how many commissioners are actually appointed rather than total possible seats. This ensures the commission can continue reviewing police matters even when some positions remain unfilled.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
approved the item with amendment that Citizens Police Review Commission be included in process of revisions to ordinance
6 to 1
Consider reestablishing coordination committee with West Contra Costa school district
In Plain English
The city previously had a joint committee with the local school district to coordinate on shared issues. This committee no longer exists. If approved, city and school officials would meet regularly to discuss projects affecting both organizations like traffic safety near schools and shared facility use.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
to appoint Councilmembers Martinez and Johnson to an ad-hoc committee
to create an ad-hoc committee
7 to 0
Budget(4 items)
Receive proposed city budget for fiscal year 2019-20
In Plain English
The city manager presents the proposed spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2019. City council reviews the balanced budget and discusses priority items before final approval. The budget sets spending levels for all city services including police, parks, and infrastructure for the coming year.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Approve 3% increase in Hilltop neighborhood landscaping fees for 2019-2020
In Plain English
Property owners in the Hilltop area pay annual assessments to maintain landscaping in their neighborhood. The city must formally approve these fees each year based on an engineer's cost analysis. If approved, your assessment increases by 3% for the upcoming fiscal year.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Approve 3% increase in Marina Bay landscaping fees for 2019-2020
In Plain English
Marina Bay property owners pay special assessments to maintain landscaping and lighting in their neighborhood. The city engineer reviewed costs and recommends raising the assessment by 3% for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved, your annual landscaping fee increases slightly to cover rising maintenance costs.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Direct city manager to hold weekly budget meetings to eliminate deficit
In Plain English
The city faces a budget deficit that needs to be resolved. The proposed meetings would include department heads, union representatives, and up to 3 council members. If approved, they meet weekly to find ways to balance the budget while protecting city employee jobs and benefits.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
approved the item
7 to 0
Contracts(2 items)
Amend contract with Vigilant Solutions for $30,000 through 2022
In Plain English
The city has an existing contract with Vigilant Solutions that runs from 2019 to 2022. This amendment adds $30,000 to the contract value. Without the staff report, the specific services Vigilant Solutions provides are unclear, but the company typically offers license plate recognition and surveillance technology to law enforcement agencies.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Increase payment limit to $240,000 for Point Molate environmental law firm
In Plain English
The city hired Downey Brand LLP to handle environmental lawsuits related to Point Molate development. The original contract has a spending cap that needs to be raised. If approved, the city can pay up to $240,000 total for this legal work.
Auto-generated summary. Source: official agenda documents.
Votes
to approve the item
3 to 0
Approved as a group without individual discussion.