HOLLISTER, Calif. — At its Oct. 20 meeting the Hollister City Council approved several routine and contract items that drew brief discussion.

Airport use agreement (Item 8.6)
The council approved an airport use agreement with Alef Aeronautics (ALDF/Alef) to allow experimental aircraft testing at the Hollister airport. Airport staff described the operations as limited test periods (permitted operations modeled at up to two days per week and a maximum of 16 hours per week during testing) and said safety protocols and the airport’s Federal Aviation Administration coordination were conditions of the agreement. The fee in the agreement was described in staff remarks as $150 per day (presenters said the $150 fee is per day of use). The council approved the agreement by voice vote following a staff presentation and questions from council members.

Fire service agreement with Timoach Valley Solar LLC (Item 8.8)
Council approved a buyer’s service agreement with Timoach Valley Solar LLC to provide fire‑service inspections, training and access to on‑site water tanks. Staff said the prior development agreement (construction phase) carried higher costs; the new agreement is a maintenance‑era contract that offsets inspection, training and maintenance costs and establishes fund 2701 as the receivable/expense fund. Staff said Timoach Valley has increased on‑site water storage — from one tank to four — and that the city’s access to that water is authorized for broader firefighting use in the area. The council approved the agreement by voice vote.

Other actions and process notes
- Public hearing opened on Item 9.1 (ordinance to recover emergency response personnel costs related to DUI incidents). Staff recommended introducing an ordinance to amend Title 9 of the Hollister Municipal Code, direct a resolution setting hourly personnel rates, and schedule adoption for Nov. 3, 2025. The public hearing was opened and no public comments were offered for that item at the time of the meeting. A motion to introduce the ordinance was made during the meeting; the transcript records the motion but does not include the final roll‑call vote in the provided excerpt.

Public comment highlights
The council heard public comments on a range of community items including veterans’ programming and emergency‑preparedness outreach for Spanish‑speaking and farmworker communities. Multiple speakers requested the city provide records or clarity on veteran‑facility agreements and encouraged support for a Latino Coalition preparedness program that provides bilingual, culturally relevant disaster readiness training.

What to watch next
- Staff will execute the airport and solar‑service agreements under the terms approved and will manage scheduling and operations under the city’s airport and fire‑service protocols.
- The DUI cost‑recovery ordinance was introduced for further processing with a potential adoption hearing scheduled for Nov. 3, 2025 (staff’s recommendation).